Describing Poverty and Failure: English Vocabulary List

Explore 15 English words about describing poverty and failure with pronunciation, definitions and example sentences.

15 words IELTS 6-7 Vocabulary List
unfulfilling /ʌnfʊlfˈɪlɪŋ/ adjective

not providing satisfaction or a sense of completion, leaving one dissatisfied or disappointed

"The job is unfulfilling."

"The repetitive office job was unfulfilling and she eventually realized that she needed to do something more meaningful with her life."

unfruitful /ʌnfɹˈuːtfəl/ adjective

not producing the expected or desired results

"The meeting was unfruitful."

"The negotiations between the two countries were unfruitful and both sides left the table without reaching any agreement or making progress."

unaccomplished /ʌnɐkˈɑːmplɪʃt/ adjective

not having achieved one's goals

"She felt unaccomplished."

"He often felt unaccomplished, comparing his current achievements to the ambitious plans he had made years ago."

unrewarding /ˌʌnɹɪwˈɔːɹdɪŋ/ adjective

not bringing satisfaction, fulfillment, or positive outcomes

"The job is unrewarding."

"Despite the long hours, the repetitive tasks made the job feel increasingly unrewarding and monotonous."

unprofitable /ənˈpɹɑfɪtəbəɫ/ adjective

not generating a profit, gain, or financial benefit

"The business is unprofitable."

"The company decided to close its unprofitable branches and focus only on the locations that were making enough money to keep operating."

fruitless /ˈfɹutɫəs/ adjective

failing to produce the desired or expected results

"The search was fruitless."

"The search for the missing hiker was fruitless and the rescue team had to give up after three days of looking through the forest."

unattained /ʌnɐtˈeɪnd/ adjective

incabable of being reached, achieved, or acquired, often referring to goals, objectives, or desires that remain unrealized

"His goals remain unattained."

"His childhood dreams remained unattained because he chose a practical career instead of pursuing his passion for music and art."

penniless /ˈpɛniɫəs/ adjective

having no money or financial resources

"He died penniless."

"The gambler died penniless after losing his entire fortune on bad bets and poor investments that he thought would make him rich."

underprivileged /ˈəndɝˈpɹɪvɫədʒd/ adjective

lacking access to essential resources or opportunities that are enjoyed by others, often due to social or economic factors

"She helps underprivileged children."

"The charity organization provides free meals and school supplies to underprivileged children who live in the poorest neighborhoods of the city."

struggling /ˈstɹəɡəɫɪŋ/ adjective

facing challenges or hardships, often in the context of financial limitations or adversities

"The family is struggling."

"The struggling actor worked as a waiter for years before he finally got his first big role in a Hollywood movie."

stumble /ˈstʌmbəl/ noun

a failure or setback, often caused by misfortune

"He had a stumble on stairs."

"After a stumble in his early career, he eventually became a successful actor."

misfortune /mɪsˈfɔɹtʃən/ noun

a situation or event that causes bad luck or hardship for someone

"Misfortune struck the family."

"A sudden financial crisis and a series of personal losses brought considerable misfortune upon the once-happy household."

surrender /sɝˈɛndɝ/ noun

the act of yielding, giving up, or submitting to an opponent, authority, or circumstance

"The surrender was inevitable."

"After a prolonged siege, the besieged fortress finally agreed to a complete surrender to the invading forces."

founder /ˈfaʊndɝ/ verb

to experience total failure or collapse, especially for a plan, business, or project

"The plan will founder."

"Without adequate funding and a clear strategy, the ambitious startup project was destined to founder within its first year."

mismanage /mɪsˈmænɪdʒ/ verb

to inadequately direct something due to negligence or poor decision-making

"Do not mismanage your personal finances."

"The previous administration managed to mismanage the funds so badly that the organization nearly went bankrupt."

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IELTS 6-7 Vocabulary List — Topics

Describing Size and Scale24 wordsDescribing Dimensions16 wordsDescribing Weight and Steadiness11 wordsDescribing an Increase in Amount15 wordsDescribing a Decrease in Amount12 wordsDescribing Intensity8 wordsDescribing Time and Duration14 wordsDescribing Space and Area7 wordsDescribing Shapes9 wordsDescribing Speed14 wordsDescribing Significance15 wordsDescribing Insignificance18 wordsDescribing Strength and Influence16 wordsDescribing Uniqueness24 wordsDescribing Commonness6 wordsDescribing Complexity27 wordsDescribing High Quality18 wordsDescribing Low Quality17 wordsDescribing Value18 wordsDescribing Challenges16 wordsDescribing Wealth and Success13 wordsDescribing Age and Appearance24 wordsDescribing Body Shape25 wordsDescribing Wellness25 wordsDescribing Intellectual capability19 wordsDescribing Intellectual Incapabilities13 wordsDescribing Positive Human Traits13 wordsDescribing Negative Human Traits18 wordsDescribing Moral Traits17 wordsDescribing Financial Behaviours12 wordsDescribing Social Behaviours13 wordsDescribing Short-tempered Traits8 wordsDescribing Positive Emotional Responses15 wordsDescribing Negative Emotional Responses26 wordsDescribing Positive Emotional States20 wordsDescribing Negative Emotional States24 wordsDescribing Tastes and Smells25 wordsDescribing Sounds20 wordsDescribing Textures18 wordsDescribing Temperature9 wordsDescribing Probability24 wordsExpressing Attempt and Prevention9 wordsExpressing Opinions19 wordsExpressing Thoughts and Decisions12 wordsExpressing Encouragement and Discouragement11 wordsExpressing Knowledge and Information16 wordsExpressing Requests and Suggestions10 wordsExpressing Respect and Approval7 wordsExpressing Regret and Sadness10 wordsExpressing Relational Actions10 wordsExpressing Physical Actions and Reactions5 wordsExpressing Body Language and Gestures14 wordsExpressing Postures and Positions13 wordsExpressing Movements21 wordsEngaging in Verbal Communication20 wordsUnderstanding and Learning32 wordsPerceiving The Senses10 wordsCommanding and Giving Permissions23 wordsPredicting17 wordsTouching and Holding16 wordsChanging and Forming26 wordsCreating and Producing20 wordsOrganising and Collecting17 wordsPreparing Food15 wordsEating and Drinking17 wordsTalking about Science9 wordsTalking about Education24 wordsTalking about Research8 wordsTalking about Astronomy19 wordsTalking about Physics14 wordsTalking about Biology14 wordsTalking about Chemistry7 wordsTalking about Geology13 wordsTalking about Philosophy14 wordsTalking about Psychology10 wordsTalking about Maths and Graphs8 wordsTalking about Geometry21 wordsTalking about Environment13 wordsTalking about Landscape and Geography18 wordsTalking about Engineering17 wordsTalking about Technology18 wordsTalking about Internet and Computer14 wordsTalking about Manufacture and Industry20 wordsTalking about History20 wordsTalking about Religion24 wordsTalking about Culture and Custom17 wordsTalking about Language12 wordsTalking about Arts10 wordsTalking about Music18 wordsTalking about Film and Theatre18 wordsTalking about Literature20 wordsTalking about Architecture4 wordsTalking about Marketing8 wordsTalking about Finance15 wordsTalking about Management13 wordsTalking about Medicine18 wordsTalking about Sickness and Symptoms10 wordsTalking about Law18 wordsTalking about Energy and Power15 wordsTalking about Crime23 wordsTalking about Punishment12 wordsTalking about Government12 wordsTalking about Politics19 wordsTalking about Measurement8 wordsTalking about War22 wordsTalking about Positive Emotions15 wordsTalking about Negative Emotions22 wordsTalking about Travel and Tourism17 wordsTalking about Migration7 wordsTalking about Food and Drinks18 wordsTalking about Materials10 wordsTalking about Pollution18 wordsTalking about Disasters17 wordsTalking about Weather11 wordsTalking about Animals22 wordsAdverbs of Manner37 wordsAdverbs of Degree26 wordsAdverbs of Comment and Certainty25 wordsAdverbs of Time and Frequency26 wordsAdverbs of Purpose and Emphasis17 wordsConjunctive Adverbs23 wordsSize and Scale10 wordsDimensions2 wordsWeight and Steadiness13 wordsIncrease in Amount13 wordsDecrease in Amount7 wordsIntensity9 wordsTime and Duration12 wordsSpace and Area6 wordsShapes5 wordsSpeed7 wordsSignificance12 wordsInsignificance3 wordsStrength and Influence9 wordsUniqueness10 wordsCommonness5 wordsComplexity8 wordsHigh Quality8 wordsLow Quality5 wordsValue4 wordsChallenges18 wordsWealth and Success5 wordsPoverty and Failure11 wordsAge and Appearance14 wordsBody Shape13 wordsWellness17 wordsIntellectual Capability10 wordsIntellectual Incapabilities1 wordsPositive Human Traits5 wordsNegative Human Traits2 wordsMoral Traits11 wordsFinancial Behaviours4 wordsSocial Behaviours2 wordsShort-tempered Traits4 wordsPositive Emotional Responses1 wordsNegative Emotional Responses6 wordsPositive Emotional States2 wordsNegative Emotional States13 wordsTastes and Smells6 wordsSounds4 wordsTextures5 wordsTemperature4 wordsProbability6 wordsAttempt and Prevention11 wordsOpinions8 wordsThoughts and Decisions14 wordsEncouragement and Discouragement11 wordsKnowledge and Information16 wordsRequest and Suggestion6 wordsRespect and Approval8 wordsRegret and Sadness2 wordsRelational Actions16 wordsPhysical Actions and Reactions14 wordsBody Language and Gestures3 wordsPostures and Positions5 wordsMovements12 wordsScience1 wordsEducation9 wordsResearch9 wordsAstronomy2 wordsPhysics1 wordsBiology2 wordsChemistry3 wordsGeology5 wordsPhilosophy3 wordsPsychology13 wordsMaths and Graphs12 wordsGeometry8 wordsEnvironment2 wordsLandscape and Geography1 wordsEngineering3 wordsTechnology8 wordsInternet and Computer7 wordsManufacture and Industry2 wordsHistory7 wordsReligion7 wordsCulture and Custom7 wordsLanguage and Grammar5 wordsArts6 wordsMusic8 wordsFilm and Theatre13 wordsLiterature10 wordsArchitecture5 wordsMarketing5 wordsFinance7 wordsManagement8 wordsMedicine1 wordsSickness and Symptoms2 wordsLaw11 wordsEnergy and Power3 wordsCrime6 wordsPunishment6 wordsGovernment8 wordsPolitics10 wordsMeasurement12 wordsWar13 wordsPositive Emotions6 wordsNegative Emotions7 wordsTravel and Tourism11 wordsMigration4 wordsFood and Drinks18 wordsMaterials8 wordsPollution4 wordsDisasters4 wordsWeather2 wordsAnimals9 words