IELTS vocabulary online: 5 must-know words

Below mentioned are the 10 must-know words for IELTS. I have also written the meaning, synonyms, and antonyms for each of these words. So, after preparing these 10 words, you will have almost 50 words just from this article alone. Also, bookmark this link so that it’s easy for you when you want to visit this page again.

I have also written examples for each of these words to help you understand them. Also, at the end of the explanation for each word, there will be some practice exercises. Please complete those exercises and post your response in the comment section.

Irritate – The first word for IELTS vocabulary online

Word	Irritate
Meaning	To make someone angry, impatient, or annoyed.
Word forms	Irritate, irritated, irritating, irritatingly, irritation
Synonyms	annoy, infuriate, exasperate, pique, antagonize, enrage, madden, ruffle
Synonymous phrases	get on someone’s nerves, ruffle someone’s feathers, make someone’s hackles rise, give someone the pip, get in someone’s hair, drive someone nuts
Antonyms	Pacify, good-humored, cheerful

Example sentences of irritate and word forms of irritate

• The audacity with which he keeps confronting me is what really irritates me the most.
• The audacity with which he confronted me, irritated me the most.
• The audacity with which he keeps confronting me is really irritating.
• The audacity with which he keeps confronting me is the real cause of my irritation.

A few more examples

• It was easy to deduce from his behavior that he was irritated the most by her actions.
• When things don’t work out as per the plan, it’s obvious to feel irritated about it.
• The actions of an infant should never irritate the mother.
• You should always keep a safe distance from people with irritating behavior.
• The two of you are taking an irritatingly similar time to get things done.

Practice exercise

• Write 5 sentences that have the word ‘irritate’ in them.
• Replace ‘irritate’ with synonyms in the above sentences.
• Write 2 sentences using the synonymous phrase.
• Do you know the exact meanings of all the antonyms for irritate? If not, check the dictionary and write it down in your notes.

If you are irritated by every rub, how will your mirror be polished?

Rumi

Note: Many online sources have cited aggravate as a synonym for irritate. But it’s not true in most of the use cases. The context in which it is used also matters.

Aggravate – The second word for IELTS vocabulary online

Word	Aggravate
Meaning	Make worse or more serious
Word forms	Aggravate, aggravating, aggravated
Synonyms	Exacerbate, intensify, worsen, amplify
Synonymous phrases	Fan the flames, add insult to injury, rub salt into the wound, twist the knife into a wound
Antonyms	Fan the flames, add insult to injury, rub salt into the wound, twist the knife into the wound

Note: The difference between magnify and aggravate is that magnify refers to making things look more intense whereas aggravate is actually intensifying a situation.

Example sentences of aggravate

• The diplomat was concerned that the tension on the border might aggravate the already bad situation.
• The symptoms of knee injury were aggravated by continuous walking.
• Famine and drought have aggravated the plight of the people.
  • Famine – scarcity of food.
  • Drought – scarcity or lack of rain.
  • Plight – an unfortunate or bad situation.
• The situation was further aggravated by the miscommunication.
• My headache was aggravated by the loud construction noise.
• Failing to understand and properly analyze the problem will only aggravate the situation.

Practice exercise

• Write 5 sentences that have the word ‘aggravate’ in them.
• Replace ‘aggravate’ with synonyms in the above sentences.
• Write 2 sentences using the synonymous phrase.
• Do you know the exact meanings of all the antonyms for aggravate? If not, check the dictionary and write it down in your notes.

War is never a solution; it’s an aggravation.

Benjamin Disraeli

Deny – 3rd word for IELTS vocabulary online

Word	Deny
Meaning	Refuse to grant or give something to someone, saying no to someone
Word forms	Deny, denied, denial, denying
Synonyms	refuse, reject, turn down, rebuff, decline, negate, refute
Synonymous phrases	Turn something down
Antonyms	accept, allow, approve, acknowledge, embrace

Example sentences of Deny

• The government still denies the cover-ups of the incident which compromised national security.
• He is denying to give me the money that he borrowed from me.
• My sister denied me to say sorry even though it was her mistake.
• He is always in denial mode when she asks him to take her out on a mini vacation.
• I was really happy when you denied to accept gifts from everyone.
• Denying the invitation to a party simply means that you don’t want to attend the function.
• The company is denying the allegations of unfair treatment to its employees.
• The defendant is denying the charges that he is accused of.
• The landlord has denied the responsibility to fix the leakage in the roof.
• The school’s management has denied the teacher’s request for extra classes during summer vacation.

Practice exercises

• Read the above sentences carefully and understand the usage of different word forms of deny.
• Identify the tense and voice (active/passive) in the sentences.
• Replace the word deny in the above sentences with a synonym and rewrite them.
• Read the example sentences for antonyms.
• Post your sentences in the comment section below.

No person is your friend who demands your silence, or denies your rights to grow.

Alice Walker

Exaggerate – 4th word for IELTS vocabulary online

Word	Exaggerate
Meaning	Represent something as being larger, better, or worse than it really is.
Word forms	Exaggerate, exaggerated, exaggerating, exaggeration, exaggeratedly
Synonyms	Overstate, overemphasize, overstress, overestimate, overvalue, magnify, amplify, inflate
Synonymous phrases	Blow out of proportion, make too much of
Antonyms	Play down, understate, abridge

Example sentences

• People in general tend to exaggerate their achievements to impress others.
• One should never exaggerate about their financial condition.
• Kids usually exaggerate their symptoms when they are sick.
• The advertisements usually make exaggerated claims to mislead the consumers.
• Everyone were surprised by boss’s exaggerated reaction to a small loss.
• The performer’s exaggerated accent in the monoacting kept the audience engaged for a long period of time.
• The boss’s wife is known to exaggeratedly roll her eyes when she disapproves of something.
• When he gets frustrated, he nods his head exaggeratedly in aggrement.
• The story of this novel is full of exaggerations to keep the reader engaged.
• The government is accusing the opposition of using exaggeration to defame the ruling party.

Practice exercise

• Did you understand the uses case of all the word forms of exaggerate? If no, please read the above examples again.
  • If you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below.
• Write 3 sentences using the antonyms listed above.
• Write 2 sentences using the synonymous phrases listed above.

Ignore – 5th word for IELTS vocabulary online

Word	Ignore
Meaning	Refuse to take notice of something or someone
Word forms	Ignore, ignored, ingnoring, ignorant
Synonyms	Neglect, disregard, overlook, avoid, omit, shrug off
Synonymous phrases	Turn a blind eye to, pay no attention to
Antonyms	Acknowledge, notice, consider, recognize, respond, pay attention to, accept, embrace, respond to

Example sentences

• Students should learn to ignore the distractions when they are studying.
• This is the price that you pay to ignore my advice.
• He always ignores the feedback and keep doing things the way he likes to do.
• Her failing the subject os a testimony of her ignorance.
• The new manager’s hafazard decision were a clear indication of his ignorance and lack of experience.
• Making comments without knowing the facts was a proof of her ignorance.
• The media usually makes ignorant comments without investigating the truth.
• You can only be ignorant about the law until you break it.

Practice exercise

• Write 5 sentences that have the word ‘ignore’ in them.
• Replace ‘ignore’ with synonyms in the above sentences.
• Write 2 sentences using the synonymous phrase.
• Do you know the exact meanings of all the antonyms for ignore? If not, check the dictionary and write it down in your notes.

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