Academic Words for TOEFL or IELTS

Add to Favourites
Post to:

abandon: V. to give up, to leave behind. The owner abandoned the car on the highway after it ran out of gas. abstract: Adj. beyond physical objects, existing in theory or thought; art not representing reality. EX: The abstract art shows the feelings or thoughts of the artist, rather than expressing something real. academy: N. school for special instruction; association of writers/scholars for advancement of arts or sciences. The foreign language academy specialized in teaching children languages at an early age. access: N. to be able to approach; the right to enter, use, etc. Ex: The front door was locked but the students could gain access to the building from the back door. accommodate: V. to adapt, do a favor, or have space for. Ex. The hotel could easily accommodate 30 guests in all their rooms. accompany: V. to go with; to supplement; to play or sing an accompaniment for/to. Ex. The dog accompanied it's owner on a walk. accumulate: V. to pile up or collect. Ex. Several inches of snow accumulated on the ground during the storm, the children were happy it was deep enough to cancel school for a snow day. accurate: Adj. Careful and exact; free from errors, precise. Ex. The surgeon had to be accurate when performing the operation to avoid any mistakes during the procedure. achieve: V. to do, accomplish; to get by effort. Ex. The student achieved much by studying hard and getting good grades to get into the program they wanted. acknowledge: V. to admit as true; to recognize the authority of/claims of; to respond to; to confirm or show thanks. Ex. The losing team acknowledged their bad performance and vowed to practice harder to win their next games. acquire: V. to receive by effort; to obtain. Ex. The applicant acquired a letter of recommendation from a former employer to help them to get another job. adapt: V. easy to change or adjust to new circumstances or conditions. Ex. After moving to a new city, the children adapted to their new neighborhood well as they made new friends and started school. adequate: Adj. Enough, Sufficient, suitable. Ex. The apartment had adequate space for a bed, a study desk, some chairs, and a bookshelf. adjacent: Adj. Near or close to; adjoining (next to). Ex. The post office was adjacent to city hall. adjust. V. to change to fit; to set or settle (amount.) Ex. The man adjusted the belt after losing some weight to fit his waist. administrate: V. to manage or oversee. Ex. The doctor administered the treatment to the injured patient. adult: N. mature, grown up. Ex. The movie was rated for adults, no one under 18 was allowed inside. advocate: N. person who speaks/writes in support of another/cause. Ex. The nurse was a strong advocate for treating the poor in the developing country. affect: V. to influence (emotionally), to have an effect on. Ex. The girl was affected by the news of her mother dying from cancer. aggregate: Adj. Total. N. group of things calculated. V. to total or gather into mass. Ex. The profits were aggregated after the recent sales to record the success of the new product. aid: V. to help/assist. N. an assistant/helper. Ex. The office aid helped the manager with many duties to help the company become more efficient. albeit: Conj. Although. Ex. Albeit the boy didn't have an umbrella, he still had to walk home in the rain. allocate: V. to set apart for a specific purpose; to distribute or allot. Ex. The married couple allocated some funds to save up for a house. alter: V. to change, become/make different. Ex. A werewolf is a legendary creature that is a person who is altered into a wolf under the full moon. alternative: Adj. Optional, left to choice. N. choice or option. Ex. The misbehaved child didn't like the alternative the father gave them for not eating their vegetables: going to bed early. ambiguous: Adj. Having 2 or more meanings; not clear/vague. Ex. The newly discovered animal was ambiguous looking, not showing any distinct features; making it a new species. amend: V. to correct, improve, revise, change, edit. Ex. The new law amended some old laws that had raised many complaints. analogy: N. similarity, marking a resemblance (resembling, like something.) Ex. The story “Alice in Wonderland” is an analogy for a girl growing up in English society and making decisions for herself. analyze: V. to make an analysis, examine in detail. Ex. The researchers analyzed the results from the experiment. anticipate: V. to look forward to; to use/deal with in advance; to be ahead of in doing. Ex. The children eagerly anticipated school ending, so they could begin their summer break. apparent: Adj. Readily seen, visible; evident, obvious; appearing real/true. Ex. It was apparent in court who the murderer was, since the man had a history of violent arguments and motives for killing the victim. append: V. to attach or fix onto. Ex. The homeowner added an appending sun porch to the side of the house. approach: V. to come nearer/closer; to make a proposal/request. Ex. The shy boy took awhile to approach the girl for a date. appreciate: V. to be grateful, to think well of. Ex. On his birthday, Billy appreciated all his friends coming to his party and bringing gifts. appropriate: V. to take for one's own use; set aside for specific purpose; Adj. Suitable, fit, proper. Ex. The dress was an appropriate match for the girl's style and the occasion it was worn at. approximate: Adj. Much like, resembling; more or less correct/exact. V. to come near to; be almost the same as. Ex. The approximate distance of the trip was around 25-kilometers. arbitrary: Adj. Left to one's judgement; preference, thought, or desire. Ex. It arbitrary which flavor of ice cream the boy chose. area: N. part of the Earth's surface, region; the measure in square units of a surface; location having a specific use or character; the scope or extent. Ex. The rest area on the highway was used for tired drivers to take a break, use the restroom, or buy something to eat while traveling. aspect: N. the way one appears; the way something appears from a specific position/viewpoint. Ex. One aspect of the new gym that was different was it had a fitness loft with an indoor running track and yoga room. assemble: V. to gather into a group, collect; to fit or put the parts together of. Ex. The company staff assembled for a meeting in the board room. The boy assembled the puzzle pieces. assess: V. to estimate the value of, worth, or importance of. Ex. The relatives assessed the value of the property owned by their dead uncle to divide into equal shares between parties. assign: V. to set apart or mark for a specific purpose; designate; to appoint as to a duty; to give out as a task. Ex. The teacher assigned the class homework. assist: V. To help/aid. Ex. The boy assisted the old woman in crossing the street. assume: V. to take on (appearance, role;) to pretend to have. Ex. The detective assumed the role of the criminal to understand their motive in solving the case. assure: V. to make someone sure of something; to promise confidently, guarantee. Ex. The company assured the customer they were getting the best quality and stood behind their product with a 2 year warranty. attach: V. to fasten by sticking/tying; to join; to hold someone in affection; to add. Ex. A photo was attached to the Curriculum Vitae that the applicant gave to their prospective employer. attain: V. to gain, accomplish, achieve; to reach/arrive at. Ex. The coach helped the athletes attain their highest potential during the soccer season. attitude: N. a manner showing a person's mood, opinion, thoughts or feelings. Ex. With a positive attitude, anyone can make the most of even the worst situations. attribute: V. to think of as belonging to a certain person or thing. N. a characteristic or quality of a person or thing. Ex. Some attributes the child got from their mother were her black hair and brown eyes; while they got their height from their father. author: N. someone who makes or creates something; a write of books. Ex. Al Gore is often credited as being the author of the internet. authority: N. the power or right to command; officials with this power; power or influence from knowledge or prestige; a person or writing in support of an opinion; an expert on a subject. Ex. The professor was said to be an authority in physics after writing 72 research books in the field. automate: V. to convert to automation, use automation in. Ex. The car factory was fully automated to reduce the cost and time of production, it used machines to do most of the work. available: Adj. That can be used; that can be gotten or had; handy/convenient. Ex. The boy was available on the weekend to work; since he didn't have class then. aware: Adj. Knowing, realizing, conscious. Ex. The man became aware of the broken window when it began to rain. behalf: N. Support; in the interest of/for. Ex. The lawyer represented on behalf of the witness. benefit: N. anything contributing to improvements/advantages. Ex. The teacher told the students the date of the test, to give them the benefit of early preparation. bias: N. showing partialty or favor; opposing view or slanted/prejudice opinion towards something. Ex. The news coverage of the war reflected the bias of the side reporting in their favor. bond: N. anything that bonds, fastens, unites, holds together. Ex. The bond between mother and child is said to be the strongest. brief: Adj. Short, concise. N. summary specific of a legal case. Adj. To supply with all the necessary/important information. Ex. The new employees were briefed on the duties they would have at the company during their training sessions. bulk: N. size, mass, or volume- especially if great; the main mass, largest part. V. to have/increase in size/importance. Adj. Total, Sum. Ex. The large package was bulky and required a cart to move. capable: Adj. Having ability; skilled; competent. Ex. The worker was capable of doing what was expected of them. capacity: N. ability to contain, receive, absorb; all that can be contained: volume; ability; maximum output; position/function. Ex. The maximum capacity of the lecture hall was 500 students. category: N. to divide into groups to organize into a system. Ex. The game show contestant selected the category that they were most familiar with to answer from. cease: V. to stop, end. Ex. The war ended when both sides ceased aggression towards each other. challenge: N. to bring into question; anything that poses difficulty. Ex. The 5-kilometer run was a challenge even for the most in-shape runners, they had to apply their best efforts. channel: N. a body of water connecting 2 larger ones (ex. Canal;) any means of passage; official transmission of communication. A frequency band of a radio/TV station. Ex. The river channels flowed from the mountain lake to the ocean. chapter: N. main division of a book; local branch of an organization. Ex. The book had twenty chapters, each about fifteen pages long. chart: N. a map, especially used in navigation; an information sheet with tables, graphs, etc. a table/graph. Ex. The chart displayed the company's increase in sales since launching the new product. chemical: Adj. Of, made by, or used in chemistry. Ex. The pharmacist knew the prescription would have a chemical response to other drugs the patient was taking currently. circumstance: N. the condition or event resulting from another; outcome. condition(s) affecting a person (financial, emotional, etc.) Ex. Despite the poor circumstances the student came from, they worked hard to have many opportunities their parents had not. cite: V. to summon before court of law; to quote; to mention as evidence/proof; to mention in an official report. Ex. The research paper cited the works of many leading scientists in the field. civil: Adj. Of a citizen(s); Polite; of citizens in matters not military or religious. Having to do with the private rights of citizens. Ex. The civil engineers worked to rebuild the dam after the flood had destroyed much of the city. clarify: V. to make or become clear. Ex. The professor used examples during the presentation to clarify the point being made to the students. classic: Adj. Excellent model of its kind. Balanced, formal, regular, simple. Famous as traditional or typical. Ex. The classic cars bring back a sense of the culture and history for the people who lived during the peak of a model's popularity. clause: N. a provision in a document. Ex. The clause in the legal document stated the penalties for breaking that law. code: N. systematized body of laws. A set of principles, as of ethics. A set of signals for sending messages. A system of symbols for secret writing, etc. Ex. Bushido is the ancient warriors' code honored by the Japanese samurai; many preferred death to dishonor. coherent: Adj. Sticking together, cohering. Able to be understood, clear in connection. Ex. The ideas of the speaker were coherent to the crowd, because the local presenter spoke in a similar manner to the audience. coincide: V. to take up the same place in time. To occur at the same time. To agree exactly. Ex. The other student's answer coincided with the second student's, so the teacher accused them of cheating. collapse: V. to fall down, cave in; break down suddenly, to fold together compactly. Ex. The World Trade Center collapsed after two passenger airplanes crashed into the towers on 9/11. colleague: N. a fellow worker in the same profession. Ex. The professor was an old colleague of mine while I studied in their department. commence: V. to begin, start. Ex. The meeting commenced at the time it was scheduled. comment: N. explanatory or critical note; remark/observation. V. talk or gossip; to make a comment(s) Ex. The boss commented on the company's good performance with the new supervisor. commission: N. an order to perform certain task/duties. A % of money from sales given to the seller. Ex. The sales clerk was given a 10% commission at the department store for every sale they made. commit: V. to deliver for safekeeping, entrust; to put in custody or confinement; to do/perpetuate(a crime;) to bind by a promise or pledge (an oath.) Ex. The doctor was commited to helping their patient. commodity: N. any useful thing; anything bought or sold; basic products (as of agriculture.) Ex. The new invention seemed to be an instant commodity, since everyone who saw it had to get one. communicate: V. to give or exchange information. Ex. The baby could only communicate to it's mother when it was hungry by crying. community: N. any group living in the same area or having interests, work, etc; in common. The general public; sharing something in common. Ex. The community came together to welcome the new family to their neighborhood. compatible: Adj. Getting along or going well together; can be mixed, used, etc; together effectively. Ex. The new dog the family got was compatible with the other dog they already owned, the two played together and didn't fight or get jealous with each other. compensate: V. to make up for; to make suitable payment for; to make or serve as amends. Ex. The worker injured on the job was compensated by their company for their hospital leave until they could return to work again. compile: V. to collect and assemble (facts, statistics, etc;) to compose (a book, etc) of materials from various sources. Ex. The survey compiled customer responses to the new iPhone. complement: N. that which completes or perfects. The amount needed to fill or complete. Ex. The woman was given a pair of earrings that complement her necklace. complex: Adj. Complicated. Ex. The surgery was complex and required the most skilled specialists to work overnight and still taking 48 hours. component: Adj. serving as one of the parts of a whole; N. a part, element, or ingredient. Ex. The main component of flight for an airplane is it's wings. compound: V. to mix or combine; to increase by adding something new. Ex. The problem of the car's flat tire was compounded when it began to rain. comprehensive: Adj. wide in scope, inclusive. Ex. The city's comprehensive plan to reduce pollution included a discounted monthly bus pass to encourage people to take the bus more often. comprise: Vt. To be made up of/made from. Ex. The cake was comprised of many delicious ingredients. compute: V. to calculate. Ex. The man computed the total cost of his vacation. conceive: V. to come to mind; to understand; to think of. Ex. It is difficult for some people to conceive that humans are related to monkeys. concentrate: V. to focus one's thoughts, efforts, attention, etc. 2) to increase the strength, density, etc of. Ex. The student had trouble concentrating on the lecture because they had a headache. concept: N. an idea or thought. Ex. The new design was a great concept since it was a huge improvement from earlier plans. conclude: V. to bring to an end, finish. To come to a decision/resolution. Ex. The wedding ceremony concluded with a party afterward. concurrent: Adj. happening together at the same time, simultaneously; having dual authority. Ex. Throughout history great ideas have often concurrently developed in different civilizations. conduct: N. Management/behavior. Adj. To transmit or convey (electricity, etc) Ex. A lightning rod on a roof conducts electricity by grounding the volts away from a building or house to prevent a fire. confer: V. to give or present with. Ex. The professor conferred an important example to the students. confine: V. to keep within limits. Ex. Bonsai is the Japanese art of growing miniature trees confined to small pots to often represent larger landscapes such as mountainsides. confirm: V. to prove factual, to give official approval for, to make firm. Ex. The experiment's results confirmed the researcher's theory to be true. conflict: V. to have an adverse relationship; N. to have a serious disagreement of ideals or opinions, etc; to cause aggression or violent reactions. Ex. The lawyer had a conflict of interests in representing a client he was formerly involved in a relationship with against her ex-husband. conform: V. to make or to become similar. consent consequent considerable consist constant constitute constrain construct consult consume contact contemporary context contract contradict contrary contrast contribute controversy convene converse convert convince cooperate coordinate core corporate correspond couple create credit criteria crucial culture currency cycle data debate decade decline deduce define definite demonstrate denote deny depress derive design despite detect deviate device devote differentiate dimension diminish discrete discriminate displace display dispose distinct distort distribute diverse document domain domestic dominate draft drama duration dynamic economy edit element eliminate emerge emphasis empirical enable encounter energy enforce enhance enormous ensure entity environment equate equip equivalent erode error establish estate estimate ethic ethnic evaluate eventual evident evolve exceed exclude exhibit expand expert explicit exploit export expose external extract facilitate factor federal fee file final finance finite flexible fluctuate focus format formula forthcoming foundation found framework function fund fundamental furthermore gender generate generation globe goal grade grant guarantee guideline hence hierarchy highlight hypothesis identical ideology ignorance illustrate image immigrate impact implement implicate implicit imply impose incentive incline income incorporate index indicate individual induce inevitable infer infrastructure inherent inhibit initial initiate injure innovate input insert insight inspect instance institute instruct integral integrity intelligence intense interact intermediate internal interpret interval intervene intrinsic invest investigate invoke involve isolate issue item job journal justify label labor layer lecture legal legislate levy liberal license likewise link locate logic maintain major manipulate manual margin mature maximize mechanical media mediate medical medium mental method migrate military minimal minimize minimum ministry monitor motive mutual negate network neutral nevertheless norm normal notion nuclear objective obtain obvious occupy occur odd offset ongoing option orient outcome output overall overlap overseas panel paradigm paragraph parallel parameter participate partner passive perceive percent period persist perspective phase phenomenon philosophy physical plus policy portion pose positive potential practitioner precede precise predict predominate preliminary presume previous primary prime principal principle prior priority proceed process professional prohibit project promote promotion proportion prospect protocol psychology publication publish purchase pursue qualitative quote radical random range ratio rational react recover refine regime region register regulate reinforce reject relax release relevant reluctant rely remove require research reside resolve resource respond restore restrain restrict retain reveal revenue reverse revise revolution rigid role route scenario schedule scheme scope section sector secure seek select sequence series sex shift significant similar simulate site So-called sole somewhat source specific specify sphere stable statistic status straightforward strategy stress structure style style submit subordinate subsequent subsidy substitute successor sufficient sum summary supplement survey survive suspend sustain symbol tape target task team technical technique technology temporary tense terminate text theme theory thereby topic trace tradition transfer transform transit transmit transport trend trigger ultimate undergo underlie undertake uniform unify unique utilize valid vary vehicle version via violate virtual visible vision volume voluntary welfare whereas whereby widespread

Description
Here's the beginning of my work to define all 563 of the words on the Academic Word List and include example sentences of how they're used to put their meaning into context. Be patient, I will finish this list, updating the list and modifying the definitions to a basic learners' level of vocabulary takes considerable time. If there's one word list that I find the most important for standardized English tests like the TOEFL or IELTS, it's the Academic Word List. I've included many words from either test formats and try to make this list as updated as possible with recent research.

Comments

Want to learn?

Sign up and browse through relevant courses.

Name:
Your Email:
Password:
Country:
Contact no:


Area code Number
Subjects you are interested in:
Word verification: (Enter the text as in image)


Sign Up Already a member? Sign In
I agree to WizIQ's User Agreement & Privacy Policy
John Paul Hornbeck
English teacher and cultural expert
User
8 Followers

Your Facebook Friends on WizIQ

Give live classes, create & sell online courses

Try it free Plans & Pricing

Connect