Barron's Essential Words 90 Words

Question 1

abroad

Answer 1

adv. to or in another country Syn. overseas, internationally Louis Armstrong often traveled abroad.
Living abroad can be an educational experience.

Question 2

abrupt

Answer 2

adj. quick, without warning adv. abruptly Syn. sudden n. abruptness There was an abrupt change in the weather. After the incident everyone left abruptly.

Question 3

acceptable

Answer 3

adj. allowable or satisfactory v. accept Syn. permissible adv. acceptably n. acceptability adj. accepting The idea was acceptable to everyone.
The registrar accepted more applicants than he should have.

Question 4

acclaim

Answer 4

n. enthusiastic approval, applause adj. acclaimed Syn. praise n. acclamation Isaac Stem has won acclaim abroad. Acclaimed authors often win Pulitzer Prizes.

Question 5

actually

Answer 5

adv. being in existence, real or factual adj. actual Syn. truly
They were actually very good soccer players.
The actual time allotted to complete the test is two hours.

Question 6

adverse

Answer 6

adj. displeasing, objectionable, or bad adv. adversely Syn. unfavorable n. adversity n. adversary Adverse weather conditions made it difficult to play the game. His indecision adversely affected his job performance.

Question 7

advice

Answer 7

n. a recommendation given by someone not v. advise associated with the problem or situation adj. advisable Syn. suggestion n. advisability Good advice is hard to find.
It is not advisable to stay up late the night before a test.

Question 8

attractive

Answer 8

adj. calling attention to, pleasing, creating interest, pretty v. attract n. attraction n. attractiveness adv. attractively 
Syn. appealing The idea of working four, 10-hour work days was attractive to the employees. The major attraction of the show was a speech by the president.

Question 9

ideal

Answer 9

adj. having no flaw or mistake, excellent adv. ideally Syn. perfect n. ideal The beach is an ideal place to relax.
Candidates for the job should ideally have five years experience in similar positions.

Question 10

persistent

Answer 10

v. persist adv. persistently adj. continuous, refusing to give up, firm in action or decision
n. persistence
Syn. constant The attorney’s persistent questioning weakened the witness. Her persistence earned her a spot on the team.

Question 11

wide

Answer 11

adj. extending over a large area adv. widely Syn. broad n. wideness Pine forests are found over a wide area of the Pacific Northwest. The senator has traveled wide1y.

Question 12

autonomous

Answer 12

adj. by itself, with no association adv. autonomously Syn. independent
Mexico became an autonomous state in 1817.
Although working closely with the government, all businesses function autonomously.

Question 13

disapproval

Answer 13

n. the act of disagreeing, not giving approval v. disapprove adv. disapprovingly Syn. objection
Their disapproval of the plan caused the experiment to be abandoned. The students disapproved of the plan of study.

Question 14

disruptive

Answer 14

adj. causing confusion and interruption v. disrupt Syn. disturbing n. disruption
adv. disruptively Frequent questions during lectures can be disruptive. The storm caused a disruption in bus service.

Question 15

haphazardly

Answer 15

adv. having no order or pattern, by chance adj. haphazard Syn. arbitrarily, carelessly n. haphazardness It was obvious that the house was built haphazardly. Susan completed the assignment in a haphazard way.

Question 16

advanced

Answer 16

adj.ahead of current thought or practice forward thinking, new v. advance n. advancement Syn. progressive Advanced technology is changing the world.
His advancement to captain came unexpectedly.

Question 17

advantage

Answer 17

n. something that may help one to be successful or to gain something adv. advantageously Syn. benefit adj. advantageous Is there any advantage in arriving early?
He was advantageously born into a rich family.

Question 18

advent

Answer 18

n. the coming or appearance of something Syn. arrival With the advent of computers, many tasks have been made easier. The newspapers announced the advent of the concert season.

Question 19

agile

Answer 19

adj. able to move in a quick and easy way adv. agilely Syn. nimble n. agileness n. agility Deer are very agile animals.
She moved agilely across the stage.

Question 20

albeit

Answer 20

conj. in spite of the facts, regardless of the fact Syn. although His trip was successful, albeit tiring.
Albeit difficult at times, speaking another language is rewarding.

Question 21

allow

Answer 21

v. to agree to let something happen, not to interfere with an action n. allowance Syn. permit adj. allowable adv. allowable Arthur’s natural agility will allow him to excel in sports. The extra money allowed us to stay abroad another day.

Question 22

appealing

Answer 22

v. appeal adj. attractive or interesting, able to move feelings Syn. alluring Working abroad is appealing to many people. n. appeal adv. appealingly Through his speeches, the candidate appealed to the voters.

Question 23

celebrated

Answer 23

adj. acclaimed, well-known, and popular Syn. renown The celebrated pianist will give a concert this weekend. San Francisco is celebrated for its multicultural makeup.

Question 24

contemporary

Answer 24

adj. modern, up-to-date; also a person living at the same time as another person n.contemporary Syn. current Contemporary architecture makes very good use of space. Cervantes was a contemporary of Shakespeare.

Question 25

distribute

Answer 25

v. to divide among people or to give out n. distribution Syn. dispense Many publishers distribute their newspapers directly to homes in their area. The distribution of seeds is very quick with this new machine.

Question 26

encourage

Answer 26

v. to give courage or hope to someone n. encouragement Syn. inspire adj. encouraging adv. encouragingly Even though the runner finished second, he was encouraged by his performance. His teacher gave him the encouragement that he needed to learn the material.

Question 27

energetic

Answer 27

adj. full of life, action, or power n. energy Syn. vigorous adv. energetically Sam hasn’t been as energetic as he usually is. There’s a lot of energy in these batteries.

Question 28

frail

Answer 28

adj. weak in health or in body n. trade Syn. fragile The frail wings of the newborn bird could not lift it off the ground. One of the frailties of human beings is laziness.

Question 29

refine

Answer 29

v. to make pure, to improve n. refinement Syn. perfect (v.) adj. refined Factories must to refine oil before it can be used as fuel. A squirt of lime juice is the perfect refinement to cola.

Question 30

worthwhile

Answer 30

adj. value in doing something Syn. rewarding It was worthwhile waiting 10 hours in line for the tickets. It’s worthwhile to prepare for the TOEFL.

Question 31

alter

Answer 31

v. to change or make different v. altered Syn. modify n. alteration adj. alterable adv. alterably I Will the starlit alter its course and miss the coast? Gloria hasn’t altered her plans to return to school.

Question 32

analyze

Answer 32

n. analyzed n. analysis v. to study something carefully, to separate into parts for study
Syn. examine Scientists must analyze problems thoroughly.
Analysis of the substance confirms the presence of nitrogen.

Question 33

ancient

Answer 33

adj.something from a long time ago, very old. Syn. old Archaeologists analyze ancient civilizations. Dave found an ancient Roman coin.

Question 34

annoying

Answer 34

adj. a slight bother, disturbing to a person n. annoyance Syn. bothersome v. annoy adv. annoyingly Mosquitoes can be an annoying part of a vacation at the beach. She annoyed her parents by coming home late.

Question 35

anticipate

Answer 35

adj. anticipatory n. anticipation v. to think about or prepare for something ahead of time
Syn. predict No one can anticipate the results of the games. They planned their vacation with anticipation.

Question 36

conform

Answer 36

n. conformity n. conformist v. to follow established rules or patterns of behavior
Syn. adapt Yon must conform to the rules or leave the club. She has always been a conformist.

Question 37

defect

Answer 37

v. to find out, to observe something n. detection Syn. notice n. detective He detected a smile on his girlfriend’s face. They are the best detectives on the police force.

Question 38

enrich

Answer 38

n. enrichment adj. enriching v. to make rich, to make something of greater value
Syn. enhance The fine arts enrich our lives.
The discovery of oil was an enrichment for the country.

Question 39

intensify

Answer 39

n. intensity adj. intense adj. intensive adv. intensely adv. intensively v. to make stronger in feeling or quality Syn. heighten The importance of the test will sometimes intensify the nervousness of the students. The chess match was played with great intensity.

Question 40

intolerable

Answer 40

adj.difficult or painful to experience, not able to accept different ways of thought or behavior n. intolerance adv. intolerably adv. intolerantly adj. intolerant Syn. unbearable Any opposition to the rules is intolerable. His boss was intolerant of his tardiness.

Question 41

observe

Answer 41

v. to see and watch carefully, to examine n. observation Syn. notice n. observer adj. observant adj. observable Human beings like to observe the behavior of monkeys. I made the observation that you are not happy.

Question 42

ongoing

Answer 42

adj. continuing Syn. current The tutoring project is an ongoing program of the school. Maintaining roads is an ongoing job.

Question 43

propose

Answer 43

v. to suggest or plan to do something n. proposal Syn. suggest n. proposition adj. proposed intolerable n. intolerance adv. intolerably adv. intolerantly adj. intolerant The governor is going to propose new taxes. Her proposal was well accepted.

Question 44

restore

Answer 44

n. restoration adj. restored v. to give back or bring back something; to return to the original condition
Syn. revitalize He restored my confidence in hint.
It is a beautiful restoration of the old table.

Question 45

vital

Answer 45

adj. of great importance, full of life n. vitality Syn. indispensable adv. vitally Money is vital to the success of the program. His intense vitality was easily observable.

Question 46

ambiguous

Answer 46

adj.of unclear meaning, something that can be understood in more than one way adv. ambiguously Syn. vague n. ambiguity The men received an ambiguous message from their boss. His letter was full of ambiguities.

Question 47

apparent

Answer 47

adj.to be clear in meaning or open to view, easily understood adv.apparently Syn. visible It was apparent that he needed to rest.
No one apparently knew to solve the problem.

Question 48

arbitrary

Answer 48

adv. arbitrarily n.arbitrariness adj.an action or decision made with little thought, order, or reason Syn. haphazard Her choice of clothing seemed arbitrary. The teacher arbitrarily decided to give the class a test.

Question 49

assert

Answer 49

adv. assertively n. assertiveness n. assertion adj. assertive n. to express or defend oneself strongly, to state positively
Syn. declare The government asserted its control over the banking system. The company president is an assertive individual.

Question 50

astounding

Answer 50

adj. very surprising v. astound Syn. astonishing adv. astoundingly The scientists made an astounding discovery. The fans were astounded by their team’s success.

Question 51

astute

Answer 51

adj. very intelligent, smart, clever adj. astutely Syn. perceptive n. astuteness He was an astute worker, finishing in half the time it took the others to finish. They astutely determined that there would be no chance to finish on time.

Question 52

authorize

Answer 52

v. to give permission or power to do adj. authorized something n. authority Syn. empower
Only authorized employees are allowed in the laboratory. The dean has the authority to resolve academic problem of students.

Question 53

deceptively

Answer 53

adj. deceptive v. deceive n. deception adv. to make someone think that something is true or good when it is false or bad
Syn. misleadingly The magician deceptively made the rabbit disappear. Richard deceived Joe about the cost of the coat.

Question 54

determined

Answer 54

n. determination v. determine adj.to be strong in one’s opinion, to be firm in conviction
Syn. resolute They were determined to go to graduate school. The judge determined that the man was lying.

Question 55

elicit

Answer 55

v. to get the facts, to draw out, to evoke n. elicitation Syn. extract A lawyer will elicit all the facts necessary to prove her case. Elicitation of the truth can be difficult at times.

Question 56

forbid

Answer 56

v. to command not to do something to have a dangerous look, bad feeling adj. forbidden adj. forbidding adv. forbiddingly Syn. ban His father will forbid him to use the car. The cave looks forbidding let’s not go in.

Question 57

petition

Answer 57

v. to make a request n. petition Syn. appeal Canada petitioned the United Nations to consider its case. The student’s petition was denied.

Question 58

relinquish

Answer 58

v. to give up control n. relinquishment Syn. abdicate The troubled executive relinquished his control of the company.
The relinquishment of his claim to the building will allow the building to be sold.

Question 59

resilient

Answer 59

adj.strong enough to recover from difficulty or forbid adj. forbidden adj. forbidding adv. forbiddingly adv. resiliently disease
n. resilience Syn. tenacious She has a resilient personality and will soon feel better. The doctor was surprised by his patient’s resilience.

Question 60

tempt

Answer 60

v. to make it attractive to do something wrong adv. temptingly n. temptation adj. temting Syn. entice
The idea of getting rich quickly tempted him to invest his life savings. Desserts are more tempting when one is on a diet.

Question 61

amaze

Answer 61

v. to fill with great surprise adv. amazingly Syn. astonish n. amazement adj. amazing I was amazed that I received an A on the calculus test. The actor gave an amazing performance.

Question 62

baffle

Answer 62

adj. baffling n. bafflement v. to confuse to a point at which no progress can be made
Syn. puzzle The causes of many harmful diseases have baffled doctors for centuries. That was a baffling question.

Question 63

bear

Answer 63

v. to produce, to carry; to show; to endure adj. bearably adj. bearable Syn. yield
This orchard bears many fine harvests of apples.
Although stock prices declined, losses have been bearable for most investors.

Question 64

block

Answer 64

v. to prevent movement progress, or success n. blockage adj. blocked 
Syn. obstruct The government blocked the sale of the airline.
The streets were flooded due to a blockage in the pipes.

Question 65

blur

Answer 65

v. to make something difficult to see adj. blurred Syn. cloud n. blur The rain blurred everyone’s view of the valley. The whole accident is just a blur in my mine.

Question 66

brilliant

Answer 66

adj. intensely bright or colorful, intelligent adv. brilliantly Syn. radiant n. brilliance Einstein was a brilliant thinker.
She brilliantly produced a solution to the problem.

Question 67

caution

Answer 67

v. to alert someone of danger, the act of taking care of, or paying attention to, something Syn. warn
The office cautioned the motorist to slow down. They entered into the negotiations cautiously. adj. cautious adj. cautionary adv. cautiously n. caution

Question 68

challenge

Answer 68

adj. challenging v. challenge n. an invitation to complete, something that demands competitive action or much thought Syn. dare Finishing the 26-mile race was a challenge for most of the participants. It was a challenging math problem.

Question 69

delicate

Answer 69

adj.needing careful treatment, sensitive, adv. delicately easily broken Syn. fragile
Because of its controversial nature, it was a challenge to discuss such a delicate issue in public.
You must handle the antique delicately.

Question 70

enhance

Answer 70

n. enhancement adj.enhanced v. to increase in a positive way, such as in value, power, or beauty
Syn. strengthen Passing the exam should enhance your chances of being, admitted to college. The computer enhanced our productivity.

Question 71

intrigue

Answer 71

a. to interest greatly adj. intriguing Syn. fascinate adv. intriguingly n. intrigue He was intrigued by the acclaim flat he received. The intriguing question baffled historians.

Question 72

persuade

Answer 72

adv. persuasively adj.persuasive n. persuasion v. to change a belief or behavior by argument or reason
Syn. convince They couldn’t persuade their critics to see their point of view. John presented a persuasive argument for his salary increase.

Question 73

replace

Answer 73

adj. replaceable n. replacement v. to change for another thing; to take the place of
Syn. substitute They have replaced all of the old office equipment. The new employee was the replacement for Mr. Topper, who retired last month.

Question 74

shed

Answer 74

v. to throw off naturally, to give out Syn. discard In order to grow, crabs must shed their shells.
The experiments shed no new information on the cause of the disease.

Question 75

unique

Answer 75

adj. to be the only one of a kind; special adv. uniquely Syn. rare n. uniqueness He was presented with a unique opportunity to attend the conference. His style of writing is uniquely his own.

Question 76

chiefly

Answer 76

adv. most importantly or most commonly adj. chief Syn. mostly
Houses are made chiefly of wood products.
Corn is the chief crop of the Midwest.

Question 77

coarse

Answer 77

adj. not fine or smooth, not delicate adv. coarsely Syn. rough n. coarseness Sandpaper is an extremely coarse material. Wool clothing has certain coarseness in texture.

Question 78

commonplace

Answer 78

adj. ordinary Syn. frequent Soon it will be commonplace to see the person to whom you are talking on the phone. Female lawyers are commonplace in the United States.

Question 79

comparatively

Answer 79

adv. being measured or judged by comparison adj. comparative Syn. relatively v. compare n. comparison It was comparatively easy for him to learn baseball because he had been a cricket player.
If you compare algebra and trigonometry, you’ll discover that algebra is less complex.

Question 80

complex

Answer 80

adj. difficult to understand or explain; n. complexity having many parts Syn. complicated
The businessmen astutely approached the complex production problem. The universe has a complexity beyond comprehension.

Question 81

conventional

Answer 81

adj. following accepted rules or standards adv. conventionally Syn. traditional n. convention Professor Canfield agreed with the conventional theory about the origin of the Basque language.
To become integrated into a society, you must learn the conventions of that society.

Question 82

curious

Answer 82

adj. odd or strange; eager to learn adv. curiously Syn. peculiar n. curiosity A curious object was discovered in the remains.
Sally was curiously interested in the history of Alaska.

Question 83

exceedingly

Answer 83

adv. very; to an unusual degree v. exceed Syn. extremely n. excess adj. excessive adv. excessively In tropical zones, it is exceedingly hot and humid. It is not safe to exceed the speed limit.

Question 84

exclusively

Answer 84

adj. exclusive n. exclusion v. exclude adv. no one else; nothing else; not shared with others
Syn. restrictively This room is used exclusively by the faculty.
They excluded everyone under age 21 from the contest.

Question 85

immense

Answer 85

adj. extremely large adv. immensely Syn. massive n. immensity From the mountaintop you can see the immense valley.
She was immensely interested in the idea of teaching a foreign language.

Question 86

indeed

Answer 86

adv. certainly; really (used to make a statement stronger) Syn. truly Did he indeed go to the infirmary. It is very hot indeed.

Question 87

rigid

Answer 87

adj. not easy to bend; firm, inflexible adv. rigidly Syn. stiff
The teacher was very rigid in his ideas about class attendance.
He adhered rigidly to his opinions about marriage.

Question 88

routinely

Answer 88

adv. regularly, usually done adj. routine Syn. ordinarily n. routine She routinely gets a physical examination.
It is routine for students to become homesick at times.

Question 89

sufficiently

Answer 89

adv. enough, in a satisfying manner n. sufficiency Syn. adequately adj. sufficient v. suffice Jenny is sufficiently mature to make her own decisions. Her income is sufficient for her needs.

Question 90

visibly

Answer 90

adv. can be seen adj. visible n. vision* v. view adj. visionary
* power of imagination or wisdom, especially with regard to the future Syn. noticeably
Ken was visibly upset about his performance evaluation. Stars are more visible on a clear fall evening.