IELTS Culture Vocabulary: Newly Updated Common Words and Phrases

Among different topics in IELTS vocabulary, the IELTS culture vocabulary is crucial for preparing all four modules (listening, reading, writing, and speaking). Since topics related to world culture, foreign places, art and tradition are commonly-asked in IELTS, you must upgrade your lexical resources. Here, you get the newly updated common words and phrases with examples. Use these important words that are also available in PDF.

Evidently, having a good vocabulary boosts your chances of clearing the IELTS test. If you master the IELTS culture vocabulary, you will get a strong foundation and add on with more topics like nations, music, etc. Thus, focus on these specific vocabulary terms in the English language while practising and attain a good overall IELTS band score. 

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IELTS Culture Vocabulary

The IELTS culture vocabulary is given below. It includes the words and phrases along with meanings and examples. It helps you to practise writing and paraphrasing.

The important words of IELTS culture vocabulary are:

• Culture

Meaning: A group of people following certain beliefs, customs and traditions.
Example - India has different cultures in the society.

• Heritage

Meaning: The traditions, qualities and culture that are prevalent for a long time in a country.
Example - The British heritage is most royal. 

• Values

Meaning: The worth of something.
Example - People value humanity more than anything else.

• Stereotype

Meaning: A fixed thought or idea about something.
Example - He has a stereotype over castes.

• Prejudice

Meaning: Not looking or trusting somebody based on their race, caste or religion.
Example - She made the wrong decision due to her prejudice towards him.

• Cultural Diversity

Meaning: Different types of cultures existing in a region.
Example - Nowadays, people embrace cultural diversity.

• Cultural Shock

Meaning: A feeling of confusion when you go to a different country.
Example - I was in a cultural shock when I travelled to Australia.

• Discrimination

Meaning: Giving less importance to a person or a group.
Example - We must end discrimination of any form. 

• Currency

Meaning: the type of money used by a country.
Example - The currency of the US is well-known across the world.

• Global

Meaning: Representing the whole world.
Example - Covid-19 hit the global population.

• Mythology

Meaning: Old stories and beliefs.
Example - I understand mythology and its background.

• Culture Diffusion

Meaning: The spread of one’s culture’s practices, beliefs, and items.
Example - In western countries, you could witness culture diffusion.

• Globalisation

Meaning: The interdependence of world’s trade and technology.
Example - India adopted globalisation during the 1990s.

• Cultural Norms

Meaning: A societal rule, value or standard that recognises certain behaviour as appropriate.
Example -  We must follow cultural norms to survive in this society.

• Fine Arts

Meaning: creative art, especially visual arts.
Example - The painting is of fine art.

• Linguistic

Meaning: The study of language.
Example - We must focus on linguistic skills.

• Civilisation

Meaning: An advanced social and cultural development.
Example - The modern civilisation is beyond imagination.

• Lingua Franca

Meaning: A shared language of communication.
Example - Most countries use English as the lingua franca.

• Conformity

Meaning: People adhering to their beliefs, attitudes and actions.
Example - We must have conformity towards our beliefs.

• Multicultural

Meaning: People of different races, languages, religions and traditions.
Example - Developed countries have multicultural societies.

• Segregation

Meaning: The state of setting someone or something apart from others.
Example - There is segregation of bad apples from the good ones.

• Folklore

Meaning: Traditional stories and beliefs.
Example - I learn folklore from experts.

• Ceremonies

Meaning: A formal public or religious event.
Example - I attended various ceremonies during this week.

• Cultural traditions

Meaning: Identifying a person’s heritage.
Example - Japan’s cultural traditions are unique compared to other countries.

• Preservation

Meaning: Keeping something safe or in a good condition.
Example - Old texts of literature are kept under preservation.

• Rituals

Meaning: An action that is done in the same way.
Example - Hindus have many rituals.

• Parades

Meaning: An occasion when certain people stand or walk for a cause.
Example - Kids did a parade for global warming. 

• Transmission

Meaning: Sending something from one place to another.
Example - Through transmission, we send information to different countries.

• Social memes

Meaning: An image, video or text related to social issues that is spread across by netizens.
Example - Social memes go viral among younger generations.

• Media

Meaning: Television, radio and newspapers used as a mode of communication.
Example - Media is the fourth pillar of our country. It should be unbiased.

• Shanties and Dirges

Meaning: A song or hymn of grief during funeral or memorial rites.
Example - During his memorial service, they played shanties and dirges.

• Opera

Meaning: A play in which the actors sing the words to music.
Example - I’m practising for opera.

• Handicrafts

Meaning: A product produced using hands and artistic ability.
Example - I bought these handicrafts from Assam.

• Inheritance

Meaning: Receiving a property, money, etc., from someone who has passed away.
Example: We gave this property to them as inheritance.

• Legends

Meaning: Old stories that may or may not be true.
Example - The legend of Shiva is not explored completely.

• To hand something down

Meaning: Passing some useful information to a younger generation.
Example - We must hand something down to our kids that is useful. 

• Conservation

Meaning: To avoid wasting something valuable.
Example - Forest conservation is the need of the hour.

• The fabric of society

Meaning: The relationships we build with one another.
Example - Elderly people believe in the fabric of society, whereas younger generations don’t recognise them.

• Medieval

Meaning: The time period in history between 1100 and 1500 AD.
Example - Many inventions came during the medieval period.

• Ancient

Meaning: Thousands of years ago.
Example - Ancient buildings are examples of great architecture.

• Evoke

Meaning: Creating memories in somebody.
Example - His artwork evoked a lot of insights.

• Self-sacrifice

Meaning: Giving up your favourite things for something or someone.
Example - In military training, you will self-sacrifice for the country.

• Public duty

Meaning: A duty to be discharged by the government servants.
Example - The public duty in India is not up to the standards.

• Perception

Meaning: A skill to notice or understand something.
Example - What is your perception of society?

• Ethnocentrism

Meaning: The process of evaluating other cultures based on the standards and customs of one’s own culture.
Example - During ethnocentrism, we concluded that wearing dresses other than one’s culture is incorrect.

• Racism

Meaning: A belief that some races of people are better than others.
Example - People must fight against racism.

• Diversity

Meaning: A wide variety of something.
Example - The world is filled with diversity in every aspect.

• Ethnicity

Meaning: Belonging to a social group that has a common national or cultural identity.
Example - For requirements, we would like to know your ethnicity.

• Race

Meaning: A part of humankind having similar physical features.
Example - I’m a unique race.

• Society

Meaning: The people in a country who have shared customs and laws.
Example - Our society is friendly and welcoming to other people. 

• Interdependence

Meaning: The dependence of two or more people on each other.
Example - They succeeded because of trust and interdependence among them. 

• Immigrate / emigrate

Meaning: Leaving or coming to a different country for studies or work.
Example - I immigrated to New York for higher studies.

• Migrant worker

Meaning: A person who moves to another country for job opportunities.
Example - Migrant workers are both skilled and unskilled.

• Etiquette

Meaning: A polite and correct way of doing things.
Example - We must follow the table etiquette while eating with elders.

• Religion

Meaning: One’s beliefs in a god or gods.
Example - There are so many religions in the world that go extinct.

• Collectivist society

Meaning: The needs and goals of a group as a whole over the needs of an individual.
Example - We must propagate the concept of a collectivist society.

• Individualist society

Meaning: The needs and goals of an individual matters more than the needs and goals of a group as a whole.
Example - Individualist society makes individuals totally independent.

• Uncertainty avoidance

Meaning: The process of adhering to the existing cultural thoughts and beliefs.
Example - Due to uncertainty avoidance in a country, people feel stressed.

• Ethics

Meaning: Behaving morally correct or acceptable.
Example - If we follow good work ethics, we can succeed.

• Belief

Meaning: A feeling that something is true.
Example - There are so many beliefs related to God.

• Global village

Meaning: The whole world is considered as a single community.
Example - We must strive to achieve the concept of a global village.

• Culturally acceptable

Meaning: The act or behaviour that is accepted by the people of a certain culture.
Example - Cutting hair is culturally acceptable across the world.

• Cultural specificities

Meaning: The finding that the emotions and expressions vary dramatically in different cultures and societies.
Example - We must identify our cultural specificities.

• Cultural conflicts

Meaning: A fight between two or more people due to differences in their culture.
Example - India is prone to cultural conflicts.

• Cultural uniqueness

Meaning: A style of artistic expression, medium or system that is unique to a particular culture.
Example - Cultural uniqueness adds value to their people’s efforts.

• Cultural misconceptions

Meaning: Understanding a culture wrongly.
Example - Kids have cultural misconceptions about other cultures.

• Local culture

Meaning: A set of behaviours, beliefs and customs that exist only in a particular region.
Example - The local culture is important for recognising their skills.

• Global culture

Meaning: A culture that is recognised and accepted globally.
Example - A utopian society can be achieved through accepting global culture.

• To appeal to audience

Meaning: The quality of being attractive to the audience.
Example - She has a great appeal to the audience through her sense of humour.

• A work of art/music/literature

Meaning: An object or a creation produced for principally functional purposes, including religious and other non-aesthetic reasons.
Example - A work of art music is applauded by the audience.

• The aesthetic qualities of something

Meaning: A core design principle that gives a pleasing quality. 
Example - The aesthetic qualities of art is mind-blowing.

• The portrayal of something

Meaning: The show somebody/something.
Example - The portrayal of your paintings is fascinating. 

• A book/literature festival

Meaning: A regular gathering of readers and writers.
Example - Recently, I went to a book festival.

• Literary and artistic heritage

Meaning: It is filled with all the authors, poets, scriptwriters, screenplay writers, journalists and dabblers in the written word who have come before you.
Example - The Chinese literary and artistic heritage is inspired by great philosophers.

• To express oneself

Meaning: To say or show one’s thoughts and feelings.
Example - She expressed herself correctly to the public.

• A resident orchestra

Meaning: A group of musicians playing the same instrument.
Example - A resident orchestra is crucial for beginners.

• Street musicians

Meaning: A person who performs singing, playing musical instruments etc in streets for money.
Example - Street musicians are talented compared to others.

• To sing in a choir

Meaning: A group of people singing together in churches, schools, etc.
Example - If you sing in a choir, your fear will disappear.

• Popular music

Meaning: A music that is famous among all audiences.
Example - We composed the most popular music for this movie.

• Folk songs

Meaning: A song that originates in traditional popular music or that is written in such a style.
Example - Folk songs are meant to dance. So youngsters prefer folk music.

• An opera house

Meaning: A theatre meant for the performance of operas.
Example - You must practise guitar in an opera house.

• A concert venue

Meaning: The place where a public performance takes place, especially music.
Example - The concert venue is two streets away from my house.

• Live music

Meaning: A musical performance that is happening now.
Example - I got two tickets for the live music concert.

• To take up a musical instrument

Meaning: Learning a new musical instrument.
Example - Next year, I’m planning to take up a musical instrument.

• Music genres

Meaning: A category that identifies some pieces of music as a shared tradition or set of conventions.
Example - When I’m bored, I listen to different music genres.

• Funding for the arts

Meaning: Collecting money from various sources to do an art program.
Example - There are different types of funding for the arts in schools and colleges.

• A mixed funding model for the arts

Meaning: A type of model where a certain amount of money is given by the government and a certain amount of money is given by private sectors.
Example - Through a mixed funding model for the arts, we conducted this program on time.

• To stage a play

Meaning: A process of selecting, designing, adapting to, or changing the performance space to do a play or film.
Example - Quickly fix the camera and other properties to stage a play on spot.

• Works of literary fiction

Meaning: A made up story to entice the readers.
Example - My recent works of literary fiction have received me awards and recognition.

• A talented playwright

Meaning: A person who writes plays very well.
Example - We have a talented playwright to finish this script.

• To be a connoisseur of

Meaning: A person who knows more about art, music, food, etc.
Example - I want to be a connoisseur of music.

• An art movement

Meaning - A style in art that features a specific philosophy or goal that is followed by a group of people over a period of time.
Example - We have an art movement to encourage young people to take up music and become a professional musician.

• Performance art

Meaning: It is an art form including visual art with dramatic performance.
Example - I am good at performance art and have done many live performances.

• A priceless portrait

Meaning: It is having a value that is incomparable.
Example - Your work is nothing but a priceless portrait of today’s world.

• To commission a work of art

Meaning: It is requesting someone to create something artistic on behalf of others.
Example - We must ask him to commission a work of art.

• The imposition of censorship

Meaning: Suppression of speech, public communication and other information.
Example - Many of the stories in the book have been removed due to the imposition of censorship.

Download the IELTS Culture Vocabulary PDF here.

Also Read:

Education Vocabulary
Crime Vocabulary
Coronavirus Vocabulary
Technology Vocabulary
Social Media Vocabulary
Environment IELTS Vocabulary
Fashion Vocabulary IELTS
Work Vocabulary IELTS
Travel Vocabulary IELTS
IELTS Reading Vocabulary

Conclusion

Since students take the IELTS exam to move to a foreign country, they must know the basic IELTS culture vocabulary to handle the cultural differences. With that said, you must also learn the culture-related words and phrases to save you significant time in understanding the different cultures of the country. Finally, make sure you have a strong foundation in idioms, phrases, collocations, and countable and uncountable nouns. 

FAQs

1. What are some vocabulary words for arts and culture? 

Vocabulary words related to Arts and Culture are:
Lifestyle
Folklore
Customs
Society
Heritage
Aesthetic
Barbarian
Arty
Adroitness
Dexterity
Craftsmanship
Aptitude

2. What are important vocabulary words for IELTS?

The important vocabulary words for IELTS are as follows:
Community
History
Ordinary
Rural
Maturity
Delicious
Utensil
Provisional
Streams
Boutique
Astonish
Outward
Generous
Sly
Lavatory
Upright
Fasten
Shoals
Benign

3. How can I remember vocabulary for IELTS tests?

To remember vocabulary for IELTS tests, use them while speaking and writing. It is evident that students using new vocabulary words and phrases while practising speaking and writing modules would remember them for a longer time.

4. Is there any vocabulary given in IELTS?

Since vocabulary carries 25% of your marks for IELTS writing and speaking, at the same time helps in performing listening and reading, you need to improve your English language vocabulary to the next level.

5. What are the 20 important words of culture?

The 20 most important words of culture are:

1. Cultural diversity
2. Cultural shock
3. Discrimination
4. Culture diffusion
5. Cultural norms
6. Multicultural
7. Social memes
8. Inheritance
9. Ethnocentrism
10. Diversity
11. Race
12. Ethnicity
13. Religious beliefs
14. Collectivist society
15. Etiquette
16. Ethics
17. Cultural uniqueness
18. Culturally acceptable
19. Cultural awareness
20. Cultural understanding