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Toefl Vocabulary
Section I - Lesson 1
Word | Meaning | Synonyms | Antonyms | part of speech | Sample Sentences 1 | Sample Sentences 2 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Constraint | restriction; artificial manner, unnatural manner; force | |||||
Contamination | pollution, something which contaminates; spreading of impurities; infection (by a disease) | |||||
Deplete | exhaust, consume, use up, empty, reduce | |||||
Dispose of | get rid of, settle, give away or sell | |||||
Elementally | simply, in an elemental manner | |||||
Emission | discharge, emanation; ejection of fluids from the body | |||||
Extinction | extinguishment; annihilation, total destruction | |||||
Reservoir | large lake for storing water; container used to collect and store water; additional supply, reserve; area or location where something is stored (esp. liquid) | |||||
Shrink | n. psychiatrist (Slang); instance of contracting, instance of becoming smaller; flinching, recoiling | |||||
Stable | n. structure in which horses and other animals are housed; racing establishment; race horses belonging to a racing establishment v. put in a stable, keep in a stable; live in a stable; live as if in a stable | |||||
Diminish | to become or to make sth become smaller, weaker, etc. | Decrease | (blank) | The world's resources are rapidly diminishing. | His influence has diminished with time Our efforts were producing diminishing returns (= we achieved less although we spent more time or money). | |
Perceive | to notice or become aware of sth | (blank) | (blank) | I perceived a change in his behaviour. She perceived that all was not well. | The patient was perceived to have difficulty in breathing. This discovery was perceived as a major breakthrough. A science degree and artistic interests are often perceived as incompatible. They were widely perceived to have been unlucky. | |
Auspicious | showing signs that sth is likely to be successful in the future | Promising | INAUSPICIOUS | Adjective | an auspicious start to the new school year * It was an auspicious date for a wedding. | * Their first meeting was hardly auspicious. |
Witness | to see sth happen because you are there when it happens | eyewitness | (blank) | Police have appealed for witnesses to the accident. * We have a witness to the killing. | Several witnesses testified that there had been two gunmen. | |
Aberration | a fact, an action or a way of behaving that is not usual, and that may be unacceptable | Abnormality, Deviation | (blank) | Noun | a temporary aberration of his exhausted mind | * A childless woman was regarded as an aberration, almost a social outcast. |
Affinity | a strong feeling that you understand sb/sth and like them or it | (blank) | (blank) | Noun | Sam was born in the country and had a deep affinity with nature. * Humans have a special affinity for dolphins. | There is a close affinity between Italian and Spanish. |
Affluence | having a lot of money and a good standard of living: | Wealth; Riches | (blank) | Noun | affluent Western countries, The 1950s were an age of affluence in America. | a very affluent neighbourhood |
Alienation | to make sb less friendly or sympathetic towards you | ISOLATION, detachment | (blank) | Noun | His comments have alienated a lot of young voters. The new policy resulted in the alienation of many voters. | Very talented children may feel alienated from the others in their class. Many immigrants suffer from a sense of alienation. |
Dichotomy | the separation that exists between two groups or things that are completely opposite to and different from each other | CONTRAST, difference, polarity, conflict; gulf, chasm, division, separation, split | (blank) | Noun | In economics, the classical dichotomy is the division between the real side of the economy and the monetary side. | A false dichotomy is a logical fallacy consisting of a supposed dichotomy which fails one or both of the conditions: it is not jointly exhaustive or not mutually exclusive. |
Empathy | the ability to understand another person's feelings, experience, etc | sympathy, vicarious emotion, understanding | (blank) | Noun | both authors have the skill to make you feel empathy with their heroines | they had great sympathy for the flood victims |
Enigma | a person, thing or situation that is mysterious and difficult to understand | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | Even after years he still remains an enigma to me. | (blank) |
fiasco | A complete Failure | (blank) | (blank) | Noun | The party was a complete fiasco. | What a fiasco! |
Quintessence | the perfect example of sth, the perfect example of sth | (blank) | (blank) | Noun | It was the quintessence of an English manor house. | a painting that captures the quintessence of Viennese elegance |
Abhor | to hate sth, for example a way of behaving or thinking, especially for moral reasons | detest; hate; dislike | (blank) | Verb | I abhor the dull routine of existence. I crave for mental exaltation. — Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930); Sherlock Holmes in the Sign of Four (1890) | he problem with Establishment Republicans is they abhor the unseemliness of a political brawl |
Alleviate | to make sth less severe,make (pain or difficulty) less severe | Ease; Reduce | (blank) | Verb | A number of measures were taken to alleviate the problem. | the alleviation of poverty |
Ambivalence | having mixed feelings or opinions about something or someone. | Uncertainty | (blank) | Noun | There was ambivalence among church members about women becoming priests. She seems to feel ambivalent about her new job. | Many people feel some ambivalence towards television and its effect on our lives. He has an ambivalent attitude towards her. |
Banal | very ordinary and containing nothing that is interesting or important; tediously unoriginal or commonplace. | commonplace; trite; hackneyed | (blank) | Adjective | a banal conversation about the weather | The long story had many banal ideas in it, so it lost the interest of its readers. |
Clandestine | done secretly or kept secret | SECRET, covert, furtive, surreptitious, stealthy, cloak-and-dagger, hole-and-corner, closet, backstairs, hugger-mugger; informal hush-hush. | (blank) | Adjective | a clandestine meeting / relationship | the clandestine sale of weapons |
Debilitate | make very weak and infirm. to make sb's body or mind weaker | WEAKEN, enfeeble, enervate, devitalize, sap, drain, exhaust, weary, fatigue, prostrate; undermine, impair, indispose, incapacitate, cripple, disable, paralyse, immobilize, lay low; informal knock out, do in. | invigorate | Verb | a debilitating disease ; The troops were severely debilitated by hunger and disease | She found the heat debilitating. Prolonged strike action debilitated the industry. The economy is now strengthening after a long and debilitating recession. |
Trepidation | great worry or fear about sth unpleasant that may happen | FEAR, apprehension, dread, fearfulness, agitation, anxiety, worry, nervousness, tension, misgivings, unease, uneasiness, foreboding, disquiet, dismay, consternation, alarm, panic; informal butterflies, jitteriness, the jitters, a cold sweat, a blue funk, | equanimity, composure | Noun | He knocked on the door with some trepidation. | (blank) |
Vestige | a small part of sth that still exists after the rest of it has stopped existing | sign, mark, trace; remnant | (blank) | Noun | the last vestiges of the old colonial regime | There's not a vestige of truth in the rumour. His report offered not a vestige of comfort. |
belated | coming or happening late | LATE, overdue, behindhand, behind time, behind schedule, delayed, tardy, unpunctual. | early | Adjective | a belated birthday present; | the government's belated response to the report on nursery education |
trespass | to enter land or a building that you do not have permission or the right to enter: | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | He told me I was trespassing on private land. | The sign on the fence said 'No trespassing'. |
recklessness | without thought or care for the consequences of an action | rashness, hastiness, impulsiveness, heedlessness | (blank) | Noun | She had fallen hopelessly and recklessly in love | He showed a reckless disregard for his own safety. |
soothe | to make sb who is anxious, upset, etc. feel calmer | CALM (DOWN), pacify, comfort, hush, quiet | agitate, aggravate | Verb | The music soothed her for a while | Take a warm bath to soothe tense, tired muscles |
astrological | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
divination | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
haunt | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
horror | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
intermediary | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
invoke | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
meditate | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
phantom | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
pyschic | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
self-perpetuating | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
astronomy | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
dim | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
contemplation | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
haunted house | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
accuser | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
scuffle | small fight | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
denounce | publicly declare to be wrong or evil. | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
liable | responsible by law; legally answerable | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
fury | extreme anger | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
confront | stand or meet face to face with hostile intent | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
overlook | fail to notice. ▶ignore or disregard | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
ridicule | mockery or derision | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
derision | contemptuous ridicule or mockery | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
shatter | break or cause to break suddenly and violently into pieces ▶damage or destroy | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
prominent | important or famous | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
smashed | very drunk | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
wrath | extreme anger | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
condemned | express complete disapproval of | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
encounter | unexpectedly meet or be faced with | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
prone | likely or liable to suffer from, do, or experience | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
admonish | reprimand firmly. ▶earnestly urge or warn | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | he was severely admonished by his father | (blank) |
reprimand | a formal expression of disapproval | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
earnest | sincere and very serious | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
dignity | the state or quality of being worthy of honour or respect | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
stand on one's dignity | insist on being treated with due respect. | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
appease | placate (someone) by acceding to their demands. | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | an attempt to appease his critics | (blank) |
placate | calm, pacify, or appease | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
cognet | (of an argument or case) clear, logical, and convincing | CONVINCING, compelling, strong, forceful, powerful, potent, weighty, effective; valid, sound, plausible, telling; impressive, persuasive, eloquent, credible, influential; conclusive, authoritative; logical, reasoned, rational, reasonable, lucid, coherent, | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
waver | move quiveringly; flicker | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
demean | cause to suffer a severe loss of dignity or respect. ▶(demean oneself) do something that is beneath one's dignity. | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
impede | delay or block the progress or action of | HINDER, obstruct, hamper, hold back/up, delay, interfere with, disrupt | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
hinder | make it difficult for (someone) to do something or for (something) to happen. | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
rationalize | attempt to justify (an action or attitude) with logical reasoning | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | he tried to rationalize his behaviour | (blank) |
scrutinize | examine or inspect closely and thoroughly | EXAMINE, inspect, survey, study | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
ransack | go hurriedly through (a place) stealing things and causing damage | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
sordid | dirty or squalid; involving ignoble actions and motives | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
vacilliate | waver between different opinions or actions | DITHER, be indecisive, be undecided, waver | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
vacuous | showing a lack of thought or intelligence; empty | SILLY, inane, unintelligent, foolish, stupid, fatuous, idiotic, brainless | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
adulterate | make (something) poorer in quality by adding another substance. | MAKE IMPURE, degrade, debase, spoil, taint, contaminate; | purify | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
extricate | free from a constraint or difficulty | EXTRACT, free, release | (blank) | (blank) | informal get someone/oneself off the hook. | (blank) |
intricate | very complicated or detailed | COMPLEX, complicated, convoluted, tangled, entangled, twisted; elaborate, ornate, detailed, involuted; Brit. informal fiddly | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
corroborate | confirm or give support to (a statement or theory). | CONFIRM, verify, endorse, ratify | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
dissipate | be or cause to be dispelled or dispersed; DISAPPEAR | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | his anger dissipated | (blank) |
squander | waste in a reckless or foolish manner | WASTE, misspend, misuse | manage, make good use of, save | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
eclectic | deriving ideas or style from a broad and diverse range of sources | WIDE-RANGING, broad-based, extensive, comprehensive | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
fetid | smelling unpleasant | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
odor | a distinctive smell | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | be in good (or bad) odour informal be in or out of favour. | (blank) |
stinking | foul-smelling | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
felicitous | well chosen or appropriate | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | his nickname was particularly felicitous: | the room's only felicitous feature |
inhibit | hinder, restrain, or prevent (an action or process) | IMPEDE, hinder, hamper, hold back | assist, encourage, allow | (blank) | she feels inhibited from taking part | (blank) |
refute | prove (a statement or the person advancing it) to be wrong | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | I absolutely refute the charges made against me | attempts to refute Einstein's theory |
usurp | take (a position of power) illegally or by force. ▶supplant (someone in power). | SEIZE | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
muzzle | the projecting part of the face, including the nose and mouth, of an animal such as a dog or horse; prevent from freedom of expression | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | attempts to muzzle the media | (blank) |
repress | restrain, prevent, or inhibit | hold back | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |
smother | suffocate by covering the nose and mouth | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) | (blank) |