How smart are you? Probably very smart. You can easily identify smart people when you see them, either by the way they act, dress or even by their choice of words. If you really wish to appear smart, here are some nice words that make you sound really smart, we’ve compiled over 90 of them.
See Also: Positive Words That Will Help Express Your Happiness
Best Words That Make You Sound Really Smart
1. acrimony – bitterness
2. angst – an acute but unspecific feeling of anxiety
3. avant-garde – Ahead of the times, especially in the arts
4. antidote – a remedy that stops or controls the effects of a poison
5. baroque – having elaborate symmetrical ornamentation
6. bona fide – not counterfeit or copied
7. brogue – a thick and heavy shoe; a strong dialectal accent
8. brusque – rudely abrupt
9. bourgeois – a member of the middle class; belonging to the middle class
10. boondoggle – work of little or no value done merely to look busy
11. bravado – a swaggering show of courage
12. byzantine – highly involved or intricate
13. carte blanche – authority with no bounds
14. Catch-22 – a lose lose situation
15. caustic – sarcastic
16. charisma – charm
17. cacophony – a loud harsh or strident noise
18. camaraderie – trust among friends
19. capricious – impulsive and unpredictable
20. cloying – excessively sweet or sentimental
21. déjà vu – the experience of thinking that a new situation had occurred before
22. dichotomy – a division into two parts
23. dilettante – showing frivolous or superficial interest
24. élan – enthusiastic vigor or liveliness
25. disheveled – in disarray
26. ennui – boredom
27. epitome – a typical example
28. equanimity – steadiness of mind under stress
29. equivocate – to be deliberately ambiguous or unclear in order to mislead or withhold information
30. esoteric – intended for or understood by only a small group
31. euphemism – an inoffensive expression that is substituted for one that is considered offensive
32. fait accompli – an irreversible accomplishment
33. fastidious – difficult to please
34. faux pas – a social blunder
35. fiasco – a complete failure
36. finagle – to trick, swindle or cheat
37. Freudian slip – a verbal mistake that is thought to reveal an unconscious belief, thought, or emotion
38. glib – artfully persuasive in speech
39. gregarious – sociable
40. harbinger – an omen or sign; forerunner
41. hedonist – a pleasure seeker
42. heresy – a belief that rejects the orthodox tenets of a religion
43. idiosyncratic – peculiar to the individual
44. idyllic – charming in a rustic way; suggestive of an idyll
45. indelicate – lacking propriety and good taste in manners and conduct
46. infinitesimal – immeasurably small
47. insidious – treacherous
48. junket – a trip taken by an official often times for pleasure at public expense
49. kitsch – art in pretentious bad taste
50. litany – any long, repetitive, or dull recital
51. lurid – ghastly pale
52. Machiavellian – unprincipled and crafty
53. mantra – a commonly repeated word or phrase
54. maudlin – overemotional
55. mercenary – a professional soldier hired by a foreign army; profit oriented
56. malaise – physical discomfort (as mild sickness or depression)
57. malinger – to evade responsibility by pretending to be ill
58. minimalist – a person who practices arts in less detailed ways
59. misnomer – an incorrect or unsuitable name
60. narcissist – someone in love with themselves
61. nirvana – any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
62. non sequitur – something that does not logically follow
63. nouveau riche – newly rich
64. oblivion – total forgetfulness
65. ogle – look at with amorous intentions
66. ostentatious – showy
67. ostracize – to exclude from a group; banish; exile
68. panacea – cure-all; remedy for all diseases
69. paradox – a contradiction or dilemma
70. peevish – easily irritated or annoyed
71. perfunctory – hasty and without attention to detail
72. philistine – a person who is uninterested in intellectual pursuits
73. precocious – appearing or developing early
74. propriety – correct or appropriate behavior
75. quid pro quo – this for that
76. quintessential – perfect example
75. red herring – any diversion intended to distract attention from the main issue
76. revel – to take delight in
77. rhetoric – effective writing or speaking
78. scintillating – brilliantly clever
79. spartan – marked by simplicity and lack of luxury
80. stigma – a symbol of disgrace or infamy
81. stoic – unaffected by pleasure or pain
82. suave – having a sophisticated charm
83. Svengali – A person who exercises excessive control or influence over another person
84. sycophant – a self-serving flatterer, a brownnoser
85. teetotaler – one who does not drink alcohol
86. tête-à-tête – a private conversation between two people
87. tirade – a long, angry speech, usually very critical
88. tryst – a secret meeting of lovers; rendezvous
89. ubiquitous – being present everywhere at once
90. unrequited – not returned in kind
91. untenable – indefensible
92. vicarious – done or felt for, or on behalf of, another
93. vile – morally reprehensible
94. waft – be driven or carried along, as by the air
95. white elephant – a possession that costs more to keep than its worth
96. zealous – enthusiastic; fervent; fanatical
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