Improve your Lexical Resource

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Lexical Resource is a major factor that determines a good score for a candidate appearing for either IELTS Academic or IELTS General Exam - especially in Writing Task 1 and 2 where the aspirant is expected to showcase the expressive techniques to put across ideas effectively.

Level 1 Words - Let's get started

Dismal: Depressing

The dismal performance of the Indian contingent at the last Olympics when it came back empty-handed, has prompted many analysts to suggest that India should temporarily stop sending its sports teams abroad.

Dismiss: Eliminate, from consideration reject

He might not be holding any party post at the moment, but the fact of his influence in getting things done his way cannot be dismissed as such.

Domestic: Tame

The cow was probably one of the first animals to be domesticated by man as it was very docile, gave him milk and required little training.

Obese: Exceedingly fat

The researchers findings the idea that drinking too much beer makes people obese.

Rectify: To correct

The P.M. promised that his government will try its best to rectify all the wrongs committed by the previous government.

Level 2 Words - Up by a Level

Avert: Turn away

The crisis could have been averted, had the administration acted with a bit of farsightedness and pro-activeness.

Migrate: Mover form place to place

Because of the fear of Pakistani invasion, many people from this area have migrated to other, safer regions.

Miniature: Small scale

The paintings by the artist done on grains of rice are truly miniature-scale and that they have to be magnified several times before they are visible to the naked eye.

Narration: story

The story was narrated to me by the master story-teller in his own unique style.

Negligent: Apt to omit what ought to be done.

The negligent zookeeper failed to close the door to the elephant house.

Recuperate: Recover

Marie has still not recuperated from her illness in full measure; she is still on medicines and needs a crutch to help her walk.

Redundant: Exceeding what is natural or necessary, superfluous

With the introduction of extensive computerization in the bank, many clerks wondered if they would be rendered redundant because computers could do their job more effectively and efficiently.

Speculate: To ponder

Nobody will come to know of the election result before it is officially declared; whatever anybody says about the result is nothing but a matter of speculation.

Spineless: Lacking courage

You cannot expect such a spineless person to fight for the country at the Indo-Pak border.

Level 3 Words - The Master

Chagrin: Disappointment

She again emerged as the topper, despite all efforts by her rivals, much to their chagrin and her delight.

Disparage: Belittle

Calling this swank five-star hotel a dhaba is nothing but a vicious attempt to disparage its status as a prominent eating joint.

Domicile: Home

Which state are you domiciled in, Punjab, Haryana or Himachal?

Foible: Weakness

All humans have some foibles, which ought to be overlooked in the interest of mutual social relationships; it is only the bigger mistakes which should command our attention.

Galore: In abundance

With problems galore and few solutions in sight, it is indeed a tough situation for Rinu.

Geniality: Warmth and kindliness of disposition

He is appreciated for his geniality towards others.

Gesticulate: To gesture with the arms

Since he could not speak during the chairman’s speech, he gesticulated to me by hand, indicating me to come in the front row for some consultation.

Ghastly: Hideous

His room was a ghastly mess.

Giddy: Dizzy

Ah! The giddy feeling you experience when you stand on the top floor of a 110-storeyed building.

Indolent: Disinclined to work, habitually lazy

He is indolent and loves to sleep rather than work.

Innate: From birth

Most psychologists now agree that a person's personality is shaped by an interplay of innate traits and environmental factors.

Intangible: Cannot be touched, impalpable, indefinable

Many accounting firms opine that many intangible corporate assets like company goodwill, brand recognition etc., though not easily measurable, must be considered while evaluating the worth of a company.

Naïve: Unsophisticated, inexperienced

Only the naïve would vote for such a crooked fellow in elections, whose infamous stories are rampant everywhere in the constituency.

Prodigal: Recklessly wasteful, extravagant, profuse, lavish

The prodigal municipality was busy in decorating the city, be damned with the economy drive, while what was required was a better sanitation system in anticipation of the minister’s visit.

Proffer: Offer

The doctor shook the hand proffered by the visiting patient.

Proficient: Expert ability

Hoshiar Singh has considerable proficiency in Mathematics apart from English, which is his pet subject.

Rarefied: Made less dense (of a gas)

The amount of oxygen in the atmosphere goes on decreasing sharply as we move up; it becomes so rarefied in the upper reaches that we are forced to use an oxygen cylinder to breathe.

Ruse: Trick

I could see through the trickster's ruse, leading me to call his bluff.

Spinster: A woman who has never been married

To ensure her parent’s care, she decided to remain a spinster.

Surfeit: Excess

The surfeit of political parties in India tends to confuse the voter, leading many to suggest that more stringent criteria should be applied so that there are very few parties around.

Surmount: To conquer

With perseverance and patience, a man can surmount probably any kind of difficulty in life.

Surrogate: Substitute

Though nothing can act as a surrogate for a real space flight, yet this simulation exercise is the closest in terms of the "real" experience.

Sustenance: Support, livelihood, living

The kidnapped policeman had to sustain himself on whatever little food was provided to him by his captors.

Tenable: Defendable

Since the theory was not tenable on the basis of scientific evidence, it could not enjoy much acceptance.

Unwieldy: Awkward

The apparent reason given by the British for the partition of Bengal was that the province had become too unwieldy for effective governance.

Whittle: Reduce slowly

Originally, the government had planned to spend Rs. 500 Crore on this scheme, but because of other pressing reasons, the allocation has now been whittled down to only Rs. 300 Crore.