List of 124 Words That Will Make You Sound Smart

accolade	An expression of acknowledgment or praise; an award.
acrimony	Ill feeling or bitterness.
ambivalent	Being in two minds or having mixed feelings.
angst	An unfocused feeling of deep anxiety or dread.
anomaly	An exception to the norm.
antidote	A substance that stops the effects of a poison.
aquiver	Quivering, usually with emotion.
avant-garde	Experimental or radically original.
baroque	An ornate artistic and musical style from the 17th and 18th centuries.
bona fide	Genuine; authentic.
boondoggle	Valueless work done to create the appearance of activity.
bourgeois	Of the middle class.
bravado	A display of swaggering boldness.
brogue	A tough, leather shoe.
brusque	Curt, abrupt, or blunt.
byzantine	Extremely complicated, involving excessive bureaucracy or red tape.
cacophony	A loud and confusing assortment of sounds.
cajole	To repeatedly coax or flatter a person.
camaraderie	Friendship and mutual trust between two or more individuals.
capricious	Given to sudden unexplained changes of behavior.
carte blanche	License to act as one wishes.
catch-22	An inescapable situation created by contradictory or absurd rules.
caustic	Extremely critical, incisive, or sarcastic.
charisma	Personal charm capable of influencing people.
chic	Fashionable, smart, or elegant.
cloying	Excessively sweet.
dapper	Elegant or smart.
déjà vu	The experience of feeling like a certain event has happened before.
dichotomy	A division between two diametrically opposed things.
didactic	Designed or intended to teach.
dilettante	A dabbler; an amateur without serious commitment.
disheveled	Messy; extremely untidy.
elan	Style and enthusiasm; vigorous energy.
elucidate	To explain at greater length.
empathy	The ability to relate to the feelings of others.
ennui	Listlessness and boredom or dissatisfaction.
epitome	A typical example of something.
equanimity	Composure in the face of adversity.
equivocate	To stall or be deliberately ambiguous or misleading.
esoteric	Only understood by a small group of people with specific knowledge.
euphemism	An inoffensive way of expressing something unpalatable.
exacerbate	To make a bad situation worse.
fait accompli	An accomplishment that cannot be reversed.
fastidious	Concerned with attention to detail.
faux pas	A gaffe or act betraying social awkwardness.
fiasco	A complete, farcical failure.
finagle	To obtain or achieve something in an underhand manner.
flabbergasted	Extremely shocked and baffled.
flummoxed	Totally confused and not knowing what to do.
fortuitous	Fortunate; happening by chance.
Freudian slip	A verbal slip that reveals the speaker's subconscious wishes.
glib	Fluent and superficially convincing but lacking substance.
gregarious	Sociable; enjoying the company of others.
harbinger	An omen or indicator of a future event.
hedonist	One motivated purely by sensory pleasure.
heresy	A belief that is contrary to the orthodoxy of a religion.
hyperbole	An exaggeration or overstatement.
idiosyncrasy	A quirk or eccentricity.
idyllic	Extremely serene, beautiful, and/or peaceful, often of a time or place.
indelicate	Somewhat inappropriate.
infinitesimal	Infinitely small.
innocuous	Harmless; without malice.
insidious	Operating in a concealed and usually harmful way.
junket	An extravagant trip or celebration, usually by a public official at taxpayer expense.
kitsch	Garish, campy, or sentimental art, often appreciated ironically.
litany	A repetitive series of recitals.
lurid	Overly colorful or vivid; sensationalistic.
Machiavellian	Unscrupulous, cunning, or amoral, often in relation to politics.
malaise	An overall feeling of uneasiness or listlessness.
malinger	To exaggerate or fake sickness in order to avoid responsibilities.
mantra	A regularly repeated slogan or motto.
maudlin	Self-pityingly emotional, sometimes while inebriated.
mellifluous	Sweet or pleasing to hear.
mercenary	A soldier of fortune; an individual motivated solely by money.
misnomer	An inappropriate or incorrect name.
narcissist	A self-obsessed person.
nefarious	Wicked or malignant.
nirvana	A state of transcendence; an idealized location.
non sequitur	A response or conclusion unrelated to what comes before.
nouveau riche	A newly rich person, often perceived as lacking in social graces by those with rich backgrounds.
obfuscate	To make confusing or unclear.
oblivion	A state of complete forgetfulness, of being completely forgotten, or of extinction.
obtuse	Slow-witted or slow to understand.
ogle	To stare amorously.
ostentatious	Designed to impress and attract attention.
ostracize	To exclude from a community or society.
panacea	A supposed remedy for many different diseases or problems.
paradox	A seemingly self-contradictory statement that is nevertheless true; a seemingly logical statement that proves to contain a contradiction.
parsimonious	Being careful with money, often to the point of stinginess.
peevish	Easily annoyed by unimportant things.
perfunctory	Done in a routine manner, without much attention or interest.
philistine	An uncultured person; one uninterested in intellectual matters.
precocious	Having developed an ability exceptionally early.
propriety	Appropriate behavior.
quagmire	A swamp or marsh; an inescapable predicament.
quid pro quo	An exchange of favors.
quintessential	Representing a perfectly typical example of something.
red herring	Something that seems relevant but distracts attention from the real issue.
rendezvous	A meeting at a prearranged location and time.
revel	To have fun in a boisterous, noisy way.
rhetoric	The art of persuasive public speaking.
scintillating	Sparkling; shining.
spartan	Austere; stern.
status quo	The established state of sociopolitical affairs.
stigma	A mark of disgrace or dishonor.
stoic	One who endures adversity impassively and without complaint.
suave	Sophisticated and charming.
Svengali	A person who holds a controlling influence over another, often with ill intent.
sycophant	A self-serving flatterer.
teetotaler	One who does not drink alcohol.
tête-à-tête	A private meeting or discussion between two persons.
tirade	A rant; a long speech of denunciation.
touché	An interjection acknowledging that the listener has in some way scored a point against the speaker.
tryst	A secret romantic meeting.
ubiquitous	Encountered seemingly everywhere at once.
umbrage	Pique, annoyance, or resentment, generally in response to a comment.
unrequited	(Of a feeling, often love) not returned or validated.
untenable	Impossible to sustain or justify.
vamoose	To leave in a hurry.
vicarious	Experienced in the mind from observing the actions of others.
vile	Repugnant; physically or morally repellent.
vitriol	Venomous criticism.
white elephant	Something that is impossible to dispose of and whose upkeep is disproportionate to its usefulness.
zealous	Ardent; enthusiastically believing in or following something.

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