C1 · Advanced

Reason & Abstraction — C1 English Vocabulary

This C1 vocabulary list gathers 60 advanced English words about reason & abstraction — high-level thinking, insight and logic. 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. rationality/ˌræʃ.əˈnæl.ɪ.ti/

    “He prizes rationality above all.”

  2. cognisance/ˈkɒɡ.nɪ.zəns/

    “She took cognisance of the facts.”

  3. discernment/dɪˈsɜːn.mənt/

    “He shows great discernment.”

  4. acumen/ˈæk.jə.mən/

    “She has real business acumen.”

  5. sagacity/səˈɡæs.ɪ.ti/

    “His sagacity impressed them.”

  6. perspicacity/ˌpɜː.spɪˈkæs.ɪ.ti/

    “Her perspicacity is rare.”

  7. conjecture/kənˈdʒek.tʃə/

    “It is pure conjecture.”

  8. extrapolate/ɪkˈstræp.ə.leɪt/

    “We can extrapolate from the data.”

  9. surmise/səˈmaɪz/

    “I surmise that he left early.”

  10. cogitate/ˈkɒdʒ.ɪ.teɪt/

    “He sat down to cogitate.”

  11. mull/mʌl/

    “Let me mull it over.”

  12. sagacious/səˈɡeɪ.ʃəs/

    “He gave sagacious advice.”

  13. discerning/dɪˈsɜː.nɪŋ/

    “She is a discerning critic.”

  14. judicious/dʒuːˈdɪʃ.əs/

    “He made a judicious choice.”

  15. circumspect/ˈsɜː.kəm.spekt/

    “Be circumspect with strangers.”

  16. prudence/ˈpruː.dəns/

    “Financial prudence is wise.”

  17. foresight/ˈfɔː.saɪt/

    “She showed great foresight.”

  18. hindsight/ˈhaɪnd.saɪt/

    “In hindsight, it was a mistake.”

  19. epiphany/ɪˈpɪf.ən.i/

    “He had a sudden epiphany.”

  20. apprehend/ˌæp.rɪˈhend/

    “It is hard to apprehend the scale.”

  21. abstruse/æbˈstruːs/

    “The theory is abstruse.”

  22. esoteric/ˌes.əˈter.ɪk/

    “It is an esoteric subject.”

  23. opaque/əʊˈpeɪk/

    “His writing is opaque.”

  24. lucidity/luːˈsɪd.ɪ.ti/

    “She explained with great lucidity.”

  25. cogency/ˈkəʊ.dʒən.si/

    “The cogency of his case won them over.”

  26. axiomatic/ˌæk.si.əˈmæt.ɪk/

    “It is treated as axiomatic.”

  27. connotation/ˌkɒn.əˈteɪ.ʃən/

    “The word has a negative connotation.”

  28. construct/ˈkɒn.strʌkt/

    “Race is a social construct.”

  29. schema/ˈskiː.mə/

    “He built a mental schema.”

  30. dissect/daɪˈsekt/

    “Critics dissect every line.”

  31. appraise/əˈpreɪz/

    “Experts appraise the painting.”

  32. delve/delv/

    “She likes to delve into history.”

  33. philosophise/fɪˈlɒs.ə.faɪz/

    “He likes to philosophise about life.”

  34. underpinning/ˌʌn.dəˈpɪn.ɪŋ/

    “What is the underpinning of this claim?”

  35. soundness/ˈsaʊnd.nəs/

    “Nobody doubts the soundness of the plan.”

  36. rigour/ˈrɪɡ.ə/

    “The proof lacks rigour.”

  37. cerebral/ˈser.ə.brəl/

    “It is a very cerebral film.”

  38. erudite/ˈer.ʊ.daɪt/

    “She is an erudite scholar.”

  39. learned/ˈlɜː.nɪd/

    “He is a learned professor.”

  40. knowledgeable/ˈnɒl.ɪ.dʒə.bəl/

    “She is very knowledgeable.”

  41. internalise/ɪnˈtɜː.nəl.aɪz/

    “Try to internalise the rules.”

  42. inductive/ɪnˈdʌk.tɪv/

    “She used inductive reasoning.”

  43. presupposition/ˌpriː.sʌp.əˈzɪʃ.ən/

    “The plan rests on a presupposition.”

  44. tangential/tænˈdʒen.ʃəl/

    “His point was tangential.”

  45. pertinence/ˈpɜː.tɪ.nəns/

    “I question its pertinence.”

  46. elucidation/ɪˌluː.sɪˈdeɪ.ʃən/

    “We need further elucidation.”

  47. rumination/ˌruː.mɪˈneɪ.ʃən/

    “After much rumination, he agreed.”

  48. discernible/dɪˈsɜː.nə.bəl/

    “There was no discernible change.”

  49. rationalism/ˈræʃ.ən.əl.ɪ.zəm/

    “He is a champion of rationalism.”

  50. acuity/əˈkjuː.ɪ.ti/

    “Her mental acuity is sharp.”

  51. conjectural/kənˈdʒek.tʃər.əl/

    “The link is conjectural.”

  52. intelligible/ɪnˈtel.ɪ.dʒə.bəl/

    “His notes are barely intelligible.”

  53. methodical/məˈθɒd.ɪ.kəl/

    “She is methodical in her work.”

  54. meditative/ˈmed.ɪ.tə.tɪv/

    “He was in a meditative mood.”

  55. circumspection/ˌsɜː.kəmˈspek.ʃən/

    “He acted with circumspection.”

  56. notional/ˈnəʊ.ʃən.əl/

    “It is only a notional figure.”

  57. revelation/ˌrev.əˈleɪ.ʃən/

    “The book was a revelation.”

  58. objectively/əbˈdʒek.tɪv.li/

    “Try to look at it objectively.”

  59. decipher/dɪˈsaɪ.fə/

    “I cannot decipher his handwriting.”

  60. contemplation/ˌkɒn.təmˈpleɪ.ʃən/

    “She sat in quiet contemplation.”