25 Words to Add to your Vocabulary

The English language has so many beautiful words, it’s a shame there are so many we neglect and don’t use regularly. They can sharpen your stories, making them tangible and real. I’ve always used the following words, but not because I think they are impressive. Expand your vocabulary not because you think it’ll make you seem more intelligent, but because they can help you communicate more clearly.

This can be especially helpful for young writers, because you’ll probably be studying for SATs, and if you don’t want to learn these words just to improve your writing, learn them because they might improve your SAT scores!

The words are listed from one to twenty-five, if you only want the word. If you want some context for the words, read the bullet points, preferably in order. I told a little story through all of the sentences.

1. Ablaze
   • When Hayes told her about the vacation house they would be renting, his eyes were set ablaze with excitement, and something resembling hope.
2. Blatant
   • Sadie’s impatience was blatant in her stance and tone. She obviously just wanted him to get to the point already.
3. Brooding
   • Hayes crossed his arms and rolled his eyes, brooding. “Fine,” he huffed, “I’m just trying to get a group together to travel, would you come?”
4. Dappled
   • The scenery was just as beautiful as Hayes had promised. There were dappled beams of sunlight shining through the windows, brightening the otherwise dreary house.
5. Desolate
   • The desolate house felt separated from all of civilization. It seemed like the perfect place for a fairy tale or murder mystery, Sadie couldn’t decide which.
6. Dulcet
   • “Are you okay?” Josie asked, one of Sadie’s friends that had come on the trip. “Yes,” and although Sadie offered a dulcet smile, she was secretly scared for hiking the next day, and it was all she could think about.
7. Ebullient
   • Josie had such an ebullient personality, Sadie didn’t want to dampen her spirits with her silly worries.
8. Eclectic
   • Everyone went to their rooms and to bed, but Sadie stayed up exploring her room. Whoever decorated the house had eclectic tastes, there was a record player in the room Sadie was staying in.
9. Enchanting
   • The bookshelves were lined with old, dusty books. As Sadie carefully slid them out of the shelf and eyed the pages, she found the books oddly enchanting. The covers were beautiful, and the pages were crinkled with time.
10. Ephemeral
    • When Sadie finally stopped exploring the room and drifted off to sleep, she tried to banish all fears of the outdoors. Sadie tried to convince herself that those fears would seem like an ephemeral blip in her long life by this time tomorrow.
11. Ethereal
    • When Sadie woke up the next morning, she took a deep breath and rolled out of bed. In the morning light, there was a sort of ethereal feeling to the room. Like it might have belonged to royalty in another time, the books read by a princess and cracked mirror broken by an evil witch.
12. Euphoria
    • After Sadie dressed and made her way to the kitchen, she found Josie excitedly making breakfast, seemingly having woken up on the right side of the bed. Josie’s initial euphoria seemed to fade slightly as she caught sight of Sadie trudging into the kitchen. “Good morning?” Josie chirped, sounding more like a question. “Ready for today?”
13. Flecked
    • “Yeah, totally!” Sadie exclaimed, trying her best to sound upbeat. Whatever interrogation that was to come was interrupted by Hayes and his friend Axel entering the kitchen. Hayes eyes were flecked with mischief as he leaned over the counter and grabbed one of the waffles Josie had made.
14. Harmonious
    • “Hey,” Josie exclaimed in protest, “I’m not done, and we were all gonna sit down to eat!” At this, Axel laughed out loud and followed Hayes’ lead, grabbing another waffle. Sadie grinned and took a waffle too, all of them laughing at Josie’s grumbling. Soon, Josie was laughing too, the harmonious laughter brightening Sadie’s mood and making her forget her fear.
15. Idyllic
    • As they finally made their way outside and into the day’s hike, Sadie was surprised that she wasn’t worried anymore. The mountains in the distance and bubbling brook made for idyllic scenery that calmed her nerves.
16. Inure
    • The thought of hidden animals and the rustling of tree branches would have normally frightened Sadie. Though the sounds didn’t falter and the animals didn’t disappear, Sadie found herself sufficiently inured to it.
17. Languor
    • Although Sadie felt better, Josie continued walking with languor, seeming indifferent to the conversations and antics of the rest of the group.
18. Luminescent
    • Sadie was about to ask what was wrong, when Josie began to glow, luminescent with an external glow. She was literally glowing, like her cheery demeanor had translated to an actual shine.
19. Melancholy
    • Josie smiled sadly, alone in her melancholy. Hayes, Axel, and Sadie were just confused, not only at the glowing, but at Josie’s uncharacteristic shift in mood.
20. Mellifluous
    • When Josie spoke, her voice was mellifluous and smooth. “I was your imaginary friend as a child, but you brought me to life when you needed me to help you conquer your fear.” She spoke to Sadie, holding her gaze.
21. Picturesque
    • “My purpose is complete, so you don’t need me anymore. Goodbye, Sadie.” With that, Sadie dissolved into light, a picturesque image of beauty.
22. Plethora
    • When Sadie thought about it, she did remember having a childhood imaginary friend, and she remembered not having met Josie until this trip got closer. Sadie had a plethora of questions, all without answers.
23. Pristine
    • The pristine, untouched beauty of the forest didn’t scare Sadie for once. That’s how she understood why Josie had left. Her purpose was complete, and so was Sadie’s goal of beating her fear.
24. Solitude
    • Poor Hayes and Axel were hopelessly confused, but Sadie didn’t really want to talk about it. She walked ahead in solitude, glad to be alone in her thoughts for a while.
25. Somber
    • Although Sadie didn’t think anything could brighten her somber mood, she was glad that Josie had come to life, if even for a short time.

I know the story might have been kind of silly, I made it up as I went along. If you want to know more about these words and the exact definitions, look them up to learn more about them. I hope you’ll add these 25 words to your vocabulary! Have you used any of these words before, or have you never heard of some of them? Do you often find your writing lacking in terms of vocabulary? Let me know! I’d love to hear about it!

Also, on an unrelated note, today is my blogiversary! I have officially been blogging for one year! It feels like just the other day I started, and it’s already been a year! I’ve been wanting to do a ‘words’ post for a while, so I figured my one year blogiversary would be a good day to do it. I’ve always loved learning and using new words, so I hope this helped you learn some new words too! Next week I’m going to do a post actually regarding my blogiversary, especially pertaining to my writing.