Most Helpful Synonyms for IELTS Writing & Speaking
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Contents
Introduction
Using synonyms effectively can enhance your IELTS scores. This technique can improve your writing, speaking skills, and lexical resource band score. So, here’s a guide that provides a list of helpful synonyms for IELTS that you can use to elevate your performance in the writing and speaking sections.
Synonyms for IELTS: A Quick Guide
Synonyms are also often used in different collocations. For example, we can describe either a person or an idea as “brilliant,” but only a person can be “astute.” Tabulated below are some of the important synonyms for IELTS for the most common adjectives which can serve as an adequate substitute in the IELTS test.
Word | Synonyms | Example |
Good | excellent, superb, outstanding, fine, capable, beneficial, genuine, gracious, splendid | The food was excellent. |
Bad | poor, terrible, awful, dreadful, nasty, unpleasant, disagreeable, obnoxious, repulsive | The weather was dreadful. |
Big | large, enormous, immense, gigantic, vast, spacious, roomy, ample, capacious | The stadium was enormous. |
Small | little, tiny, minuscule, diminutive, insignificant, meager, scanty, sparse, scarce | The crowd was scanty. |
Like | similar, alike, comparable, analogous, corresponding, akin, related, akin, kindred | The two cars are similar in appearance. |
Different | unlike, dissimilar, distinct, varied, diverse, heterogeneous, disparate, contrasting, opposing | The two countries are disparate in terms of their cultures. |
Important | essential, vital, critical, crucial, significant, noteworthy, salient, prominent, paramount | A good education is essential for success. |
Unimportant | insignificant, trivial, minor, negligible, inconsequential, unimportant, worthless, valueless, useless | The color of the car is insignificant. |
Cause | reason, motive, explanation, justification, rationale, purpose, objective, goal, aim | The reason for the accident is still unknown. |
Effect | consequence, result, outcome, product, output, impact, influence, ramification, implication | The effect of the war was devastating. |
Angry | Mad, furious, wrathful, indignant, exasperated, aroused, inflamed |
|
Happy | Pleased, contented, satisfied, delighted, elated, joyful, cheerful, ecstatic, jubilant, gay |
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Increase | grow, expand, augment, enlarge, intensify, magnify, supplement, supplement, heighten | The population of the city is increasing rapidly. |
Increasing | growing, expanding, augmenting, enlarging, intensifying, magnifying, supplementing, supplement, heightening | The increasing demand for oil is causing prices to rise. |
Learn | acquire knowledge, study, master, familiarize oneself with, get to know, comprehend, assimilate, absorb, inculcate | I learned how to play the guitar when I was a teenager. |
Important | significant, consequential, momentous, weighty, grave, serious, critical, essential, vital, indispensable | Important decisions should not be made lightly. |
Best | finest, greatest, supreme, excellent, superb, outstanding, superior, peerless, matchless, incomparable | The best way to learn a language is to immerse yourself in it. |
begin | start, commence, initiate, launch, inaugurate | The meeting began at 9:00 am. |
continue | go on, proceed, persist, persevere, endure | The meeting continued for several hours. |
finish | complete, conclude, terminate, end, finalize | The meeting finished at 11:00 am. |
stop | cease, halt, discontinue, break off, desist | The meeting stopped for a short break. |
think | believe, suppose, presume, assume, imagine | I think it’s going to rain today. |
know | be aware of, understand, recognize, identify, be familiar with | I know that you’re going to be late. |
answer | reply, respond, retort, rejoin, reciprocate | He answered my question. |
look | see, view, observe, contemplate, gaze | I looked at the beautiful sunset. |
find | discover, determine, ascertain, learn, establish | I found out that he was lying. |
try | attempt, endeavor, strive, make an effort, experiment | I tried to open the door, but it was locked. |
need | require, necessitate, demand, call for, have use for | I need to buy some groceries. |
use | utilize, employ, apply, benefit from, avail oneself of | I used the computer to write my essay. |
work | labor, toil, drudge, grind, operate | I worked hard all day. |
Adults | grown-ups, mature people, seniors, elders | The majority of the population in this country are adults. |
Facilities | amenities, services, resources, conveniences, infrastructure | The hotel has excellent facilities for its guests. |
Popular | well-liked, in demand, fashionable, trending, mainstream | The new movie is very popular. |
Product | good, merchandise, item, commodity, offering | The company’s new product is a hit with consumers. |
Language | tongue, speech, dialect, vernacular, idiom | English is the most popular language in the world. |
Highest | maximum, greatest, tallest, tallest, foremost | Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world. |
Explore | investigate, examine, scrutinize, research, study | The scientists explored the new planet. |
Precise | accurate, exact, correct, unerring, infallible | The doctor’s diagnosis was precise. |
Enhance | improve, augment, magnify, intensify, strengthen | The new technology enhanced the quality of the images. |
Abundant | plentiful, copious, profuse, lavish, lavish | The rainforest is abundant with wildlife. |
Efficient | effective, productive, economical, thrifty, time-saving | The new machine is very efficient. |
Sufficient | enough, adequate, ample, satisfactory, enough to meet the need | The amount of food was sufficient for everyone. |
Vast | huge, enormous, immense, gigantic, colossal | The universe is vast. |
Optimize | maximize, make the most of, improve to the highest degree, perfect | The company optimized its production process. |
Reduce | diminish, lessen, decrease, contract, minimize | The government reduced taxes. |
Complex | complicated, intricate, involved, convoluted, sophisticated | The new software is very complex. |
Contribute | provide, give, lend, offer, supply | The students contributed their ideas to the project. |
Obtain | acquire, get, secure, gain, win | The scientist obtained the necessary funding for his research. |
Authentic | genuine, real, original, unadulterated, true | The painting is authentic. |
Substantial | large, sizable, significant, considerable, weighty | The company made a substantial profit. |
Elaborate | detailed, complex, intricate, involved, lengthy | The lawyer gave an elaborate explanation of the case. |
Promote | advance, further, encourage, support, boost | The government promoted tourism. |
Comprehend | understand, grasp, fathom, get, see | I couldn’t comprehend what he was saying. |
Reliable | dependable, trustworthy, reliable, sure, faithful | The car is very reliable. |
Preserve | protect, safeguard, conserve, maintain, keep | The government is working to preserve the environment. |
Tips on Using Synonyms for IELTS
Here are some tips on how to use synonyms effectively for IELTS writing and speaking:
- Use synonyms that are appropriate for the level of formality of your writing. For example, you would not use the word “enormous” in an informal conversation.
- Use synonyms that are accurate and meaningful. For example, the synonym “excellent” would be more appropriate than the synonym “superb” in the sentence “The food was excellent.”
- Use synonyms that you are familiar with and that you can use correctly. It is not helpful to use a synonym if you do not know what it means or how to use it in a sentence.
- Use synonyms in a way that is natural and that flows well. Do not try to force synonyms into your writing if they do not fit.
Conclusion
Synonyms for IELTS are very useful for improving your writing and speaking. Using synonyms effectively can help you paraphrase well, avoid repeating the same words, and show that you have a wide range of vocabulary. This can help you to get a higher band score in the Lexical Resource category. So, use synonyms to your advantage and do well in IELTS!
Want to ace your IELTS speaking and writing? Improve your vocabulary with our free IELTS online coaching classes.
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1 Comment
Thaixiong
Posted on Oct 7, 2016
Could you please send me this book. Thanks
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