Wordbay · Advanced
Advanced English words
Rare, precise and often delightful words. Some are formal, some old, some borrowed; all of them say something a common word can’t say as neatly.
Each word below is shown with its respelling (the capitals are the stressed syllables), grouped by its main topic. In Wordbay, Advanced words come with Wordbay Pro; the Word of the day is free whatever its level, and every word’s page here is free to read. Other levels: Everyday and Well-read.
Emotions
- anhedonia AN-hee-DOH-nee-uh
- atrabilious AT-ruh-BIL-ee-us
- disquietude dis-KWY-uh-tyood
- dolorous DOL-uh-rus
- dudgeon DUJ-un
- felicity fih-LIS-ih-tee
- lachrymose LAK-rih-mohss
- lugubrious luh-GOO-bree-us
- megrims MEE-grimz
- tremulous TREM-yuh-lus
Character
- bumptious BUMP-shus
- choleric KOL-uh-rik
- pertinacious PUR-tih-NAY-shus
- phlegmatic fleg-MAT-ik
- pusillanimous PYOO-sih-LAN-ih-mus
- querulous KWER-uh-lus
- saturnine SAT-uh-nyne
- splenetic splih-NET-ik
- sybaritic SIB-uh-RIT-ik
- vainglorious vayn-GLOR-ee-us
Arguing & persuading
- apophasis uh-POF-uh-sis
- captious KAP-shus
- eristic eh-RIS-tik
- hortatory HOR-tuh-tree
- ipse dixit ip-say DIK-sit
- paralogism puh-RAL-uh-jiz-um
- philippic fih-LIP-ik
- procatalepsis proh-kat-uh-LEP-sis
- suasion SWAY-zhun
- tu quoque tyoo KWOH-kwee
Work & business
- bailiwick BAY-lih-wik
- boondoggle BOON-dog-ul
- featherbedding FETH-uh-bed-ing
- operose OP-uh-rohss
- pooh-bah POO-bah
- satisfice SAT-is-fyse
- sedulous SED-yoo-lus
- Stakhanovite stuh-KAH-nuh-vyte
- tyro TY-roh
Money
- bezzle BEZ-ul
- chrematistic kree-muh-TIS-tik
- eleemosynary el-ih-ee-MOS-ih-nuh-ree
- emolument ih-MOL-yoo-munt
- nabob NAY-bob
- pecuniary pih-KYOO-nee-uh-ree
- pelf PELF
- spondulicks spon-DOO-liks
- sumptuary SUMP-tyoo-uh-ree
- tontine TON-teen
Politics & society
- gerontocracy jerr-un-TOK-ruh-see
- irredentism irr-ih-DEN-tiz-um
- kakistocracy kak-ih-STOK-ruh-see
- kleptocracy klep-TOK-ruh-see
- ochlocracy ok-LOK-ruh-see
- prorogue pruh-ROHG
- psephology seh-FOL-uh-jee
- revanchism rih-VAN-shiz-um
- satrap SAT-rap
- sortition sor-TISH-un
Science & thinking
- aleatory AY-lee-uh-tuh-ree
- apophenia ap-oh-FEE-nee-uh
- eidetic eye-DET-ik
- isomorphic eye-soh-MOR-fik
- nescience NES-ee-unss
- noetic noh-ET-ik
- ratiocination rat-ee-oss-ih-NAY-shun
- sciolism SY-uh-liz-um
- syzygy SIZ-ih-jee
- zetetic zih-TET-ik
Nature & weather
- aestival ee-STY-vul
- apricity uh-PRIS-ih-tee
- brumal BROO-mul
- fluvial FLOO-vee-ul
- gloaming GLOH-ming
- lacustrine luh-KUS-tryn
- psithurism SITH-yuh-riz-um
- susurrus soo-SUR-us
- sylvan SIL-vun
- virga VUR-guh
Body & health
- borborygmus bor-buh-RIG-mus
- eupeptic yoo-PEP-tik
- gracile GRASS-yle
- hebetude HEB-ih-tyood
- hypnagogic hip-nuh-GOJ-ik
- nictitate NIK-tih-tayt
- oscitation oss-ih-TAY-shun
- proprioception proh-pree-oh-SEP-shun
- singultus sing-GUL-tus
- valetudinarian val-ih-tyoo-dih-NAIR-ee-un
Food & drink
- crapulent KRAP-yuh-lunt
- deipnosophist dyp-NOS-uh-fist
- edacious ih-DAY-shus
- esurient ih-SYOOR-ee-unt
- gustatory GUS-tuh-tuh-ree
- Lucullan loo-KUL-un
- oenophile EE-nuh-fyl
- postprandial pohst-PRAN-dee-ul
- sapid SAP-id
- trencherman TREN-chuh-mun
Art & music
- anacrusis an-uh-KROO-siss
- contrapposto kon-truh-POSS-toh
- ekphrasis EK-fruh-siss
- Gesamtkunstwerk guh-ZAMT-koonst-vairk
- grisaille grih-ZAYL
- melisma muh-LIZ-muh
- ostinato oss-tih-NAH-toh
- pentimento pen-tih-MEN-toh
- quodlibet KWOD-lib-et
- sfumato sfoo-MAH-toh
Books & writing
- amanuensis uh-man-yoo-EN-sis
- anagnorisis an-ag-NOR-ih-sis
- bibliomancy BIB-lee-oh-man-see
- bibliophage BIB-lee-oh-fayj
- bibliotaph BIB-lee-uh-taf
- colophon KOL-uh-fun
- florilegium flor-ih-LEE-jee-um
- incunabula in-kyoo-NAB-yuh-luh
- lipogram LIP-uh-gram
- palimpsest PAL-imp-sest
Time
- antelucan an-tee-LOO-kun
- desuetude DES-wih-tyood
- diuturnal dy-yoo-TUR-nul
- fugacious fyoo-GAY-shus
- hebdomadal heb-DOM-uh-dul
- matutinal mat-yoo-TY-nul
- quotidian kwo-TID-ee-un
- sempiternal sem-pih-TUR-nul
- senescence sih-NESS-unss
- vespertine VES-puh-tyne
Talking & language
- anacoluthon an-uh-kuh-LOO-thon
- aposiopesis ap-uh-sye-uh-PEE-sis
- glossolalia gloss-uh-LAY-lee-uh
- grandiloquent gran-DIL-uh-kwunt
- lexiphanic lek-sih-FAN-ik
- logomachy luh-GOM-uh-kee
- logorrhoea log-uh-REE-uh
- psittacism SIT-uh-siz-um
- sesquipedalian ses-kwih-pih-DAY-lee-un
- shibboleth SHIB-uh-leth
Law & order
- barratry BA-ruh-tree
- champerty CHAM-puh-tee
- contumacious kon-tyoo-MAY-shus
- escheat is-CHEET
- malversation mal-vuh-SAY-shun
- misprision mis-PRIZH-un
- peculation pek-yoo-LAY-shun
- pettifogger PET-ee-fog-uh
- suborn suh-BORN
- usufruct YOO-zyoo-frukt
Travel & places
- anabasis uh-NAB-uh-sis
- caravanserai ka-ruh-VAN-suh-ry
- demonym DEM-uh-nim
- exonym EK-suh-nim
- gazetteer gaz-uh-TEER
- genius loci JEE-nee-us LOH-sy
- peregrination per-ih-grih-NAY-shun
- toponym TOP-uh-nim
- transhumance trans-HYOO-muns
- viaticum vy-AT-ih-kum
Love & friendship
- amatory AM-uh-tree
- epithalamium EP-ih-thuh-LAY-mee-um
- inamorata in-AM-uh-RAH-tuh
- limerence LIM-uh-runss
- osculate OS-kyuh-layt
- philtre FIL-tuh
- propinquity pruh-PING-kwih-tee
- swain SWAYN
- troth TROHTH
- uxorious uk-SOR-ee-us
Humour & insults
- cachinnate KAK-ih-nayt
- gelastic jih-LAS-tik
- hobbledehoy HOB-ul-dee-hoy
- jackanapes JAK-uh-nayps
- lickspittle LIK-spit-ul
- ninnyhammer NIN-ee-ham-er
- pasquinade pas-kwih-NAYD
- persiflage PUR-sih-flahzh
- scaramouch SKARR-uh-moosh
- smellfungus SMEL-fung-gus
Philosophy & belief
- antinomian an-tih-NOH-mee-un
- apophatic ap-uh-FAT-ik
- ataraxia at-uh-RAK-see-uh
- eschatology es-kuh-TOL-uh-jee
- eudaimonia yoo-dy-MOH-nee-uh
- numinous NYOO-mih-nus
- panpsychism pan-SY-kiz-um
- syncretism SING-krih-tiz-um
- teleology tel-ee-OL-uh-jee
- theodicy thee-OD-ih-see
Old & rare words
- brabble BRAB-ul
- kenspeckle KEN-spek-ul
- lollygag LOL-ee-gag
- mumpsimus MUMP-sih-muss
- quockerwodger KWOK-uh-woj-uh
- snollygoster SNOL-ee-gos-tuh
- sockdolager sok-DOL-uh-juh
- ultracrepidarian ul-truh-krep-ih-DAIR-ee-un
- yclept ih-KLEPT
Borrowed words
- amour propre am-oor PROP-ruh
- dolce far niente dol-chay far nee-EN-tay
- esprit de l'escalier es-pree duh less-KAL-yay
- gemütlichkeit guh-MOOT-likh-kyte
- jolie laide zhol-ee LED
- saudade sow-DAH-duh
- schlimazel shlih-MAH-zul
- sitzfleisch ZITS-flysh
- sprezzatura spret-suh-TOOR-uh
- wanderjahr VAN-duh-yah
Words you didn’t know
- acnestis ak-NEE-stis
- eructation ee-ruk-TAY-shun
- formication for-mih-KAY-shun
- gongoozler gon-GOOZ-luh
- horripilation ho-rip-ih-LAY-shun
- hypnopompic hip-nuh-POM-pik
- opsimath OP-sih-math
- sternutation stur-nyoo-TAY-shun
- tmesis TMEE-sis
- vomitory VOM-ih-tuh-ree
Commonly confused
- complaisant kum-PLAY-zunt
- credulous KRED-yoo-lus
- deprecate DEP-rih-kayt
- depreciate dih-PREE-shee-ayt
- ordinance OR-dih-nunss
- ordnance ORD-nunss
- tortuous TOR-choo-us
- torturous TOR-chuh-rus
- venal VEE-nul
- venial VEE-nee-ul
Often misused
- celibate SEL-ih-but
- compendious kum-PEN-dee-us
- effete ih-FEET
- inchoate in-KOH-ayt
- jejune jih-JOON
- masterful MAH-stuh-ful
- meretricious merr-ih-TRISH-us
- presently PREZ-unt-lee
- transpire tran-SPIRE
- unexceptionable un-ik-SEP-shuh-nuh-bul