Random Vocabularies

Depression

His wife's been hospitalized for depression.

Every day she sinks further and further into depression.

Insomnia

Holly suffered from insomnia caused by stress at work.

Particularly

We're particularly interested to hear from people who speak two or more European languages.

Breeze

Flags flapped in the breeze above their tents.

There's quite a fresh breeze today.

Accused

The accused protested her innocence.

The accused were all found guilty.

Toxic

toxic waste/chemicals/effluent

Sophisticated

She was slim, svelte, and sophisticated.

I don't think I have any books that would suit your sophisticated tastes.

Accentuate

Her dress was tightly belted, accentuating the slimness of her waist.

The new policy only serves to accentuate the inadequacy of help for the homeless.

Admissions

The city opened admissions to all residents.

He’s been director of admissions at Boston University.

Prospective

Her father always wants to meet her prospective boyfriends.

emphasize

I must emphasize that this exercise should not be done by pregnant women.

She emphasized the importance of fresh fruit and vegetables in the diet.

perk

A company car and a mobile phone are some of the perks that come with the job.

symmetrical

Nothing in this music is balanced or symmetrical or in any way predictable.

intervals

We see each other at regular intervals - usually about once a month.

There will be two 20-minute intervals during the opera.

pretty lucky

I think you are pretty lucky.

range of people

thrilled

I was thrilled that so many people turned up to the party.

humbled

Even when she became rich and famous, she never forgot her humble background.

He's very humble about his success.

disruptive

His teacher described him as a noisy, disruptive influence in class.

disruptive technologies.

vital

It was said that the police concealed vital evidence.

These monuments are a vital part of the cultural heritage of South America.

legacy

I received a small legacy from an aunt.

Their argument left a legacy of bitterness.

legacy tech

being bold

speech

His speech was slurred and I thought he was drunk.

Do you know the words to Hamlet's famous speech at the beginning of Act III?

courteous

Although she often disagreed with me, she was always courteous.

heritage

These monuments are a vital part of the cultural heritage of South America.

valor

Six members of the platoon already have been recommended for medals of valor.

envious

I'm very envious of your new coat - it's beautiful.

whisper

She leaned over and whispered something in his ear.

What are you two girls whispering about?

distinguished

a distinguished writer/director/politician.

distinguished career.

corpus

a collection of written or spoken material stored on a computer and used to find out how language is used:

All the dictionary examples are taken from a corpus of billions of words.

parameters

The researchers must keep within the parameters of the experiment.

The central office sets/establishes the parameters that guide policy at the local level.

inflectional

Drives", "driving", "drove", and "driven" are all inflectional forms of "drive".inflectional suffixes/endings

confidential

All information will be treated as strictly confidential.

initiative

The peace initiative was welcomed by both sides.

The UN called on all parties in the conflict to take a positive stance towards the new peace initiative.

potential

A number of potential buyers have expressed interest in the company.

Many potential customers are waiting for a fall in prices before buying.

excursion

This year's annual excursion will be to Lincoln.

whilst = while

austerity

The wartime austerity of my early years prepared me for later hardships.

The austerities of life in a small rural community were not what I was used to.

contentment

His face wore a look of pure contentment.

More people were finding that material things do not bring contentment .

decade

a period of ten years

Air traffic has increased 30% in the last decade.

They predict that a large earthquake will strike the east coast before the end of the decade.

parcel

a food parcel

The parcel was wrapped in plain brown paper.

detrimental

These chemicals have a detrimental effect/impact on the environment.

Their decision could be detrimental to the future of the company.

claimants

The claimants were the reigning King, and the mother, brother, and sister of the deceased widow.

prevailing

the prevailing attitude

The prevailing mood is one of optimism.

lively

It's hard work teaching a class of lively children.

a lively city

precarious

The lorry was lodged in a very precarious way, with its front wheels hanging over the cliff.

species

Mountain gorillas are an endangered species.

Over a hundred species of insect are found in this area.

urged

a strong wish, especially one that is difficult or impossible to control:

preservation

There is great public concern about some of the chemicals used in food preservation.

struggle

I've been struggling to understand this article all afternoon.

Fish struggle for survival when the water level drops in the lake.

subsequent

The book discusses his illness and subsequent resignation from politics.

Those explosions must have been subsequent to our departure, because we didn't hear anything.

exclusions

her exclusion from the list of Oscar nominees

the exclusion of disruptive students from school

emotionally

The coach appeared emotionally drained after yesterday’s loss.

exhibit

We have exhibited many of his works at our gallery in recent years.

Term

In financial terms, the project was not a success.

In terms of money, I was better off in my last job.

conceal

The listening device was concealed in a pen.

I tried to conceal my surprise when she told me her age.

maintain

The film has maintained its position as the critics favourite for another year.

render

New technology has rendered my old computer obsolete.

inhabitants

a city of five million inhabitants

resemble

You resemble your mother very closely.

After the earthquake, the city resembled a battlefield.

kinetic

kinetic energy

casting

casting metals

Welding

the activity of joining metal parts together.

intensified

He intensified his training, running 45 miles a week.

maneuverable

chaos

Snow and ice have caused chaos on the roads.

incompetent

an incompetent teacher/doctor

He has described the government as corrupt and incompetent.

eased

To ease the problem of overcrowding, new prisons will be built.

bid

She knew she couldn't afford it, so she didn't bid.

The communications group has shown an interest in bidding for the company.

relieved

I'm so relieved to find you - I thought you'd already gone.

He was relieved to see Jeannie reach the other side of the river safely.

Thriving

a thriving economy

The island has a thriving community and a rich and tragic history

premise

hey had started with the premise that all men are created equal.

The research project is based on the premise stated earlier.

expand

The air in the balloon expands when heated.

They expanded their retail operations during the 1980s.

contingent

Outdoor activities are, as ever, contingent on the weather.

Our success is contingent upon your support.

render

New technology has rendered my old computer obsolete.

She is rendering the book into English from French.

paralysed

unable to move or act:

The accident left her paralysed from the waist down.

outweigh

The benefits of this treatment far outweigh any risks.

anticipate

We don't anticipate any trouble.

We had one or two difficulties along the way that we didn't anticipate.

attributed to

Her success can be attributed to three main factors.

Territory

The UN is sending aid to the occupied territories.

distressed

She was deeply distressed by the news of his death.

broaden

The track broadens and becomes a road at this point.

plagiarizing

If you compare the two books side by side, it is clear that the author of the second has plagiarized (from the first).

albeit

The nation is adapting, albeit slowly, to the new global economy.

conclusions

Be careful not to introduce new ideas in the conclusion of your essay.

uninhibited

The students we spoke to were surprisingly uninhibited in talking about sex.

emphasis

I think we should put as much emphasis on preventing disease as we do on curing it.

aesthetic

The new building has little aesthetic value/appeal.

furniture that is both aesthetic and functional.

obvious

There is no obvious solution.

unsightly

The garden was full of unsightly weeds.

negates

The increase in our profits has been negated by the rising costs of running the business.

convictions

Since it was her first conviction for stealing, she was given a less severe sentence.

lawsuits

Two of the directors filed a lawsuit against their former employer.

apparel

sports apparel

Tailored

obesity

She was not just overweight; she was clinically obese.

compulsion

For many people, dieting is a compulsion.

Graft

He has had a skin graft on his badly burned arm.

fibroblast

Exposure to sunlight inhibits the ability of fibroblasts to produce collagen.

healing

This herb has been used in healing for centuries.

casualties

The train was derailed but there were no casualties, police said.

provisional

a provisional government

predecessors

My predecessor worked in this job for twelve years.

The latest Ferrari is not only faster than its predecessors but also more comfortable.

threshold

We are on the threshold of a new era.

fatalities

There are thousands of traffic fatalities

collisions

There has been a collision on the southbound stretch of the motorway.

The cyclist was in a collision with a bus.

incidents

A youth was seriously injured in a shooting incident on Saturday night.

drawbacks

One of the drawbacks of living with someone is having to share a bathroom.

infringements

an action that breaks a rule, law, etc.:

Even minor infringements of the law will be severely punished.

ascertain

I ascertained that no one could overhear us before I told Otto the news.

comprising

The course comprises a class book, a practice book, and a CD.

pledged

All the candidates have given/made pledges not to raise taxes if they are elected.

The government has made a pledge never to make deals with terrorists.