Advanced Vocabulary Lists and Exercises

Advanced Vocabulary List 2

anecdote: (noun) a short, interesting story
At the party Charles told some humorous anecdotes about his days in the military.
avert: (verb) turn aside, or away; as, to avert the eyes from an object; to ward off, or prevent, the occurrence or effects of
We did everything we could to avert the disaster, but it was not enough.
candid: (adjective) straightforward, open and sincere, honest
I had a very candid discussion with Max about his drinking problem.
dialogue: (noun) conversation between 2 or more people.
The action in the movie was very exciting, but the dialogue was incredibly bad.
drastic: (adjective) extreme, severe
The doctor had to take drastic measures to save the patient's life
erratic: (adjective) irregular, unsteady, random; prone to unexpected changes
The man's erratic behavior made everybody on the flight nervous.
fortify: (verb)strengthen, reinforce
The government intended to fortify the levees surrounding New Orleans.
isolate: (verb) set apart or cut off from others, separate
The hospital isolated the patients with bird flu to help prevent an outbreak.
illuminate: (verb) shine light on something, light up something
The new street lights were not powerful enough to illuminate the street sufficiently.
urban: (adjective) related to or located in the city
People from urban areas have very different political views from people in rural areas.