Advanced Vocabulary for TOEFL iBT Candidates

Accommodation bewilder
A room to stay in or other place to stay; the To confuse or befuddle
act of accommodation I am absolutely bewildered by the new tax
When I go on business trips, the forms. I have no idea how to fill them out.
accommodations my company pays for are
usually quite bad. bitter
Having or being a taste that is sharp, acrid,
affluent and unpleasant.
Wealthy; having a large amount of money The coffee was too bitter for Max. He had to
Only the most affluent individuals can afford add a lot of sugar.
a Lamborghini.
anecdote
ajar (noun) a short, interesting story
Slightly open or almost closed: said of a At the party Charles told some humorous
door. anecdotes about his days in the military.
found the door ajar, and I stood a moment
gazing at the hateful man who claimed a
avert
right to rule me, body and soul. - Incidents in
(verb) turn aside, or away; as, to avert the
the Life of a Slave Girl
eyes from an object; to ward off, or prevent,
the occurrence or effects of
appropriate
Suitable; befitting; proper. We did everything we could to avert the
Boardshorts are not appropriate attire for the disaster, but it was not enough.
office.
candid
arouse (adjective) straightforward, open and sincere,
To excite into action; stir or put in motion or honest
exertion; awaken: as, to arouse attention; to I had a very candid discussion with Max
arouse one from sleep; to arouse dormant about his drinking problem.
faculties.
dialogue
They would send agents and emissaries about
(noun) conversation between 2 or more
the kingdom to arouse, and encourage, and
people.
assemble such Saxon forces as were yet to be
found. - King Alfred of England
The action in the movie was very exciting,
but the dialogue was incredibly bad.
augment
drastic
To add to; increase
(adjective) extreme, severe
I teach English in the evenings to augment
The doctor had to take drastic measures to
my family's income.
save the patient's life

avarice
Excessive desire for wealth; extreme greed erratic
Corruption is a product of avarice and thirst (adjective) irregular, unsteady, random;
for power. prone to unexpected changes
The man's erratic behavior made everybody
on the flight nervous.
barricade
fortify
Something that serves as an obstacle; a
(verb)strengthen, reinforce
barrier
The government intended to fortify the levees
The police set up a barricade to keep voters
surrounding New Orleans.
away from the polling stations.

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 Advanced Vocabulary for TOEFL iBT Candidates

isolate menace
(verb) set apart or cut off from others, (noun) a possible threat or danger
separate Leaders with too much power can become a
The hospital isolated the patients with bird menace to the world.
flu to help prevent an outbreak. novice
illuminate (noun) a person new to an activity, a
(verb) shine light on something, light up beginner
something You are pretty good for a novice.
The new street lights were not powerful overt
enough to illuminate the street sufficiently. (adjective) open and observable; not secret or
urban concealed
(adjective) related to or located in the city The politician's disregard for the law was
People from urban areas have very different quite overt.
political views from people in rural areas. audible
arrogant (adjective) able to be heard, hearable
(adjective) showing too much self-importance The child spoke so softly her voice was barely
or self-worth; overbearing pride audible.
Many political and business leaders are very coerce
arrogant. (verb) compel by unethical means, force
Max was coerced into making a donation to
aspire the Senator's campaign fund.
(verb) to hope or dream; especially to hope or
work towards a profession or occupation morale
Pinocchio aspired to become a real boy. (noun) the state of spirit of a person or group
compel The soldier's morale is extremely low.
(verb) force, constrain or coerce; sway prevail
The soldiers were compelled to fight in the (verb) win; overcome; gain advantage
war. We may be losing now, but in the end we
concise will prevail.
(adjective) short, brief, not verbose; clear and prudent
succinct (adjective) careful and wise
Please write a concise essay on the meaning It would not be very prudent to spend your
of life. entire paycheck on lottery tickets.
illusion
(noun) a false impression, something that
seems to be something that it is not retort
The magician seems to saw his assistant in (noun) a sharp reply, answer
half, but it is just an illusion. Jack came back with a witty retort to the
reporter's question.
impose
(verb) establish or apply by authority; force scapegoat
something on someone; selfishly bother (noun) someone to blame; someone to take the
The government imposes taxes on the poor to blame for others
pay for social programs for the rich. Every office needs a scapegoat. In our office
Max is the scapegoat. He's blamed for
lenient everything.
(adjective)easygoing, lax, tolerant of
deviation, permissive, not strict sedate
The teacher accused Bobby's parents of being (adjective) calm; composed
too lenient with Bobby. The crowd at the funeral was quiet and
sedate.

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 Advanced Vocabulary for TOEFL iBT Candidates

superstition naive
(noun) An irrational belief which ignores the Lacking experience.
laws of nature. It was naive of me to think that the governor
Getting seven years of bad luck for breaking a actually cared about the people living in his
mirror is a common superstition. state.
supplement
(verb) add to; provide a supplement to stringent
Max got a second job to supplement his Strict; restrictive; rigid; severe.
income. Mary has been on a stringent diet for
apathy months.
Lack of interest or concern.
There is widespread apathy among the school adverse
staff. Unfavorable; harmful.
Adverse weather conditions will not stop
dismal Max from going fishing.
Gloomy; drepressing; dreary.
When the weather is gloomy, I have a hard advocate
time getting motivated to do anything. A person who publicly supports something
or someone.
dismay Max is an advocate for animal rights.
To cause the sudden loss of courage; to cause
the feeling of consternation and distress. destiny
We were dismayed by the president's policy A predetermined state; fate.
reversal. Max considered it his destiny to die poor and
alone.
emulation
The imitation or copying of someone. diminish
To make smaller or less or to cause to appear
endeavor so.
To try very hard to achieve something. Max laughed at Mary's award and tried to
We hoped that the president would endeavor diminish the award's importance.
to help the people.
donor
frugal One who contributes to a cause or fund.
Thrifty; economical. The Red Cross sent a letter of gratitude to all
You don't have to have a lot of money to of the donors.
travel if you are frugal.
exempt
impair Free from a duty or obligation.
To weaken; to affect negatively. Most churches are exempt from paying taxes.

query
To ask, inquire.
mercenary The police officer queried the drivers involved
in the accident.
A professional soldier hired to serve in a
foreign army.
The war was fought mostly by mercenaries.

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 Advanced Vocabulary for TOEFL iBT Candidates

patron funny Mike Allen asks: Do reporters 'revere'

A customer Senator Clinton? - Archive 2007-11-01
Some of the patrons complained to the waiter
about the quality of the food.
rudimentary
savor Being in the earliest stages of development;
To enjoy or appreciate the taste or smell of incipient.
something. They were introduced in rudimentary
Homer savored every bite of the chocolate fashion in Second Edition and became a full-
donut. fledged system in Third Edition. - 4e PHB
Readthrough – Chapter 5: Skills « Geek Related

vocation
Employment; occupation; avocation; calling; skirmish
business; trade A minor or preliminary conflict or dispute: a
It is important to choose a vocation that you skirmish over the rules before the debate
enjoy. began.

adroit
Interesting use of the word skirmish while
Dexterous; deft.
troops are fighting this is what's going on in
In other words, we expect quite a lot from the
Washington as well. - CNN Transcript Feb 18,
"adroit" waiter from the point of view of
2007
active knowledge gathering and skillful
orchestration of movements based on the
current cognitive map -- representation of terse
the world and management of the body. - Brief, concise, to the point.
Archive 2009-05-01

bogus Ms. Diallo's lawyers received what one of

Not true; fake. them called a "terse" letter Friday inviting
The politician's allegations against the prime her to meet with prosecutors at 3 p.m. to
minister were completely bogus. discuss what will happen in court Tuesday. -
Strauss-Kahn Case May Be Dropped

impede trivial
Ordinary; commonplace.
To retard or obstruct the progress of. See
Synonyms at hinder1.
Does the R behind my name impede you from
having a true debate? - Think Progress » Mr. Weinberg noted that the core inflation
Congressman: ‘I Fear…We Will Have Many More rate, which strips out volatile prices, is just
Muslims In The United States’ 0.9 per cent on an annual basis, which he
calls "trivial." - The Globe and Mail - Home RSS
feed
loathe
To hate, detest, revile. verify
Yeah you probably right, but the hypocrisy To prove the truth of by presentation of
and deceit of the Republicans which evidence or testimony; substantiate.
Americans loathe is simply unmatched! - First, the word "verify" more accurately
CNN Poll: Americans think Sanford should resign reflects the requirements placed on end users
of endangered wood. - NPR Topics: News
revere
To regard with awe, deference, and devotion.
In his current column at Politico, the oh-so-

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 Advanced Vocabulary for TOEFL iBT Candidates

anachronism fickle
(noun) someone or something that belongs in (adjective) changing frequently
another place in time
Kids are sometimes very fickle and may have
Everything seemed normal except for the a new favorite food every week.
anachronism of the man riding a horse down
the street. One country colonizing another lucrative
country is an anachronism in today's global (adjective) producing a great deal of profit
environment.
Max told me that ESL was a very lucrative
antecedent field, and I believed him.
(noun) something that precedes another
thing, especially the cause of the second thing
moot
(adjective) subject to debate, unsettled.
Pronouns usually refer to antecedents.
Whether the tooth fairy is male or female is a
debacle moot point. No one knows.
(noun) a terrible failure
opulence
By most accounts, the war in Iraq has been a (noun) wealth and luxury
tremendous debacle.
Nina would not marry Charlie, for he had no
exonerate money, and she was not willing to settle for
(verb) to absolve from blame, to prove anything less than a life of opulence.
innocent
spry
I am confident that I will be fully exonerated (adjective) active; lively
if I'm given a fair trial.
Max was amazingly spry for an old man.
lucid
(adjective) clear, clear headed
tentative
(adjective) not certain or fixed
I am the most lucid right after a cup of coffee.
His style of writing was very clear and lucid.
Our summer plans are still tentative. I think
we are going to go camping in the
pernicious mountains.
(adjective) harmful, deadly
wary
The current concentration of ownership of (adjective) cautious; leery
media has had a pernicious effect on
democracy in the US.
The children were very wary of the stranger
and would not let him into the house.
wily
(adjective) sly, clever, cunning (usually
disparity
deceitfully).
(noun) a state of inequality, a great difference
Many politicians employ teams of wily
Every year economic disparities in the world
advisors to help them skirt the law.
grow larger and larger.

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 Advanced Vocabulary for TOEFL iBT Candidates

facilitate (adjective) conscientiously hard-working.

(verb) to make easier
As a result of their diligent research, the
The teachers put some of their course scientists were able to find a cure for the
materials on the Internet to facilitate disease.
resource sharing.
inane
fraudulent (adjective) empty and pointless.
(adjective) dishonest, deceptive
Mary could not stand Max's inane questions
Richie Rich received his wealth through any longer, so she left.
fraudulent means.

ludicrous indict
(adjective) laughable. (verb) to charge with a crime.

The politician's attempts to cover up his Many politicians have been indicted recently,
crimes were ludicrous. and many more will probably be indicted
soon.
opportunist
(noun) a person who pursues and exploits petty
any kind of opportunity without being (adjective) unimportant or trivial.
guided by principles, plans or any ethical
considerations Max was convicted of petty theft.

Most politicians are opportunists who will sedentary

jump at any advantage without any ethical (adjective) inactive; spending much time
considerations. seated

shirk Fast-food and sedentary lifestyles are major

(verb) avoid, ignore or neglect responsibility factors in the obesity problem in the US.

Many politicians' sole purpose is to shirk facetious

their duties and make as much money as (adjective) in a joking manner; treating
possible. serious matters with deliberately
inappropriate humor
spite
(noun) a desire to hurt, annoy, vengeance When I said that I agreed with the
President's policies, I was just being
Shortly after Max and Mary broke up, Mary facetious.
scratched Max's car out of spite.
discord
apathy (noun) disagreement or conflict
(noun) a lack of interest or enthusiasm.
There was a tremendous amount of discord
Voter turnout is quite low because of among the PTA officers.
widespread apathy among the voters.

diligent
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 Advanced Vocabulary for TOEFL iBT Candidates

ostracize dichotomy
(verb) to exclude from a group (noun) a division into two groups or parts or
two opposing viewpoints
As a child, Max was ostracized by the other
kids in his school because he wore different There is a sharp dichotomy of opinion on
clothes. Max's ability to lead the government.

pensive disdain
(adjective) deep in thought or reflection. (noun) contempt

Max must be in a very pensive mood today. Max has nothing but disdain for people like
He hasn't said anything all day. Mary.

placid
(adjective) tranquil, peaceful, calm impugn
(verb) criticize; dispute the truth; call into
My dog has a very placid temperament. She question
does not get upset easily.
The politician was very upset as she felt that
salient her character had been impugned.
(adjective) Most noticeable, important,
prominent, or conspicuous malice
(noun) the desire to hurt others
The most salient feature of Mary's
appearance is her Purple hair. Max has a great amount of malice towards
the government.
tacit
(adjective) understood or implied but not staunch
specifically expressed. (adjective) strong, loyal and committed in
attitude
When Max and Mary moved in together as
roommates, they had a tacit agreement that Mary is one of Max's staunchest supporters.
they would share expenses.
vilify
zeal verb) to write or speak badly or abusively
(noun) passion, or enthusiasm (usually in about
pursuit of a cause or objective)
Max was vilified in all of the newspapers.
Because of her zeal for chocolate, Mary got a
job at the chocolate factory as a chocolate
taster. conundrum
(noun) a confusing problem or question

cryptic For some hot dog aficionados, why there are

(adjective) mysterious, secret, or obscure in many different varieties of mustard but
meaning relatively few varieties of ketchup is a
conundrum to ponder.
Mary's comments were so cryptic that I had
no idea what she was saying.

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 Advanced Vocabulary for TOEFL iBT Candidates

exploit
(verb) to make use of, take advantage of credence
(unfairly profit from) (noun) belief that or acceptance that
something is true
The policy of some corporations is to hire
employees right out of school in order to I don't give much credence to Max's stories.
exploit their eagerness and enthusiasm.
devise
gullible (adjective) to plan or invent
(adjective) easily persuaded to believe
something John devised a plan for a sure victory.

Max is so gullible. He believed me when I

told him that I was running for president of disengage
the US. (verb) to detach or separate from something

Many people are pushing for the country to

impeccable disengage its military from foreign lands.
(adjective) perfect, flawless

Max is a person of impeccable character. rebuke

(verb) to express sstrong criticism or
disapproval of (someone)
penchant
(noun) a strong habitual fondness for Mary rebuked her children for not cleaning
something their bedrooms.

Max has a penchant for coffee and

doughnuts. sentiment
(noun) an opinion

plausible I agree with your sentiment regarding global

(adjective) believable, possible warming.

It doesn't seem plausible that your dog

actually ate your homework. unilateral
(adjective) performed by a single person,
group or country (an action or decision)
scrutinize
(verb) to look over or inspect closely There is little support globally for a
particular country taking unilateral action
When you sign the mortgage papers, be sure against another country.
to scrutinize the fine print.
expedite
concoct (verb) to make something happen sooner
(verb) to make by combining different (usually an action or process)
ingredients, create or devise
Max called the cable company to see if they
The story that Max concocted as an excuse could expedite the installation process.
for not doing his homework was preposterous
but entertaining.

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 Advanced Vocabulary for TOEFL iBT Candidates

Max is a very astute businessman. He has a

very keen mind for making business deals.
flagrant
(adjective) outrageous or conspicuously
offensive candor
(noun) the quality of openness and honesty
Many politicians are in flagrant violation of in attitude and expression
the law. The basketball player committed a
flagrant foul. In all candor, I think that Max is a complete
nincompoop.
frugal
(adjective) thrifty, economical copious
(adjective) plentiful, abundant in supply
If I had been more frugal, I could have saved
enough money to buy a new car. We drank copious amounts of coffee in order
to stay awake during class.
gregarious
(adjective) sociable, outgoing effeminate
(adjective) feminine, unmanly
Max is a very gregarious person. He likes to
be around people. Because Max is so effeminate, he was often
picked on in school. The other kids called him
a sissy.
misanthrope
(noun) a person who dislikes people and
avoids people finagle
(verb) to get something through
Mary is a misanthrope. She hates being manipulation or dishonest means
around people.
Max finagled his way into the sold out
Britney Spears concert. I don't know how he
pacifist
did it (or why).
(noun) a person who does not believe in war
or violence.
prolific
Max got out of serving in the military by (adjective) very productive
claiming that he was a pacifist.
Noam Chomsky is a very prolific author.
He's written many books and articles.
repudiate
(verb) to reject as false
tangible
Many of the staunchest supporters of (adjective) touchable, perceptible by touch
neoconservatism have now repudiated
neoconservatism as a complete failure. They Max will probably escape punishment for his
claim that neoconservatism is dead. crimes because there is no tangible evidence
to make a case against him.
astute
(adjective) shrewd, or having the ability to
accurately assess situations or people for
one's own advantage.

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 Advanced Vocabulary for TOEFL iBT Candidates

ad lib The teacher was particularly callous in her

(verb) to speak or perform without preparing treatment of the children.
previously, improvise
emulate
The teacher lost all of his teaching notes on (verb) to imitate or model yourself after
the way to class and was forced to ad lib the
lesson. Children often emulate adults that they look
up to.
animosity
(noun) strong hostility, hatred finite
(adjective) limited
For some reason, Max feels a lot of animosity
toward Mary. In a world of finite resources, if some people
have more, other people must have less.
earnest
(adjective) serious and sincere
laud
Max made an earnest attempt to study for (verb) to praise
the exam, but it was too difficult for him.
The school's principal lauded the teacher for
her ability to discipline her class.
epitome
(noun) a perfect example nocturnal
(adjective) active at night
Some people feel that George Bush is the
epitome of arrogance. Mountain lions are primarily nocturnal and
do almost all of their hunting at night.
genre
(noun) a category or kind (usually of art, noxious
literature, or music) (adjective) harmful or unpleasant

Max's favorite film genres are action and Be careful applying pesticides. Their fumes
comedy. are often quite noxious to humans.

permeate recant
(verb) to spread throughout (usually odor) (verb) to take back what one has said; to say
that one no longer holds a belief or opinion
The stench of the rotten food permeated the
entire building. Max recanted every bad thing he said about
Mary.
taciturn
(adjective) reserved, saying little agony
(noun) intense suffering and pain
Max seems to be unusually taciturn today.
Something must be bothering him. Max cried in agony when he broke his leg.

callous
(adjective) insensitive and unfeeling toward
others
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 Advanced Vocabulary for TOEFL iBT Candidates

allege commemorate
(verb) assert or claim wrongdoing by (verb) to remember and show respect (in a
someone (typically without proof) ceremony)

The teacher alleged that Max cheated on the Veterans' Day is a day to commemorate
exam. soldiers who have honorably served their
country.
caricature
(noun) a picture or description of a person or devastate
thing with comically exaggerated (verb) to ruin or destroy
characteristics
The city was devastated by the bombs.
Max drew a caricature of his teacher.
disarmament
disperse (noun) the reduction of military or weapons
(verb) cause to go in different directions
The protestors called for a complete
The crowd dispersed as soon as the concert disarmament.
was over.
distraught
incite (adjective) very agitated and upset from
(verb) to stir up or encourage (violent or mental conflict
unlawful behavior)
Mary became distraught when she found out
Max incited the other students to rebel that her son was being sent into war.
against the teacher.
embark
polarize (verb) to start, begin
(verb) to divide or cause to divide into two
sharply contrasting groups Max embarked on a career as a plumber.

The issue polarized the public. envision

(verb) to imagine as a future possibility
precipitate
(verb) to cause to happen suddenly or sooner Max never envisioned being a plumber.
than expected
excerpt
Extremely high gas prices precipitated the (noun) an extract (from film, writing, music,
demise of the SUV. or other type of work)

sanction The excerpts of the story published in the

(noun) official authorization, approval or newspaper were very interesting.
ratification of a law
forsake
Max received the official sanction of the (verb) to abandon
Federal Darts Association to hold a
tournament in the school.
The town was forsaken by its former
inhabitants because the nearby volcano
threatened to erupt.

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 Advanced Vocabulary for TOEFL iBT Candidates

temperance
(noun) abstinence from drinking alcohol

Max has become an advocate of complete

temperance.

vow
(verb) to solemnly promise

Max vowed to never drink another drop of

alcohol again.

construction
(noun) (in linguistics and grammar) the
arrangement of words according to
structural rules

convey
(verb) to communicate ideas or information
or to make them known

descriptive
(adjective) serving to describe (without
making judgment) (used as an adverb in the
above passage)

indeed
(adverb) without a doubt, in fact (used to
confirm something already suggested or
stated)

intervene
(verb) to come between two things

misguided
(adjective) misled or based on bad judgment

notable
(adjective) remarkable or worthy of attention
or notice

prescriptive
(adjective) (in linguistics and grammar)
indicating how things should be rather than
how things are

Dr. Hamed Ghaemi Page 12