Let me guess.
Feb 17, 2015 - I'm calling it, folks — time to retire the word 'amazing,' at least for now. Here are 101. Want to learn more about writing insanely good content? “Your guilty conscience is a testament to your good virtue, of which you should be proud.”.
French just isn’t as exciting as it used to be.
The subjunctive doesn’t make you sweat anymore.
The conditional is child’s play.
Certain once-tricky pronouns no longer throw you for a loop.
Might you be getting…bored with French?
Not a chance!
Now that you’ve got your grammar down pat, we can bring back the excitement and challenge of your beginner and intermediate days with some obscure and challenging vocabulary.
How about it?
In this post, we’ll look at a list of truly grown-up French words, ranging from the tricky, to the slightly naughty, to the very, very French.
On y go (an English-inflected French neologism of on y va, or “let’s go”)!
French verbs you don’t see that often (but that could very well come in handy)
1. affubler (indirect, transitive)
- To get up in, to deck oneself out in (referring to an article or articles of clothing). Instead of using habiller (to dress) or s’habiller (to dress oneself), why not add a bit more color to your French and test out affubler?
Marie affublait sa petite fille de robe de princesse pour aller au cinéma.
(Marie decked her little girl out in a princess dress to go to the movie theater.)
- To ridicule. This secondary definition of affubler is the more metaphorical, abstract version of the first. Instead of dressing someone (or oneself) in clothing, it refers to “dressing someone up” with a moniker that is demeaning.
Je n’oserais pas vous affubler d’un tel qualificatif.
(I wouldn’t dare call you such a thing.)
“Such a thing” here could be along the lines of “doofus,” “jerk,” etc.
2. déroger (transitive)
- To depart from, to contravene the status quo (or the official terms that have been set). France is often referred to as the land of bureaucracy and déroger is the type of word you’re bound to come across in the small print of a registration form or other official document in the context of law.
La loi ne peut pas déroger aux dispositions du Pacte.
(The law cannot depart from the provisions of the agreement.)
3. écoper (transitive)
- To bail out water (from a boat).
Les marins ont dû écoper l’eau de leur bateau pour ne pas couler.
(The sailors had to bail out water from their boat in order to not sink.)
- To get, to receive. In this case, écoper almost always refers to a penalty or a punishment, like a fine.
Le conducteur a écopé une amende de 85 dollars pour un excès de vitesse.
(The driver received an 85 dollar fine for going over the speed limit.)
4. émoustiller (transitive)
- To excite, to render playful. Émoustiller is most often used in the context of taste or other sensory pleasures, as in Émoustillez vos papilles ! which literally translates to “Excite your taste buds!” or “Whet your appetite!”
Le champagne émoustilla les invités.
(The champagne excited/loosened up the guests.)
- Aside from its primary definition, émoustiller can also be used in the context of that other kind of excitement (nudge, nudge, wink, wink), meaning to titillate or to arouse.
Frédéric n’avait pas manqué l’opportunité d’émoustiller les rares femmes présentes au travail.
(Frédéric never missed the opportunity to arouse the few women present at work.)
Unusual French words (that roll off the tongue)
5. colimaçon (noun, feminine)
- Escargot or snail. You can use colimaçon as you would escargot--when talking about gardening, your greatest fears…but when you’re visiting Notre Dame while traveling through France, wow your tour guide by referencing son escalier en colimaçon (spiral staircase).
6. abnégation (noun, feminine)
- Self-denial, self-sacrifice.
Collette mène son travail de recherche avec beaucoup d’abnégation. Sept jours sur sept, elle se lève à 5h et se couche à minuit.
(Collette is undertaking her research with a lot of self-denial. Seven days a week, she wakes up at 5 in the morning and goes to bed at midnight.)
7. rocambolesque (adjective)
- Fantastic, extraordinary, unbelievable.
Stella décrit l’expérience unique, parfois rocambolesque mais toujours passionnante que représente la vie d’une cinéaste allemande en France.
(Stella describes the unique, sometimes unbelievable, but always passionate life of a German filmmaker in France.)
8. abracadabrant (adjective)
- Bizarre, weird, befuddling. This word is a derivative of the magical incantation “Abracadabra.”I don’t know about you, but I love words that soundlike what they mean.
Cette histoire est abracadabrante !
(This story is bizarre!)
9. abracadabrantesque (adjective)
- Ludicrous, incredible (as in lacking credibility). A riff off abracadabrant, this is a neologism first used by Arthur Rimbaud and later resuscitated by President Jacques Chirac in a television interview in the year 2000, in reference to accusations of misuse of public funds during his presidency. His exact words were:
Je suis indigné par le procédé, par le mensonge, par l’outrance. Il doit y avoir des limites à la calomnie. Aujourd’hui, on rapporte une histoire abracadabrantesque.
“I am outraged by the behavior (of those here), by the lies, by the excess. There must be limits to slander. Today, we’re brought back to a preposterous story.”
Today, abracadabrantesque is used rather playfully in place of abracadabrant, as a sort of clin d’œil (wink)to a very memorable French political scandal.
10. boursouflé (adjective)
- Swollen, puffed up.
Arnaud a fait une réaction allergique, il a la bouche boursouflée.
(Arnaud had an allergic reaction; his mouth is swollen.)
11. exécrable (adjective)
- Detestable, appalling, heinous.
L’homme a été condamné à l’enfermement à perpétuité pour ses crimes exécrables.
(The man was sentenced to life imprisonment for his heinous crimes.)
- Obnoxious.
Mes enfants sont exécrables quand ils ne font pas la sieste.
(My children are obnoxious when they don’t take a nap.)
Difficult-to-pronounce French words (that roll off the tongue less easily)
While these three words aren’t super complicated in and of themselves, they are total tongue twisters—they can be ridiculously hard to pronounce!
12. serrurerie (noun, feminine)
- Locksmith’s trade, locksmithing.
Les serrures sont des pièces de serrurerie.
(Locks are locksmithing items.)
Try saying this three times fast!
13. quincaillerie (noun, feminine)
- Hardware store.
Tu n’as qu’à aller à la quincaillerie pour acheter de la peinture.
(All you have to do is go to the hardware store to buy paint.)
- Cheap jewelry, trinket (usually metal).
Dimanche dernier nous avons trouvé pas mal de quincaillerie au vide grenier.
(Last Sunday, we found quite a few trinkets at the yard sale.)
14. parallélépipède (noun, masculine)
- Parallelepiped or a solid whose six faces are parallelograms. I know, I know, this isn’t a math blog, but I couldn’t resist throwing this one in for good measure, so to speak.
Le volume du bâtiment est constitué d’un simple parallélépipède recouvert de panneaux préfabriqués.
(The volume of the building consists of a parallelepiped covered with prefabricated panels.)
Very French words!
15. argotique (adjective)
- Slangy. Argot is French for “slang.” Argotique isits adjectival form.
Thomas utilise un langage argotique et parfois j’ai du mal à comprendre ce qu’il dit.
(Thomas uses slangy language and sometimes I have trouble understanding what he says.)
16. bisounours (noun, masculine/feminine)
- Naive. The connotation is rather pejorative and condescending. A contraction of bisou (kiss)and nournours (teddy bear), bisounours was originally used as the French name for the Care Bears franchise (remember Care Bears?!). It has since made its way into everyday life.
On n’est pas au pays des bisounours !
(We’re not in la-la land! / Get real!)
17. contrée (noun, feminine)
- Region, land. This word is reserved for the literary register.It’s more “Madame Bovary” than Elle magazine.
Au printemps, cette contrée revêt un tout autre caractère.
(In spring, the land takes on a whole new character.)
18. déculotter (verb, transitive)
- Leave it to French to have a verb that literally translates to taking off someone’s underwear, or “to pants” someone. In reality, though, it means to defeat in an embarrassing or flagrant way.
Marc s’est fait déculotter par Marie quand elle a exposé ses mensonges.
(Marc was embarrassed by Marie when she exposed his lies.)
19. imberbe (adjective)
- Beardless, bare-faced, a concise way of saying sans barbe (without a beard). This can also be used in a more figurative way to talk about someone (usually a guy) who’s young and naive.
Depuis son retour d’Allemagne, Charles est imberbe.
(Since his return from Germany, Charles is clean-shaven.)
20. kyrielle (noun, feminine)
- Plethora, host, multitude, bunch.
Le répertoire présente toute une kyrielle d’exemples de stratégies fructueuses.
(The inventory offers a plethora of examples of successful strategies.)
21. œnologie (noun, feminine)
- The science of winemaking. (Did you really think you’d get through this post without a wine mention?) A true amateur (lover) of wine will know that an œnologue (a winemaker) is not the same thing as a sommelier, a wine steward who is responsible for wine service, and works to help restaurants develop wine lists and create food and wine pairings.
Après ses études d’œnologie, François Raget a accepté de diriger l’entreprise familiale.
(Upon completion of his studies in winemaking, François Raget agreed to run the family business.)
Words that can be hard for English speakers to keep straight
22. argentique (adjective)
- Literally translates to “silvery” and refers to photographs or photographic practice with rolls of film. In short: Not digital, analogue.
Mon professor d’art est de la vieille-école. Il ne fait que la photographie argentique.
(My art teacher is old school. He only does analogue photography.)
23. digital (adjective)
- Relating to fingers. This is a faux ami that always trips up 21st century French learners.
Le dossier contient nos empreintes digitales.
(The file contains our fingerprints.)
24. numérique (adjective)
- Digital, as in digital technology. So going back to my earlier photography example, un appareil photo numérique (not digital) refers to a digital camera. Whew.
Nous vivons dans l’ère numérique.
(We live in the digital era.)
And there you have it.
French is a very colorful language.
Profitez-en (take advantage of it)!
And One More Thing…
If you’d like to keep improving your French vocabulary with entertaining videos, then you’ve got to try FluentU.
FluentU lets you learn French from real-world content like music videos, commercials, news broadcasts, cartoons and inspiring talks. Since this video content is stuff that native French speakers actually watch on the regular, you’ll get the opportunity to learn real French—the way it’s spoken in modern life.
One quick look will give you an idea of the diverse content found on FluentU:
Love the thought of learning French with native materials but afraid you won’t understand what’s being said? FluentU brings authentic French videos within reach of any learner. Interactive captions will guide you along the way, so you’ll never miss a word.
Tap on any word to see a definition, in-context usage examples, audio pronunciation, helpful images and more. For example, if you tap on the word “suit,” then this is what appears on your screen:
Don’t stop there, though. Use FluentU’s learn mode to actively practice all the vocabulary in any video with vocabulary lists, flashcards, quizzes and fun activities like “fill in the blank.”
As you continue advancing in your French studies, FluentU keeps track of all the grammar and vocabulary that you’ve been learning. It uses your viewed videos and mastered language lessons to recommend more useful videos and give you a 100% personalized experience. Start using FluentU on the website with your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes store or Google Play store.
If you liked this post, something tells me that you'll love FluentU, the best way to learn French with real-world videos.
40 Useful Words and Phrases for Top-Notch Essays
|To be truly brilliant, an essay needs to utilise the right language. You could make a great point, but if it’s not intelligently articulated, you almost needn’t have bothered. Developing the language skills to build an argument and to write persuasively is crucial if you’re to write outstanding essays every time. In this article, we’re going to equip you with the words and phrases you need to write a top-notch essay, along with examples of how to utilise them. It’s by no means an exhaustive list, and there will often be other ways of using the words and phrases we describe that we won’t have room to include, but there should be more than enough below to help you make an instant improvement to your essay-writing skills.
This article is suitable for native English speakers and those who are learning English at Oxford Royale Academy and are just taking their first steps into essay writing.
Let’s start by looking at language for general explanations of complex points.
1. In order to
Usage: “In order to” can be used to introduce an explanation for the purpose of an argument.
Example: “In order to understand X, we need first to understand Y.”
2. In other words
Usage: Use “in other words” when you want to express something in a different way (more simply), to make it easier to understand, or to emphasise or expand on a point.
Example: “Frogs are amphibians. In other words, they live on the land and in the water.”
3. To put it another way
Usage: This phrase is another way of saying “in other words”, and can be used in particularly complex points, when you feel that an alternative way of wording a problem may help the reader achieve a better understanding of its significance.
Example: “Plants rely on photosynthesis. To put it another way, they will die without the sun.”
4. That is to say
Usage: “That is” and “that is to say” can be used to add further detail to your explanation, or to be more precise.
Example: “Whales are mammals. That is to say, they must breathe air.”
5. To that end
Usage: Use “to that end” or “to this end” in a similar way to “in order to” or “so”.
Example: “Zoologists have long sought to understand how animals communicate with each other. To that end, a new study has been launched that looks at elephant sounds and their possible meanings.”
Students often make the mistake of using synonyms of “and” each time they want to add further information in support of a point they’re making, or to build an argument. Here are some cleverer ways of doing this.
6. Moreover
Usage: Employ “moreover” at the start of a sentence to add extra information in support of a point you’re making.
Example: “Moreover, the results of a recent piece of research provide compelling evidence in support of…”
7. Furthermore
Usage:This is also generally used at the start of a sentence, to add extra information.
Example: “Furthermore, there is evidence to suggest that…”
8. What’s more
Usage: This is used in the same way as “moreover” and “furthermore”.
Example: “What’s more, this isn’t the only evidence that supports this hypothesis.”
9. Likewise
Usage: Use “likewise” when you want to talk about something that agrees with what you’ve just mentioned.
Example: “Scholar A believes X. Likewise, Scholar B argues compellingly in favour of this point of view.”
10. Similarly
Usage: Use “similarly” in the same way as “likewise”.
Example: “Audiences at the time reacted with shock to Beethoven’s new work, because it was very different to what they were used to. Similarly, we have a tendency to react with surprise to the unfamiliar.”
11. Another key thing to remember
Usage: Use the phrase “another key point to remember” or “another key fact to remember” to introduce additional facts without using the word “also”.
Example: “As a Romantic, Blake was a proponent of a closer relationship between humans and nature. Another key point to remember is that Blake was writing during the Industrial Revolution, which had a major impact on the world around him.”
12. As well as
Usage: Use “as well as” instead of “also” or “and”.
Example: “Scholar A argued that this was due to X, as well as Y.”
13. Not only… but also
Usage: This wording is used to add an extra piece of information, often something that’s in some way more surprising or unexpected than the first piece of information.
Example: “Not only did Edmund Hillary have the honour of being the first to reach the summit of Everest, but he was also appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire.”
14. Coupled with
Usage: Used when considering two or more arguments at a time.
Example: “Coupled with the literary evidence, the statistics paint a compelling view of…”
15. Firstly, secondly, thirdly…
Usage: This can be used to structure an argument, presenting facts clearly one after the other.
Example: “There are many points in support of this view. Firstly, X. Secondly, Y. And thirdly, Z.
16. Not to mention/to say nothing of
Usage: “Not to mention” and “to say nothing of” can be used to add extra information with a bit of emphasis.
Example: “The war caused unprecedented suffering to millions of people, not to mention its impact on the country’s economy.”
When you’re developing an argument, you will often need to present contrasting or opposing opinions or evidence – “it could show this, but it could also show this”, or “X says this, but Y disagrees”. This section covers words you can use instead of the “but” in these examples, to make your writing sound more intelligent and interesting.
17. However
Usage: Use “however” to introduce a point that disagrees with what you’ve just said.
Example: “Scholar A thinks this. However, Scholar B reached a different conclusion.”
18. On the other hand
Usage: Usage of this phrase includes introducing a contrasting interpretation of the same piece of evidence, a different piece of evidence that suggests something else, or an opposing opinion.
Example: “The historical evidence appears to suggest a clear-cut situation. On the other hand, the archaeological evidence presents a somewhat less straightforward picture of what happened that day.”
19. Having said that
Usage: Used in a similar manner to “on the other hand” or “but”.
Example: “The historians are unanimous in telling us X, an agreement that suggests that this version of events must be an accurate account. Having said that, the archaeology tells a different story.”
20. By contrast/in comparison
Usage: Use “by contrast” or “in comparison” when you’re comparing and contrasting pieces of evidence.
Example: “Scholar A’s opinion, then, is based on insufficient evidence. By contrast, Scholar B’s opinion seems more plausible.”
21. Then again
Usage: Use this to cast doubt on an assertion.
Example: “Writer A asserts that this was the reason for what happened. Then again, it’s possible that he was being paid to say this.”
22. That said
Usage: This is used in the same way as “then again”.
Example: “The evidence ostensibly appears to point to this conclusion. That said, much of the evidence is unreliable at best.”
23. Yet
Usage: Use this when you want to introduce a contrasting idea.
Example: “Much of scholarship has focused on this evidence. Yet not everyone agrees that this is the most important aspect of the situation.”
Sometimes, you may need to acknowledge a shortfalling in a piece of evidence, or add a proviso. Here are some ways of doing so.
24. Despite this
Usage: Use “despite this” or “in spite of this” when you want to outline a point that stands regardless of a shortfalling in the evidence.
Example: “The sample size was small, but the results were important despite this.”
25. With this in mind
Usage: Use this when you want your reader to consider a point in the knowledge of something else.
Example: “We’ve seen that the methods used in the 19th century study did not always live up to the rigorous standards expected in scientific research today, which makes it difficult to draw definite conclusions. With this in mind, let’s look at a more recent study to see how the results compare.”
26. Provided that
Usage: This means “on condition that”. You can also say “providing that” or just “providing” to mean the same thing.
Example: “We may use this as evidence to support our argument, provided that we bear in mind the limitations of the methods used to obtain it.”
27. In view of/in light of
Usage: These phrases are used when something has shed light on something else.
Example: “In light of the evidence from the 2013 study, we have a better understanding of…”
28. Nonetheless
Usage: This is similar to “despite this”.
Example: “The study had its limitations, but it was nonetheless groundbreaking for its day.”
29. Nevertheless
Usage: This is the same as “nonetheless”.
Example: “The study was flawed, but it was important nevertheless.”
30. Notwithstanding
Usage: This is another way of saying “nonetheless”.
Example: “Notwithstanding the limitations of the methodology used, it was an important study in the development of how we view the workings of the human mind.”
Good essays always back up points with examples, but it’s going to get boring if you use the expression “for example” every time. Here are a couple of other ways of saying the same thing.
31. For instance
Example: “Some birds migrate to avoid harsher winter climates. Swallows, for instance, leave the UK in early winter and fly south…”
32. To give an illustration
Example: “To give an illustration of what I mean, let’s look at the case of…”
When you want to demonstrate that a point is particularly important, there are several ways of highlighting it as such.
33. Significantly
Usage: Used to introduce a point that is loaded with meaning that might not be immediately apparent.
Example: “Significantly, Tacitus omits to tell us the kind of gossip prevalent in Suetonius’ accounts of the same period.”
34. Notably
Usage: This can be used to mean “significantly” (as above), and it can also be used interchangeably with “in particular” (the example below demonstrates the first of these ways of using it).
Example: “Actual figures are notably absent from Scholar A’s analysis.”
35. Importantly
Usage: Use “importantly” interchangeably with “significantly”.
Example: “Importantly, Scholar A was being employed by X when he wrote this work, and was presumably therefore under pressure to portray the situation more favourably than he perhaps might otherwise have done.”
You’ve almost made it to the end of the essay, but your work isn’t over yet. You need to end by wrapping up everything you’ve talked about, showing that you’ve considered the arguments on both sides and reached the most likely conclusion. Writing a compelling conclusion is just one of the skills you’ll learn as part of our essay writing courses for 13-15-year-olds and academic writing for 16-18-year-olds. Here are some words and phrases to help you.
36. In conclusion
Usage: Typically used to introduce the concluding paragraph or sentence of an essay, summarising what you’ve discussed in a broad overview.
Example: “In conclusion, the evidence points almost exclusively to Argument A.”
37. Above all
Usage: Used to signify what you believe to be the most significant point, and the main takeaway from the essay.
Example: “Above all, it seems pertinent to remember that…”
38. Persuasive
Usage: This is a useful word to use when summarising which argument you find most convincing.
Example: “Scholar A’s point – that Constanze Mozart was motivated by financial gain – seems to me to be the most persuasive argument for her actions following Mozart’s death.”
39. Compelling
Usage: Use in the same way as “persuasive” above.
Example: “The most compelling argument is presented by Scholar A.”
40. All things considered
Usage: This means “taking everything into account”. Example: “All things considered, it seems reasonable to assume that…”
At Oxford Royale Academy, we offer a number of summer school courses for young people who are keen to improve their essay writing skills. Click here to apply for one of our courses today, including law, economics, business and engineering.
How many of these words and phrases will you get into your next essay? And are any of your favourite essay terms missing from our list? Let us know in the comments below, or get in touch hereto find out more about courses that can help you with your essays!
Image credits: banner; woman writing I; pen and notebook; pen and flower; woman writing II; notebook; pen.