B2 English Nouns: Society, Government & Conflict
This page begins our B2 nouns list with a focus on large-scale human structures. It includes a comprehensive vocabulary list for Society, Government & Conflict, with words such as democracy, council, crisis, invasion, and citizen.
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Society, Government & Conflict
| Word | Example Sentence | IPA (UK) |
|---|---|---|
| administration | The new government administration promised tax reforms.
Word Partners: government administration, public administration
|
/ədˌmɪnɪˈstreɪʃn/ |
| affair | The scandal became a national affair.
Word Partners: national affair, international affair, foreign affairs
|
/əˈfeə(r)/ |
| agency | She works for a government agency. | /ˈeɪdʒənsi/ |
| agenda | What's first on the agenda for today's meeting?
Word Partners: be on the agenda, hidden agenda
|
/əˈdʒendə/ |
| arms | The treaty limits the sale of arms. | /ɑːmz/ |
| barrier | A language barrier can make it difficult to communicate.
Word Partners: language barrier, trade barrier, overcome a barrier
|
/ˈbæriə(r)/ |
| bias | The judge showed bias against the defendant.
Word Partners: bias against, unconscious bias
|
/ˈbaɪəs/ |
| bombing | The suicide bombing killed twelve people.
Word Partners: suicide bombing, bombing campaign
|
/ˈbɒmɪŋ/ |
| catastrophe | The floods were an environmental catastrophe.
Word Partners: environmental/natural catastrophe
|
/kəˈtæstrəfi/ |
| chairman | He was elected as the chairman of the committee.
Word Partners: chairman of the committee
|
/ˈtʃeəmən/ |
| circumstance | Under the circumstances, you have acted correctly.
Word Partners: under the circumstances, in unusual circumstances
|
/ˈsɜːkəmstɑːns/ |
| citizen | Every law-abiding citizen has the right to vote.
Word Partners: law-abiding citizen, senior citizen
|
/ˈsɪtɪzn/ |
| civilization | Ancient civilizations built impressive monuments.
Word Partners: ancient civilization, Western civilization
|
/ˌsɪvəlaɪˈzeɪʃn/ |
| commander | The commander ordered the troops to retreat. | /kəˈmɑːndə(r)/ |
| committee | She chairs the finance committee. | /kəˈmɪti/ |
| conflict | The armed conflict has lasted for decades.
Word Partners: armed conflict, conflict resolution
|
/ˈkɒnflɪkt/ |
| confusion | The new rules have caused widespread confusion.
Word Partners: cause confusion, widespread confusion
|
/kənˈfjuːʒn/ |
| conservation | The charity is dedicated to wildlife conservation.
Word Partners: wildlife conservation, energy conservation
|
/ˌkɒnsəˈveɪʃn/ |
| conspiracy | He believed in a conspiracy theory.
Word Partners: conspiracy theory
|
/kənˈspɪrəsi/ |
| controversy | The decision caused a great deal of controversy.
Word Partners: cause controversy, a subject of controversy
|
/ˈkɒntrəvɜːsi/ |
| convention | Thousands of delegates attended the party's annual convention.
Word Partners: annual convention
|
/kənˈvenʃn/ |
| corporation | He is the CEO of a multinational corporation.
Word Partners: multinational corporation
|
/ˌkɔːpəˈreɪʃn/ |
| council | The local council approved the plans. | /ˈkaʊnsl/ |
| county | She lives in the county of Devon. | /ˈkaʊnti/ |
| coverage | The media coverage of the event was excellent.
Word Partners: media coverage, news coverage
|
/ˈkʌvərɪdʒ/ |
| cowboy | He always wanted to be a cowboy. | /ˈkaʊbɔɪ/ |
| crash | He was lucky to survive the plane crash with only minor injuries.
Word Partners: car crash, plane crash
|
/kræʃ/ |
| crew | The film crew waited for the interview to begin.
Word Partners: film crew, cabin crew
|
/kruː/ |
| crisis | The country faces an economic crisis.
Word Partners: economic crisis, financial crisis, crisis management
|
/ˈkraɪsɪs/ |
| defence | The country spent billions on national defence. | /dɪˈfens/ |
| defender | She is a passionate defender of human rights. | /dɪˈfendə(r)/ |
| democracy | The country transitioned to democracy in 1990.
Word Partners: parliamentary democracy, restore democracy
|
/dɪˈmɒkrəsi/ |
| demonstration | Thousands joined the peaceful demonstration. | /ˌdemənˈstreɪʃn/ |
| disability | The building has access for people with physical disabilities. | /ˌdɪsəˈbɪləti/ |
| disagreement | There was disagreement over the policy.
Word Partners: disagreement over, disagreement about
|
/ˌdɪsəˈɡriːmənt/ |
| disorder | She suffers from an eating disorder.
Word Partners: eating disorder, mental disorder
|
/dɪsˈɔːdə(r)/ |
| district | She lives in the financial district. | /ˈdɪstrɪkt/ |
| diversity | The city celebrates its cultural diversity.
Word Partners: cultural diversity, ethnic diversity
|
/daɪˈvɜːsəti/ |
| division | There is deep division within the party.
Word Partners: deep division
|
/dɪˈvɪʒn/ |
| divorce | They got a divorce last year.
Word Partners: get a divorce
|
/dɪˈvɔːs/ |
| empire | The Roman Empire lasted centuries.
Word Partners: Roman Empire
|
/ˈempaɪə(r)/ |
| firefighter | The firefighters rescued the family from the burning building. | /ˈfaɪəfaɪtə(r)/ |
| fool | Don't be a fool - think before you act! | /fuːl/ |
| freedom | Everyone deserves freedom of speech.
Word Partners: freedom of speech, freedom of expression
|
/ˈfriːdəm/ |
| gang | A gang of thieves robbed the bank.
Word Partners: gang of thieves
|
/ɡæŋ/ |
| gender | The company is working to achieve gender equality.
Word Partners: gender equality, gender gap
|
/ˈdʒendə(r)/ |
| globalisation | Globalisation has transformed the world economy. | /ˌɡləʊbəlaɪˈzeɪʃn/ |
| globe | She has travelled all over the globe.
Word Partners: around the globe
|
/ɡləʊb/ |
| grant | She received a research grant.
Word Partners: research grant
|
/ɡrɑːnt/ |
| housing | The city is facing a shortage of affordable housing.
Word Partners: affordable housing
|
/ˈhaʊzɪŋ/ |
| immigration | The government tightened immigration controls. | /ˌɪmɪˈɡreɪʃn/ |
| independence | The country gained independence in 1960.
Word Partners: gain independence, declare independence
|
/ˌɪndɪˈpendəns/ |
| inhabitant | The city has over a million inhabitants. | /ɪnˈhæbɪtənt/ |
| initiative | We need someone who can use their initiative.
Word Partners: show initiative, take the initiative, use your initiative
|
/ɪˈnɪʃətɪv/ |
| institution | Universities are important public institutions. | /ˌɪnstɪˈtjuːʃn/ |
| invasion | The invasion was condemned worldwide. | /ɪnˈveɪʒn/ |
| jail | He was sent to jail for five years.
Word Partners: go to jail, sent to jail
|
/dʒeɪl/ |
| judgement | The incident showed a serious error of judgement.
Word Partners: use your judgement, an error of judgement
|
/ˈdʒʌdʒmənt/ |
| jury | The jury reached a verdict. | /ˈdʒʊəri/ |
| justice | She fought for social justice.
Word Partners: social justice, criminal justice
|
/ˈdʒʌstɪs/ |
| labour | The company was accused of using cheap labour in its overseas factories.
Word Partners: cheap labour
|
/ˈleɪbə(r)/ |
| leadership | The country needs strong leadership. | /ˈliːdəʃɪp/ |
| league | The football team plays in the premier league. | /liːɡ/ |
| lord | The lord owned vast estates. | /lɔːd/ |
| majority | The vast majority voted in favour.
Word Partners: vast majority, majority vote
|
/məˈdʒɒrəti/ |
| minister | The prime minister addressed parliament.
Word Partners: prime minister, foreign minister
|
/ˈmɪnɪstə(r)/ |
| minority | Ethnic minorities face discrimination.
Word Partners: ethnic minority
|
/maɪˈnɒrəti/ |
| mission | Their rescue mission was successful. | /ˈmɪʃn/ |
| monument | They visited a historic monument. | /ˈmɒnjumənt/ |
| negotiation | The peace negotiations lasted six months.
Word Partners: peace negotiations, enter into negotiations
|
/nɪˌɡəʊʃiˈeɪʃn/ |
| offender | The offender was sentenced to community service. | /əˈfendə(r)/ |
| opponent | She defeated her opponent in the final. | /əˈpəʊnənt/ |
| opposition | The opposition party criticised the plan.
Word Partners: opposition party, face opposition
|
/ˌɒpəˈzɪʃn/ |
| parliament | Parliament debated the new law. | /ˈpɑːləmənt/ |
| participant | All participants in the study were volunteers. | /pɑːˈtɪsɪpənt/ |
| participation | We need to encourage greater participation in local democracy. | /pɑːˌtɪsɪˈpeɪʃn/ |
| partnership | The two countries formed a partnership.
Word Partners: business partnership, form a partnership
|
/ˈpɑːtnəʃɪp/ |
| penalty | The company faces a severe penalty for breaching environmental regulations. | /ˈpenəlti/ |
| permit | You need a parking permit to park here. | /ˈpɜːmɪt/ |
| popularity | The policy has gained popularity.
Word Partners: gain popularity
|
/ˌpɒpjuˈlærəti/ |
| pride | She takes great pride in her work.
Word Partners: take pride in, a source of pride
|
/praɪd/ |
| principle | As a matter of principle, I refuse to accept the offer.
Word Partners: in principle, a matter of principle
|
/ˈprɪnsəpl/ |
| priority | My top priority is to find a new job.
Word Partners: top priority
|
/praɪˈɒrəti/ |
| privacy | Everyone has a right to privacy.
Word Partners: right to privacy
|
/ˈprɪvəsi/ |
| proposal | The board of directors will consider the business proposal. | /prəˈpəʊzl/ |
| protection | The law offers legal protection to workers.
Word Partners: legal protection
|
/prəˈtekʃn/ |
| protester | The police arrested several protesters. | /prəˈtestə(r)/ |
| publicity | The film received a lot of publicity.
Word Partners: generate publicity
|
/pʌbˈlɪsəti/ |
| racism | The campaign fights racism in sport.
Word Partners: fight racism
|
/ˈreɪsɪzəm/ |
| rank | He holds the rank of colonel.
Word Partners: military rank
|
/ræŋk/ |
| recognition | She gained recognition for her work.
Word Partners: gain recognition
|
/ˌrekəɡˈnɪʃn/ |
| refugee | Thousands of refugees have fled the conflict. | /ˌrefjuˈdʒiː/ |
| registration | The deadline for voter registration is tomorrow. | /ˌredʒɪˈstreɪʃn/ |
| regulation | New government regulations came into force. | /ˌreɡjuˈleɪʃn/ |
| relief | It was a great relief to find that everyone was safe.
Word Partners: a sense of relief, a great relief
|
/rɪˈliːf/ |
| reputation | The company has an excellent reputation for quality.
Word Partners: excellent reputation
|
/ˌrepjuˈteɪʃn/ |
| resident | Many local residents have objected to the new development.
Word Partners: local resident
|
/ˈrezɪdənt/ |
| resolution | The UN resolution was passed unanimously.
Word Partners: UN resolution, pass a resolution
|
/ˌrezəˈluːʃn/ |
| restriction | The government imposed restrictions on travel.
Word Partners: impose restrictions
|
/rɪˈstrɪkʃn/ |
| revolution | The industrial revolution changed everything.
Word Partners: industrial revolution
|
/ˌrevəˈluːʃn/ |
| rival | The two companies are rivals in the smartphone market. | /ˈraɪvl/ |
| robbery | He was convicted of armed robbery.
Word Partners: armed robbery, bank robbery
|
/ˈrɒbəri/ |
| scandal | The political scandal forced him to resign.
Word Partners: political scandal
|
/ˈskændl/ |
| sector | She works in the public sector.
Word Partners: public sector, private sector
|
/ˈsektə(r)/ |
| seeker | Asylum seekers wait for their claims to be processed.
Word Partners: asylum seeker, job seeker
|
/ˈsiːkə(r)/ |
| settler | Early settlers arrived in the 1600s.
Word Partners: early settlers
|
/ˈsetlə(r)/ |
| shortage | There is a severe shortage of water.
Word Partners: severe shortage, shortage of
|
/ˈʃɔːtɪdʒ/ |
| slave | The monument commemorates the victims of the slave trade.
Word Partners: slave trade
|
/sleɪv/ |
| spectator | Thousands of spectators watched the match. | /spekˈteɪtə(r)/ |
| stance | The government has taken a tough stance on this issue.
Word Partners: take a stance, a tough stance
|
/stɑːns/ |
| statistic | The statistic shows a population increase.
Word Partners: crime statistics
|
/stəˈtɪstɪk/ |
| status | What is your marital status.
Word Partners: marital status, social status
|
/ˈsteɪtəs/ |
| strike | The transport strike caused widespread disruption.
Word Partners: transport strike, go on strike
|
/straɪk/ |
| suburb | They live in a quiet suburb of London. | /ˈsʌbɜːb/ |
| suffering | The war caused terrible human suffering.
Word Partners: human suffering
|
/ˈsʌfərɪŋ/ |
| survival | Food is essential for survival. | /səˈvaɪvl/ |
| survivor | She is the sole survivor of the disaster.
Word Partners: sole survivor
|
/səˈvaɪvə(r)/ |
| suspect | The police have a prime suspect.
Word Partners: prime suspect
|
/ˈsʌspekt/ |
| teen | He's a teen who loves skateboarding. | /tiːn/ |
| tension | You could feel the rising tension in the room.
Word Partners: rising tension, ease the tension
|
/ˈtenʃn/ |
| terms | In terms of cost, the project is not feasible.
Word Partners: in terms of, come to terms with
|
/tɜːmz/ |
| territory | The company is looking to expand into new territories. | /ˈterətri/ |
| terror | She lives in constant terror of her husband. | /ˈterə(r)/ |
| terrorism | The government condemned the act of terrorism.
Word Partners: act of terrorism
|
/ˈterərɪzəm/ |
| terrorist | He was convicted of being a member of a terrorist organisation. | /ˈterərɪst/ |
| theft | He was charged with theft. | /θeft/ |
| threat | Climate change poses a serious threat.
Word Partners: serious threat, pose a threat
|
/θret/ |
| tragedy | It's a tragedy that so many people died in the earthquake. | /ˈtrædʒədi/ |
| transition | The country is undergoing a difficult transition to democracy.
Word Partners: a smooth transition, a transition to
|
/trænˈzɪʃn/ |
| trial | The defendant is awaiting trial on charges of fraud.
Word Partners: await trial, on trial, a fair trial
|
/ˈtraɪəl/ |
| tribe | The tribe has lived here for centuries. | /traɪb/ |
| troop | The troops were deployed overseas.
Word Partners: deploy troops
|
/truːp/ |
| trust | The relationship is built on mutual trust.
Word Partners: build trust, place trust in, mutual trust
|
/trʌst/ |
| uncertainty | The current period of economic uncertainty is making investors nervous.
Word Partners: economic uncertainty
|
/ʌnˈsɜːtnti/ |
| unity | The crisis brought national unity.
Word Partners: national unity
|
/ˈjuːnəti/ |
| violence | The police are concerned about the recent rise in youth violence.
Word Partners: domestic violence, youth violence
|
/ˈvaɪələns/ |
| visa | You need a tourist visa to enter the country.
Word Partners: tourist visa, apply for a visa
|
/ˈviːzə/ |
| voting | Voting begins at 7am.
Word Partners: voting rights, voting system
|
/ˈvəʊtɪŋ/ |
| welfare | The government cut welfare spending.
Word Partners: welfare state, welfare benefits
|
/ˈwelfeə(r)/ |
| widow | She was a widow for many years. | /ˈwɪdəʊ/ |
| witness | She was called as a witness for the prosecution. | /ˈwɪtnəs/ |
| zone | This is a no-parking zone.
Word Partners: no-parking zone, war zone
|
/zəʊn/ |
