C1 English Nouns: Law, Politics & Conflict

This page begins our C1 nouns list with vocabulary crucial for understanding societal structures and events. It covers terms for Law, Justice & Crime like prosecution and testimony, words related to Politics & Governance such as referendum and coup, and nouns for Conflict, War & Security like massacre and warfare.

Law, Justice & Crime

Word Example Sentence IPA (UK)
abuse The investigation uncovered systematic abuse of power within the regime.
Word Partners: abuse of power, child abuse, human rights abuse
/əˈbjuːs/
accusation The minister rejected the false accusation of corruption.
Word Partners: false accusation, make an accusation
/ˌækjuˈzeɪʃn/
accused The accused maintained their innocence throughout the trial. /əˈkjuːzd/
allegation Parliament launched an inquiry into the serious allegation of misconduct.
Word Partners: serious allegation, make an allegation
/ˌæləˈɡeɪʃn/
amendment The constitutional amendment guaranteed freedom of speech.
Word Partners: constitutional amendment, propose an amendment
/əˈmendmənt/
assault The protesters faced charges of sexual assault.
Word Partners: physical assault, sexual assault
/əˈsɔːlt/
bail The magistrate granted bail despite prosecution objections.
Word Partners: grant bail, be released on bail
/beɪl/
breach The company was sued for breach of contract.
Word Partners: breach of contract
/briːtʃ/
charter The organisation adopted a charter outlining fundamental rights. /ˈtʃɑːtə(r)/
compliance The audit revealed failures in regulatory compliance.
Word Partners: regulatory compliance
/kəmˈplaɪəns/
confession His confession brought relief. /kənˈfeʃn/
consent The procedure required informed consent.
Word Partners: informed consent, give one's consent
/kənˈsent/
conviction The appeal court overturned the wrongful conviction.
Word Partners: wrongful conviction, criminal conviction
/kənˈvɪkʃn/
copyright The publisher held copyright on all published materials.
Word Partners: copyright infringement, hold the copyright on
/ˈkɒpiraɪt/
corruption The scandal exposed widespread political corruption.
Word Partners: political corruption, government corruption
/kəˈrʌpʃn/
custody The suspect remained in police custody pending trial.
Word Partners: police custody, in custody
/ˈkʌstədi/
deed The legal deed transferred ownership of the disputed territory. /diːd/
detention Amnesty International condemned the indefinite detention without trial.
Word Partners: indefinite detention, unlawful detention
/dɪˈtenʃn/
disclosure Full disclosure was required by law. /dɪsˈkləʊʒə(r)/
discrimination The legislation aimed to eliminate racial discrimination.
Word Partners: racial discrimination
/dɪˌskrɪmɪˈneɪʃn/
dispute The territorial dispute threatened to escalate into war.
Word Partners: territorial dispute, trade dispute
/dɪˈspjuːt/
enforcement The treaty lacked adequate mechanisms for law enforcement.
Word Partners: law enforcement
/ɪnˈfɔːsmənt/
execution The execution of the plan proceeded smoothly. /ˌeksɪˈkjuːʃn/
exploitation The colonial exploitation of natural resources continued for decades. /ˌeksplɔɪˈteɪʃn/
felony The defendant faced charges for a serious felony. /ˈfeləni/
harassment The tribunal upheld the claim of sexual harassment.
Word Partners: sexual harassment
/həˈræsmənt/
incarceration The activist endured years of incarceration without trial. /ɪnˌkɑːsəˈreɪʃn/
indictment The prosecutor issued an indictment for war crimes. /ɪnˈdaɪtmənt/
injustice The verdict highlighted a profound injustice within the legal system. /ɪnˈdʒʌstɪs/
intent The prosecution must prove criminal intent beyond reasonable doubt.
Word Partners: criminal intent
/ɪnˈtent/
jurisdiction The case fell outside the court's jurisdiction. /ˌdʒʊərɪsˈdɪkʃn/
lawsuit The victims filed a lawsuit seeking substantial damages.
Word Partners: file a lawsuit
/ˈlɔːsuːt/
legislation Parliament passed legislation banning discriminatory practices.
Word Partners: pass legislation
/ˌledʒɪsˈleɪʃn/
liability His lack of experience is a major liability in this job. /ˌlaɪəˈbɪləti/
patent The firm secured a patent for its innovative design. /ˈpeɪtnt/
petition Citizens organised a petition demanding electoral reform. /pəˈtɪʃn/
plea The defendant entered a plea of not guilty.
Word Partners: enter a plea, a plea of
/pliː/
precedent The ruling set a legal precedent.
Word Partners: set a precedent
/ˈpresɪdənt/
privilege The aristocracy enjoyed enormous privilege under the old regime. /ˈprɪvəlɪdʒ/
proceeding Legal proceedings against the defendants began. /prəˈsiːdɪŋ/
prosecution The prosecution presented overwhelming evidence of guilt. /ˌprɒsɪˈkjuːʃn/
rape The tribunal prosecuted cases of systematic rape during the conflict. /reɪp/
settlement Both parties reached a settlement. /ˈsetlmənt/
slavery The constitution abolished slavery and involuntary servitude. /ˈsleɪvəri/
testimony The witness provided damning testimony against the accused. /ˈtestɪməni/
torture Psychological torture left lasting scars.
Word Partners: psychological torture
/ˈtɔːtʃə(r)/
trademark Attention to detail became her trademark. /ˈtreɪdmɑːk/
verdict The jury delivered a verdict of guilty.
Word Partners: reach/deliver a verdict
/ˈvɜːdɪkt/
violation The report documented numerous human rights violations.
Word Partners: human rights violation
/ˌvaɪəˈleɪʃn/
warrant Police obtained a search warrant for the premises. /ˈwɒrənt/
wrongdoing He has always denied any financial wrongdoing.
Word Partners: financial wrongdoing, deny any wrongdoing
/ˈrɒŋduːɪŋ/

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Politics & Governance

Word Example Sentence IPA (UK)
alliance The nations forged a military alliance to counter the threat.
Word Partners: military alliance, strategic alliance, forge an alliance
/əˈlaɪəns/
assembly The national assembly convened to debate the emergency legislation. /əˈsembli/
asylum Thousands fled across the border seeking political asylum.
Word Partners: political asylum, seek/grant asylum
/əˈsaɪləm/
autonomy Regional offices gained greater operational autonomy. /ɔːˈtɒnəmi/
ballot Voters will cast a ballot in the upcoming election.
Word Partners: secret ballot, cast a ballot
/ˈbælət/
bureaucracy Critics argued that excessive bureaucracy hindered effective governance. /bjʊəˈrɒkrəsi/
cabinet The prime minister reshuffled the cabinet following the election. /ˈkæbɪnət/
chamber The upper chamber voted to reject the proposed reforms. /ˈtʃeɪmbə(r)/
citizenship The new law granted citizenship to long-term residents. /ˈsɪtɪznʃɪp/
coalition The parties formed a coalition government.
Word Partners: coalition government, form a coalition
/ˌkəʊəˈlɪʃn/
consensus The parties struggled to reach a consensus on constitutional reform.
Word Partners: reach/achieve a consensus
/kənˈsensəs/
constitution The new constitution established a separation of powers. /ˌkɒnstɪˈtjuːʃn/
coup The military coup overthrew the democratically elected government.
Word Partners: military coup, stage a coup
/kuː/
declaration The declaration of independence marked a historic turning point. /ˌdekləˈreɪʃn/
delegation The trade delegation negotiated the terms of the agreement. /ˌdelɪˈɡeɪʃn/
embassy Protesters gathered outside the embassy demanding diplomatic action. /ˈembəsi/
equality The movement campaigned for racial equality and justice.
Word Partners: racial equality, gender equality
/iˈkwɒləti/
exile The dissident spent years in exile after fleeing the regime. /ˈeksaɪl/
faction The ruling party split into rival factions. /ˈfækʃn/
governance The report criticised failures in governance. /ˈɡʌvənəns/
homeland Refugees dreamed of returning to their homeland. /ˈhəʊmlænd/
ideology Their actions reflected a rigid ideology. /ˌaɪdiˈɒlədʒi/
inequality The protest movement highlighted growing economic inequality. /ˌɪnɪˈkwɒləti/
legislature The legislature voted to override the presidential veto. /ˈledʒɪsleɪtʃə(r)/
liberation The liberation of the occupied territories took years. /ˌlɪbəˈreɪʃn/
liberty The constitution guaranteed freedom of expression and civil liberty.
Word Partners: civil liberty
/ˈlɪbəti/
lobby The environmental lobby pressured politicians to act. /ˈlɒbi/
mandate The election victory provided a clear mandate for reform. /ˈmændeɪt/
ministry The ministry announced troop deployments. /ˈmɪnɪstri/
nomination The president's nomination for the post required Senate approval. /ˌnɒmɪˈneɪʃn/
poll The polls predicted a narrow victory for the incumbent. /pəʊl/
presidency The scandal threatened to undermine her presidency. /ˈprezɪdənsi/
province The province demanded greater autonomy from central government. /ˈprɒvɪns/
rally Thousands attended the opposition rally in the capital. /ˈræli/
referendum The referendum on independence divided the population. /ˌrefəˈrendəm/
reform The government promised sweeping reform. /rɪˈfɔːm/
regime The authoritarian regime suppressed dissent violently. /reɪˈʒiːm/
reign The monarch's reign witnessed significant constitutional change. /reɪn/
representation The minority demanded greater political representation. /ˌreprɪzenˈteɪʃn/
republic The country became a republic following the revolution. /rɪˈpʌblɪk/
sanction The UN imposed economic sanctions against the regime.
Word Partners: impose sanctions, economic sanctions
/ˈsæŋkʃn/
sovereignty The treaty respected each nation's sovereignty. /ˈsɒvrənti/
summit World leaders convened for a peace summit. /ˈsʌmɪt/
treaty The peace treaty ended decades of conflict. /ˈtriːti/

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Conflict, War & Security

Word Example Sentence IPA (UK)
aggression The council condemned the act of aggression against neighbouring states.
Word Partners: act of aggression
/əˈɡreʃn/
assassination The assassination of the prime minister shocked the nation.
Word Partners: assassination attempt
/əˌsæsɪˈneɪʃn/
atrocity The tribunal investigated atrocities committed during the war. /əˈtrɒsəti/
battlefield Archaeological evidence revealed the location of the ancient battlefield. /ˈbætlfiːld/
blast The blast shattered windows across the district. /blɑːst/
casualty The hospital treated numerous casualties from the bombing. /ˈkæʒuəlti/
clash The demonstration ended in a personality clash between leaders.
Word Partners: personality clash
/klæʃ/
combat Troops were deployed for combat operations in the region. /ˈkɒmbæt/
confrontation The confrontation threatened regional stability. /ˌkɒnfrənˈteɪʃn/
deployment The deployment of peacekeeping forces stabilised the region. /dɪˈplɔɪmənt/
firearm The legislation tightened restrictions on firearm ownership. /ˈfaɪərɑːm/
fleet The fleet returned to port. /fliːt/
genocide The tribunal prosecuted those responsible for genocide. /ˈdʒenəsaɪd/
guerrilla Guerrilla fighters operated from mountain bases. /ɡəˈrɪlə/
hostage The terrorists took hostages during the siege.
Word Partners: take hostages
/ˈhɒstɪdʒ/
massacre The massacre of civilians shocked the international community. /ˈmæsəkə(r)/
militia Armed militias controlled large areas of the countryside. /məˈlɪʃə/
missile A ballistic missile was launched from the silo.
Word Partners: ballistic missile, guided missile
/ˈmɪsaɪl/
patrol Military patrols enforced the curfew throughout the city. /pəˈtrəʊl/
raid Police conducted a raid on the suspected terrorist hideout. /reɪd/
rebellion The army crushed the rebellion brutally. /rɪˈbeljən/
resistance The occupation encountered fierce resistance from locals. /rɪˈzɪstəns/
retreat The army ordered a tactical retreat from the border. /rɪˈtriːt/
riot The riot resulted in numerous arrests and injuries. /ˈraɪət/
squad An elite squad conducted the hostage rescue operation. /skwɒd/
surveillance The activist was placed under surveillance.
Word Partners: mass surveillance, under surveillance
/sɜːˈveɪləns/
tactic The tactic proved surprisingly effective. /ˈtæktɪk/
warfare Modern warfare relied heavily on technology and intelligence. /ˈwɔːfeə(r)/

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