For expert learners — rare, precise environmental vocabulary drawn from serious journalism, nature writing, and literary prose about climate and ecosystems.
Free Environment & Nature vocabulary flashcards at the C2 level — all 35 words with definitions and examples. Study them with spaced repetition and use these words precisely, including nuance most learners miss.
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conflagration
a large, destructive fire that spreads quickly out of control.
deluge
a sudden, heavy fall of rain that causes serious flooding.
harbinger
a sign that something, especially something bad, is about to happen.
reckoning
a moment when the consequences of past actions must finally be faced.
respite
a short pause that offers relief from something difficult.
onslaught
a sudden, forceful attack that is difficult to withstand.
dearth
a situation in which there is far too little of something needed.
bulwark
something that acts as a strong defence against a threat.
vestige
a small remaining trace of something that used to be much bigger.
stewardship
the careful, responsible management of land and natural resources.
spectre
a frightening possibility that hangs over people's thoughts about the future.
confluence
the coming together of several forces, events, and ideas at once.
blight
something that causes serious, often gradual damage over a wide area.
attrition
a gradual, continuous weakening of something over a long period.
panacea
a single solution wrongly believed to solve every part of a problem.
torpor
a state of reduced activity and slower body functions, used to save energy in cold weather.
profusion
an extremely large amount of something.
denizen
a creature that lives in a particular place and is typical of it.
denude
to strip a place of the trees and plants that once covered it.
ravage
to cause severe, violent damage to something.
squander
to waste something valuable carelessly instead of using it wisely.
encroach
to gradually spread into land that belongs to something else.
abate
to become noticeably less severe.
portend
to be a sign that something bad is likely to happen soon.
eke out
to manage to survive using only very limited, scarce resources.
wither
to become weak, dry, and shrivelled from lack of water.
proliferate
to increase rapidly in number.
pristine
completely clean and untouched, as if entirely new.
verdant
covered with lush green plants.
parched
extremely dry because of a long lack of rain.
noxious
harmful and unpleasant to breathe in.
inexorable
impossible to stop once it has begun.
unfettered
free to continue without any restriction.
teeming
full of a large number of living things, especially in constant motion.
insidious
spreading gradually and causing harm without being easily noticed.