C1 · Advanced

Light, Look & Texture — C1 English Vocabulary

This C1 vocabulary list gathers 60 advanced English words about light, look & texture — how things look, shine and feel. 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. gaunt/ɡɔːnt/

    “His face looked gaunt.”

  2. haggard/ˈhæɡ.əd/

    “She looked haggard after the trip.”

  3. emaciated/ɪˈmeɪ.si.eɪ.tɪd/

    “The prisoners were emaciated.”

  4. portly/ˈpɔːt.li/

    “A portly gentleman entered.”

  5. burly/ˈbɜː.li/

    “A burly guard blocked the door.”

  6. lanky/ˈlæŋ.ki/

    “He is tall and lanky.”

  7. petite/pəˈtiːt/

    “She is small and petite.”

  8. stocky/ˈstɒk.i/

    “He has a stocky build.”

  9. dishevelled/dɪˈʃev.əld/

    “His hair was dishevelled.”

  10. well-groomed/ˌwel ˈɡruːmd/

    “He is always well-groomed.”

  11. scruffy/ˈskrʌf.i/

    “He wore scruffy old jeans.”

  12. dapper/ˈdæp.ə/

    “He looked dapper in a suit.”

  13. swarthy/ˈswɔː.ði/

    “He had a swarthy complexion.”

  14. pallid/ˈpæl.ɪd/

    “Her face was pallid.”

  15. ruddy/ˈrʌd.i/

    “He has a ruddy complexion.”

  16. wrinkled/ˈrɪŋ.kəld/

    “Her face was wrinkled with age.”

  17. weathered/ˈweð.əd/

    “His skin was weathered by the sun.”

  18. complexion/kəmˈplek.ʃən/

    “She has a clear complexion.”

  19. physique/fɪˈziːk/

    “He has an athletic physique.”

  20. poise/pɔɪz/

    “She has natural poise.”

  21. radiance/ˈreɪ.di.əns/

    “Her face had a soft radiance.”

  22. glow/ɡləʊ/

    “Her cheeks had a healthy glow.”

  23. pallor/ˈpæl.ə/

    “His sudden pallor alarmed us.”

  24. flush/flʌʃ/

    “A flush spread over her face.”

  25. blush/blʌʃ/

    “A blush rose to her cheeks.”

  26. grimace/ˈɡrɪm.əs/

    “He gave a grimace of pain.”

  27. scowl/skaʊl/

    “She gave him a dark scowl.”

  28. frown/fraʊn/

    “A frown crossed his face.”

  29. smirk/smɜːk/

    “He wore a smug smirk.”

  30. sneer/snɪə/

    “She gave a cruel sneer.”

  31. beam/biːm/

    “She gave a wide beam.”

  32. iridescence/ˌɪr.ɪˈdes.əns/

    “The oil showed iridescence.”

  33. translucence/trænzˈluː.səns/

    “The petals have a delicate translucence.”

  34. opacity/əʊˈpæs.ɪ.ti/

    “The glass has a milky opacity.”

  35. glossy/ˈɡlɒs.i/

    “The magazine is glossy.”

  36. matte/mæt/

    “The walls have a matte finish.”

  37. sleek/sliːk/

    “The car has a sleek design.”

  38. grainy/ˈɡreɪ.ni/

    “The old film looks grainy.”

  39. mottled/ˈmɒt.əld/

    “The leaf was mottled brown.”

  40. dappled/ˈdæp.əld/

    “Dappled light fell on the path.”

  41. speckled/ˈspek.əld/

    “The egg was speckled.”

  42. burnished/ˈbɜː.nɪʃt/

    “The shield was burnished bright.”

  43. tarnished/ˈtɑː.nɪʃt/

    “The old spoon was tarnished.”

  44. faded/ˈfeɪ.dɪd/

    “The curtains were faded.”

  45. fluorescent/ˌflɔːˈres.ənt/

    “She wore a fluorescent jacket.”

  46. pale/peɪl/

    “He turned pale with fear.”

  47. dingy/ˈdɪn.dʒi/

    “They lived in a dingy flat.”

  48. grubby/ˈɡrʌb.i/

    “His hands were grubby.”

  49. spotless/ˈspɒt.ləs/

    “The kitchen was spotless.”

  50. smudged/smʌdʒd/

    “Her makeup was smudged.”

  51. glistening/ˈɡlɪs.ən.ɪŋ/

    “His brow was glistening with sweat.”

  52. frayed/freɪd/

    “His collar was frayed.”

  53. tattered/ˈtæt.əd/

    “He wore a tattered coat.”

  54. threadbare/ˈθred.beə/

    “The rug was threadbare.”

  55. unblemished/ʌnˈblem.ɪʃt/

    “Her record is unblemished.”

  56. crinkled/ˈkrɪŋ.kəld/

    “The paper was crinkled.”

  57. crumpled/ˈkrʌm.pəld/

    “He wore a crumpled shirt.”

  58. taut/tɔːt/

    “The rope was pulled taut.”

  59. slack/slæk/

    “The line went slack.”

  60. silky/ˈsɪl.ki/

    “The dog has a silky coat.”