Toefl

disconcert (v) , disconcerting (adj) , disconcertingly (adv)

1- to throw into confusion 2-: to disturb the composure of a. News of his criminal past has disconcerted even his admirers. b. When the hallway bells began to ring halfway through her lecture, the speaker was disconcerted and didn't know what to do.

blight (n) , blighted (adj)

1. a disease that makes plants dry up and die , 2. something that causes harm or damage like a disease . 3.a damaged condition. ( They still do not know what caused the blight that destroyed half of the trees in the orchard.)

queue (n) , cue (n)

1. a signal, such as a word or action, given to prompt or remind someone of something; a hint or suggestion. 2. a line of waiting people or vehicles; . (When the timer buzzed, Sonia realized that it was a cue to take the hamburgers off the grill.)

buoyant (Adj) , buoyantly (adv)

1. able to float. 2. light-hearted, cheerful , blithe, blithesome, bright. (The actors were buoyant as they prepared for the evening's performance.)

bane - trite (n)

1. cause of trouble, misery, distress, or harm. 2. poison. (The bane of the oak tree is the Asian beetle.)

benign (adj) , benignly (adv)

1. gentle, mild, kind; having a beneficial or favorable nature or influence. 2. not harmful or malignant. a. The benign personality of the professor made him a favorite on campus. b. around campus he's known as a real character, but one whose eccentricities are entirely benign

disingenuous (adj) , disingenuously (adv) , disingenuousness (n)

1. insincere, calculating; not straightforward or frank. 2. falsely pretending to be unaware. (Carl's disingenuous comments were not taken seriously by anyone in the room.)

boisterous (adj) , boisterously (adv) , boisterousness (n)

1. loud, noisy, and lacking restraint, raucous. 2. stormy and rough. (A large and boisterous crowd attended the concert.)

elite (n - adj) , elitist (adj)

1. the best or most skilled members of a social group or class. , A-list, aristocracy 2. a person or group regarded as superior. (the winners of this science award represent the elite of our high schools)

concede (v) , concededly (adv)

1. to acknowledge or admit as true, proper, etc. (often with reluctance); to yield, surrender. 2. to grant as a right or privilege. (The leader conceded the right to vote to all her country's inhabitants.)

broach (v) , broacher (n)

1. to bring up, introduce, in order to begin a discussion of. 2. to tap or pierce, as in to draw off liquid. (It was hard for Sarah to broach the subject of her mother's weight gain.)

dissipate (v) , dissipation (n) , dissipative (adj)

1. to separate and scatter completely; to disperse to the point of disappearing, or nearly so. 2. to be extravagant and wasteful, especially in the pursuit of pleasure; squander. a. The morning sun dissipated the fog. b. The windows and doors were opened, allowing the smoke that had filled the room to dissipate.

blasé (adj)

1. uninterested or showing a lack of excitement or interest in something especially because it is very familiar ( Quincy has traveled so much that he speaks of exotic places such as Borneo in a totally blasé manner.)

élan (n)

1. vivacity, enthusiasm, vigor. 2. distinctive style or flair. (The dancer performed with great élan.)

dross-drossiness (n) , drossy (adj)

1. waste product, sludge. 2. something worthless, commonplace, or trivial. (His editor has a talent for turning literary dross into gold.)

deprecate (v) , deprecation (n) , deprecatingly (adv)

To deprecate is defined as to show disapproval about something or someone or to belittle someone. (Grandpa's tendency to deprecate the children's friends was a frequent source of family strife)

boor (n)

a crude, offensive, ill-mannered person, churl, clown, swab, plug-ugly (I can't invite a boor like him to dinner! He'd offend the other guests.)

consternation (n)

a feeling of deep, incapacitating horror or dismay.shock, amazement a. Much to her parents' consternation, she had decided to not go to college.. b. When a voice in the back of the church shouted out, "I know why they should not be married!" the entire gathering was thrown into consternation.

debacle (n)

a great disaster or complete failure , a sudden disaster or collapse (a sudden disaster or collapse)

conundrum (n) , enigma (n)

a hard riddle, a puzzling question or problem. a. Alex's logic professor gave the class a conundrum to work on over the weekend. b. The question of why an all-powerful, all-loving God allows evil to exist is a conundrum many philosophers have pondered.

demagogue (n-v) , demagoguery (n)

a leader who plays to peoples' emotions and uses prejudices to gain power. a. The dictator was widely regarded as an infamous demagogue. b. Senator Joseph McCarthy was labeled a demagogue who used the paranoia of the anti-Communist 1950s as a way of seizing fame and power in Washington.

chauvinist (n)

a person who believes in the superiority of his or her own kind; an extreme nationalist. (Though common in the early days of the women's movement, male chauvinists are pretty rare today.)

censor (v) ,censorial (adj)

a person who examines books, movies, letters, etc., and removes things that are considered to be offensive, immoral, harmful to society, etc a. Some governments, national and local, censor books. b. . Any mention of the former prime minister was outlawed* by the censor.)

conclave (n)

a private or secret meeting. (The double agent had a conclave with the spy he was supposed to be observing.)

dogma (n)

a system of principles or beliefs, a prescribed doctrine, conviction. (These new findings challenge the current dogma in the field.)

cornucopia (n) , cornucopian (adj)

abundance; a horn of plenty. (The book includes a cornucopia of wonderful stories.)

desultory (adj) , desultorily (v) , desultoriness (n)

aimless, haphazard; moving from one subject to another without logical connection . (Ichabod's desultory ramblings worsened as his disease progressed.)

droll (adj) , drolly (adv) ,drollness (n)

amusing in an odd or whimsical way.humorous (This is a wonderful, droll story—the children will love it!)

enclave (n)

an enclosed territory surrounded by another country, or a group of people of a different culture or religion. (The country of Lesotho is an enclave of South Africa.)

eccentric (adj) , eccentrically (adv)

anomalous, bizarre, irregular , cranky, crazy, curious, odd, erratic (She's become more eccentric over the years.)

decorum (n)

appropriateness of behavior, propriety; decency in manners and conduct. (When questions concerning decorum arise, I always refer to Emily Post.)

crux (n)

basis, foundation, base , the central or critical point or feature (The crux of the trial was her whereabouts at the time of the burglary.)

éclat (n)

bourgeois,glory, radiance, magnificence or conspicuous success; great acclaim or applause . (Even the ruinous deceit of the envious Salieri could not impede the dazzling éclat of the young and gifted Mozart)

effrontery (n)

brazen boldness, impudence, insolence ,impertinence, sauce , shameless . a. The sports world was shocked when a pro basketball player had the effrontery to choke his head coach during a practice session. b. the little squirt had the effrontery to deny eating any cookies, even with the crumbs still on his lips.

ebullient (adj) , ebulliently (adv) , ebullience (n)

bubbling over with enthusiasm, exuberant ,zealous, keen, passionate , eager (The ebullient children were waiting to stick their hands into the grab bag and pull out a toy.)

egalitarian (adj) , egalitarianism (n)

characterized by or affirming the principle of equal political, social, civil, and economic rights for all persons. (egalitarian policies for the redistribution of wealth)

craven (adj) , cravenly (adv) ,cravenness (n)

chicken,having or showing a complete lack of courage: very cowardly (a craven refusal to deliver the unwelcome news personally)

churlish (adj) , churlishly (adv) , churlishness (n)

clownish, classless , ill-mannered, boorish, rude , rough, crude (It would be churlish not to congratulate him.)

coeval (adj) , coevally (adv)

coetaneous, contemporary, coexistent, of the same time period (The poet Ben Jonson was coeval to Shakespeare.)

collusion (n) , collusive (adj) , collusively (adv)

complicity, connivance or conspiracy for an illegal or immoral (there was collusion between the two companies to fix prices)

clandestine (Adj) , clandestinely (adv) , clandestinity (n)

conducted in secrecy; kept or done in private, cautious, chary, careful , secret; undercover , surreptitious. a. Romeo and Juliet had a clandestine meeting under her balcony because their parents did not approve of their romance. b. James Bond has a series of clandestine affairs with beautiful women in most of the James Bond films.

circumspect (adj) , circumspectly (adv) , circumspection (n)

conscious, aware, sentient, mindful, wise . (The prison guard was circumspect when he learned that some of the prisoners were planning an escape.)

egregious (adj) , vegregiously (adv), egregiousness (n)

conspicuously and outrageously bad or offensive; flagrant.obvious, conspicuous. a. After her egregious accounting error cost the company thousands of dollars, Enid was fired. b. It's hard to imagine how the editor could allow such an egregious error to appear.

dichotomy (n) , dichotomous (adj) , dichotomously (adv)

contradiction, incongruity, paradox , division into two usually contradictory parts or kinds. (When the teacher broached the subject of politics, there was a predictable dichotomy among the students.

cogent (adj) , cogently (adv) , cogency (n)

convincing, persuasive, compelling belief . forceful and convincing a.Ella's cogent arguments helped the debate team win the state championship. b. The committee members were won over to the project by the cogent arguments of the chairman.

dilatory (adj) , dilatorily (adv) , dilatoriness (n)

crawling, creeping, dallying, dawdling , slow or late in doing something; intended to delay, especially to gain time.procrastinating a. Miguel's dilatory approach to getting himself up and dressed was his own small act of passive resistance to having to work on a holiday. b. The lawyer used various dilatory tactics, hoping that his opponent would get tired of waiting for a trial and drop the case.

culpable (adj) , culpably (adv) , culpability (n)

deserving blame or censure for being or doing something wrong or harmful; blameworthy, guilty.able to be blamed a. Since the company treasurer was out of the country at the time the money was stolen, he was not culpable. b. He's more culpable than the others because he's old enough to know better.

disabuse (v)

disillusion, disenchant, undeceive , correct a false impression or erroneous belief. (Natalie needed to disabuse Chin of his belief that she was in love with him.)

efficacious (adj) , efficaciously(adv) , efficacy (n)

effectual, efficient, fruitful, operative, potent , acting effectively. able to produce a desired effect. a. Margaret's efficacious approach to her job in the collections department made her a favorite with the CFO b. Though thousands of people today are taking herbal supplements to treat depression, researchers have not yet proved them efficacious.

edifying(adj)

enlightening or uplifting with the aim of improving intellectual or moral development; instructing, improving (His edifying speech challenged the audience to devote more time to charitable causes.)

elusive (adj) , elusively (adv) , elusiveness (n)

evasive,tending to evade; hard to understand or define a. Despite years of research by famous specialists, the cure for cancer has proved to be elusive. b. the giant squid is one of the ocean's most elusive inhabitants.

empirical (adj) , empirically (adv), empiricism (n)

existential, experiential, experimental, based on observation or experience rather than theory. a. They collected plenty of empirical data from their experiments. b. Although many people believe in ESP, scientists have found no empirical evidence of its existence.

effusive (adj) , effusively (adv) , effusion (n)

expressing emotions in an unrestrained or excessive way; profuse, overflowing, gushy. touchy-freely . a. They offered effusive thanks for our help. b. Sally Field gave an effusive acceptance speech in which she marveled, "You like me! You really like me!"

consensus (n)

general agreement among a group. a. The decision was made by consensus. b. Among Quakers, voting traditionally is not used; instead, discussion continues until the entire group forms a consensus.

blasphemy (n)

great disrespect shown to God or to something holy . (If you committed blasphemy during the Inquisition, you would be tortured and killed.)

endemic (adj) , endemically (adv) , endemicity (n)

growing or existing in a certain place or region, common in a particular area or field (the fish is not an endemic species of the lake, and it is rapidly devouring the native trout population)

cursory (adj) , cursorily (adv) ,cursoriness (n)

hasty and superficial , shallow , done or made quickly a. During the cursory inspection of the restaurant kitchen, the inspector did not find any violations of the rules for cleanliness. b. Although I should have proofread the essay carefully, I only had time to give it a cursory review. .

cryptic (adj) , cryptically (adv) , inscrutable (adj) , inscrutably (adv) , inscrutability (n)

impenetrable, having a hidden or secret meaning, mysterious; hidden, secret, occult. baffling, unfathomable, incapable of being understood. (Jimmy was confused by the cryptic note he found written on the refrigerator.)

copious (adj) , copiously (adv) , copiousness (n)

large in number or quantity; abundant, plentiful. profuse, lavish (She sat in the front row and took copious notes during the lecture.)

conciliatory (adj), conciliate (verb), conciliation (noun).

making or willing to make concessions to reconcile, soothe, or comfort; mollifying, appeasing , seeking agreement, compromise, or reconciliation. a. As a conciliatory gesture, the union leaders agreed to postpone a strike and to continue negotiations with management. b. Abraham Lincoln made conciliatory gestures toward the South at the end of the Civil War .

dulcet (adj) , dulcetly (adv)

melodious, harmonious, sweet-sounding., rhythmic, congruous, in agreement . (The chamber orchestra's dulcet tunes were a perfect ending to a great evening.)

disconsolate (adj), disconsolately (adv), disconsolation (n)

miserable, wretched, unfortunate , sad, dejected, disappointed , inconsolable, hopelessly unhappy. (The disconsolate look on Peter's face revealed that the letter contained bad news.)

disdain (v-n), disdainful (adj) - contempt (v) - contemptuous(n), contemptible(adj), contemptuously(adv)

n. a feeling or showing of haughty contempt or scorn; a state of being despised. v. 1. to regard with haughty contempt or scorn, despise. 2. to consider or reject a. I was humiliated by the way Angelica disdained every idea I proposed at that meeting. b. The millionaire was disliked by many people because she treated "little people" with such disdain

debut (n-v)

n. a first appearance in or presentation to the public. v. to make a first appearance in public. (n. Irina's Carnegie Hall debut received rave reviews.)

dupe (n-v) , dupable (adj)

n. someone who is easily deceived, gullible. v. to deceive, trick. (Charlene was duped into buying this lemon of a car by a slick-talking salesman.)

derivative (adj-n),derivatively(adv), derive (v), derivation (n)

n. something that is derived or made by derivation. adj. derived from another source, unoriginal . a. The word "atomic" is a derivative of the word "atom." b. When a person first writes poetry, her poems are apt to be derivative of whatever poetry she most enjoys reading.

ebb (v-n)

n. the return of the tide to the sea. v. 1. to flow back or recede, as the tide. 2. to fall back, decline.crumble, decay (I hope Mark's anger has ebbed; I am eager for a reconciliation.)

credulous (adj) , credulously (adv) ,* credulity(n)

naive, simple, unsophisticated, artless, silly , * willingness to believe, even with little evidence. a. Con artists fool people by taking advantage of their credulity. b. Few people are credulous enough to believe such nonsense.

dissemble (v) , dissemblance (n)

pretend, profess, simulate ,to disguise or conceal one's true feelings or motives behind a false appearance. a. Tom needed to dissemble his goal of taking his boss's job by acting supportive of his boss's planned job change. b. When the police questioned her about the crime, she dissembled innocence.

contentious (adj) , contentiously (adv) , contentiousness

quarrelsome, competitive, quick to fight. 2. controversial, causing contention. (With two contentious candidates on hand, it was sure to be a lively debate.)

blatant (adj) , blatantly (adv)

rude, shameless, sassy , very obvious and offensive (He showed a blatant disregard for the safety of other drivers.)

derisive (adj) , derisively (adv) , derisiveness (n)

scornful, expressing ridicule; mocking, jeering. (In order to promote freedom of expression, derisive comments were forbidden in the classroom.)

complacent (adj) , complacently (adv), competency (n)

self-satisfied, unconcerned.nonchalant .unconcerned , smug. a. Renee was complacent even when she learned that her coworkers were trying to get her fired. b. How can you be complacent about such a menace?*

cliché (n)

shibboleth ,an expression that has become overly familiar or commonplace a. Most television programs have become cliched, following worn-out formulas. b.a speech filled with clichés about "finding your way" and "keeping the faith"

eloquent (adj) , eloquently (adv)

showing the ability to use language clearly and effectively,clearly showing feeling or meaning ,articulate,silver-tongued,well-spoken (an eloquent writer and speaker, Elizabeth Cady Stanton was one of the founders of the women's rights movement)

diffident (adj) , diffidently (adv), diffidence (n)

shy, timid, coy, embarrassed, sheepish , lacking self-confidence . hesitant, reserved. a. Someone with a diffident personality should pursue a career that involves little public contact. b.She was diffident about stating her opinion.

countenance (n-v)

the appearance of a person's face : a person's expression . (n.As she walked down the aisle, Julia's countenance was absolutely radiant.)

denouement (n)

the resolution or clearing up of the plot at the end of a narrative; the outcome or solution of an often complex series of events. (The students sat at the edge of their seats as they listened to the denouement of the story.)

denigrate (v) , denigration (n) , denigratory (adj)

to blacken the reputation of, disparage, defame.bad-mouth, belittle a. No one is trying to denigrate the importance of a good education. We all know that it is crucial for success. b. The firm's new president tried to explain his plans for improving the company without seeming to denigrate the work of his predecessor.

coalesce (v) , coalescence (n) , coalescent (adj)

to combine and form a whole; to join together, fuse.associate, unite (a group of young reformers who gradually coalesced into a political movement)

deign (v)

to condescend,to do something that you think you should not have to do because you are too important (Would you deign to spare a dime for a poor old beggar like me?)

delude (v) , deludingly (adv)

to deceive, make someone believe something that is wrong. fool (Nicole deluded Maria when she claimed to forgive her.)

disenfranchise (v) , disenfranchisement (n)

to deprive of the rights of citizenship, especially the right to vote. deprive of a privilege, right, or power . (They disenfranchised poor people by making property ownership a requirement for registering to vote.)

decimate (v) , decimation (n)

to destroy a large number of (plants, animals, people, etc.) (Budget cuts have decimated public services in small towns.)

dissuade (v) , dissuader (n)

to discourage from or persuade against a course of action.inhibit. (Our warnings did not dissuade them.)

delineate (v) , delineation (n) , delineative (adj)

to draw or outline, sketch; to portray, depict, describe. a. The survey will clearly delineate where their property ends. b. Naturalists had long suspected the fact of evolution, but Darwin was the first to delineate a process—natural selection—through which evolution could occur.

detract (v) , detractor (n)

to draw or reduce from; to remove part of something, diminish.someone who belittles or disparages. a.The singer has many detractors who consider his music boring, inane, and sentimental. b. Unfortunately, Helen's slovenly appearance detracted from the impact of her otherwise brilliant presentation.

eke (v) , Archaic (adv)

to get or supplement with great effort or strain; to earn or accomplish laboriously. (Working two jobs enabled Quincy to eke out a living wage for his family.)

daunt (v) , daunter (n) , dauntingly (adv)

to intimidate, to make afraid or discouraged , dispirit, frustrate, unman, unnerve . (His austere manner daunted the small children.)

engender (v)

to produce, give rise to, bring into existence.to cause. a. Countless disagreements over the proper use of national forests have engendered feelings of hostility between ranchers and environmentalists b. Professor Sorenson's support worked to engender Samantha's desire to pursue a PhD.

disparage (v) , disparagement (n), disparaging (adj) , disparagingly (adv)

to speak of in a slighting or derogatory way, belittle.diminish a. Comedians often disparage politicians as part of their comedic routines. b. Many political ads today both praise their own candidate and disparage his or her opponent.

emulate (v) ,emulation (n) , emulative (adj).

to try to equal or excel, especially by imitation.mimic,pattern, simulate , to copy or imitate a. The basketball player admired his coach so much that he emulated his manner of speaking, walking, and dressing b. She grew up emulating her sports heroes.

digress (V) , digression (noun), digressive (adjective).

to turn aside, deviate; to stray from the main subject in writing or speaking. to wander from the main path or the main topic. a. The members of the debating team were warned that they would lose the debate if they continued to digress from the proposed subject. b. Her argument digressed from the main problem she had about her friend's spending habits.

desecrate (v) , desecrater (n)

to violate the sacredness of, to profane.defile, pollute, soil (Someone desecrated the local cemetery by spray-painting graffiti on tombstones.)

enervate (v) , enervation (n) , enervatingly (adv)

to weaken, deprive of strength or vitality; to make feeble or impotent. to reduce the energy or strength of someone or something. a. The stress of the operation left her feeling enervated for about two weeks. b. Stephanie's cutting remarks managed to enervate Hasaan.

eminent (adj) , eminently (adv), eminence (n)

towering above or more prominent than others, lofty; standing above others in quality, reputation, etc.; istinguished.noteworthy, famous. a. Vaclav Havel was an eminent author before being elected president of the Czech Republic. b. many eminent surgeons are on the hospital's staff

dither (v-n)

v. 1. to hesitate, be indecisive and uncertain. 2. to shake or quiver. n. a very nervous, confused, or excited state. (v. During a crisis, it is important to have a leader who will not dither.)

diffuse (v- adj) , diffusely (adv) , diffuseness (n)

v. 1. to spread throughout, disperse, extend. 2. to soften, make less brilliant. adj. 1. spread out, scattered, not concentrated. 2. wordy, verbose. a. The perfume she sprayed diffused throughout her bedroom. b. The red dye quickly became diffused through the water, turning it a very pale pink.

demur - remonstrate (v) ,demurrable - remonstrative(adj) , remonstratively (adv) , remonstrator (n)

v. protest, remonstrate , to raise objections. adj. modest and shy, or pretending to be so. (Polly hated to demur, but she didn't think adding ten cloves of garlic to the recipe would taste good.)

draconian (adj)

very harsh, extremely severe , brutal, cruel, savage . (The editorial criticizes the draconian measures being taken to control the spread of the disease.)