Vocabulary Guide
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11+ Best 100 Words Vocabulary with Definitions for 2026

Master these essential words to excel in your 11+ English and Verbal Reasoning exams

Sam D.

Written by

Sam D.

15 min read January 3, 2026
📋

Typical

Definition:

Having the usual qualities of a particular type of person or thing

“It was a typical Monday morning.”

🔄

Frequent

Definition:

Occurring or appearing at a given rate, often repeated or encountered.

“She made frequent visits to her grandmother.”

↔️

Adjacent

Definition:

Situated next to or near something else, often without touching

“The shop is adjacent to the library.”

2️⃣

Secondary

Definition:

Coming after, less important than, or resulting from something else of main importance

“Price is a secondary concern for quality.”

Sufficient

Definition:

Adequate for the purpose, enough to meet a need or requirement

“We have sufficient food for everyone.”

😂

Hilarious

Definition:

Extremely funny, arousing great laughter

“The comedy show was hilarious.”

Verify

Definition:

Check that something is true or accurate

“Please verify your email address.”

🎲

Probable

Definition:

Likely to be true or to happen, supported by evidence but not certain

“It is probable that it will rain tomorrow.”

👌

Adequate

Definition:

Enough in quantity, or good enough in quality for a particular purpose

“The meal was adequate but not special.”

💪

Competent

Definition:

Capable and qualified to do a task properly

“She is a competent teacher.”

🤩

Stunning

Definition:

Breathtakingly beautiful or remarkable

“She wore a stunning dress to the gala.”

Enchanting

Definition:

Charming or attractive, so much that it is almost magical

“The enchanting garden was full of flowers.”

🤢

Repulsive

Definition:

Extremely disgusting

“The smell was repulsive.”

🎭

Facade

Definition:

A false front that hides what is really there

“It was all a facade.”

🏞️

Picturesque

Definition:

Visually attractive, especially in a quaint way

“The village was picturesque.”

👹

Grotesque

Definition:

Ugly or unnatural in a way that causes disgust

“The sculpture was grotesque.”

😇

Angelic

Definition:

Pure and gentle in nature or appearance

“The child had an angelic smile.”

📸

Photogenic

Definition:

Naturally looking good when photographed

“She is very photogenic.”

💎

Exquisite

Definition:

Wonderfully crafted and stunningly lovely

“The jewellery was exquisite.”

😍

Beautiful

Definition:

Physically attractive

“The sunset was beautiful.”

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🦁

Majestic

Definition:

Impressively grand and beautiful in a royal way

“The majestic castle overlooked the valley.”

🌟

Magnificent

Definition:

Extremely beautiful or impressive

“The palace was magnificent, with gold decorations everywhere.”

👑

Grandeur

Definition:

Impressive and magnificent beauty on a large scale

“The palace had great grandeur.”

👗

Elegant

Definition:

Beautiful, tasteful, and stylish in appearance or manner

“She wore an elegant dress to the ball.”

🧚

Ethereal

Definition:

Heavenly and almost too perfect for this world

“She had an ethereal quality.”

😤

Glower

Definition:

Stare at someone in a threatening way

“She glowered at him across the room.”

🎨

Aesthetic

Definition:

Concerned with beauty or the appreciation of beauty

“The room had a pleasing aesthetic.”

Alluring

Definition:

Attractive or tempting in a mysterious way

“The alluring scent of fresh bread drew customers into the bakery.”

📉

Austerity

Definition:

Sternness or plainness in appearance, or economic strictness

“The country adopted austerity measures during the crisis.”

Becoming

Definition:

Attractive or appropriate

“The blue dress was very becoming on her.”

🏛️

Front

Definition:

The forward-facing part or a false appearance

“The house had an impressive front entrance.”

😊

Handsome

Definition:

Attractive in appearance

“He was a handsome young man.”

Lustrous

Definition:

Having a shiny or glossy appearance

“Her lustrous hair shone in the sunlight.”

👗

Raiment

Definition:

Clothing, especially formal or elegant clothes

“The queen wore magnificent raiment for the coronation.”

Resplendent

Definition:

Attractive and impressive through being richly colourful

“The queen looked resplendent in her jewelled crown and gown.”

🏞️

Scenic

Definition:

Providing beautiful views of nature

“They took a scenic route through the mountains.”

😐

Drab

Definition:

Dull, dreary and uninteresting to look at

“The drab walls needed painting.”

🌧️

Gloomy

Definition:

Dim, sad and without cheer

“The gloomy castle looked haunted.”

🔥

Kindle

Definition:

To set something on fire, to light, arouse or inspire

“The speech kindled hope in everyone.”

💡

Luminous

Definition:

Shining brightly, giving off light

“The luminous stars lit up the sky.”

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Glint

Definition:

Give out small flashes of light

“The diamond glinted in the sunlight.”

🌟

Glow

Definition:

Give out steady light without flame

“The embers continued to glow in the dark.”

Radiant

Definition:

Bright, luminous or happy in appearance

“She looked radiant on her wedding day.”

💡

Illuminate

Definition:

Brighten with light or make clearer to understand

“The streetlights illuminate the road.”

🕳️

Cavernous

Definition:

A space that is huge, dark and empty, like a cave

“The hall was cavernous.”

☁️

Ominous

Definition:

Menacing, foreboding, sinister

“The ominous clouds suggested a storm was coming.”

☁️

Dismal

Definition:

Dark, gloomy and depressing; causing sadness

“The weather was dismal all week.”

🌑

Shadowy

Definition:

Full of shadows or partially obscured by darkness

“A shadowy figure appeared in the alleyway at midnight.”

💡

Elucidate

Definition:

To explain something and make it clearer to understand

“The teacher elucidated the complex theory.”

💨

Emit

Definition:

To send out or release something such as light, heat or sound

“The factory emits harmful gases.”

🎨

Nuance

Definition:

A very small and subtle difference in meaning or detail

“She understood the nuances of the language.”

🐄

Grazed

Definition:

To feed on grass or other vegetation; to lightly touch or scrape the surface of something

“The cattle grazed peacefully in the meadow.”

🎨

Colour

Definition:

The appearance of objects in light or to influence

“Red is my favourite colour.”

Dazzling

Definition:

Extremely bright or impressive

“The fireworks display was absolutely dazzling.”

🕯️

Dim

Definition:

Not bright or clear

“The dim light made it hard to read.”

🌧️

Drizzle

Definition:

Light rain falling in very fine drops

“A gentle drizzle fell throughout the afternoon.”

🌑

Eclipse

Definition:

When one celestial body obscures another, or to surpass

“Her achievements eclipsed those of her competitors.”

Enchant

Definition:

To delight or fill with wonder

“The magical performance enchanted the children.”

Lightning

Definition:

A bright flash of light in the sky during a storm

“The lightning lit up the night sky.”

😔

Sombre

Definition:

Dark or dull in colour or tone, or serious

“The funeral had a sombre atmosphere.”

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🌆

Twilight

Definition:

The soft light from the sky when the sun is below the horizon

“They walked home in the twilight after the sun had set.”

😇

Virtuous

Definition:

A good, moral or ethical person, a person of good standing

“She lived a virtuous life helping others.”

🛡️

Integrity

Definition:

The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles

“She was known for her integrity in business.”

😇

Righteous

Definition:

Morally right or justifiable

“She fought for righteous causes.”

😈

Depraved

Definition:

Morally corrupt or wicked

“The villain had a depraved mind.”

🙏

Sanctimonious

Definition:

Making a show of being morally superior

“His sanctimonious speech annoyed everyone.”

😇

Conscience

Definition:

A person's moral sense of right and wrong, viewed as acting as a guide to one's behaviour.

“His conscience troubled him.”

📱

Device

Definition:

Something designed for a particular purpose

“This device makes life easier.”

🤷

Condone

Definition:

To accept behaviour that is morally wrong

“The school does not condone bullying in any form.”

📏

Criterion

Definition:

A standard or principle by which something is judged

“Neatness was an important criterion for the art competition.”

⚠️

Depravity

Definition:

Moral corruption or wickedness

“The novel depicted the depravity of life in the criminal underworld.”

🚫

Immoral

Definition:

Not conforming to accepted standards of morality

“Stealing is immoral and against the law.”

⚖️

Moral

Definition:

Concerned with principles of right and wrong behaviour

“It is our moral duty to help those in need.”

😤

Self-righteous

Definition:

Feeling morally superior to others

“The self-righteous student looked down on others for small mistakes.”

😈

Unscrupulous

Definition:

Having no moral principles

“The unscrupulous businessman cheated his customers.”

😈

Vice

Definition:

Immoral behaviour or a bad habit

“Laziness was his only vice.”

😇

Virtue

Definition:

Behaviour showing high moral standards

“Honesty is an important virtue.”

😱

Abysmal

Definition:

Terribly poor in quality

“The test results were abysmal.”

🤐

Vulgar

Definition:

Offensive, rude

“His vulgar language offended everyone.”

😠

Impolite

Definition:

Having bad manners

“It is impolite to interrupt.”

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⚖️

Dilemma

Definition:

A tough choice between two options

“She faced a moral dilemma.”

👨‍✈️

Dictator

Definition:

A ruler who has total power and controls everything

“The dictator ruled the country with an iron fist.”

😠

Cantankerous

Definition:

Bad-tempered, grumpy and difficult to deal with

“The cantankerous old man complained about everything.”

😠

Sullen

Definition:

Bad-tempered and not wanting to talk or smile

“He gave a sullen response to the question.”

☣️

Detrimental

Definition:

Causing harm or damage to something

“Smoking is detrimental to your health.”

🤫

Conspire

Definition:

To secretly plan with others to do something wrong

“The group conspired to overthrow the government.”

🌪️

Atrocious

Definition:

Awful, dreadful, terrible, contemptible

“The weather was atrocious all week.”

💀

Morbid

Definition:

Awful, ghastly

“The morbid story gave me nightmares.”

♻️

Eco-friendly

Definition:

Not harmful to the environment

“We switched to eco-friendly cleaning products.”

😠

Grievance

Definition:

A real or imagined wrong causing resentment

“The workers aired their grievances about working conditions.”

😤

Insulting

Definition:

Disrespectful or scornful

“His insulting remarks upset everyone.”

💸

Misspent

Definition:

Used or spent badly or wastefully

“He regretted his misspent youth playing video games all day.”

😈

Notoriety

Definition:

Fame for a bad quality or deed

“The criminal gained notoriety for his crimes.”

↩️

Rebuttal

Definition:

A response that proves a statement or theory is wrong

“The lawyer prepared a strong rebuttal to the accusation.”

😔

Remorse

Definition:

Deep regret or guilt for a wrong committed

“He felt remorse after lying to his parents.”

🍀

Serendipity

Definition:

Fortunate discoveries made by accident

“By serendipity, she found her lost ring.”

😠

Surly

Definition:

Bad-tempered and unfriendly

“The surly shopkeeper barely acknowledged customers.”

🥇

Unsurpassed

Definition:

Better or greater than any other

“Her skill at chess was unsurpassed in the school.”

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Why Vocabulary Matters for 11+ Success

A strong vocabulary and word meaning skills is the foundation of success in both CEM and GL Assessment 11+ grammar school exams (CEM and GL Assessment). These carefully selected 100 words represent the most important vocabulary you need to master for English comprehension and Verbal Reasoning and comprehension sections.

Each word has been chosen because it:

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