Word Definition Sample Sentence

Living close to a lake means we

Abundant Present in large quantities. have an abundant supply of
water.
Each fall, leaves accumulate in
Accumulate To gradually collect.
our driveway.
Make sure your address is
Accurate Correct; free from errors. accurate before submitting your
online order.
Having 8AM classes means I’m
Accustomed Used to something.
accustomed to getting up early.
When my grandmother died, I
Acquire To come into possession of. acquired her cookbook
collection.
The defendant was adamant that
Adamant Refusing to change an opinion.
he was innocent.
Our house isn’t big, but it’s
Adequate Enough to suit your needs.
adequate for the two of us.
The park is adjacent to the
Adjacent Close to or next to.
school.
To change something so it serves its The bike seat may be too high;
Adjust
purpose better. you’ll probably need to adjust it.
Something that makes it easier to achieve His height gives him an
Advantage
success. advantage in basketball.
My aunt is a major advocate for
Advocate To publicly support.
women’s’ rights.
I had an adverse reaction to my
Adverse Unfavorable; against one’s desires. medication and had to stop
taking it.
We should aggregate our
Aggregate To combine. resources to share them more
easily.
The salesperson was very
Aggressive Assertive and pushy. aggressive when trying to get us
to buy the television.
The village needs to allocate
Allocate To put aside for a specific purpose. funds for building the new
school.
If the ATM is broken, an
Alternative Another option or choice. alternative solution is to stop by
the bank.
He’s an amateur soccer player
Someone who is inexperienced or not
Amateur and is still learning the rules of
highly skilled in a particular area.
the game.
Having several potential meanings; When I asked the HR manager
Ambiguous
unclear and difficult to understand. what my chances were of
 getting the job, she gave me a
very ambiguous reply.
My son is very ambitious and
Ambitious Having large goals. hopes to be a millionaire by the
time he’s thirty.
I believe we should amend our
Amend To change for the better; to improve.
country’s tax laws.
Our new apartment has ample
Ample Plentiful.
space for the two of us.
The basketball player is the
team’s best free thrower, so his
Anomaly Deviation from the norm.
missing both shots was an
anomaly.
The annual company barbeque
Annual Occurring yearly.
takes place every August.
To tease or be hostile towards a person or The boy loves to antagonize his
Antagonize
group. little sister by pulling her hair.
After she got grounded, the
Attitude Manner or feeling. teenager had a bad attitude for
the rest of the day.
Be sure to attribute credit to
Attribute To give credit. your sources when writing a
research paper.
Flipping a coin is an arbitrary
Arbitrary Based on a whim or random decision.
way to make a decision.
After you cross the bridge,
Arduous Requiring a lot of effort. there’s an arduous walk up the
hill.
The mother assuaged her child’s
Assuage To lessen a negative feeling.
fear of the dark.
I assumed he was rich because
Assume To suppose without solid proof.
he worked as a lawyer.
She augments her regular salary
Augment To increase or make larger.
by babysitting on the weekends.
A benefit of doing homework
Benefit Something positive or advantageous. on Friday is that your weekend
will be free.
Our neighbor berated us after
Berate To scold. we broke his window playing
baseball.
The medal was bestowed upon
Bestow To give as a gift.
him by the president.
He always boasts of his talents
Boast To brag or talk with excessive pride.
after he wins a game.
 I gave him a pep talk to boost
Boost To help raise or increase something. his self-esteem before his
speech.
The brash man always asked
Brash Rude and tactless.
inappropriate questions.
It will only have a brief
Brief Short (in terms of time). meeting, so you’ll still have
plenty of time for lunch.
After being away for so long, I
Brusque Abrupt to the point of rudeness. expected more than her brusque
greeting.
The cuckoo clock shop lets off a
Cacophony A harsh, unpleasant mixture of noise.
cacophony every hour.
I wish they would cease
Cease To stop.
arguing.
Every parent in our district
Censure To express strong disapproval.
censured the education cuts.
Put the historical events in
Chronological Arranged in order of time or date. chronological order to make
them easier to study.
I didn’t understand the
Clarify To make clear; to remove confusion. instructions, so I asked the
teacher to clarify them.
The people on the street
Coalesce To combine or grow together. eventually coalesced into a
group.
To force someone to do something The young boy was coerced into
Coerce
against their will. stealing by his friends.
Before mountain climbing, you
Being aware or having knowledge of
Cognizant need to be cognizant of the
something.
risks.
Water molecules show strong
Cohesion Uniting; becoming one. cohesion when they stick
together.
This year Thanksgiving
Coincide To occur at the same time.
coincided with my birthday.
The old building finally
Collapse To fall down or break down. collapsed, leaving nothing but a
pile of rubble.
The two cars collided on the
Collide To hit one another with a forceful impact.
freeway.
Joining a school play is a big
Commitment Dedication to a cause or activity. commitment. You’ll need to
practice every evening.
 The Chinese community in my
A group of people who live or work
Community city is hosting a New Year
together.
celebration next week.
The mountains concealed the
Conceal To hide.
ocean from view.
He believes women should be
Concur To agree. paid as much as men, and I
concur.
The conflict between the two
Conflict A disagreement or fight. families has been going on for
generations.
You should move your plant to
Constrain To restrict or repress. a bigger pot, otherwise you’ll
constrain its roots.
I spend a lot of time
Contemplate To consider thoughtfully. contemplating what career I
want to have.
My neighbors have been
Continuously To go on without stopping. continuously blasting their
music since last night.
I told the employees that sales
were down, but my boss
Contradict To give the opposite opinion.
contradicted me and said sales
were actually up.
Every roommate contributes
To give something (usually money or
Contribute part of his paycheck to the
time) to a common fund or cause.
grocery bill.
I’ve conveyed my interest in
Convey To make known.
working for that company.
He always takes copious notes
Copious Abundant.
during class to study later on.
Although many employees left
Core Central; of main importance. the company, the core
leadership remained.
The rust corroded the paint on
Corrode To gradually wear away.
my car.
Trying to carry four grocery
Cumbersome Burdensome; clumsy bags at once was very
cumbersome.
The courses given by a school or Our school needs to add more
Curriculum
program. music courses to its curriculum.
The data from these graphs
Data Facts, statistics, or pieces of information. show that yearly temperatures
are increasing.
After the tree died, its wood
Decay To decline in health or excellence.
began to decay.
 He deceived me by pretending
Deceive To trick or mislead.
to be a millionaire.
The spy deciphered the secret
Decipher To find the meaning of.
code.
He made a declaration to the
Declaration An announcement.
office that he was quitting.
1. To politely refuse.

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2. To deteriorate (especially in terms of

health.)
My attempt at cake degraded
Degrade To lower in quality.
into a crumbly mess.
Let me demonstrate the proper
Demonstrate To show.
way of throwing a football.
Deny To state that something isn’t true. He denied being the robber.
Your shopping sprees have
Deplete To significantly decrease.
depleted my savings.
Please deposit your books in the
Deposit To deliver and leave an item.
bin outside the library.
Bravery is a desirable trait for
Desirable Worth having or wanting.
firefighters to have.
Despise To hate. I despise early morning classes.
The police dog detected the
Detect To locate something.
missing child’s scent.
The warning signs on the house
Deter To discourage.
deterred trespassers.
I decided to deviate from my
Deviate To differ from the norm. normal route home and took a
shortcut.
The coach devised a plan for
Devise To plan or create.
winning the game.
 The politician went into a
Diatribe A sharp criticism or attack.
diatribe against her opponent.
The teacher digressed from the
Digress To wander from the main subject.
lecture to discuss the weather.
The student faced the dilemma
A situation where one must choose
Dilemma of attending school sick or
between two difficult choices.
missing her exam.
Sprinkle baking soda on the
Diminish To shrink or reduce.
carpet to diminish the stain.
Dispose To get rid of. I need to dispose of this trash.
Too large or small when compared to The piece of pie I received was
Disproportionate
something else. disproportionately small.
The protesters disrupted the
Disrupt To interrupt by causing a disturbance.
politician’s speech.
The camera filter distorted the
Distort To misrepresent.
image.
Distribute the materials evenly
Distribute To give portions of something.
among the class.
This city has a very diverse
Diverse Showing a lot of variety.
population.
Because of the accident, the
Divert To cause a change of course. police had to divert traffic down
a side street.
The theater has dynamic shows,
Dynamic Constantly changing. so you never know what you’ll
see.
This prescription will ease your
Ease To reduce unpleasantness or difficulty.
allergies.
Now that I’m following a
Efficient Maximizing productivity. schedule at work, I’m much
more efficient.
Our team lost the match and
Eliminate To remove. was eliminated from the
competition.
The elite detective team were
Elite A select, above-average group. also sent for when there were
big crimes.
Her eloquent writing has gained
Eloquent Moving speech or writing.
her many fans.
To give special importance to when The teacher emphasized the due
Emphasize
speaking or writing. date of the project.
To suffer through something difficult He has endured four knee
Endure
with patience. operations so far.
The falling snow enhanced the
Enhance To intensify or magnify.
beauty of the small village.
 The duchess is the epitome of
Epitome A perfect example of something.
class.
Twenty-four is equivalent to
Equivalent Equal.
two dozen.
He apologized for his erroneous
Erroneous Incorrect.
statement.
Try to get an estimate of the
Estimate An approximate value. number of people attending the
concert.
By hiding in the bathroom, we
Evade To avoid or escape.
were able to evade the intruder.
At the end of the class, every
Evaluate To assess. student will evaluate how well
the professor taught.
Facts or information that help prove or These fossils are evidence of
Evidence
disprove something. evolution.
The small school evolved into a
Evolve To gradually change.
world-class institution.
She is an exemplary student,
Exemplary Worthy of imitation. and you should copy her study
habits.
The young boy was excluded
Exclude To leave out.
from his friends’ soccer game.
We may not be able to get in
Exclusive Not admitting the majority.
since that club is very exclusive.
Adding air to bike tires will
Expand To increase in size.
cause them to expand.
Expert knowledge or skill in a particular The surgeon’s expertise is knee
Expertise
field. surgeries.
The company exploited its
Exploit To use selfishly. workers by making them work
long hours.
The emails presented exposed
Expose To reveal or unmask.
the company’s corruption.
If you’re sick on the day the
paper is due, the teacher may
Extension An act of making something longer.
give you an extension on the
due date.
The dentist extracted one of my
Extract To get or remove something.
teeth.
A time when there is an extreme lack of Millions of children in Ethiopia
Famine
food. died due to the famine there.
This study plan you made for
Feasible Possible to do. me sounds feasible, even with
my work schedule.
 Remember that life is finite;
Finite Having an end or limits.
you’re not immortal.
A feature that ruins the perfection of I got the diamond for a reduced
Flaw
something. price since the stone had a flaw.
I’m not sure what to wear since
Fluctuate To change continually. the temperature has been
fluctuating so much.
The program is going to focus
Focus The central point or idea.
on environmental issues.
The king decided to fortify the
Fortify To strengthen. castle walls to protect them
during attacks.
Skyscrapers must have a strong
A skeletal structure designed to support
Framework framework to support all the
something.
floors.
You must stop spending your
Frivolous Unnecessary; of little importance
money on frivolous purchases.
The function of petals is to
Function A purpose natural to a person or thing.
attract insects to the plant.
Learning scales is fundamental
Fundamental Of primary importance.
to being a good piano player.
Be careful to avoid the gap
Gap A space in between to objects.
between the two steps.
Our answering machine is so
Communication that is distorted and
Garbled bad that people’s voices are
unclear.
always garbled.
The fire generates heat, which
Generate To produce.
keeps the room warm.
The actress had only one small
Grandiose Pompous; overly important. part before she got grandiose
ideas of her fame.
HIs poems contain many
Hackneyed Overused and unoriginal.
hackneyed phrases.
There was no schedule, so the
Haphazard Lacking planning.
event was very haphazard.
Her comments on my
Harsh Not gentle; unpleasant. performance were very harsh
and not kind at all.
In order to avoid the police, the
Hasty In a hurry.
robbers made a hasty retreat.
The nuclear reactor has a lot of
Hazardous Full of risk.
hazardous waste.
She hesitated before entering
Hesitate To pause, often due to reluctance.
the abandoned building.
 In the office hierarchy, the
Hierarchy A ranking system. manager is higher than the
associate.
Her hatred of public
Something that causes delay or transportation is a hindrance
Hindrance
resistance. when trying to get around New
York City.
Hollow Empty inside. The dead tree is hollow.
The haunted house filled me
Horror An intense feeling of fear.
with horror.
My ex-boyfriend’s new
Hostile Extremely unfriendly. girlfriend was very hostile
towards me.
You’ll need to conduct an
An unproven idea that attempts to explain
Hypothesis experiment to test your
something.
hypothesis.
The twins were completely
Identical Exactly the same.
identical.
Because he’d never been able to
Illiterate Unable to read. attend school, the man was
illiterate.
The professor illustrated the
Illustrate To explain by using an example.
lesson with a personal story.
His moving words had a large
Impact Effect or influence.
impact on me.
Drinking alcohol will impair
Impair To worsen.
your driving abilities.
We will implement the new
Implement To carry out.
schedule starting next semester.
My mother implied that I was
Imply To strongly suggest. the one who forgot to take out
the trash.
After the riots, the mayor
Impose To force upon.
imposed a curfew on the town.
These medical bills are going to
Impoverish To reduce to poverty.
impoverish me.
I hate my job, but the big
Incentive A reason to do something. paychecks are a good incentive
to stick with it.
I can’t sleep because of the
Incessant Continuing without pause.
dog’s incessant barking.
Don’t worry about your grade
Incidental A minor part. on this quiz; it’s only an
incidental part of your grade.
The ringleader incited the
Incite To urge on.
soldiers to rebellion.
 My inclination is to go to bed
Inclination A preference.
early.
The incompetent worker was
Incompetent Incapable; lacking ability.
fired from his job.
His pitching has been very
Inconsistent Changing randomly.
inconsistent all season.
She is an indefatigable hiker and
Indefatigable Untiring.
can walk all day.
She’s the indisputable star of
Indisputable Not able to be challenged.
the basketball team.
The drug was shown to be
Ineffective Not producing any major impact.
ineffective at curing cancer.
Even if you’re healthy, death is
Inevitable Unable to be avoided.
inevitable in the end.
I inferred that she was annoyed
Infer To guess based on evidence.
based on her body language.
Getting a promotion has really
Inflate To increase in size.
inflated his ego.
The older sister has been a
The ability to have an impact of
Influence positive influence on her
something.
younger siblings.
This cleaning spray inhibits the
Inhibit To hinder or restrain.
growth of bacteria.
She was the initial president of
Initial The first.
the company.
Congress launched an inquiry
Inquiry An investigation to determine the truth. after the senator was accused of
taking bribes.
You can’t quit. You’re an
Integral Necessary to complete the whole.
integral part of this team.
When making a cake, you need
Integrate To combine. to fully integrate the wet and
dry ingredients.
I need you to interpret this
Interpret To explain the meaning of something.
German speech for me.
When the toddlers couldn’t
To come between people, objects, or an
Intervene share their toys, their mothers
event and change what is happening.
had to intervene.
The intrepid mountain climber
Intrepid Fearless.
reached the top of Mt. Everest.
The pattern on this blanket is so
Intricate Highly detailed.
intricate.
We found the stranger’s
Invasive Intrusive. questions too personal and very
invasive.
 The police are going to
Investigate To examine or study.
investigate the crime scene.
Even though my grandfather
Irascible Easy to anger. seems irascible, he’s actually
very loving.
“I love spending my Friday
The use of words to give a meaning
Irony nights doing homework,” she
opposite to their literal meaning.
said with irony.
Not sure which direction to go
Irresolute Uncertain.
in, he stood irresolute.
To be a successful doctor, you’ll
Jargon Words specific to a certain job or group. need to learn a lot of medical
jargon.
The newlyweds jointly opened
Jointly Together.
up a bank account.
My brother has a real knack for
Knack A special talent or skill.
solving tricky math problems.
Building a house requires a lot
Labor Work or effort.
of labor.
I stayed with the front group of
Lag To fall behind. runners for the first few miles,
but after that I began to lag.
The cartoonist lampooned the
Lampoon To mock or ridicule.
president’s speech.
During winter break, my plants
languished since I was visiting
Languish To become weak; to be neglected.
my parents and couldn’t water
them.
The professor will give a 30
Lecture A talk given to an audience.
minute lecture before the quiz.
I’m leery of taking the dark-
Leery Wary.
looking shortcut.
The way he became mayor is
Legitimate Lawful.
completely legitimate.
The judge gave the criminal a
Lenient Merciful; less harsh. lenient sentence due to his bad
childhood.
I don’t have much homework,
Likely Probable. so it’s likely I’ll be able to go
out tonight.
His claims about me are
Ludicrous Ridiculous.
absolutely ludicrous.
She has maintained the same
Maintain To continue at the same level.
weight since high school.
This test is a major part of your
Major Very important.
final grade.
 He tried to manipulate the
Manipulate To influence, especially in an unfair way.
results of the election.
The store’s goal this year is to
Maximize To increase to the greatest possible size.
maximize its profit.
To find the size and dimensions of By measuring the tree, I found it
Measure
something. was seven feet tall.
The meal the chef made was
Mediocre Ordinary, average.
only mediocre.
My mother will mend the hole
Mend To fix.
in my shirt.
Her method for making bread
Method A way of doing something.
takes three days.
Every fall, the geese migrate to
Migrate To move from one place to another.
Florida.
You need to get a minimum of
Minimum The smallest or lowest amount possible. 70% on the test to pass the
class.
The advertisement for the
weight loss pills is very
Misleading Giving the wrong idea.
misleading since studies have
shown they’re ineffective.
I need to modify my style so it
Modify To change.
looks more professional.
The boy was morose after
Morose Gloomy, depressed. hearing he didn’t make the
football team.
The negligent babysitter invited
Negligent Lazy, neglectful. her friends over while the
children were upstairs.
I was hurt when my friend
Nonchalant Indifferent, unexcited.
greeted me so nonchalantly.
My dog always obeys me when
Obey To follow orders or instructions.
I ask her to sit.
The spy obtained the secret
Obtain To get.
codes we need.
The large poster of Michael
Jackson over her bed made it
Obvious Easily understood.
obvious who her favorite singer
was.
Someone on the opposite side for a game The soccer player blocked her
Opponent
or contest. opponent’s shot at the goal.
For the past ten generations the
royal family has oppressed the
Oppress To unfairly burden.
peasants by keeping them in
poverty.
 The explorers are trying to find
Origin The source; where something began.
the origin of the Nile.
This work of art is a paradigm
Paradigm A typical example of something. of the period; you’ll see many
examples of it in the museum.
The parsimonious woman only
Parsimonious Frugal, stingy.
donated a dollar to charity.
My leg was feeling much better,
Partake To join in. so I decided to partake in the
soccer match.
We can get strawberry ice
Partial Preferring one option over others. cream, but I’m actually more
partial to chocolate.
Something existing in very small During the drought, the town
Paucity
amounts; scarcity. had a paucity of fresh water.
Winning the championship was
Peak The highest or most important point.
the peak of his career.
There are some peripheral fights
Peripheral Located on the side or edge.
going on at the outdoor concert.
Let the maple syrup permeate
Permeate To penetrate or pass through.
your waffles before eating them.
I may have lost my last six
To continue, especially when facing
Persist games, but I will continue to
opposition.
persist trying to win.
How does your question pertain
Pertain Relate.
to the lecture?
In high school, I went through a
Phase A period or stage in a process. phase where I only wore black
clothes.
The polls show that my
Poll A record of opinions or votes. candidate is going to win the
election.
Only take one sleeping pill
Potent Powerful.
since they’re very potent.
Your boyfriend is too dramatic.
Pragmatic Practical, sensible. I think you need a more
pragmatic man.
The book is the best I’ve ever
Praise To give approval or admiration.
read; I can’t praise it enough.
The flower girls preceded the
Precede To come before. bride when they walked down
the aisle.
When collecting data, it’s
Precise Exact. important that your
measurements are very precise.
 Harvard is one of the most
Prestigious Having a high reputation. prestigious colleges in the
United States.
If more people don’t start
Prevalent Widespread. washing their hands, disease
will become more prevalent.
Maeve’s primary goal in life is
Primary First; most important.
to become a doctor.
Prior to becoming a teacher,
Prior Previous or earlier.
Elena worked as a book editor.
I’m sorry for interrupting;
Proceed To continue doing something. please proceed with your
speech.
The dog’s progeny all have
Progeny Offspring.
yellow fur.
I’m promoting this new indie
Promote To further to progress of something. movie so that more people will
buy tickets to it.
Dave hopes his new business
Prosper To do well. will prosper and make him a
millionaire.
The twins hated to be apart, so
Proximity Nearness in time or space. they bought houses in close
proximity to each other.
Disagreement or fight; to have an Nina and her boyfriend always
Quarrel
argument. quarrel over money.
The distance between two things, often The range of ages at the concert
Range
the maximum and the minimum. spanned from 12 to 65.
Archibald was promoted to the
Rank An official position or station.
rank of first captain.
After staying out too late, Grace
Rebuke To sternly disapprove or reprimand. received a rebuke from her
parents.
At the end of his speech, the
Recapitulate To give a brief summary. politician made sure to
recapitulate his main points.
Two days after the flood, the
Recede To retreat. seawater finally began to recede
from our house.
I need to ask Mr. Smith if he’ll
To present someone with confidence and
Recommend recommend me for this
approval.
leadership position.
To make changes that improve Melanie’s father is in charge of
Reform
something. reforming to school system.
 Ben needs to regulate how
To supervise or control a process so that
Regulate much he eats in order to stay at
it functions correctly.
a healthy weight.
The builders reinforced the
Reinforce To strengthen with added support. house’s wooden frame with
steel beams.
Lydia rejected my invitation to
Reject To say no to something that is offered.
the homecoming dance.
The CEO decided to release the
Release To free; to allow to be known. company’s profits from last
year.
I rely on coffee to get my
Rely To depend on.
through my mornings.
The coach reproached the
To express disapproval or
Reproach players for failing to play their
disappointment.
best.
The camping trip requires that
Require To need for a specific purpose. every participant bring their
own food and sleeping bag.
I’ve always resented my sister
To feel bitterness or anger towards
Resent because she is my mother’s
someone or something.
favorite child.
Due to his declining health, the
Resign To give up an office or position. mayor decided to resign from
office.
Resist the impulse to have ice
Resist To withstand the effect of.
cream for breakfast.
Matt resolved to get better
Resolve To come to a firm decision. grades next semester by
studying every night.
My doctor told me to restrict
Restrict To confine or keep within limits. myself to one glass of wine a
day.
To continue to do something or keep I’ve decided to retain my
Retain
something. normal hairstyle.
1. I felt calmer after the lion
1. To draw back in. retracted its claws.
Retract
2. To withdraw something after it’s found 2. After numerous errors were
to be untrue. found, the newspaper retracted
the story.
Alexis got out of the car to
Retrieve To bring back. retrieve the ball her little brother
had thrown.
You aren’t expected to actually
Rhetorical Used just for style or impact.
answer rhetorical questions.
 The boys’ father was happy to
Rigid Stiff; unyielding. see the base of the treehouse
was rigid and sturdy.
Rotate the sculpture so I can see
Rotate To turn.
the other side.
A retirement fund is one way to
Something that serves as protection or
Safeguard safeguard your finances for the
ensures safety.
future.
The judges were looking for
Scrutinize To very carefully examine. perfection, so they scrutinized
every entry.
This section of the stadium
Section A part of the whole.
dressed completely in red.
Jane selected a blue dress to
Select To choose.
wear to the wedding.
Librarians need to know how
Things that follow each other in a certain
Sequence order books in the correct
order.
sequence.
1. The robbers suffered severe
1. Harsh or strict. consequences for stealing.
Severe
2. Grave, critical. 2. My uncle is currently battling
a severe illness in the hospital.
You don’t need to worry about
Shallow Not deep. getting your dress wet. The
water is very shallow here.
The empty barn gave the men
Shelter To protect from something harmful.
shelter during the storm.
Hopefully this cream will cause
Shrink To become smaller.
my scar to shrink.
The Gettysburg Address was a
Significant Important, noteworthy. significant event during the
Civil War.
You shouldn’t use Wikipedia as
A person, place, or thing where
Source a source when writing school
something was obtained.
papers.
The farm was almost empty;
Sparse Thinly scattered. there were just a few sparse
trees here and there.
You need to specify which size
Specify To clearly indicate which one. shirt you want before I can
order it.
To form a theory without strong My sister loves to speculate on
Speculate
evidence. the private lives of celebrities.
The hermit lives a solitary
Solitary Alone; without others.
existence deep in the mountains.
 After losing the competition, the
Somber Gloomy; depressing.
chess players were very somber.
The mother sang a lullaby to
Soothe To calm or comfort.
soothe her crying baby.
The shelter was squalid and
Squalid Filthy and unpleasant.
overcrowded.
We’re lucky to live in a country
Stable Unlikely to change or fail.
with such a stable government.
With few new jobs created, the
Stagnant Sluggish, showing little movement. economy has remained stagnant
for the past five years.
The football team will need a
Strategy A plan to reach a desired outcome. good strategy to win the game
tomorrow.
The first king was a good ruler,
Subsequent Coming after something in time. but subsequent kings have all
been corrupt.
If you don’t have sugar, honey
A person or thing acting in place of
Substitute makes a good substitute for this
another.
recipe.
Maya’s perfume was very
Subtle Difficult to notice right away. subtle; you had to get close to
her to smell it.
Make sure you have sufficient
Sufficient Enough to serve a particular purpose.
food for the camping trip.
The class didn’t have time to
Summarize To briefly give the main points. read the book, so the professor
summarized it for them.
My dad didn’t think we were
Supervise To oversee work or a process. old enough to build the fort on
our own, so he supervised us.
The king was supplanted by his
Supplant To take the place of something else. treacherous younger brother
who locked him in the dungeon.
1. The power outage suspended
1. To temporarily stop. the school concert.
Suspend
2. To hang something from somewhere. 2. The lamp is suspended from
the high ceiling.
The couple became suspicious
when they saw strange men
Having the belief that someone is doing
Suspicious removing their neighbor’s
something dishonest or illegal.
expensive electronics during the
night.
I stopped trying to sustain the
Sustain To keep going. friendship after he made fun of
how I looked.
 A cross is symbolic of
Symbolic Serving as a symbol.
Christianity.
The laptop manual is full of
Technical Relating to a specific subject or craft. technical terms only a computer
expert can understand.
Everyone on the train must get
Terminal Situated at the end.
off at the terminal stop.
I tolerate the rude man since he
Tolerate To put up with.
is my husband’s best friend.
Ben’s work is going to transfer
Transfer To move from one place to another.
him from Chicago to Detroit.
The transition from student to
Changing from one state or condition to
Transition employee can often take awhile
another.
to get used to.
1. The glass vase is completely
1. See-through material. transparent.
Transparent
2. Easy to detect. 2. Her attempt to flatter the
movie star was very transparent.
College tuition prices have gone
Tuition The fee for instruction at a school.
up in recent decades.
The prince’s bodyguards had
Unobtrusive Not attracting attention. mastered the art of being
unobtrusive.
Ian was lucky to walk away
Unscathed Unharmed.
from the car crash unscathed.
Even when she’s having a bad
Upbeat Happy; optimistic. day, my mom always has an
upbeat attitude.
Since I tried my hardest on the
Unjust Unfair. exam, I felt my teacher’s
criticism of me was unjust.
She vacillated between the two
Vacillate To waver or be indecisive. dresses before finally deciding
to wear a skirt.
The soldiers had valid concerns
Valid Just; well-founded. about the battles they’d be
facing.
The plane vanished behind the
Vanish To diappear quickly.
clouds.
To be different from something else in a
Vary
group.
The jury delivered a guilty
Verdict A judgement or decision.
verdict.
A small trace of something that is The empty castle still had a few
Vestige
disappearing or has already disappeared. vestiges of its former wealth.
 The chemist carefully filled the
Vial A small container used to hold liquids.
vial with the bubbling solution.
Mark was vilified by his angry
Vilify To speak poorly of; to slander.
ex-girlfriend.
The puffy wedding dress had
Voluminous Taking up a lot of space.
voluminous sleeves.
I always save my money
Whereas On the contrary. whereas my brother is
constantly in debt.
The monk is wholly devoted to
Wholly Completely.
his faith.
There is widespread poverty
Widespread Occurring over a large region.
across that country.
Plants will wilt if you don’t
Wilt To droop and become limp.
water them regularly.