Business-English & General Advanced vocabulary

Upper-Intermediate to Advanced level Business-English vocabulary

considerable
adjective
UK  /kənˈsɪdərəbl/ US 
B2
large or important enough to have an effect:

Examples:
a considerable amount of money.
The damage has been considerable.

broaden
verb [ I, T ]
UK  /ˈbrɔːdən/ US 
broaden verb [I, T] (INCREASE)
 
to increase or make something increase and include more things or people:

Example:
We need to broaden the range of services that we offer.

astonished
adjective
UK  /əˈstɒnɪʃt/ US 
 
B2
very surprised

Example:
He was astonished at her behavior.

niche
noun [ C ]
UK  /niːʃ/ US  /nɪtʃ/
niche noun [C] (ACTIVITY)
 
a job or activity that is very suitable for someone

Example:
After years of job dissatisfaction, he's at last found his niche in financial services.

appealing
adjective
UK  /əˈpiːlɪŋ/ US 
 
attractive or interesting

Example:
The idea of living in Paris is very appealing.

commute
verb [ I ]
UK  /kəˈmjuːt/ US 
 
to regularly travel between work and home

distinguish
verb
UK  /dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃ/ US 
distinguish verb (RECOGNIZE DIFFERENCES)
 
B2
to recognize the differences between two people, ideas, or things

Example:
Children must learn to distinguish between right and wrong.

diminish
verb [ I, T ]
UK  /dɪˈmɪnɪʃ/ US 
 
to become less, or to make something become less

Example:

Your pain should diminish gradually after taking these tablets.

arduous
adjective
UK  /ˈɑːdjuəs/ US 
 
needing a lot of effort to do:

an arduous journey/task

mundane
adjective
UK  /mʌnˈdeɪn/ US 
 
ordinary, or not interesting:

a mundane task/life

grueling
adjective mainly UK (US grueling)
UK  /ˈɡruːəlɪŋ/ US 
 
Grueling activities are very difficult and make you very tired:

a grueling bicycle race

tedious
adjective
UK  /ˈtiːdiəs/ US 
 
boring:

a tedious job

lucrative
adjective
UK  /ˈluːkrətɪv/ US 
 
If something is lucrative, it makes a lot of money

a lucrative contract/job/offer

knuckle down
— phrasal verb with knuckle verb
UK  /ˈnʌkl/ US 
 
to start to work or study hard

infrastructure
noun [ C ]
UK  /ˈɪnfrəˌstrʌktʃər/ US 
 
the basic systems, such as transport and communication, that a country or organization uses in order to work effectively:

The country's infrastructure is in ruins.

sustainable
adjective
UK  /səˈsteɪnəbl/ US 
 
able to continue over a period of time:
sustainable development/growth
 
causing little or no damage to the environment, and therefore able to continue for a long time

flexible
adjective
UK  /ˈfleksɪbl/ US 
flexible adjective (ABLE TO CHANGE)
 
B2
able to change or be changed easily according to the situation:

I'd like a job with more flexible working hours.

unemployment
noun [ U ]
UK  /ˌʌnɪmˈplɔɪmənt/ US 
unemployment noun [U] (NUMBER)
 
B1
the number of people who are unemployed:
a rise/fall in unemployment

The unemployment rate has increased to 20 percent.

intimidate
verb [ T ]
UK  /ɪnˈtɪmɪdeɪt/ US 
 
to intentionally frighten someone, especially so that they will do what you want

applicant
noun [ C ]
UK  /ˈæplɪkənt/ US 
 
someone who asks for something officially, often by writing:

There were over fifty applicants for the job.

embrace
verb
UK  /ɪmˈbreɪs/ US 

embrace verb (ACCEPT)
 
to accept new ideas, beliefs, methods, etc in an enthusiastic way:

We are always eager to embrace the latest technology.

refund
noun [ C ]
UK  /ˈriːfʌnd/ US 
 
B1
an amount of money that is given back to you, especially because you are not happy with something you have bought:

The travel company apologized and gave us a full refund.

equip
verb
UK  /ɪˈkwɪp/ US 

be equipped with sth
 
B2
to include the things that are needed for a particular purpose:

The new trains are equipped with all the latest technology.

burnout
noun [ U ]
UK  /ˈbɜːnaʊt/ US 
 
extreme tiredness, usually caused by working too much

fluctuate
verb [ I ]
UK  /ˈflʌktʃueɪt/ US 
 
to keep changing, especially in level or amount:

Oil prices have fluctuated wildly in recent weeks.