B2 · Upper-Intermediate

Work & Ambition — B2 English Vocabulary

This B2 vocabulary list gathers 50 upper-intermediate English words about work & ambition — careers, leadership and the workplace. Every word comes with its British-English pronunciation and a natural example sentence, so you learn each one in real context. When you are ready, open the flashcards to practise and remember them for good.

  1. occupational/ˌɒk.jəˈpeɪ.ʃən.əl/

    “He has an occupational illness.”

  2. vocation/vəʊˈkeɪ.ʃən/

    “Nursing is her true vocation.”

  3. competence/ˈkɒm.pɪ.təns/

    “She showed real competence.”

  4. proficiency/prəˈfɪʃ.ən.si/

    “He has proficiency in three languages.”

  5. mentor/ˈmen.tɔː/

    “Her mentor gave great advice.”

  6. subordinate/səˈbɔː.dɪ.nət/

    “He treats every subordinate fairly.”

  7. hierarchy/ˈhaɪə.rɑː.ki/

    “The company has a strict hierarchy.”

  8. multitask/ˌmʌl.tiˈtɑːsk/

    “She can multitask under pressure.”

  9. morale/məˈrɑːl/

    “Staff morale is high.”

  10. diligence/ˈdɪl.ɪ.dʒəns/

    “Her diligence impressed the boss.”

  11. tenure/ˈten.jə/

    “He earned tenure after ten years.”

  12. redundancy/rɪˈdʌn.dən.si/

    “He faced redundancy last year.”

  13. headhunt/ˈhed.hʌnt/

    “A rival firm tried to headhunt her.”

  14. ergonomic/ˌɜː.ɡəˈnɒm.ɪk/

    “The office has ergonomic chairs.”

  15. workaholic/ˌwɜː.kəˈhɒl.ɪk/

    “He is a real workaholic.”

  16. vocational/vəʊˈkeɪ.ʃən.əl/

    “She took a vocational course.”

  17. perk/pɜːk/

    “A company car is a nice perk.”

  18. shortlist/ˈʃɔːt.lɪst/

    “She made the shortlist.”

  19. networking/ˈnet.wɜː.kɪŋ/

    “Networking helped his career.”

  20. proactive/ˌprəʊˈæk.tɪv/

    “Be proactive, not passive.”

  21. delegation/ˌdel.ɪˈɡeɪ.ʃən/

    “Good delegation saves time.”

  22. recognition/ˌrek.əɡˈnɪʃ.ən/

    “She got recognition for her work.”

  23. driven/ˈdrɪv.ən/

    “He is a very driven person.”

  24. freelancer/ˈfriː.lɑːn.sə/

    “She works as a freelancer.”

  25. obligation/ˌɒb.lɪˈɡeɪ.ʃən/

    “He felt an obligation to help.”

  26. punctuality/ˌpʌŋk.tʃuˈæl.ɪ.ti/

    “Punctuality is important here.”

  27. evaluation/ɪˌvæl.juˈeɪ.ʃən/

    “She had a positive evaluation.”

  28. supervise/ˈsuː.pə.vaɪz/

    “She will supervise a small team.”

  29. collaborate/kəˈlæb.ə.reɪt/

    “Departments must collaborate.”

  30. collaboration/kəˌlæb.əˈreɪ.ʃən/

    “It was a successful collaboration.”

  31. upskill/ˈʌp.skɪl/

    “Workers can upskill online.”

  32. self-employed/ˌself.ɪmˈplɔɪd/

    “She is self-employed.”

  33. overwork/ˌəʊ.vəˈwɜːk/

    “Do not overwork yourself.”

  34. breadwinner/ˈbred.wɪn.ə/

    “He is the family breadwinner.”

  35. deputy/ˈdep.jə.ti/

    “The deputy ran the meeting.”

  36. bonus/ˈbəʊ.nəs/

    “He got a big year-end bonus.”

  37. flexitime/ˈflek.si.taɪm/

    “Flexitime suits working parents.”

  38. placement/ˈpleɪs.mənt/

    “She did a work placement.”

  39. résumé/ˈrez.ju.meɪ/

    “Send your résumé by email.”

  40. credential/krɪˈden.ʃəl/

    “He listed every credential.”

  41. telecommute/ˈtel.i.kə.mjuːt/

    “Many staff telecommute now.”

  42. managerial/ˌmæn.əˈdʒɪə.ri.əl/

    “She has a managerial role.”

  43. retention/rɪˈten.ʃən/

    “Staff retention has improved.”

  44. motivated/ˈməʊ.tɪ.veɪ.tɪd/

    “He is a highly motivated worker.”

  45. initiative/ɪˈnɪʃ.ə.tɪv/

    “She used her own initiative.”

  46. apprenticeship/əˈpren.tɪs.ʃɪp/

    “He started an apprenticeship.”

  47. headway/ˈhed.weɪ/

    “She made good headway in her career.”

  48. competent/ˈkɒm.pɪ.tənt/

    “He is a competent manager.”

  49. dedicated/ˈded.ɪ.keɪ.tɪd/

    “She is a dedicated employee.”

  50. workmanship/ˈwɜːk.mən.ʃɪp/

    “The furniture shows fine workmanship.”