B2 English Nouns: Abstract Concepts, Thought & Emotion
This section covers a wide range of B2 nouns for intangible ideas. The list focuses on Abstract Concepts, Thought & Emotion, including words such as consciousness, dilemma, faith, and nostalgia.
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Abstract Concepts, Thought & Emotion
| Word | Example Sentence | IPA (UK) |
|---|---|---|
| addiction | He's being treated for drug addiction.
Word Partners: drug addiction, gambling addiction
|
/əˈdɪkʃn/ |
| anger | He struggled to control his anger.
Word Partners: control anger, express anger
|
/ˈæŋɡə(r)/ |
| anxiety | Many people suffer from anxiety in stressful situations.
Word Partners: suffer from anxiety, high anxiety
|
/æŋˈzaɪəti/ |
| apology | The company issued a public apology for the error.
Word Partners: make an apology, issue an apology, accept an apology
|
/əˈpɒlədʒi/ |
| appeal | The charity launched an appeal to raise funds for victims.
Word Partners: launch an appeal, emergency appeal
|
/əˈpiːl/ |
| approach | We need to adopt a completely different approach.
Word Partners: a different approach, take an approach
|
/əˈprəʊtʃ/ |
| aspect | The report looks at every aspect of the problem. | /ˈæspekt/ |
| assessment | They conducted a detailed risk assessment.
Word Partners: make an assessment, risk assessment
|
/əˈsesmənt/ |
| attachment | She has a strong emotional attachment to her old school.
Word Partners: strong attachment, emotional attachment
|
/əˈtætʃmənt/ |
| attempt | He made no attempt to hide his feelings.
Word Partners: make an attempt, a failed attempt
|
/əˈtempt/ |
| awareness | The campaign aims to raise awareness of the issue.
Word Partners: raise awareness, public awareness
|
/əˈweənəs/ |
| basis | The decision was made on the basis of expert advice.
Word Partners: on the basis of
|
/ˈbeɪsɪs/ |
| being | Do you believe in the existence of alien living beings?
Word Partners: living being, human being
|
/ˈbiːɪŋ/ |
| blame | He took the blame for the mistake.
Word Partners: take the blame, put the blame on
|
/bleɪm/ |
| bond | The experience created a special bond between them.
Word Partners: strong bond, special bond
|
/bɒnd/ |
| certainty | No one can predict the future with absolute certainty.
Word Partners: with certainty, absolute certainty
|
/ˈsɜːtnti/ |
| characteristic | A defining characteristic of the era was its technological innovation.
Word Partners: defining characteristic, personality characteristic
|
/ˌkærəktəˈrɪstɪk/ |
| comfort | She took great comfort from her family's support.
Word Partners: take comfort, a source of comfort
|
/ˈkʌmfət/ |
| concept | It is important to grasp the basic concept of the theory.
Word Partners: basic concept, abstract concept
|
/ˈkɒnsept/ |
| consequence | You must accept the consequences of your actions.
Word Partners: consequences of, serious consequences
|
/ˈkɒnsɪkwəns/ |
| courage | She showed great courage during the crisis.
Word Partners: great courage, moral courage
|
/ˈkʌrɪdʒ/ |
| creativity | The role requires a high degree of creativity and innovation. | /ˌkriːeɪˈtɪvəti/ |
| criticism | The policy has drawn fierce criticism from the opposition.
Word Partners: fierce criticism, face criticism, draw criticism
|
/ˈkrɪtɪsɪzəm/ |
| darkness | We walked home in complete darkness.
Word Partners: complete darkness, in darkness
|
/ˈdɑːknəs/ |
| debate | There was a heated debate in parliament.
Word Partners: heated debate, public debate
|
/dɪˈbeɪt/ |
| defeat | The team suffered a heavy defeat.
Word Partners: heavy defeat, suffer defeat
|
/dɪˈfiːt/ |
| delight | To our delight, the project was a complete success.
Word Partners: to someone's delight, take delight in
|
/dɪˈlaɪt/ |
| depth | We need to discuss this topic in more depth.
Word Partners: in depth, in more depth
|
/depθ/ |
| desire | He has a burning desire to travel the world.
Word Partners: strong desire, burning desire
|
/dɪˈzaɪə(r)/ |
| destruction | The war resulted in the widespread destruction of homes.
Word Partners: mass destruction, widespread destruction
|
/dɪˈstrʌkʃn/ |
| determination | She showed great determination in the face of adversity.
Word Partners: great determination, show determination
|
/dɪˌtɜːmɪˈneɪʃn/ |
| disappointment | To my great disappointment, the event was cancelled.
Word Partners: to someone's disappointment, a sense of disappointment
|
/ˌdɪsəˈpɔɪntmənt/ |
| discipline | Becoming a professional musician requires a lot of self-discipline.
Word Partners: self-discipline
|
/ˈdɪsəplɪn/ |
| emphasis | The company places a strong emphasis on customer satisfaction.
Word Partners: put/place emphasis on
|
/ˈemfəsɪs/ |
| enthusiasm | She possesses a boundless enthusiasm for her work. | /ɪnˈθjuːziæzəm/ |
| ethic | The company is proud of its strong work ethic.
Word Partners: work ethic
|
/ˈeθɪk/ |
| evidence | They have enough evidence.
Word Partners: find evidence, piece of evidence
|
/ˈevɪdəns/ |
| evolution | Darwin's theory of evolution changed science.
Word Partners: theory of evolution
|
/ˌiːvəˈluːʃn/ |
| faith | We have complete faith in her ability to do the job.
Word Partners: have faith in, lose faith in
|
/feɪθ/ |
| fame | She rose to fame in the 1990s.
Word Partners: achieve fame, rise to fame
|
/feɪm/ |
| fantasy | She lives in a fantasy world of her own. | /ˈfæntəsi/ |
| fault | The police said the accident was not the driver's fault.
Word Partners: be at fault, find fault with
|
/fɔːlt/ |
| favour | Could you do me a favour?
Word Partners: do someone a favour, in favour of
|
/ˈfeɪvə(r)/ |
| framework | The talks aim to establish a legal framework for the treaty.
Word Partners: legal framework, conceptual framework
|
/ˈfreɪmwɜːk/ |
| frequency | The frequency of attacks has increased. | /ˈfriːkwənsi/ |
| genius | He was a mathematical genius who made several groundbreaking discoveries. | /ˈdʒiːniəs/ |
| gesture | It was a kind gesture to offer help. | /ˈdʒestʃə(r)/ |
| goodness | She believes in the basic goodness of people. | /ˈɡʊdnəs/ |
| harm | The court decided he meant to do no harm.
Word Partners: do harm, cause harm, come to harm
|
/hɑːm/ |
| heaven | It was heaven to finally relax on holiday. | /ˈhevn/ |
| hell | Working there was absolute hell. | /hel/ |
| honesty | She answered all the questions with complete honesty. | /ˈɒnəsti/ |
| honour | It's a great honour to be invited. | /ˈɒnə(r)/ |
| humour | He has a very dry sense of humour.
Word Partners: sense of humour
|
/ˈhjuːmə(r)/ |
| hunger | Millions of people around the world live with daily hunger. | /ˈhʌŋɡə(r)/ |
| icon | Click on the icon to open the programme.
Word Partners: click on an icon
|
/ˈaɪkɒn/ |
| identity | The police checked his identity card.
Word Partners: identity card
|
/aɪˈdentəti/ |
| illusion | The sense of space in the small room is an optical illusion.
Word Partners: optical illusion, create the illusion
|
/ɪˈluːʒn/ |
| imagination | The story really captures the imagination.
Word Partners: vivid imagination, capture the imagination
|
/ɪˌmædʒɪˈneɪʃn/ |
| implication | The research has far-reaching implications for the future of medicine.
Word Partners: serious implications, far-reaching implications
|
/ˌɪmplɪˈkeɪʃn/ |
| incentive | Farmers were offered a financial incentive to switch to organic farming.
Word Partners: financial incentive, provide an incentive
|
/ɪnˈsentɪv/ |
| indication | There is every indication that the economy is starting to recover.
Word Partners: give an indication, every indication
|
/ˌɪndɪˈkeɪʃn/ |
| innovation | The company is a leader in technological innovation.
Word Partners: technological innovation
|
/ˌɪnəˈveɪʃn/ |
| insight | The book provides a fascinating insight into the world of politics.
Word Partners: gain insight, provide insight into
|
/ˈɪnsaɪt/ |
| instance | For instance, let's consider the effects on the environment.
Word Partners: for instance, a classic instance
|
/ˈɪnstəns/ |
| interpretation | The dispute is based on two different interpretations of the contract.
Word Partners: an interpretation of, a broad interpretation
|
/ɪnˌtɜːprɪˈteɪʃn/ |
| joy | She cried with joy when she heard the news.
Word Partners: a source of joy, cry with joy
|
/dʒɔɪ/ |
| limitation | The study has some serious limitations. | /ˌlɪmɪˈteɪʃn/ |
| metaphor | The metaphor of a journey represents life's experiences. | /ˈmetəfə(r)/ |
| mode | Cycling is his main mode of transport.
Word Partners: mode of transport
|
/məʊd/ |
| monster | The children were afraid of the monster under the bed. | /ˈmɒnstə(r)/ |
| motivation | He seems to lack the motivation to study.
Word Partners: lack motivation, lose motivation
|
/ˌməʊtɪˈveɪʃn/ |
| myth | It's a popular myth that all successful people are early risers.
Word Partners: common myth, popular myth
|
/mɪθ/ |
| navigation | The ship's navigation system failed.
Word Partners: navigation system
|
/ˌnævɪˈɡeɪʃn/ |
| necessity | A car is an absolute necessity if you live in the countryside.
Word Partners: basic necessity, absolute necessity
|
/nəˈsesəti/ |
| nerve | The dentist injected my nerve before drilling.
Word Partners: trapped nerve
|
/nɜːv/ |
| nightmare | The journey to work was a complete nightmare. | /ˈnaɪtmeə(r)/ |
| nostalgia | He felt a wave of nostalgia for his university days. | /nɒˈstældʒə/ |
| notion | I have only a vague notion of what she does for a living.
Word Partners: vague notion, challenge the notion
|
/ˈnəʊʃn/ |
| objective | The main objective is to reduce costs. | /əbˈdʒektɪv/ |
| obligation | You have no legal obligation to pay.
Word Partners: legal obligation, moral obligation
|
/ˌɒblɪˈɡeɪʃn/ |
| observation | The book is full of witty observations about modern life.
Word Partners: make an observation, an observation about
|
/ˌɒbzəˈveɪʃn/ |
| obstacle | The biggest obstacle to our success is a lack of funding.
Word Partners: a major obstacle, overcome an obstacle
|
/ˈɒbstəkl/ |
| origin | The book explores the origin of the universe.
Word Partners: country of origin, the origin of
|
/ˈɒrɪdʒɪn/ |
| pace | The project is progressing at a steady pace.
Word Partners: a steady pace, at a slow pace
|
/peɪs/ |
| panic | There's no need to get into a panic. | /ˈpænɪk/ |
| patience | I'm beginning to lose my patience with him.
Word Partners: lose patience, have the patience of a saint
|
/ˈpeɪʃns/ |
| pause | After a brief pause for thought, she answered the question.
Word Partners: a brief pause
|
/pɔːz/ |
| perception | The scandal has changed the public's perception of the company.
Word Partners: public perception, common perception
|
/pəˈsepʃn/ |
| perspective | The novel is written from a child's perspective.
Word Partners: from a different perspective, put into perspective
|
/pəˈspektɪv/ |
| phenomenon | Globalisation is a relatively new phenomenon.
Word Partners: natural phenomenon, a recent phenomenon
|
/fəˈnɒmɪnən/ |
| philosophy | She has a very practical philosophy of life. | /fəˈlɒsəfi/ |
| pity | It's a pity you can't join us.
Word Partners: what a pity, it's a pity, take pity on
|
/ˈpɪti/ |
| pose | The model held a dramatic pose. | /pəʊz/ |
| probability | In all probability, the meeting will be cancelled.
Word Partners: in all probability, high probability
|
/ˌprɒbəˈbɪləti/ |
| psychology | He has a degree in psychology. | /saɪˈkɒlədʒi/ |
| puzzle | Why he left so suddenly remains a puzzle to us all. | /ˈpʌzl/ |
| remark | His controversial remarks caused a public outcry. | /rɪˈmɑːk/ |
| romance | The film is a historical romance. | /rəʊˈmæns/ |
| self | He needs to develop a sense of self.
Word Partners: sense of self
|
/self/ |
| sequence | The events happened in a very unusual sequence. | /ˈsiːkwəns/ |
| shadow | The tree cast a shadow.
Word Partners: cast a shadow
|
/ˈʃædəʊ/ |
| shame | It's a great shame that you have to leave so soon.
Word Partners: what a shame, it's a shame
|
/ʃeɪm/ |
| significance | The discovery is of great historical significance.
Word Partners: historical significance
|
/sɪɡˈnɪfɪkəns/ |
| silence | An awkward silence fell over the room.
Word Partners: awkward silence, break the silence
|
/ˈsaɪləns/ |
| soul | She put her heart and soul into her work.
Word Partners: heart and soul
|
/səʊl/ |
| speculation | There's a lot of speculation about the cause. | /ˌspekjuˈleɪʃn/ |
| substance | The police found an illegal substance in the car. | /ˈsʌbstəns/ |
| sympathy | I would like to express my sympathy to the victim's family.
Word Partners: express sympathy, have sympathy for
|
/ˈsɪmpəθi/ |
| theory | Einstein's theory of relativity revolutionised physics.
Word Partners: theory of
|
/ˈθɪəri/ |
| trace | The police could find no trace of the missing person.
Word Partners: no trace of, disappear without a trace
|
/treɪs/ |
| trait | Honesty is one of his best personality traits.
Word Partners: personality trait
|
/treɪt/ |
| treasure | The museum houses many ancient treasures. | /ˈtreʒə(r)/ |
| variation | There is considerable variation in the results. | /ˌveəriˈeɪʃn/ |
| viewpoint | The documentary presented a different viewpoint. | /ˈvjuːpɔɪnt/ |
| vision | The company's founder had a clear vision for the future.
Word Partners: clear vision, share a vision
|
/ˈvɪʒn/ |
| weakness | Acknowledging your weakness is a sign of strength. | /ˈwiːknəs/ |
| wealth | His business ventures have brought him considerable wealth. | /welθ/ |
| wisdom | She is known for her great wisdom. | /ˈwɪzdəm/ |
