The 327 TOEFL Words You Need to Know

Below are the 327 best TOEFL vocabulary words, in alphabetical order.

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 our
Accumulate To gradually collect.
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.
Adjacent Close to or next to. The park is adjacent to the 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 His height gives him an advantage
Advantage
achieve success. 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 funds
Allocate To put aside for a specific purpose.
for building the new school.
Alternative Another option or choice. If the ATM is broken, an alternative
 solution is to stop by the bank.
He’s an amateur soccer player and
Someone who is inexperienced or not
Amateur is still learning the rules of the
highly skilled in a particular area.
game.
When I asked the HR manager
Having several potential meanings; what my chances were of getting
Ambiguous
unclear and difficult to understand. 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
Anomaly Deviation from the norm. best free thrower, so his missing
both shots was an anomaly.
The annual company barbeque
Annual Occurring yearly.
takes place every August.
To tease or be hostile towards a The boy loves to antagonize his
Antagonize
person or 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 your
Attribute To give credit. sources when writing a research
paper.
Flipping a coin is an arbitrary way
Arbitrary Based on a whim or random decision.
to make a decision.
After you cross the bridge, there’s
Arduous Requiring a lot of effort.
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 he
Assume To suppose without solid proof.
worked as a lawyer.
She augments her regular salary
Augment To increase or make larger.
by babysitting on the weekends.
Benefit Something positive or advantageous. A benefit of doing homework on
 Friday is that your weekend will be
free.
Our neighbor berated us after we
Berate To scold.
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 his
Boost To help raise or increase something.
self-esteem before his speech.
The brash man always asked
Brash Rude and tactless.
inappropriate questions.
It will only have a brief meeting, so
Brief Short (in terms of time). 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.
Cease To stop. I wish they would cease 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.
Being aware or having knowledge of Before mountain climbing, you
Cognizant
something. need to be cognizant of the risks.
Water molecules show strong
Cohesion Uniting; becoming one.
cohesion when they stick together.
This year Thanksgiving coincided
Coincide To occur at the same time.
with my birthday.
 The old building finally collapsed,
Collapse To fall down or break down. leaving nothing but a pile of
rubble.
To hit one another with a forceful The two cars collided on the
Collide
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 city
A group of people who live or work
Community is hosting a New Year celebration
together.
next week.
The mountains concealed the
Conceal To hide.
ocean from view.
He believes women should be paid
Concur To agree.
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 a
Constrain To restrict or repress. bigger pot, otherwise you’ll
constrain its roots.
I spend a lot of time contemplating
Contemplate To consider thoughtfully.
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.
To give something (usually money or Every roommate contributes part
Contribute
time) to a common fund or cause. of his paycheck to the 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 the
Core Central; of main importance. company, the core leadership
remained.
Corrode To gradually wear away. The rust corroded the paint on my
 car.
Trying to carry four grocery bags at
Cumbersome Burdensome; clumsy
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 show
Facts, statistics, or pieces of
Data that yearly temperatures are
information.
increasing.
After the tree died, its wood began
Decay To decline in health or excellence.
to decay.
He deceived me by pretending to
Deceive To trick or mislead.
be a millionaire.
The spy deciphered the secret
Decipher To find the meaning of.
code.
He made a declaration to the office
Declaration An announcement.
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 into
Degrade To lower in quality.
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.
Deposit To deliver and leave an item. Please deposit your books in the
 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
Diatribe A sharp criticism or attack.
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 of
A situation where one must choose
Dilemma attending school sick or missing
between two difficult choices.
her exam.
Sprinkle baking soda on the carpet
Diminish To shrink or reduce.
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 police
Divert To cause a change of course. had to divert traffic down a side
street.
The theater has dynamic shows, so
Dynamic Constantly changing.
you never know what you’ll see.
Ease To reduce unpleasantness or This prescription will ease your
 difficulty. allergies.
Now that I’m following a schedule
Efficient Maximizing productivity.
at work, I’m much more efficient.
Our team lost the match and was
Eliminate To remove.
eliminated from the competition.
The elite detective team were also
Elite A select, above-average group. 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 two
Equivalent Equal.
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 These fossils are evidence of
Evidence
or disprove something. evolution.
The small school evolved into a
Evolve To gradually change.
world-class institution.
She is an exemplary student, and
Exemplary Worthy of imitation.
you should copy her study habits.
The young boy was excluded from
Exclude To leave out.
his friends’ soccer game.
Exclusive Not admitting the majority. We may not be able to get in since
 that club is very exclusive.
Adding air to bike tires will cause
Expand To increase in size.
them to expand.
Expert knowledge or skill in a The surgeon’s expertise is knee
Expertise
particular field. surgeries.
The company exploited its workers
Exploit To use selfishly.
by making them work long hours.
The emails presented exposed the
Expose To reveal or unmask.
company’s corruption.
If you’re sick on the day the paper
Extension An act of making something longer. is due, the teacher may 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 Millions of children in  Ethiopia
Famine
of food. died due to the famine there.
This study plan you made for me
Feasible Possible to do. sounds feasible, even with my
work schedule.
Remember that life is finite; you’re
Finite Having an end or limits.
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 the
Fluctuate To change continually. temperature has been fluctuating
so much.
The program is going to focus on
Focus The central point or idea.
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
Framework framework to support all the
support something.
floors.
You must stop spending your
Frivolous Unnecessary; of little importance
money on frivolous purchases.
A purpose natural to a person or The function of petals is to attract
Function
thing. insects to the plant.
Fundamental Of primary importance. Learning scales is fundamental 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 bad
Communication that is distorted and
Garbled that people’s voices are always
unclear.
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 the
Hesitate To pause, often due to reluctance.
abandoned building.
In the office hierarchy, the
Hierarchy A ranking system. manager is higher than the
associate.
Her hatred of public transportation
Something that causes delay or
Hindrance is a hindrance when trying to get
resistance.
around New York City.
Hollow Empty inside. The dead tree is hollow.
The haunted house filled me with
Horror An intense feeling of fear.
horror.
My ex-boyfriend’s new girlfriend
Hostile Extremely unfriendly.
was very hostile towards me.
You’ll need to conduct an
An unproven idea that attempts to
Hypothesis experiment to test your
explain something.
hypothesis.
Identical Exactly the same. The twins were completely
 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 your
Impair To worsen.
driving abilities.
We will implement the new
Implement To carry out.
schedule starting next semester.
My mother implied that I was the
Imply To strongly suggest. one who forgot to take out the
trash.
After the riots, the mayor imposed
Impose To force upon.
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 dog’s
Incessant Continuing without pause.
incessant barking.
Don’t worry about your grade on
Incidental A minor part. this quiz; it’s only an incidental part
of your grade.
The ringleader incited the soldiers
Incite To urge on.
to rebellion.
Inclination A preference. My inclination is to go to bed early.
The incompetent worker was fired
Incompetent Incapable; lacking ability.
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 the
Indisputable Not able to be challenged.
basketball team.
Ineffective Not producing any major impact. The drug was shown to be
 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 younger
something.
siblings.
This cleaning spray inhibits the
Inhibit To hinder or restrain.
growth of bacteria.
She was the initial president of the
Initial The first.
company.
Congress launched an inquiry after
An investigation to determine the
Inquiry the senator was accused of taking
truth.
bribes.
You can’t quit. You’re an integral
Integral Necessary to complete the whole.
part of this team.
When making a cake, you need to
Integrate To combine. fully integrate the wet and dry
ingredients.
I need you to interpret this
Interpret To explain the meaning of something.
German speech for me.
To come between people, objects, or When the toddlers couldn’t share
Intervene an event and change what is their toys, their mothers had to
happening. 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 questions
Invasive Intrusive.
too personal and very invasive.
The police are going to investigate
Investigate To examine or study.
the crime scene.
Even though my grandfather
Irascible Easy to anger. seems irascible, he’s actually very
loving.
Irony The use of words to give a meaning “I love spending my Friday nights
 doing homework,” she said with
opposite to their literal meaning.
irony.
Not sure which direction to go in,
Irresolute Uncertain.
he stood irresolute.
To be a successful doctor, you’ll
Words specific to a certain job or
Jargon need to learn a lot of medical
group.
jargon.
The newlyweds jointly opened up a
Jointly Together.
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 of
Labor Work or effort.
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
Languish To become weak; to be neglected. languished since I was visiting my
parents and couldn’t water them.
The professor will give a 30 minute
Lecture A talk given to an audience.
lecture before the quiz.
I’m leery of taking the dark-looking
Leery Wary.
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, so
Likely Probable. it’s likely I’ll be able to go out
tonight.
His claims about me are absolutely
Ludicrous Ridiculous.
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.
 To influence, especially in an unfair He tried to manipulate the results
Manipulate
way. of the election.
To increase to the greatest possible The store’s goal this year is to
Maximize
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 only
Mediocre Ordinary, average.
mediocre.
My mother will mend the hole in
Mend To fix.
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.
The smallest or lowest amount You need to get a minimum of 70%
Minimum
possible. on the test to pass the class.
The advertisement for the weight
loss pills is very misleading since
Misleading Giving the wrong idea.
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 hearing
Morose Gloomy, depressed.
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 greeted
Nonchalant Indifferent, unexcited.
me so nonchalantly.
My dog always obeys me when I
Obey To follow orders or instructions.
ask her to sit.
The spy obtained the secret codes
Obtain To get.
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 The soccer player blocked her
Opponent
game 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 the
Origin The source; where something began.
origin of the Nile.
This work of art is a paradigm of
Paradigm A typical example of something. 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, so
Partake To join in. I decided to partake in the soccer
match.
We can get strawberry ice cream,
Partial Preferring one option over others. but I’m actually more partial to
chocolate.
Something existing in very small During the drought, the town had
Paucity
amounts; scarcity. a paucity of fresh water.
Winning the championship was the
Peak The highest or most important point.
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 games,
To continue, especially when facing
Persist but I will continue to persist trying
opposition.
to win.
How does your question pertain to
Pertain Relate.
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 candidate
Poll A record of opinions or votes.
is going to win the election.
Only take one sleeping pill since
Potent Powerful.
they’re very potent.
Your boyfriend is too dramatic. I
Pragmatic Practical, sensible. think you need a more pragmatic
man.
 The book is the best I’ve ever read;
Praise To give approval or admiration.
I can’t praise it enough.
The flower girls preceded the bride
Precede To come before.
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 washing
Prevalent Widespread. their hands, disease will become
more prevalent.
Maeve’s primary goal in life is to
Primary First; most important.
become a doctor.
Prior to becoming a teacher, Elena
Prior Previous or earlier.
worked as a book editor.
I’m sorry for interrupting; please
Proceed To continue doing something.
proceed with your speech.
The dog’s progeny all have yellow
Progeny Offspring.
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 will
Prosper To do well. 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,
The range of ages at the concert
Range often the maximum and the
spanned from 12 to 65.
minimum.
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
Recommend recommend me for this leadership
and approval.
position.
To make changes that improve Melanie’s father is in charge of
Reform
something. reforming to school system.
Ben needs to regulate how much
To supervise or control a process so
Regulate he eats in order to stay at a
that it functions correctly.
healthy weight.
The builders reinforced the
Reinforce To strengthen with added support. house’s wooden frame with steel
beams.
Lydia rejected my invitation to the
Reject To say no to something that is offered.
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 through
Rely To depend on.
my mornings.
To express disapproval or The coach reproached the players
Reproach
disappointment. for failing to play their 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 grades
Resolve To come to a firm decision. next semester by studying every
night.
Restrict To confine or keep within limits. My doctor told me to restrict
 myself to one glass of wine a day.
To continue to do something or keep I’ve decided to retain my normal
Retain
something. hairstyle.
 1. I felt calmer after the lion
 1. To draw back in. retracted its claws.
Retract 2. To withdraw something after it’s  2. After numerous errors were
found to be untrue. found, the newspaper retracted
the story.
Alexis got out of the car to retrieve
Retrieve To bring back. 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 see
Rigid Stiff; unyielding. 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
Safeguard safeguard your finances for the
or 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 wear
Select To choose.
to the wedding.
Things that follow each other in a Librarians need to know how order
Sequence
certain order. books in the correct 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.
Shrink To become smaller. Hopefully this cream will cause 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
A person, place, or thing where
Source source when writing school
something was obtained.
papers.
The farm was almost empty; there
Sparse Thinly scattered. 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 the
Speculate
evidence. 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 with
Stable Unlikely to change or fail.
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 good
Strategy A plan to reach a desired outcome. strategy to win the game
tomorrow.
The first king was a good ruler, but
Subsequent Coming after something in time. 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;
Subtle Difficult to notice right away. you had to get close to her to smell
it.
 Make sure you have sufficient food
Sufficient Enough to serve a particular purpose.
for the camping trip.
The class didn’t have time to read
Summarize To briefly give the main points. the book, so the professor
summarized it for them.
My dad didn’t think we were old
Supervise To oversee work or a process. 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
2. The lamp is suspended from the
somewhere.
high ceiling.
The couple became suspicious
when they saw strange men
Having the belief that someone is
Suspicious removing their neighbor’s
doing 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.
Symbolic Serving as a symbol. A cross is symbolic of 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 off
Terminal Situated at the end.
at the terminal stop.
I tolerate the rude man since he is
Tolerate To put up with.
my husband’s best friend.
Ben’s work is going to transfer him
Transfer To move from one place to another.
from Chicago to Detroit.
The transition from student to
Changing from one state or condition
Transition employee can often take awhile to
to another.
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 up
Tuition The fee for instruction at a school.
in recent decades.
The prince’s bodyguards had
Unobtrusive Not attracting attention. mastered the art of being
unobtrusive.
Ian was lucky to walk away from
Unscathed Unharmed.
the car crash unscathed.
Even when she’s having a bad day,
Upbeat Happy; optimistic. 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 disappear quickly.
clouds.
To be different from something else in
Vary
a group.
Verdict A judgement or decision. The jury delivered a guilty verdict.
A small trace of something that is
The empty castle still had a few
Vestige disappearing or has already
vestiges of its former wealth.
disappeared.
The chemist carefully filled the vial
Vial A small container used to hold liquids.
with the bubbling solution.
Mark was vilified by his angry ex-
Vilify To speak poorly of; to slander.
girlfriend.
The puffy wedding dress had
Voluminous Taking up a lot of space.
voluminous sleeves.
I always save my money whereas
Whereas On the contrary.
my brother is constantly in debt.
The monk is wholly devoted to his
Wholly Completely.
faith.
There is widespread poverty
Widespread Occurring over a large region.
across that country.
Wilt To droop and become limp. Plants will wilt if you don’t water
 them regularly.