As we grow up, so does the quality and quantity of our vocabulary. As a college student, your vocabulary should be rich and sophisticated as compared to students of lower grades.

Here are some of the most important words you should know the meaning of and their pronunciations.

Let’s learn without further ado.

1. Evaluate

Pronunciation – Uh·va·lyoo·ayt

Meaning – to assess or estimate the value, number, quality, or amount of something.

Synonyms: assess; gauge; judge; estimate; appraise; calculate.

Example: The doctor evaluated the condition of the patient and prescribed him accordingly.

2. Dichotomy

Pronunciation – Dai·ko·tuh·mee

Meaning – a contrast or division between two opposite ideas or things such as love and hate, war and peace, or good and bad.

Synonyms: division; separation; polarity; contrast; contradiction.

Example: The dichotomy between public and private schools is obvious.

3. Digress

Pronunciation – Dai·gres

Meaning – to turn aside or step aside, especially, to deviate from the main subject temporarily in writing or speaking.

Synonyms: deviate; diverge; drift; stray; ramble; meander.

Example: He has a habit of digressing often which I am not fond of.

4. Eclectic

Pronunciation – Uh·klek·tuhk

Meaning – having a diverse range of ideas, tastes, or styles; someone who a person who gets their ideas, style, or taste from a wide variety of sources.

Synonyms: extensive; comprehensive; varied; diverse; broad-ranging.

Example: Alice has eclectic taste in music.

5. Eschew

Pronunciation – Uhs·choo

Meaning – to avoid something deliberately.

Synonyms: forgo; forswear; shun; avoid; steer clear off; renounce; reject.

Example: It’s for the best to eschew office gossip.

6. Exacerbate

Pronunciation – Uhg·za·suh·bayt

Meaning – making something that’s already bad even worse.

Synonyms: aggravate; worsen; inflame; intensify; heighten; fan the flames; add insult to injury.

Example: I think I exacerbated her sadness by mentioning her dead grandma to her.

7. Juxtaposition

Pronunciation – Juhk·stuh·puh·zi·shn

Meaning – the act of placing two or more things close together to create a comparing or contrasting effect.

Synonyms: comparison; collocation; proximity; nearness; adjacent.

Example: The book showed a clear juxtaposition of privileged children and street kids.

8. Lucrative

Pronunciation – Loo·kruh·tuhv

Meaning – something that brings a great deal of profit.

Synonyms: profitable; profit-making; gainful; moneymaking; bankable; productive.

Example: The deal with the merger company turned out to be a lucrative one.

9. Loquacious

Pronunciation – Luh·kway·shuhs

Meaning – someone who talks too much; a talkative person.

Synonyms: talkative; wordy; verbose; rambling; gushing; chatty.

Example: Dan can be loquacious sometimes, but he has a good heart.

10. Maverick

Pronunciation – Ma·vuh·ruhk

Meaning – an independent-minded person; an individualist.

Synonyms: individualist; nonconformist; original; trendsetter; eccentric.

Example: Luna has always been a maverick.

11. Nefarious

Pronunciation – Nuh·feuh·ree·uhs

Meaning – having a wicked or criminal quality; a wicked person.

Synonyms: wicked; atrocious; villainous; vile; foul; depraved; abominable.

Example: Maleficent became nefarious after losing her wings and brought havoc to the kingdom of Stefan.

12. Paragon

Pronunciation – Pa·ruh·gn

Meaning – a perfect example; a person regarded as the model of excellence.

Synonyms: archetype; best; exemplar; ideal; classic; epitome.

Example: I am not a paragon of honesty; I have told some white lies in my life.

13. Sublime

Pronunciation – Suh·blime

Meaning – of great beauty or excellence.

Synonyms: exalted; elevated; majestic; lofty; noble; imposing.

Example: The girl’s voice has a sublime quality.

14. Subtle

Pronunciation – Suh·tl

Meaning – being not-so-obvious; something precise and indistinct.

Synonyms: fine; precise; ultra-fine; elusive; minuscule; abstruse.

Example: The difference between homophones and homonyms is subtle but significant.

Read: Difference between homophones, homographs, and homonyms

15. Zealot

Pronunciation – Zeh·luht

Meaning – someone who is uncompromising in their idea, or belief; an overly zealous person.

Synonyms: fanatic; enthusiast; extremist; radical; die-hard; bigot.

Example: Barron is a zealot who thinks only his method of approaching the issue is right.

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