Word Definition Example Sentence

v. to become less
As I began my speech, my feelings
Abate active, less intense, or
of nervousness quickly abated.
less in amount
adj. existing purely in
the mind; not Julie had trouble understanding the
Abstract
representing actual appeal of the abstract painting.
reality
I got an abysmal grade on my
Abysmal adj. extremely bad
research paper!
All students must
Accordingly adv. in accordance with
behave accordingly.
n. the act of gaining a
Language acquisition is easier for
Acquisition skill or possession of
kids than it is for adults.
something
v. to make suit a new
The US has adapted many foreign
purpose
foods to better suit the tastes of
v. to accommodate
Adapt Americans.
oneself to a new
Dogs are known for their ability to
condition, setting, or
quickly adapt to their environments.
situation
adj. having knowledge
Beth loves playing the piano, but
Adept or skill (usu. in a
she’s especially adept at the violin.
particular area)
adj. having sufficient Though his resume
Adequate qualifications to meet a was adequate, the company
specific task or purpose doubted whether he’d be a good fit.
n. the arrival or creation
The world has never been the same
Advent of something (usu.
since the advent of the light bulb.
historic)
adj. relating to hostile An adversarial attitude will make
Adversarial
opposition you many enemies in life.
n. someone who
promotes or defends I am an advocate for free higher
something education.
Advocate v. to defend or promote Environmental protesters
something (usu. a often advocate for cleaner energy
belief, theory, opinion, practices.
etc.)
adj. relating to beauty The aesthetic decorations at the
Aesthetic
or refined taste wedding reception made you feel as
 if you were a character in a fairy
tale.
He’s saving money so he
v. to be able to buy can afford to buy a new car.
Afford
v. to be able to spare I can’t afford to lose any more
pencils!
v. to promote
They’re agitating for better health
Agitate something (usu. a
care.
cause)
v. to permit or consent US law allows citizens to speak
Allow
to freely.
She alluded to the problem at hand
v. to make a secretive
Allude but didn’t say anything more about
mention of something
it.
n. a noisy argument or Greg got into an altercation with a
Altercation
confrontation stranger at the bar.
Her ambiguous statement made
adj. unclear or vague in
Ambiguous me question whether she could be
meaning
trusted.
adj. having a powerful
Penny is so ambitious, she wants
Ambitious desire for success or
to be president someday.
achievement
n. the state of being
His ambivalence prevented him
uncertain or stuck
Ambivalence from immediately signing the
between two or more
contract.
options
Green onions are
adj. similar but not
Analogous considered analogous to spring
identical
onions.
v. to destroy or cause The dictator sent orders
Annihilate
devastating destruction to annihilate the group of rebels.
n. something different This result is an anomaly and very
Anomaly
from the norm rarely happens.
v. assume to be likely to The party was just as fun as I
Anticipate
happen had anticipated it would be.
Her antipathy toward the professor
n. a strong feeling of
Antipathy was obvious: she rolled her eyes
dislike
whenever he entered the classroom.
n. the highest point of The spring play was the apex of our
Apex
something school year.
 Her apprehension to leave her
n. fearful expectation of
Apprehension house resulted in her missing the
something
train.
v. to clearly express in She articulated her opinion on the
Articulate
words price of the house.
adj. something made; Many candies use artificial flavors
Artificial
not occurring naturally to make them taste fruity.
His assertion that sharks are
Assertion n. a strong declaration
mammals made everyone laugh.
He lived in a small, austere cabin in
adj. extremely plain
the middle of the woods.
adj. stern and
My boss had an austere expression
Austere forbidding
on her face.
adj. relating to self-
An austere lifestyle, like that of
denial
monks, isn’t for everybody.
n. the quality of being The police officer doubted
Authenticity real and true instead of the authenticity of the suspect’s
fake and contrived story.
n. an intangible path or The company has decided to pursue
Avenue
approach to something other avenues.
adj. actively interested
Avid in or enthusiastic about Gerald is an avid soccer fan.
something
adj. relating to the You have to start
Basic foundation or basis of with basic Russian before you can
something move on to the advanced level.
She bears a strong resemblance to
your mother.
v. to have as a
Judy will bear her first child later this
characteristic
year.
Bear v. to have (a child)
My garden is going
v. to bring forth
to bear pumpkins this year.
v. to put up with
I can’t bear her complaining any
longer!
Many cultures believe
Benevolent adj. kind, generous
in benevolent spirits.
n. a preconception that It’s important to avoid bias when
Bias
prevents objectivity investigating a crime.
adj. tinged with a The ending of the romance movie
Bittersweet
feeling of sadness was bittersweet.
If we work together, we should be
v. to support,
Bolster able to lift and then bolster the
strengthen, or fortify
couch.
 n. an increase or The boost in profits was a welcome
growth change.
Boost
v. to increase or make In order to boost profits, you need
grow to cater to your customers.
A brawl broke out at school today
n. an intense, loud fight after one student accused another of
Brawl v. to fight loudly and cheating.
disruptively The two students brawled for an
hour.
n. the quality of being The brevity of their time together
Brevity
brief or terse made it all the more romantic.
Josh is candid about his desire to
Candid adj. direct, blunt
become an actor.
I admire her candor, especially
n. the trait of being
Candor when nobody else bothers to speak
honest and frank
up.
I’d like to capitalize on your math
v. to use to your
Capitalize skills by having your work the cash
advantage
register.
The spy was captured by the
v. to trap or take
enemy.
possession of
Your painting
v. to successfully
beautifully captures the
Capture represent or imitate
ephemerality of life.
v. to captivate,
I was captured by her beauty.
mesmerize
The cops captured the criminal
v. to catch or seize
three days after the incident.
adj. relating to the city
Civic Voting is a civic duty.
or citizens
adj. emotionally
Her clinical approach to situations
unattached (usu. used
Clinical allows her to handle them more
in medical or scientific
effectively.
setting)
Children of rich and famous people
n. special advantage or
Clout often believe they have a lot
power
of clout.
The horse’s mane was coarse, as if
adj. indicating a rough
it had never been washed.
texture
Coarse The queen’s coarse way of
adj. lacking refinement
speaking surprised the other
or sophistication
members of royalty.
It wasn’t until after I booked my
v. to happen at the
Coincide ticket that I realized the
same time
concert coincided with my finals.
 n. the use of payment
This painting
to request something
Commission was commissioned by a rich
(e.g., a service or
merchant in 1589.
product)
adj. able to be This novel
Comparable
compared is comparable to Huckleberry Finn.
We need to hire a competent web
Competent adj. sufficiently qualified developer to create a good website
for our company.
Though he had never won any
adj. satisfied, with no
awards or even been published, he
Complacent desire to change or
was complacent with his life as a
improve
poet.
This wine
v. to make perfect or
Complement perfectly complements this platter
complete
of gourmet cheese.
v. to be forced to agree With no chance of winning the
or surrender battle, the army at last conceded.
Concede
v. to admit to a Dan conceded to pranking his
transgression sister.
The plan to build the city was
v. to imagine or come
Conceive originally conceived in the early
up with
1900s.
v. to overlook, approve, She couldn't condone her
Condone
or allow daughter's rebellious behavior.
The noisy students hardly made the
adj. able to bring about
Conducive campus library conducive to
or be suitable for
studying.
The group conducted their research
v. to control or manage
abroad last year.
Conduct v. to behave a certain
Be sure to conduct yourself
way
accordingly.
v. to share something She confided all of her biggest
Confide
secretive with someone secrets in her best friend.
v. to put limits on; to We are going to confine the use of
Confine
restrict this drinking fountain.
After weeks of debating, the panel
Consensus n. overall agreement
finally came to a consensus.
The desire for
v. to form or compose
Constitute equality constituted the civil rights
(part of) something
movement.
She contemplated telling her
Contemplate v. to think deeply about
teacher about the cheating student.
 The president contends that the US
v. to maintain or assert
Contend government will not negotiate with
(an opinion)
terrorists.
The camera footage contradicts his
Contradict v. to be in contrast with
alibi.
Millions of viewers watched
adj. highly debatable
Controversial the controversial debate take
and causing contention
place.
adj. abiding by She lives a conventional life in the
Conventional
accepted standards suburbs.
v. to pass on or transfer I have trouble conveying my
Convey
(information) thoughts in French.
n. a firm belief in Her religious convictions prevent
Conviction
something her from eating meat.
The note signed by her
v. to provide evidence
Corroborate father corroborates her claim that
for; to back up (a claim)
she was absent from class that day.
v. to work in opposition This ingredient seems
Counteract
to to counteract the other ones.
Make sure to include
n. an argument used to a counterargument in your essay
Counterargument criticize or dismantle so that you can show you’ve
another argument considered the topic from all
perspectives.
Bill’s idea to take a shortcut was
adj. hindering the ultimately counterproductive: it
Counterproductive
achievement of a goal took us twice as long to get to the
train station.
The culmination of the performance
Culmination n. the final act or climax
was unforgettable.
Teachers don’t just pass on new
v. to foster the growth information to students—
Cultivate
of they cultivate their academic
potential.
The president decreed that
v. to declare formally
Decree Halloween would henceforth be a
and with authority
national holiday.
Her deference to the elderly makes
Deference n. respect; regard her the perfect candidate for an
internship at the retirement center.
adj. not enough in I feel as though the sources for my
Deficient
degree or amount paper are deficient.
 Could you demonstrate the dance
move for me?
v. to do as an example This book’s use of words such as
Demonstrate
v. gives evidence for “grim” and
“bleak” demonstrates the author’s
mournful tone.
She demurred at my request to
Demur v. to object to
transfer to a different department.
The lost campers
v. to (over)use over
Deplete quickly depleted their supply of
time (usu. resources)
food.
The moon is one
Desolate adj. bare, barren, empty
giant, desolate landscape.
v. to come up with (a Lana devised a plan to make
Devise
plan) herself famous.
n. a problem, usually
The main dilemma is whether to
Dilemma requiring a choice
pay for a commercial or not.
between two options
n. conscientiousness;
Diligence and confidence will get
Diligence the quality of being
you far in life.
committed to a task
The itchiness of mosquito bites
v. to become smaller in
Diminish usually starts to diminish after a few
scope or degree
days.
When the police didn’t explain what
adj. hopeless and
Dire was happening right away, Jane
dangerous or fearful
knew that the situation must be dire.
Disputes over money caused
Discord n. disagreement
intense discord in the family.
n. a lack of respect and He looked at me with
Disdain strong dislike (toward such disdain that I immediately
something or someone) knew the job wouldn’t work out.
n. hopelessness, To Nick’s dismay, he got an F on
stress, or consternation the test.
Dismay
v. to fill with woe or Many were dismayed by the town’s
apprehension implementation of metered parking.
A good boss is stern but
v. to belittle or speak
Disparage never disparages his or her
down to
employees.
v. to send off a The mother dispatched her
Dispatch
message or messenger daughter to their neighbor’s house.
 Lately, there’s been
n. the act of becoming
Diversification noticeable diversification of
diverse
students at higher institutions.
n. a principle, theory, or
Devoutly religious people often live
position, usu.
Doctrine their lives according to
advocated by a religion
their doctrines.
or gov’t
The country claimed to
n. power and authority have dominion over parts of
Dominion (usu. over a territory) Russia.
n. a legal territory Puerto Rico is a dominion of the
US.
The gray clouds in the sky made the
Dreary adj. sad, gloomy, dull
day feel dreary.
The man’s claims to the throne
adj. doubtful,
Dubious were dubious since nobody knew
questionable
where he’d come from.
adj. peculiar or odd; She’s a little eccentric but still fun to
Eccentric
deviating from the norm be around.
After cheating on the exam, Emily
Egregious adj. extremely bad began to feel as though she’d made
an egregious mistake.
adj. having refined or
His speech was not
expressive
Eloquent only eloquent but also extremely
communication skills (in
compelling.
speaking or writing)
adj. superior or Our town made news when
Eminent distinguished; high in the eminent magician came to
position or status perform at our local theater.
v. to discharge, give Plants consume carbon dioxide
Emit
forth, or release and emit oxygen.
adj. very expressive; Her emphatic smile told me she
Emphatic
using emphasis was excited to ride the roller coaster.
adj. derived from
experience, You need empirical evidence to
Empirical
observation, or an support your claim.
experiment
According to the myth, the
v. to equip or bestow
Endow gods endowed him with the gift of
(usu. a quality or ability)
healing.
v. to withstand, sustain, I can’t endure this wait any longer.
Endure
or hold out against Will Stanford accept or reject me?
 A doctoral program entails long
Entail v. to involve or include
nights and a heavy workload.
Her face will forever
Entrenched adj. firmly established
be entrenched in my memory.
I can’t enumerate how many times
Enumerate v. to specify or count I’ve had to remind my students when
their papers are due.
n. excessive jealousy His envy of her is quite obvious.
Envy v. to admire and be She envies her coworker's social
jealous of skills.
adj. having no fixed
The car became erratic after
Erratic course; deviating from
slipping on ice.
the norm
They established a law that made it
v. to enact illegal to drive after drinking any
Establish v. to found (a business, amount of alcohol.
group, school, etc.) Our group established a new
branch in Chicago.
v. to draw forth or call Horror movies are great
Evoke
up at evoking fear.
v. to make worse or The doctor told me not to run as it
Exacerbate
increase the severity of can exacerbate my knee injury.
v. to do something
She was a well-rounded student
Excel extremely well or to be
but excelled especially in science.
superior in
v. to put into use (usu. Don’t exert all of your energy at
Exert
as effort) once.
adj. invigorating, The music playing at the club was
Exhilarating
stimulating, or exciting catchy and exhilarating.
v. to use up (as in Be careful not to expend all your
Expend
energy or money) energy in the first half of a marathon.
The shoddy company exploited its
v. to use selfishly or for
Exploit workers by paying them extremely
profit
low wages.
In grad school,
advisors facilitate students’
Facilitate v. to aid the progress of
research and offer constructive
criticism.
The feasibility of her project was
n. the practicality or doubtful; she’d have to go all the
Feasibility
possibility of something way to Antarctica and back before
the school year ended.
 The lion is just one wild animal
Ferocity n. viciousness, violence
known for its ferocity.
Fiscal policy is how the government
adj. related to
Fiscal uses money to influence the
(government) money
economy.
After one year, the tiny plants
v. to prosper, grow, or
Flourish had flourished into a breathtaking
make fast progress
garden.
Stocks can fluctuate on a daily
v. to be unstable; to rise
Fluctuate basis, making it difficult to determine
and fall
when to buy or sell one.
The civilians accused their leader
Foment v. to stir up
of fomenting political unrest.
adj. capable of being I can't imagine aliens visiting us in
Foreseeable
predicted or anticipated the foreseeable future.
I frankly don’t see the point in
Frankly adv. directly, clearly
learning to drive.
His freewheeling attitude often got
Freewheeling adj. carefree
him in trouble at work.
adj. the most essential A thesis is arguably the
Fundamental
or most basic part most fundamental part of an essay.
adj. thrilling, exciting, The galvanizing performance left
Galvanizing
stimulating everyone spellbound.
I became interested
in geriatric medicine shortly after
Geriatric adj. relating to old age
my grandfather passed away from
cancer.
The voices around the corner
Hostile adj. harmful, dangerous
sounded angry, hostile even.

For my physics homework, I must

adj. supposed; related
Hypothetical come up with
to a hypothesis
a hypothetical situation.
The politician's expensive campaign
adj. publicly shameful
Ignominious ultimately ended
or humiliating
in ignominious defeat.
v. to transmit, bestow, Parents must impart common sense
Impart
or disclose to their children.
n. the equal and To ensure impartiality, we require
Impartiality objective treatment of everyone to follow these general
opposing views guidelines.
 adj. impressive (esp. in The old mansion was imposing in
Imposing
size or appearance) its huge size and gothic architecture.
If it’s not too much of
n. an unnecessary
Imposition an imposition, could you proofread
burden
my paper?
adj. not cautious or Backpacking abroad can be fun, but
Imprudent
prudent; rash don’t be imprudent about money.
v. to encourage or stir Her hateful words incited anger in
Incite
up the crowd.
n. apathy, emotional The girl’s indifference toward her
Indifference
detachment brother upset their parents.
adv. randomly; with little Lottery winners are
Indiscriminately
or no distinction chosen indiscriminately.
v. to give into; to satisfy My friend loves to indulge in cheesy
Indulge
or gratify romance movies.
You can infer from this quotation
v. to guess, conclude,
Infer that the writer didn’t care for “pretty”
or derive by reasoning
language.
Her invention was
adj. novel or new (esp.
Innovative incredibly innovative and won her
as an idea or invention)
multiple awards.
A vampire’s thirst for blood is said to
Insatiable adj. can’t be satisfied
be insatiable.

The culture’s norms were

Inversion n. a reversal
an inversion of our own.
v. to call on; to appeal The shaman attempted to invoke a
Invoke
to (e.g., a higher power) demon.
adj. incapable of being The couple’s differences were
Irreconcilable in harmony or agreed ultimately irreconcilable, giving
upon them no choice but to break up.
Susan lamented her missed chance
v. to feel sorrow for; to
Lament at going to Europe with her high
mourn
school class.
Physics involves the study
Locomotion n. movement
of locomotion.
adj. capable of making Writing books isn’t a
Lucrative a lot of money; particularly lucrative career, unless
profitable you’re J.K. Rowling.
The malicious spirit drove out the
Malicious adj. harmful, spiteful
inhabitants from their home.
 adj. predominant,
Our paramount concern is the
Paramount superior, most
safety of our employees.
important
Upon entering the abandoned
house, Kate experienced
Peculiar adj. strange, bizarre
a peculiar feeling, as if someone
was watching her.
According to the news,
Perish v. to die; to pass away
nobody perished in the fire.
They will persecute anyone who
Persecute v. to cause suffering to doesn’t agree with their views of the
world.
adj. cranky, pouty, Petulant children are especially
Petulant
irritable difficult to care for.
Many believe that composers such
n. highest level or
Pinnacle as Beethoven and Mozart represent
degree
the pinnacle of classical music.

The frail-looking dog

Pitiable adj. deserving pity was pitiable, so I gave it some food
and took it inside to care for it.
adj. reasonable and Her story is plausible, but that
Plausible
possibly true doesn’t mean she’s telling the truth.
The literary critic postulates that
Postulate v. to assert romanticism and naturalism are
actually interconnected.
adj. having great The bald eagle is a potent symbol
influence of the US.
Potent
adj. having a strong, The potion was definitely potent—it
chemical effect healed my wounds immediately!
It’s not necessarily
more pragmatic to study
Pragmatic adj. practical, useful
engineering than it is to study
philosophy.
n. an example or
This change in law is without
Precedent subject from earlier in
historical precedent.
time
n. someone who
My predecessor gave me many tips
Predecessor comes before you (usu.
for running the office.
in position or office)
v. to command orders The directions for our
Prescribe v. to issue authorization essay prescribe a length of at least
for medications ten pages.
 A doctor must prescribe you this
medication before you can begin
taking it.
Remember the
n. basic truth,
Principle universal principle: treat others as
assumption, or rule
you want them to treat you.
v. to command against, Alcohol was prohibited in the US in
Prohibit
to outlaw the 1920s.
She is always prompt when it
adj. punctual, on time comes to turning in her homework.
n. a cue to begin I had to write an essay based on
Prompt something; instructions a prompt.
v. to incite, propel, or The possibility of a
cause to act scholarship prompted him to apply
to Harvard.
The ruler will at last promulgate an
v. to put into law or
Promulgate amnesty with the neighboring
formally declare
countries.
v. to bring criminal
The suspect
Prosecute action against someone
was prosecuted yesterday.
(in a trial)
adj. intending to
Her nude paintings are considered
Provocative provoke, inspire, or
quite provocative.
arouse
adj. involving qualities
I noticed a qualitative change in her
Qualitative of something (features
paintings.
and content)
adj. involving quantities We must conduct
Quantitative
(numbers and amounts) a quantitative analysis.
His biggest quirk is his love of old
Quirk n. a strange habit
marbles.
v. to split into two or Cars ramified throughout the world
Ramify
more branches in the twentieth century.
adj. without attention to Her rash decision to pass the car
Rash
danger or risk nearly resulted in a crash.
He’s got raw talent as a singer, but
adj. unrefined he needs to work on his
Raw adj. not processed; performance skills.
uncooked (as in food) In some countries, such as Japan, it
is normal to eat raw fish.
adv. right away and Water was readily available at
Readily
without difficulty different points in the race.
 n. thinking again about
The judges’ reconsideration of her
Reconsideration a previously made
performance resulted in her victory.
choice
n. a change for the The reform made it so that only
better; improvement those 18 and older can legally drive.
Reform
v. to improve via The government reformed its vague
change policies on marijuana use.
v. to prove to be untrue, The student refuted the professor’s
Refute
unfounded, or incorrect claim in class.
v. to strengthen or add We can use these pipes
Reinforce
support to to reinforce the structure.
adv. somewhat Max reluctantly agreed to see the
Reluctantly
unwillingly horror movie with his friends.
Our CEO renounced her position
v. to give up (usu.
yesterday.
Renounce power or a position)
He renounced his friend after he
v. to cast off
caught her stealing money from him.
The mother reproached her
Reproach v. to criticize daughter’s school for making
students come in during a blizzard.
The father repudiated his son’s
v. to refuse to marriage.
Repudiate recognize as true She repudiated her son once she
v. to cast off found out he’d married someone
without telling her.
n. the act of keeping Water retention can make you
Retention
something weigh more on certain days.
adj. satisfied (usu. in
Satiated I felt satiated after eating a snack.
hunger)
adj. having practical
My brother is not very savvy when it
Savvy intelligence or
comes to using public transportation.
knowledge
adj. morally offensive,
The scandalous politician decided it
Scandalous often causing damage
was best to resign from office.
to one’s reputation
v. to look down on with It’s difficult for me not to scorn those
Scorn
disdain who use improper grammar.
adj. paying great I am a scrupulous proofreader and
Scrupulous
attention to detail never miss an error.
v. to examine carefully The teacher scrutinized her
Scrutinize
and critically students’ essays.
 v. to produce or release Trees secrete a sticky substance
Secrete
(a substance) called sap.
I am of the sentiment that you
should never give out your
n. opinion
passwords to anyone.
Sentiment n. a tender or moving
Even though I’m not a big fan of
gesture
porcelain dolls, I appreciated
the sentiment.
The curtains on the window were
adj. so thin that light
Sheer so sheer you could clearly see
can shine through
inside the house.
This math problem is
so simple even a first grader can
adj. easy; not complex
Simple solve it.
adj. undecorated
The simple beauty of the ocean is
what makes it memorable.
Medieval peasants
Sinister adj. ominous, evil believed sinister demons could
harm humans.
n. the joining of
I stood in solidarity with other
commonalities or
Solidarity female students by refusing to wear
common purposes
the school’s sexist uniform.
among a group
adv. insufficiently,
Due to my condition, I must eat
Sparingly meagerly, or in a
salt sparingly.
restricted manner
v. to release eggs Frogs typically spawn in ponds.
Spawn v. to call forth or The topic spawned an ongoing
generate debate among his family members.
Spur v. to stimulate or incite Her bravery spurred others to act.
adj. run-down, sordid, The squalid cabin needed a new
Squalid
or sleazy roof and an exterminator.
adj. very plain; devoid
Looking out at the stark landscape, I
Stark of any details or
felt a keen sense of isolation.
features
The ball is static.
adj. motionless
Static Her life has been static for the past
adj. changeless
three years.
adj. lower in rank The subordinate officers work
n. someone lower in every day.
rank My subordinate will check you in.
Subordinate
v. to make dependent You aren’t my boss—you
on or put at a lower can’t subordinate me to the role of
rank receptionist!
 adv. happening later or
Subsequently I subsequently went home.
after something
I was shocked to find
adj. very large in
Substantial a substantial amount of money
amount or degree
beneath the park bench.
It is important for scientists
v. to strengthen with
Substantiate to substantiate their theories
new evidence or facts
whenever possible.
adj. hard to detect or I detected in her expression
Subtle
analyze a subtle hint of irritation.
adj. enough; just These boxes should
Sufficient
meeting a requirement be sufficient for our move.
adj. unfriendly; inclined The bartender was a surly fellow
Surly
to anger who wasn’t afraid to start a fight.
They managed to surmount the
v. to get on top of or
Surmount language barrier by using a
overcome
translation app.
adj. to be vulnerable (to Children are more susceptible to
Susceptible
something) certain illnesses than adults are.
Her tactful attitude toward our class
adj. skilled at dealing
Tactful made her one of my favorite
with people
teachers.
The rubberband was taut and ready
Taut adj. pulled tight
to be fired.
adj. abundantly filled Doorknobs are not as clean as they
Teeming (usu. with living look and are often teeming with
organisms) germs.
She had a
n. usual mood or
Temperament hostile temperament, making her
feelings
intimidating to most people.
We haven’t made any official
arrangements yet, but
Tentative adj. not yet finalized
the tentative location for our
wedding is Hawaii.
adj. see-through; so Stained window glass isn’t
thin that light can shine as transparent as regular window
Transparent through glass is.
adj. truthful or easy to She was transparent about her
perceive plans to end her marriage.
The journey was
adj. dangerous and
Treacherous becoming treacherous, but they
unstable
continued on regardless.
 adj. very large, good, or Tremendous news! You don’t have
Tremendous
bad in degree or size to repay your loans!
adj. being everywhere Cell phones are ubiquitous these
Ubiquitous
at once days.
Though the dress was cheap
Unadorned adj. undecorated, plain and unadorned, it was by far her
favorite one on the rack.
v. to weaken or subvert
Parents should take care not to
Undermine (usu. gradually or
constantly undermine their children.
secretly)
This sentence seems
v. to emphasize or give
Underscore to underscore the overall meaning
additional weight to
of the passage.
Belly dancers are known for their
v. to move as ripples or
Undulate ability to skillfully undulate their
in a wavy pattern
stomachs.
The unilateral decision was
Unilateral adj. one-sided deemed unfair by the other party
involved.
The court’s decision is unjust—he
Unjust adj. unfair; not justified
should not go free.
adj. downright, utter, My speech was
Unmitigated
total an unmitigated disaster!
adj. completely new
and never having The number of protestors
Unprecedented
happened before; was unprecedented.
historic
v. to make visible; to We plan to unveil our plans for the
Unveil
reveal new company project on Sunday.
He had the urge to tell his parents
n. desire or impulse about his acceptance to Columbia
Urge v. to encourage or but decided against it.
persuade She urged her sister to apply to
Stanford.
v. to prove or declare Your selfish actions do
Validate
valid not validate your feelings for me.
n. ability to be done in a The viability of the solution is
Viability
practical or useful way questionable.
It is vital that you respond by the
Vital adj. urgently necessary
deadline.
My brother quickly broke his vow to
Vow v. to promise
never eat chocolate again.
 Wanting to look cool in front of your
v. to prove to be
Warrant friends doesn’t warrant breaking the
reasonable
law.
The farmer’s annual
n. production of an
pumpkin yield exceeded 10,000.
amount
Cars turning right on red
Yield v. to give way to or
must yield to oncoming traffic.
surrender to
Our experiment yielded many
v. to produce or supply
unique-looking vegetables.