20 Big English Words to Sound Smart - Vocabulary List

Everyone wants to sound impressive! 

Fancy words can make you sound smart! Complex vocabulary can make you sound educated!

When it comes to vocabulary, it's not about showing off or memorizing a thesaurus. But one thing is for sure: words are powerful. And learning to use them effectively gets you noticed.

If you're ready to stop using the same common phrases and start learning new words to stand out, this guide is for you. We're about to show you twenty incredible words that will supercharge your vocabulary.

Let’s get started!

1. Ephemeral

Meaning:

Something short-lived.

Pronunciation:

• American: /ɪˈfemərəl/ (ih-fem-uh-ruhl)

• British: /ɪˈfiːmərəl/ (ih-fee-muh-ruhl)

Examples:

• The beauty of a sunset is ephemeral; it's gone before you know it.

• Her excitement about the new phone was ephemeral; she was bored with it in a week.

2. Perspicuous

Meaning:

Clearly expressed, easy to understand.

Pronunciation:

• American: /pərˈspɪkjuəs/ (per-spik-yoo-uhs)

• British: /pəˈspɪkjʊəs/ (per-spik-yoo-uhs)

Examples:

• His perspicuous explanation simplified the tricky math problem.

• Adam’s essays are perspicuous.

3. Deleterious

Meaning:

Harmful or damaging.

Pronunciation:

• American: /ˌdelɪˈtɪriəs/ (del-ih-teer-ee-uhs)

• British: /ˌdɛlɪˈtɪərɪəs/ (del-ih-teer-ee-uhs)

Examples:

• Too much sugar can have a deleterious effect on your teeth.

• Skipping class was deleterious to his grades.

4. Obstreperous

Meaning:

Noisy, difficult to control.

Pronunciation:

• American: /əbˈstrɛpərəs/ (uhb-strep-uh-ruhs)

• British: /ɒbˈstrɛpərəs/ (ob-strep-uh-ruhs)

Examples:

• My cat gets obstreperous when I try to give her a bath.

• He became obstreperous when asked to leave the restaurant, refusing to stay quiet.

5. Capricious

Meaning:

Pronunciation:

• American: /kəˈprɪʃəs/ (kuh-prish-uhs)

• British: /kəˈprɪʃəs/ (kuh-prish-uhs)

Examples:

• Her capricious mood swings kept us guessing all day.

• The weather here is so capricious—one minute it's sunny, the next it's rainy!

6. Fastidious

Meaning:

Very attentive to detail, picky.

Pronunciation:

• American: /fæˈstɪdiəs/ (fa-stid-ee-uhs)

• British: /fæˈstɪdɪəs/ (fa-stid-ee-uhs)

Examples:

• He's so fastidious about his writing that he rewrites every sentence twice.

• Sarah is fastidious about keeping her room clean; she wipes every corner daily.

7. Lachrymose

Meaning:

Tearful or mournful.

Pronunciation:

• American: /ˈlækrɪˌmoʊs/ (lak-ruh-mohs)

• British: /ˈlakrɪməʊs/ (lak-ruh-mohs)

Examples:

• The movie's lachrymose ending left us all in tears.

• She gets lachrymose every time she talks about her old dog.

8. Tenebrous

Meaning:

Dark, shadowy, obscure.

Pronunciation:

• American: /ˈtɛnəbrəs/ (ten-uh-bruhs)

• British: /ˈtɛnɪbrəs/ (ten-ih-bruhs)

Examples:

• His tenebrous poem was full of mystery.

• Her tenebrous eyes gave her a mysterious look.

9. Ebullient

Meaning:

Cheerful, full of energy.

Pronunciation:

• American: /ɪˈbʌljənt/ (ih-buhl-yuhnt); 

• British: /ɪˈbʌlɪənt/ (ih-buhl-ee-uhnt)

Examples:

• Her ebullient laughter lit up the whole room.

• He was ebullient after acing his final exam.

10. Quixotic

Meaning:

Unrealistically optimistic or impractical.

Pronunciation:

• American: /kwɪkˈsɑːtɪk/ (kwik-sot-ik)

• British: /kwɪkˈsɒtɪk/ (kwik-sot-ik)

Examples:

• Tom had a quixotic idea to build a castle with just toy blocks.

• Emma thought she could teach her cat to dance, but that was quixotic.

11. Lugubrious

Meaning:

Mournful, gloomy.

Pronunciation:

• American: /ləˈɡuːbriəs/ (luh-goo-bree-uhs)

• British: /ləˈɡjuːbrɪəs/ (luh-gyoo-bree-uhs)

Examples:

• The puppy looked lugubrious when its toy was lost.

• His voice was lugubrious when he told a sad story.

12. Perspicacity

Meaning:

Keen insight or understanding.

Pronunciation:

• American: /ˌpɜːrspɪˈkæsəti/ (pur-spih-kas-uh-tee)

• British: /ˌpɜːspɪˈkæsɪti/ (pur-spih-kas-ih-tee)

Examples:

• Grandma’s perspicacity helped her quickly find my lost toy!

• With perspicacity, Dad knew I was hiding behind the couch.

13. Magnanimous

Meaning: 

Generous, forgiving.

Pronunciation: 

• American: /mæɡˈnænɪməs/ (mag-nan-uh-muhs)

• British: /mæɡˈnænɪməs/ (mag-nan-ih-muhs)

Examples:

• He was magnanimous enough to forgive his rival after the debate.

• Her magnanimous donation saved the school library.

14. Obdurate

Meaning:

Stubbornly unwilling to change.

Pronunciation:

• American: /ˈɑːbdərɪt/ (OB-duh-rit)

• British: /ˈɒbdjʊrɪt/ (OB-dyuh-rit)

Examples:

• His obdurate refusal to apologize made the argument worse.

• She's so obdurate about her study schedule; no one can change it!

15. Platitude

Meaning: 

A dull, overused statement.

Pronunciation:

• American: /ˈplætɪˌtuːd/ (Plat-ih-tood); British: /ˈplætɪtjuːd/ (Plat-ih-tyood)

Examples:

• “It is what it is” is such a platitude—say something original!

• His speech was full of platitudes.

16. Recalcitrant

Meaning:

Resistant to authority or control.

Pronunciation:

• American: /rɪˈkælsɪtrənt/ (ri-kal-si-truhnt)

• British: /rɪˈkælsɪtrənt/ (ri-kal-si-truhnt)

Examples:

• The recalcitrant student refused to follow the dress code.

• My dog is recalcitrant; he never comes when I call!

17. Serendipity

Meaning:

Happy accidents, finding something good by chance.

Pronunciation:

• American: /ˌserənˈdɪpɪti/ (ser-uhn-dip-ih-tee)

• British: /ˌsɛrənˈdɪpɪti/ (ser-uhn-dip-ih-tee)

Examples:

• Meeting my best friend was pure serendipity.

• Finding that book in the thrift store was total serendipity.

18.Taciturn

Meaning: 

Quiet, reserved, not talkative.

Pronunciation: 

• American: /ˈtæsɪˌtɜːrn/ (Tas-ih-turn)

• British: /ˈtæsɪtɜːn/ (Tas-ih-turn)

Examples:

• He's so taciturn that I didn't know he liked me until he wrote it down.

• The taciturn librarian just pointed at the sign instead of speaking.

19. Ubiquitous

Meaning:

Present everywhere.

Pronunciation:

• American: /juːˈbɪkwɪtəs/ (yoo-bik-wih-tuhs)

• British: /juːˈbɪkwɪtəs/ (yoo-bik-wih-tuhs)

Examples:

• Smartphones are ubiquitous these days.

• Her ubiquitous smile makes every class more fun.

20. Voracious

Meaning:

Having a huge appetite (for food or knowledge).

Pronunciation:

• American: /vəˈreɪʃəs/ (vuh-ray-shuhs)

• British: /vəˈreɪʃəs/ (vuh-ray-shuhs)

Examples:

• She's a voracious reader; she finished three books this week!

• His voracious hunger left no pizza for the rest of us.

These 20 words are real vocabulary boosters. So what are you waiting for? Start using these words in your writing today. Your essays, stories, and conversations will thank you!

We hope you enjoyed this vocabulary guide!