Wordbay · Work & business

Business vocabulary: words for work

Words that come up in meetings, reports and reviews, chosen because they say something precise rather than because they sound important.

Everyday (31)

acumen noun. Skill at judging situations quickly and making good decisions, especially in business.
bureaucracy noun. A system run by officials and departments that follows fixed rules, often criticised as slow and over-complicated.
camaraderie noun. Trust and friendship among people who spend time or work together.
collegial adjective. Marked by friendly cooperation and shared responsibility among colleagues.
complacent adjective. Smugly satisfied with how things are, and so not alert to danger.
conscientious adjective. Careful to do a job thoroughly and well, from a sense of duty.
delegate verb. To hand a task or responsibility to someone else, usually someone junior.
dogsbody noun. A person given all the dull, menial jobs that nobody else wants.
ethics noun. The moral principles that guide behaviour, or the branch of philosophy that studies right and wrong.
gainful adjective. Of work or activity: paying a wage or bringing in money.
ghostwriter noun. A writer paid to write a book, speech or article that is published under someone else's name.
interim adjective. Lasting only for a time, until something more permanent is in place.
jargon noun. Special words used by a profession or group that outsiders find hard to understand.
jobsworth noun. An official who sticks rigidly to petty rules and refuses any flexibility.
liaise verb. To work closely with others, passing information back and forth so plans line up.
lucrative adjective. Producing a lot of money; very profitable.
Luddite noun. A person who distrusts or resists new technology, especially at work.
meticulous adjective. Showing great care and attention to every detail.
moonlight verb. To work a second job, often in secret, on top of a main one.
overheads noun. The regular costs of running a business, such as rent and power, apart from making its goods.
quantify verb. To measure something or express it as a number or amount.
rationale noun. The set of reasons behind a decision or belief.
remit noun. The area of responsibility or the task officially given to a person or group.
remuneration noun. Money paid for work or a service.
sabbatical noun. A period of paid leave from work, traditionally for study, travel or rest.
sedentary adjective. Involving a lot of sitting down and little physical activity.
shirk verb. To avoid a duty, task or responsibility out of laziness or fear.
stipend noun. A fixed regular payment, often to a student, trainee or member of the clergy.
tenure noun. The period during which a person holds a job or office.
vocation noun. A strong sense of being suited to a particular career, or the career itself.
yes-man noun. A person who always agrees with their boss, whatever they really think.

Well-read (29)

appraise verb. To judge the worth, quality or condition of something.
apprise verb. To tell someone about something; to inform.
blackleg noun. A worker who carries on working, or takes a striker’s place, during a strike.
busman’s holiday phrase. Free time spent doing much the same thing as you do at work.
collusion noun. Secret cooperation between people in order to cheat, deceive or break the law.
cronyism noun. Giving jobs, contracts or favours to friends and allies rather than to whoever is best qualified.
dereliction noun. Shameful failure to do one’s duty.
drudgery noun. Hard, dull and repetitive work.
emeritus adjective. Retired but allowed to keep a title, especially a professor’s, as an honour.
factotum noun. An employee or servant who does all kinds of jobs.
functionary noun. An official, especially a minor one who carries out orders without much power.
honorarium noun. A payment for a service, such as a talk, where custom forbids a set fee.
itinerant adjective. Travelling from place to place, often to find or do work.
journeyman noun. A reliable but unremarkable worker or performer.
malingerer noun. Someone who pretends to be ill, or more ill than they are, to get out of work.
menial adjective. Of work: unskilled, lowly and often dull.
meritocracy noun. A system in which people are chosen and rewarded for their ability and achievements rather than wealth or birth.
officious adjective. Too keen to assert authority or interfere, especially in small matters.
perfunctory adjective. Done quickly and with little care or interest, just to get it over with.
peripatetic adjective. Travelling from place to place, or working in several places in turn.
perquisite noun. A benefit that comes with a job on top of the salary; a perk.
pittance noun. A very small or inadequate amount of money.
presenteeism noun. Staying at work longer than needed, or coming in while ill, to look committed.
purview noun. The range of things a person or body deals with or has authority over.
secondment noun. A temporary move of an employee to another post, department or organisation.
sinecure noun. A paid position that needs little or no work.
superannuated adjective. Too old to be useful or fashionable; or retired on a pension.
viable adjective. Able to work as intended or to survive and grow.
workmanlike adjective. Competent and efficient, but without flair or inspiration.

Advanced (12)

amanuensis noun. A person employed to write down what someone else dictates or to copy manuscripts.
bailiwick noun. A person’s particular area of skill, interest or responsibility.
boondoggle noun. Pointless, wasteful work or spending, usually paid for by others or the public.
emolument noun. A salary, fee or profit that comes from a job or office.
featherbedding noun. Keeping more staff than a job needs, or slowing work down, to protect jobs.
operose adjective. Involving or showing great effort; laborious.
pooh-bah noun. A self-important person who holds many offices at once.
satisfice verb. To choose an option that is good enough rather than search on for the best one.
sedulous adjective. Showing steady, careful and persistent effort.
sitzfleisch noun. The patience to sit still and keep working at a long, dull task.
Stakhanovite noun. A worker who is exceptionally hard-working and productive, sometimes to excess.
tyro noun. A beginner or novice in a field.