Barron's words for TOEFL [6th edition] Flashcards
Abrupt
quick, with our warning
“I was surprised by the abrupt change of subject”
“After the incident everyone left abruptly”
Acclaim
enthusiastic approval; applause
“Issac Stern has won acclaim abroad”
“The conference was acclaimed as a considerable success”
Synonyms: Praise, Applause, Cheers, Accolade, Tribute
Adverse
preventing success or development; harmful; unfavorable.
“Adverse weather condition made it difficult to play the game”
“His indecision adversely affected his job performance”
Disruption
problems that interrupt an event, activity, or process.
“the schedule was planned to minimize disruption”
“Frequent questions during lectures can be disruptive”
Haphazardly
having no order or pattern; by chance
“It was obvious that the house was built haphazardly”
“Susan completed the assignment in a haphazard way”
Synonyms: Random, Unplanned, Unsystematic, Unmethodical, Disorganized, Disorderly
Advent
the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event.
“With the advent of computers, many tasks have been made easier”
“The newspapers announced the advent of the concert season”
Agile
able to move in a quick and easy way
“Deer are very agile animals”
“She move agilely across the stage”
“An agile leap”
Synonyms: Nimber, Lithe, Supple, Limber, Acrobactic
Albeit
although.
“he was making progress, albeit rather slowly”
Appealing
attractive or interesting.
“The rural life is somehow more appealing”
“Through his sppeches, the candidate appealed to the voters”
Circumvent
find a way around (an obstacle).
“THe hacker attempted to circumvent the computer;s security system”
“Circumvention of the freshman math requirement is possible”
Synonyms: Evade, Avoid
Frail
(of a person) weak and delicate.
“A frail voice”
“The frail wings of the newborn bird could not lift it off the ground”
Heyday
the stage or period of greatest vigor, strength, success, etc.; prime
“The heyday of the vaudeville stars”
“We are liveing in the heyday of digital communicaions”
Refine
to make pure, to improve
“Sugar was refined by boiling it in huge iron vats”
“A squirt of lime juice is the perfect refinement to cola”
Ascertain
find (something) out for certain; make sure of.
“An attempt to ascertain the cause of the accident”
“I tried to ascertain if hs was telling the truth”
synonyms: Find out, Discover, Get to know
Conform
comply with rules, standards, or laws.
“The kitchen does not conform to hygiene regulations”
“She has always been a conformist”
Intensify
to make stronger in feeling or quality
“The importance of the test will sometimes intensify the nervousncess of the students”
“The chess match was played with great intensity”
Synonyms: Escalate, Increase, Boost, Raise, Strengthen, Augment
Intolerable
difficult or painful to experience,
not able to accept different ways of thought or behavior
“Any opposition to the rules is intolerable”
“His boss was intolerant of his tardiness”
Synonyms: Unbearable
Staple
a fundamental element or principal part of something
“Milk, bread, and eggs are staples of most American grocery store”
“The main staple of Asian diets is rice”
Astounding
surprisingly impressive or notable.
“the summit offers astounding views”
“The fans were astounded by their team’s success”
“The scientists made an astounding discovery”
Astute
Very intelligent, smart, clever
“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”
Synonyms: Shrewd, Sharp, Acute, Adroit, Crafty
Concur
be of the same opinion; agree.
“the authors concurred with the majority”
happen or occur at the same time; coincide.
“in tests, cytogenetic determination has been found to concur with enzymatic determination”
Deceptively
making something appear true or good when it is false or bad
“Don’t be fooled by the slick advertising and deceptively impressive hardware and launch titles.”
“The magician deceptively made the rabbit disapper”
“Richard deceived Joe about the cost of the coat”
Designate
to select to do a task
“The president designated the vice president to represent him at the meeting”
“The designated driver drove every one home after the party”
Elicit
to get the fact or draw out the truth
“A lawyer will elicit all the facts necessaty to proe her case”
“Elicitation of the truth can be difficult at times”
Embody
to be a good example of a concept or idea
“A team that embodies competitive spirit and skill”
“Charlotte embodies all of the qualities of a good leader”
Instigate
to cause a conflict or argument
“Dissatisfaction with government policies instigated the revolution”
“After all, the goal is to address issues, instigate debate and implement change”
Mundane
common or routine
“The student’s mundane summer job frustrated her”
“His mother asked him to do all the mundane household chores”
Petition
to make a request
“Canada petitioned the United Nations to consier its case”
“The student’s petition was denied”
Relinquish
voluntarily cease to keep or claim; give up.
“He relinquished his managerial role to become chief executive”
Resilient
(of a substance or object) able to recoil or spring back into shape after bending, stretching, or being compressed.
“Foam is resilient, keeps its shape and comes in a range of densities.”
strong enough to recover from difficulty or disease
“She has resilent personality and will soon feel better”
Tempt
to make ot attractive to do something, usually something not good
“The idea of getting rich quickly tempted him to invest his life savings”
“Desserts are more tempting when one is on a diet”
Baffle
to confuse to a point at which no progress can be made
“The caused of many harmful diseases have baffled doctors for centuries”
restrain or regulate (a fluid, sound, etc.).
“to baffle the noise further, I pad the gunwales”
Delicate
needing careful treatment; sensitive, easily broken
“Because of its controversial nature, it was a challenge to discuss such a delicate issue in public”
“You must handle the antique delicately”
Synonyms: Fragile
Enhance
to increase in a positive way, such as in value, power, or beauty
“Passing the exam should enhance your chances of being admitted to college”
Synonyms: Strengthen
Incessant
(of something regarded as unpleasant) continuing without pause or interruption.
“The woman’s incessant talking disturbed everyone watching the movie”
“The dogs’ incessant barking kept the whole neighborhood up all night”
Intrigue
to interest greatly
“He was intrigued by the acclaim that he received.”
“The intriguing question baffled historians”
Synonyms: Fascinate
Recompense
a repayment or reward for a deed
“The kight received gold as recompense for saving the kingdom”
“His boss assured him that he’d be recompensed for his extra efforts”
Synonyms: Compensation
Shed
to throw off naturally; to give out
“In order to grow, crabs must shed their shells”
“The experiments shed no new information on the cause of the disease”
Chiefly
the most important or most common
“Houses are made chiefly of wood products”
“Corn is the chief crop of the Midwest”
Coarse
Not fine or smooth; not delicate
“Sandpaper is an extremely coarse material”
“Wool clothing has a certain coarseness in texture”
Synonyms: Rough
Exclusively
No one else; nothing else; not shared with others
“This room is used exclusively by the faculty”
“They excluded everyone under 21 from the contest”
Extinguish
To bring about the end of something
“The firefighters quickly extinguished the flames”
“Modern medicine has extinguished many previously serious illnesses”
Synonyms: Terminate
Immense
extremely large or great, especially in scale or degree.
“The cost of restoration has been immense”
“She was immensely interested in the idea of teaching a foreign language”
Synonyms: Massive
Brash
Confident or aggressive; lacking regard for consequences
“The brash young man made many poor business decisions”
“Luey’s brashness often got her into trouble at school”
Discrepancy
a difference between things that should be similar or equal
“The discrepancy in her experiment data led her to believe that she had made a mistake”
“There is usually a discrepancy between how coffee smells and how it tastes”
Diverse
Variousl distinct from others
“Freud had many diverse interests in psychology”
“The diversity of life forms on the earth makes zoology an interresting area of study”
Synonyms: Different
Prosperous
successful in material terms; flourishing financially.
“In the rarly 1900s, San Francisco was a prosperous city”
“Bacteria prosper under the proper conditions”
Purposefully
done for a special reason
“The course sullabus was designed purposefully to be easy to follow”
Scarcely
only just; almost not.
“her voice is so low I can scarcely hear what she is saying”
“Due to a scarcity of water, rationing plan was established”
Synonyms: Hardly
Creep
slow movement, especially at a steady but almost imperceptible pace.
“An attempt to prevent this slow creep of costs”
move slowly and carefully, especially in order to avoid being heard or noticed.
“He crept downstairs, hardly making any noise”
Dictate
To state demands with the power to enforce
“The workers were not in a position to dictate demands to management”
“His boss resembled a dictator”
Synonyms: Impose
Docile
easy to control or train
“The moose is typically a very docile animal”
“Many rebellious young people see docility as a weakness”
Synonyms: Manageable
Engender
To cause something new to exist; to create
“The issue engendered continuing controversy”
“Economic conditions in the 1950s engendered an era of inustrial growth”
Engross
to occupy completely, as the mind or attention; absorb:
“Their discussion engrossed his attention”
“The teacher’s lecture engrossed the entire class”
“O. Henry’s short stories engross readers all the way to their surprise endings”
Settle
to establish a home; to resolve a disagreement
“People arriving from the South settled in California”
“The lawyers settled their differences and came to an agreement”
Acute
having a sudden consequence or severe effect
“The president was acutely aware of the fact that her decision would be unpopular”
Synonyms: Intense
Jargon
language specific to a profession or activity
“The legal jargor in the contract was confusing”
“Science fiction jargon used in television shows and movies oftern comes from real science”
Synonyms: Terminology
Vibrant
lively; powerful; full of action; bright
“His vibrant personality made him well liked by everyone”
“The vibrance of the city is attractive to many individuals
Synonyms: Brilliant
Distinct
clearly noticed; different
“There was a distinct aroma of coffee in the restaurant”
“The two theories are distincty different from each other”
Synonyms: Definite
Dormant
not growing or producing; asleep
“The volcano had been dormant for hundreds of tears before the eruption last month”
Synonyms: Inactive
Drab
lacking color; uninteresting, boring
“Their clothing was quite drab”
“The drabness of the desert made driving less intereting”
Synonyms: Coloress
Eclectic
to select or represent something chosen from many sources or places
“He has an eclectic taste in music, from hard rock to classical”
“The eclectic group of students came from fifteen different countries”
Synonyms: Diverse
Elaborate
something with a large number of parts; full of details
“An elaborate head dress indicated rank within the Aztec community”
“His elaboration of the issue was quite thorough”
Synonyms: Complex
Genuine
honest or true; real
“She was genuinely concerned about world hunger”
“This is a genuine artifact from the american Civil War”
Synonyms: Authentic
Minuscule
of little consequencel; very small
“The sale of the building had a minuscule effect on the profits of the corporation”
“Some leaves are covered with minute hairs”
Synonyms: Tiny
Prime
to make ready; first in importance or in time
“The directors primed the actors before the performance”
“Mozart passed away in the prime of his life”
Synonyms: Prepare
Rudimentary
simple; not complex
“He has a rudimentary knowledge of computers”
“The rudiments of grammar are taught in all English classes”
Synonyms: Basic
Superficial
simple; not deer; near the surface
“The inspector determined that the crack in the bridge was only superficial”
“You should not try to answer the question superficially”
Synonyms: Shallow
Vigorous
powerful, full of action
“His vigorous defense of the issues impressed everyone”
“He approached his work with vigor”
Synonyms: Strong
Amenity
somthing that makes life easier or more enjoyable
“She missed all the amenities of home whn she went campling”
“One expects many amenities at a five -star hotel”
Synonyms: Convenience
Disperse
to cause to move in many different directions
“The high winds and rain dispersed the crowd”
“After the hurricane, dispersed belongings cluttered the street”
Synonyms: Circulate
Dwelling
where people live
“Cavelike dwelling have been discovered throughout the world”
“City dwellers often have trouble adjusting to life in the country”
Synonyms: House
Encircle
to make a circle around
“The players encircleed their coach after winning the big game”
“The encircled celebrity actually became afraid of her fans”
Synonyms: Surround
Erratic
no regular pattern in thinking or movement; changeable without reason
“The artist’s paintings have an erratic quality, some being excellent, and others mediocre”
“The unstable chemical reacted erratically”
Synonyms: Inconsistent
Exaggerate
to make something more than what it is
“The federal government exaggerated the success of its programs”
“To say that his business is successful would be a slight exaggeration”
Synonyms: Overstate
Mortify
to embarrass
“He was mortified upon forgetting his lines during the play”
“She mortified her son by showing Alice his baby pictures”
Synonyms: Humiliate
Prevalent
Existing widely or commonly
“Comfortable trade winds are prevalent in the Caribbean islands”
“There is a prevalence of disease where poor sanitation condition exist”
Synonyms: Commonplace
Burgeon
growing at a fast pace
“The burgeoning population of major cities is creating a demand for more services”
“His talent as a piantist burgeoned at the age o f 14”
Synonyms: Thrive
Conspicuously
attracting attention
“His name was conspicuously absent from the list of winners”
“The attorneys were conspicuous for their aggressive manner in the courtroom”
Synonyms: Noticeably
Deficient
Not having enough of something
“A diet deficient in calcium can lead to bad health”
“There is a deficiency of qualified engineers in the country”
Synonyms: Lacking
Eloquent
expressing clearly, effectively, and convincingly
“Successful politicians are usually eloquent speaker”
“That student’s essay is eloquently written”
Synonyms: Articulate
Endorse
to express apprival
“The union endorsed the new contract”
“The president’s endorsement of the project guaranteed its funding”
Synonyms: Support
Noteworthy
deserving positive recognition or attention
“The university has a noteworthy collection of ancient text”
“There was a noteworthy increase in the amount of money the school raised”
Synonyms: Remarkable
Reportedly
to know by report; unconfirmed; supposedly
“The students reportedly sent a representative, but she has not yet arrived”
“The reported tornado has not been confirmed”
Synonyms: Rumored