Advanced English Vocabulary for IELTS and Spoken English

Advanced English Vocabulary for IELTS and Spoken English SET 1

Advanced English Vocabulary for Printable Flashcards Set 1 PDF  IELTS, TOEFL, TOEIC, GRE, CSS, UPSC, and another language exam.

Advanced English Vocabulary for IELTS:

Genesis: (n)

Meaning: The beginning or origin

Example:  We cannot yet satisfactorily explain the genesis of the universe.

Grisly: (adj.)

Meaning: Extremely unpleasant because of death, decay, or destruction which is shown or described.

Example: This is a grisly story about people who ate human flesh.

Heresy: (n)

Meaning: A belief that is against the official or accepted beliefs of a religion or other group.

Example: The minister’s speech will be regarded as heresy by most members of her party.

Incorporate: (v)

Meaning: Include as part of a whole.

Example: They incorporated her suggestions into their plan.

Indeterminate: (adj.)

Meaning: Not clearly seen or fixed.

Example: Our holiday plans are still at an indeterminate stage.

Inquest: (n)

Meaning: An official inquiry.

Example: The inquest on his death will be held next Thursday.

Officious: (adj.)

Meaning: Too eager to give orders or to offer advice.

Example: An officious little guard came and told me not to whistle in the museum.

Spearhead: (v)

Meaning: To lead forcefully.

Example: Which of the opposition parties is going to spearhead the attack on the government?

Apportion: (v)

Meaning: To divide and share out.

Example: It was difficult to apportion the blame for the accident between the two drivers.

Charisma: (n)

Meaning: The strong personal charm or power to attract that makes a person able to have great influence over people.

Example: Bhutto was a political leader of great charisma.

Concede: (v)

Meaning: To admit as true, correct, or proper, often unwillingly.

Example: I concede that particular point, but I still think you’re wrong.

Definitive: (adj.)

Meaning: Providing the last decision that cannot be questioned or changed; conclusive

Example: We are expecting a definitive decision by the Supreme Court.

Instrumental! (adj.)

Meaning: Being the cause of; helpful.

Example: His information was instrumental in catching the criminal.

Essence: (n)

Meaning: The central or most important quality of a thing.

Example: The essence of his religious teaching is love.

Download the PDF Book of Set-1

English Vocabulary for IELTS and Spoken English SET 2

Advanced English Vocabulary for Printable Flashcards Set 2 PDF  IELTS, TOEFL, TOEIC, GRE, CSS, UPSC, and other language exams.

Vocabulary for IELTS:

Disparity: (n)

• a noticeable difference between two or more things.
• Their aim is to reduce economic disparities between the rich and the poor countries.

Facetious: (adj.)

• using or tending to use unsuitable jokes; irreverent.
• He was being facetious and grandmother got crosser and crosser.

Flamboyant: (adj.)

• behaving in a very noticeable, confident, and exaggerated way.
• He has been accused of being too flamboyant on stage.
• My father was capable of flamboyant generosity.

Imbue: (v)

• to fill with something, especially a strong feeling or opinion.
• A ruler should be imbued with a sense of responsibility for the nation.

Nebulous: (adj.)

• lacking clear form or expression.
• He is known for his nebulous political ideas.

Privilege: (n)

• a special advantage limited to a particular person or group.
• He had his privilege withdrawn as a punishment.

Ramification: (n)

• one of the many consequences or developments that complicate decisions, ideas, or plans.
• We considered the proposal and all its ramifications.

Rancor: (n)

• a feeling of bitter unforgiving hatred.
• Can we not conduct these negotiations without rancor?

Regimented: (adj.)

• very strictly controlled (used to show disapproval).
• I can’t get used to the regimented lifestyle of the army.

Empirical: (adj.)

• Guided by or based on practical experience of the world we see and feel not by ideas out of books.
• We now have empirical evidence that the moon is covered with dust.

Ensnare: (v)

• To catch in a trap.
• He ensnared the old lady into giving him all her savings.

Ethos: (n)

• The moral nature set of ideas, or beliefs of a person or group.
• The company ethos is one of cooperation between all members of the firm.

Forensic: (adj.)

• Related to or used in the law and the tracking of individuals.
• The use of scientific methods by the police is known as forensic science.

Glib: (adj.)

• Good at speaking quickly, cleverly, and in a way that is likely to persuade people, whether speaking the truth or not.
• He has got a glib tongue.

Clog: (v)

• To become blocked or filled so that movement or activity is very difficult.
• The road to the airport is clogged with traffic.

Impediment: (n)

• A fact or event which makes action difficult or impossible.
• The main impediment to development is the country’s huge foreign debt.

Impel: (v)

• To drive someone to take action.
• I was so annoyed that I felt impelled to write a letter to the paper.

Click below to Download the PDF Book of Set-2 ……

Advanced Words for IELTS and Spoken English SET 3

English Advanced Words for Printable Flashcards Set 3 PDF  IELTS, TOEFL, TOEIC, GRE, CSS, UPSC, and another language exam.

Histrionics: (n) behavior which is like a theatrical performance, showing strong but insincere feelings.

• Your histrionics will cut no ice with me.

 

Ignite: (v) to start a fight or argument; spark.

• This episode has ignited a lively debate on the issue.
• His speech ignited racial tension in the area.

 

Retentive: (adj.) able to remember a lot of information.

• She has a very retentive memory.

 

Saga: (n) Any of the stories written from the 12th to the 14th century about the Vikings of Norway and Iceland

• This new novel is an absorbing family saga.

 

Stoic: (n) someone who does not complain when something unpleasant happens to him.

• My father, a stoic by nature, found it hard to express his grief when my mother died.

 

Stoicism: (n) not showing one’s emotions when suffering hardship.

• He showed incredible stoicism in the face of economic difficulties.

 

Syndicate: (n) a group of people or companies combined together for a particular purpose, usually business.

• Our companies formed a syndicate to bid for the big new contract.

 

Syndicate: (v) to be sold to a number of different newspapers, magazines, etc.

• His column is syndicated throughout America.
• He is a syndicated columnist.

 

Volatile: (adj.) of a quickly changing, undependable nature, especially easily becoming angry or dangerous.

• He is a volatile character.
• The situation in the streets is highly volatile, and the army is being called in.

 

Volition: (n) the act of using one’s will; one’s power to control, decide, or choose.

• I didn’t tell her to go; she went of her own volition.

 

Gobble: (v) to eat food too fast.

• Don’t gobble your breakfast.
• Inflation soon gobbled up our pay increase.

 

Hallmark: (n) a particular quality, way of behaving, etc. that is very typical of a certain person or thing.

• Clear expression is the hallmark of good writing.

 

Masochism: (n) the gain of pleasure from suffering, pain, or unpleasantness.

• Masochism is a psychological abnormality.

 

Niche: (n) a suitable place, job, etc.

• He has found a niche for himself in the book trade.

 

Deluge: (v) to cover or fill with a great flood of things.

• The minister was deluged with questions.

 

Disquisition: (n) a long (perhaps too long) speech or written report.

• We had to listen to his boring disquisition.

 

Emotive: (adj.) causing a strong feeling.

• Capital punishment is a very emotive issue.

 

Generalize: (v) to form a general principle, opinion, etc. after considering only a small number of the facts.

• It is unfair to generalize from these two accidents and say that all young people are bad drivers.

 

Inchoate: (adj.) just beginning to form and therefore not clear or developed.

• His inchoate ideas do not matter much.

 

Incidence: (n) the extent to which something happens.

• This is an area with a high incidence of crime.

 

Inconsequential: (adj.) unimportant; insignificant.

• His marriage outside the family is an inconsequential event.

Advanced Words for CSS and Spoken English SET 4

English Words with Printable Flashcards Set 4 PDF  IELTS, TOEFL, TOEIC, GRE, CSS, UPSC, and another language exam. The Sets of high-frequency English words will you master any English language exam in the world.

Meddlesome: (adj.) taking too much interest, or taking action about other people’s private affairs.

• My father-in-law is a meddlesome old man.

 

Deluge: (v) to cover or fill with a great flood of things.

• The minister was deluged with questions.

 

Disquisition: (n) a long (perhaps too long) speech or written report.

• We had to listen to his boring disquisition.

 

Emotive: (adj.) causing a strong feeling.

• Capital punishment is a very emotive issue.

 

Generalize: (v) to form a general principle, opinion, etc. after considering only a small number of the facts.

• It is unfair to generalize from these two accidents and say that all young people are bad drivers.

 

Inchoate: (adj.) just beginning to form and therefore not clear or developed.

• His inchoate ideas do not matter much.

 

Incidence: (n) the extent to which something happens.

• This is an area with a high incidence of crime.

 

Inconsequential: (adj.) unimportant; insignificant.

• His marriage outside the family is an inconsequential event.

 

 Linchpin (also, LYNCHPIN): (n) the most important person or thing involved in something.

• He is the linchpin of our team and crucial to our long-term plans.

 

Periphrasis: (n) the practice of expressing something in a more complicated indirect way than is necessary.

• Try to avoid periphrasis while writing an essay.

 

Rickety: (adj.) weakly joined and likely to break; unsteady.

• The old man was sitting in a rickety chair.

 

Stutter: (v) to speak or say with difficulty in producing sounds, especially habitually holding back the first consonant.

• “I can’t help it,” he stuttered.

 

Forestall: (v) to prevent something from happening or somebody from doing something by doing something first.

• Try to anticipate what your child will do and forestall problems.

 

Gruff: (adj.) [of a person’s behavior ] unfriendly and impatient.

• Beneath his gruff exterior, he’s really very kind-hearted.

 

Impede: (v) to delay or stop the progress of something.

• Work on the building was impeded by severe weather.

 

Incriminate: (v) make someone appear guilty of a crime or wrongdoing.

• They were afraid of answering the questions and incriminating themselves.

 

Inertia: (n) lack of energy; lack of desire or ability to move or change.

• I can’t seem to throw off this feeling of inertia.

 

Ingenious: (adj.) showing cleverness at making or inventing things.

• What an ingenious idea!
• A laptop is a truly ingenious invention.

Advanced Word List for IELTS and Spoken English SET 5

Advanced Word list with Printable Flashcards Set 5 PDFs for  IELTS, TOEFL, TOEIC, GRE, CSS, UPSC, and other language exams. The Sets of high-frequency English words will you master any English language exam in the world.

Ingrained: (adj.) fixed firmly and deeply into the surface or inside.

• He has a deeply ingrained dislike of small children.

 

Ingratiate: (v) to gain favor by making oneself pleasant, showing admiration, etc.

• He is obviously trying to ingratiate himself with the boss.

 

Milieu: (n) a person’s social surroundings.

• One feels comfortable within one’s own social milieu.

 

Myopic: (adj.) unable to see distant objects clearly; short-sighted.

• It is in the field of foreign policy where the government’s myopic stance stands most exposed.

 

Proclivity: (n) a strong natural liking or tendency, especially towards something bad; propensity.

• The opposition leader criticized the government’s proclivity to (toward) spending money.

 

Repercussion: (n) a far-reaching effect of some action or event.

• The president’s death had unexpected repercussions all over the world.

 

Scramble: (v) to move quickly, especially with difficulty, using your hands to help you;

• She managed to scramble over the wall…
• The audience scrambled for the exits.

 

Cleavage: (n) a break caused by splitting.

• There is a sharp cleavage in our society between the rich and the poor.

 

Cumbersome: (also CUMBROUS) heavy and awkward to carry, wear, etc.

• I found the uniform quite cumbersome.

 

Edict: (n) An official public order made by someone in a.position of power.

• The king issued an edict forbidding the wearing of swords within the city.

 

Enervate: (v) to make weak; take away energy from; debilitate.

• He was enervated by his long illness.
• I find this heat very enervating.

 

Fizzle: (v) to fail or end disappointingly, especially after a good start.

• The game fizzled out into a tame draw.

 

Forbearing: (adj.) 1. long-suffering. 2. gentle and willing to forgive.

• He has a forbearing nature; he accepts all his troubles with a smile.

 

Gratify: (v) to give pleasure and satisfaction to.

• It gratified me to see how much my wedding present was appreciated.

 

Incumbent: (n) being the duty or responsibility (of someone).

• It is incumbent upon the purchaser to check the contract before signing.

 

Ineffable: (adj.) too wonderful to be described.

• It was an ineffable display of fireworks.

 

Prowess: (n) great ability, skill, or bravery.

• The tribesmen sang a song of victory, describing their prowess in battle.

 

Specter: (n) a spirit without a body; ghost; something that is seen in the imagination and causes fear.

• The specter of unemployment haunted/stalked the land.

 

Turbulent: (adj.) violent and disorderly.

• We are passing through a turbulent period of history.

 

Warrant: (v) to cause to appear right or reasonable; justify.

• This tiny crowd doesn’t warrant such a large police presence

 

Advanced Words for IELTS and Spoken English SET 6

Beholden: (adj.) having to feel grateful or having a duty (to).

 

• I like to do things for myself and not feel beholden to anyone else,

Brazen: (adj.) without shame; immodest.

• That he has been dismissed is a brazen lie.

 

Circumscribe: (v) to keep within narrow limits; restrict.

• His activities have been seriously circumscribed since his illness.

 

Germane: (adj.) relevant.

• He made some interesting points, but they were not really germane to the argument,

 

Hordes: (n) large moving crowds especially those which are noisy or disorderly.

• Hordes of children were running around the building.

 

Inflammable: (adj.) which can easily be set on fire and which burns quickly.

• Petrol is highly inflammable.

 

Marauding: (adj.) moving around in search of something to steal, bum, or destroy.

• They were attacked by marauding tribesmen.

 

Nuance: (n) a slight delicate difference in meaning, color, etc.

• There is a nuance of greater uncertainty in “I might do it” than in “I may do it”.

 

Penchant: (n) a liking especially for something that is slightly disapproved of by other people.

• He has a penchant for fast cars.

 

Rife: (adj.) of something bad, widespread; common.

• Disease and violence were rife in the city.

 

Amphibious: (adj.) able to live or move both on land and in water.

• Frogs are amphibious.

 

Compatible: (adj.) able to exist together, live together, or with another thing.

• Their marriage ended because they were simply not compatible.
• This project is not compatible with the company’s long-term plans.

 

Crucible: (n) a severe test. –

• Iran is prepared to pass through the crucible of war.

 

Dementia: (n) decay of the mind especially leading to madness.

• The old woman is suffering from dementia.

 

Detonate: (v) to (cause to) explode using special apparatus.

•  They detonated the bomb and destroyed the bridge.

 

Elan: (n) liveliness and stylishness; vigor.

• She played the piano with great elan.

 

Exhort: (v) to try hard to persuade; urge

• The party leader exhorted the workers to start preparing for the elections.

 

Flimsy: (adj.) weak; that does not convince.

• What a flimsy excuse!

 

Itemize: (v) to produce a detailed list of things.

• The report itemizes 23 different faults.
• Now, the telephone department sends itemized phone bills.

 

Neurosis: (n) a mental illness in which a person suffers strong feelings of fear and worry; anxiety.

• Her neurosis is telling on her health.

 

Advanced Vocabulary for IELTS and English Learner SET 7

Constrict: (v) to make narrower, smaller, or tighter.

• Common on your home The tight collar constricted whom one of whom have a family of his neck f his breathing,

 

Corollary: (n) something such as a statement or course of action that naturally follows from something else.

• The Government wants to spend more on defense: the corollary of that statement is that they want to spend less on everything else.

 

Lax: (adj.) not strict, severe, or careful enough about work, rules, or standard of behavior; slack; careless.

• Lax security allowed the thieves to enter.

 

Psychosis: (n) a serious mental illness that affects the whole personality.

• A person suffering from psychosis loses touch with reality.

 

Gross, (adj.) Clearly wrong; inexcusable.

• The court found the doctor guilty of gross negligence.

 

Immaculate: (adj.) Clean and unspoiled; pure; without fault.

• He was wearing immaculate white clothes.

 

Intuitive: (adj.) [of ideas] obtained by using feelings rather than by considering the facts.

• My mother seemed to have an intuitive knowledge of how I was feeling.

 

Kudos: (n) public admiration and glory for something done.

• He gained a lot of kudos by winning the essay competition.

 

Lacerate: (v) to tear or roughly cut skin, etc.

• His hand was badly lacerated.
• Nothing could soothe her lacerated feelings.

 

Latitude: (n) freedom to do, say, etc. what one likes.

• The new law allows firms a lot less latitude than before in fixing the price of their goods.

 

Nemesis: (n) punishment or defeat that is deserved and cannot be avoided.

• His delinquent son proved to be his nemesis.

 

Execrable: (adj.) very bad or unpleasant.

• Accusing us of being disloyal to cover his own sorry behavior is truly execrable.
• It was an execrable performance.

 

Laconic: (adj.) using very few words to express what you mean.

• He has a laconic way of speaking.

 

LACONICALLY:(adv.)

• “Wait and see” he replied laconically.

 

Legion: (adj.) very many.

• Her admirers are legion.

 

Levity: (n) lack of respect for serious matters; lack of seriousness.

• This is no time for levity; we have important matters to discuss.

 

Nonplus: (v) to cause someone to be surprised and not know what to think or do.

• The speaker seemed completely nonplussed by my question.

 

Psychic: (adj.) [of an illness] of the mind as opposed to the body.

• Many psychic disorders are curable now.

 

Puerile: (adj.) childish; silly; immature.

• He has a puerile sense of humor.

 

Reflex: (n) an unintentional movement that is made in reply to some outside influence.

• The doctor hit my knee with a hammer to test my reflexes.

 

Resolute: (adj.) firm; determined in purpose.

• Be resolute in your efforts.

 

Advanced Vocabulary with Meaning for Advance Learner SET 8

Ingenuous: (adj.) simple, direct, and inexperienced; naive.

• Only the most ingenuous person would believe such a feeble excuse.

 

Languish: (v) to experience long-suffering.

• She languished in prison for fifteen years.

 

Largesse: (n) [something given in] generosity to people who do not have enough.

• Our people are in no need of richer nations’ largesse.

 

Limbo: (n) a state of uncertainty.

 

• I’m in limbo, waiting to know whether or not I’ve got the job.

 

Morose: (adj.) miserable; bad-tempered; not willing to talk.

• She was morose, pale, and reticent.

 

Obtuse: (adj.) annoyingly slow in understanding.

• Is he stupid or is he being deliberately obtuse?

 

Bastion: (n) someone or something that is regarded as strongly defending a particular principle or activity.

• The club is one of the last bastions of male chauvinism.

 

Dynamics: (n. pi) the way in which people or things behave and react to each other in a particular situation.

• He is sadly unaware of the dynamics of political change.

 

Euphoria: (n) a feeling of extreme happiness, pride, and excitement that usually last for a short time.

• The parents were in a state of euphoria after the baby was born.

 

Malice: (n) the wish, desire, or intention to harm someone.

• He got no advantage out of it; he did it from pure malice.

 

Malleable: (adj.) easily influenced or controlled by other people; soft and easily made into different shapes.

• She is young enough to be malleable.
• Silver is the most malleable of all metals.

 

Meticulous: (adj.) extremely careful; paying careful attention to every detail; fastidious; thorough.

• He is always meticulous in keeping the records up-to-date.

 

Ordeal: (n) a difficult or painful experience.

• The parents went through a terrible ordeal when their child was kidnapped.

 

Proliferation: (n) a rapid increase or spreading.

• The proliferation of nuclear weapons should be discouraged.

 

Rationale: (n) the reasons and principles on which a decision, plan, belief, etc. is based.

• The rationale behind introducing this technique is that it will substantially speed up our work.

 

Straightjacket: (n) something which prevents free development; also spelled as “straitjacket”.

• Film producers protested against the straightjacket of censorship.

 

Dither: (v) to behave nervously and uncertainly because one cannot decide.

• For God’s sake stop dithering and make up your mind.

 

Grievous: (adj.) very seriously harmful.

• You have made a grievous mistake, which could affect the rest of your life.

 

Ignominious: (adj.) bringing or deserving strong (especially public) disapproval damaging to one’s pride.

• He had to suffer an ignominious defeat.

 

Advanced Vocabulary with Meaning for Advance Learner Set 9

Ascendancy: (n) a position of power, influence, or control.

• He slowly gained ascendancy in the group.

 

Chagrin: (v) annoyance and disappointment.

• Much to his chagrin, he was not offered the job.

 

Expertise: (n) special skills or knowledge in a particular subject.

• There we met some trainee engineers with varying degrees of computer expertise.

 

Flounder: (v) to move about helplessly or with great difficulty, especially in water, mud, snow, etc.

• The little dog was floundering around in the snow, so I picked it up.

 

Mainstream: (n) The main or most widely accepted way of thinking or acting in relation to a subject.

• These days he is not in the mainstream of politics.

 

Muster: (v) to gather or collect.

• I mustered (up) my courage and walked onto the stage.

 

Pragmatic: (adj.) concerned with practical results; realistic.

• He has a pragmatic approach to management problems.

 

Precedence: (n) priority.

• She had to learn that her wishes did not take precedence over other people’s needs.

 

Revile: (v) to express hatred of; speak very strongly and angrily.

• This reviled novel is remarkable in many ways.

 

Futile: (adj.) useless; unsuccessful.

• Don’t waste time by asking futile questions.
• All my attempts to unlock the door were futile because I was using the wrong key.

 

Harrowing: (adj.) causing great suffering and anxiety in the mind; distressing.

• To see someone killed is a very harrowing experience.

 

Hinge: (v) to depend on; have as a necessary condition.

• The film’s plot hinges on a case of mistaken identity.

 

Huddle: (v) to crowd together in a group.

• They huddled together under the rock to avoid heavy rainfall.

 

Irrevocable: (adj.) that cannot be changed.

• My decision is irrevocable.

 

Motley: (adj.) of many different kinds.

• There was a motley collection of books on the shelf.

 

Antithesis: (n) the direct opposite.

• The antithesis of life is death.
• Their political views are the complete antithesis of mine.

 

Interpose: (adj.) to put between two things.

• He interposed himself between them to stop them from fighting.

 

Jumble: (n) a disorderly mixture of things or ideas.

• His lecture was a jumble of confused ideas.

 

Loquacious: (adj.) liking to talk a lot.

• I never saw a more loquacious woman than she.

 

Menace: (n) a threat or danger.

• The busy road is a menace to the children’s safety.

 

Pernicious: (adj.) very harmful but not easily noticeable; having or being an evil influence.

• These horror videos have a pernicious effect on children.

 

Salvage: (v) to save (goods or property) from loss or damage.

• After the fire, there wasn’t much furniture left worth salvaging.

 

Simplistic: (adj.) treating difficult matters as if they were simple; tending to oversimplify.

• This is a very complex problem, and we won’t get anywhere with such simplistic solutions.

 

Advanced Vocabulary with Meaning for Advance Learner Set 10

Colossal: (adj.) extremely great or large.

• It is a colossal waste of money.

 

Enfranchise: (v) to give the right to vote at elections.

• When were women enfranchised in Britain?

 

Exodus: (n) a situation in which a lot of people leave a place.

• There is a mass exodus from the city every Saturday.

 

Format: (n.)a pattern, plan, or arrangement.

• The meeting will have the usual format.

 

Galore: (adj.) in large amounts or numbers.

• In this locality, there are empty houses galore.

 

Gambit: (n) sacrifice of a piece for the sake of an advantage in the opening stages of a game.

• His basic gambit is to give them presents before the interview.

 

Induce: (v) to lead (someone) to do something often by persuading.

• Nothing could induce her to be disloyal to her husband.

 

Manipulate: (v) control or influence in a clever way.

• He knows how to manipulate the audience.
• She accused the party of manipulating the figures.

 

Penalize: (v) to put (someone) in a very unfavorable or unfair position.

• The new tax laws penalize people who earn less than Rs. 7000 a month.

 

Reflect (v) to think about something carefully and seriously.

• He reflected for a moment and then began to speak again.

 

Mercurial: (adj.) quick, active and often changing.

• He enjoyed her mercurial temper.

 

Moot: (v) to state (a question, matter, etc.) for consideration.

• The question of changing the rules was mooted at the meeting.

 

Bulwark: (n) someone or something that protects or defends something such as a belief, idea, or way of life.

• Our people’s support is a bulwark against the enemy.

 

Coterie: (n) a small group of people who do things together.

• He belongs to a small coterie of artists.

 

Dike (Dyke): (n) a wall or bank built to keep back water and prevent flooding.

• The work on the new dike is in progress.

 

Exegesis: (n) an explanation of a piece of writing.

• This look contains a substantial exegesis of the poem ‘Waste Land’.

 

Insatiable: (adj.) always wanting more and never feeling satisfied.

• The public seems to have an insatiable appetite for celebrity gossip.

 

Mystique: (n) an attractive quality that someone or something has because they seem mysterious and special in an exciting way.

• The royal family of England has lost much of its mystique.

 

Putsch: (n) an attempt to get rid of a government by force,   made by military leaders or politicians.

• Pakistan has a history of intrigues and putsches.

 

Subterfuge: (n) the use of lies and tricks; deceit.

• We had to resort to a little harmless subterfuge to organize her birthday treat without her knowledge.

 

Sufferance: (v) if you do something on sufferance,

• You are only here on sufferance, you know — as a guest.

 

Validate: (v) to make valid, especially legally.

• In order to validate the agreement, both parties signed it.