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Top 100 Words to Know for the TOEFL

TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) is a standardized test to measure the English language ability of non-native speakers wishing to enroll in English-speaking universities. Here you ae the top 100 words you need to know to pass it with flying colours !


ABYSS: a bottomless pit or very deep space (Example: Hell). It can also be used metaphorically to mean “endless”

Example:

His room was so messy that I couldn’t find anything in the abyss of papers.


ACQUIESCE: agree to something without argument

Example:

The employees acquiesced to his commands because they feared losing their jobs.


AFFABLE: very friendly

Example:

She’s an affable person with a warm smile.


AFFLICTION: pain or suffering

Example:

The cancer was an affliction that consumed his thoughts.


AFFLUENT: very wealthy

Example:

He’s from an affluent family, so he has no sense of frugality. AGITATE: to upset or disturb

Example:

The sick boy was agitated by the doctor’s questions.


AMBIGUOUS: UNCLEAR OR VAGUE Example:

The organization’s beliefs are very ambiguous. Sometimes, they claim to support us, and other times, they disagree.


ANNEX: to attach or incorporate into an existing unit Example:

The chapel was annexed to the main building several years ago.


AQUEOUS: of, like, or pertaining to water

Example:

Amphibians thrive in aqueous environments.


ARDUOUS: difficult or requiring effort

Example:

They began the arduous task of moving furniture into the new apartment.


AROMA: scent or odor (usually plant, spices, food, or candles)

Example:

The incense has a sweet aroma of vanilla and cinnamon.


ATONE: to pay for one’s sins or make amends for a wrong

Example:

An important concept in Christianity is atonement for one’s sins.


AVARICE: greedy for wealth; materialistic

Example:

The CEO was motivated by avarice when he decreased his employee’s pay.


BELLICOSE: hostile or combative; eager to fight

Example:

The man’s bellicose nature indicated how unhappy he was with the current political situation.


CALISTHENICS: exercises to build body strength, usually including gymnastics movements

Example:

All of the athletes were required to do calisthenics at the gym to improve strength and flexibility.


CAPTOR: someone who takes someone captive; a kidnapper or jailor

Example:

The prisoners tried desperately to escape their captors, but the building was well guarded.


CONCOCT: to digest or formulate (common noun form: concoction)

Example:

The bartender concocts new beverages based on his customers’ likes and dislikes.


DANGLE: to hang loosely or swing

Example:

The apples dangled from their branches, waiting to be picked. DEPRIVE: to take away or deny access to

Example:

The government continues to deprive its citizens of basic healthcare.


DILIGENT: hardworking; persistent

Example:

Successful medical students are very diligent in their studies.


DISROBE: undress

Example:

She disrobed and stepped into the hot bath.


DOCILE: easily managed, obedient

Example:

Most of the dogs are docile and well-trained.


DOLEFUL: full of grief; sad

Example:

She preferred to play doleful songs on her violin.


DROUGHT: a period of abnormally low rainfall; a famine or dry period

Example:

The country is facing one of the longest droughts in history with three months of no rain.


DUBIOUS: doubtful or questionable

Example:

The research project has dubious sources that lack credibility.


DUMBFOUND: to make someone perplexed or surprised (adjective: dumbfounded) Example:

Movie critics were dumbfounded by the film’s sudden success.


EFFACE: to erase or wipe out; to rub

Example:

They effaced the graffiti from the building.


ELUCIDATE: to make clear or explain; to clarify

Example:

The surgeon elucidated the purpose of the procedure to her patient.


ENCHANT: to charm by magic; gain control of by magical words or sorcery; to fascinate

Example:

In many fairy tales, a young princess is enchanted by a witch or sorcerer and must be rescued.


ENDEAVOR: an attempt or struggle

Example:

His latest business endeavor is a laundry delivery service to college students.


ENDORSE: to condone, support, authorize, or approve

Citizens Bank endorses the Phillies baseball team in exchange for public advertising.


ENTHRALL: to fascinate or take someone’s complete attention

Example:

The botanical gardens enthralled her with their beautiful flowers and trees.


EXPLOIT: to manipulate something, to use something unfairly

Example:

The consulting firm exploited its new employee by giving him all of the worst clients.


EXTENSIVE: widespread; wide; far-reaching

Example:

Many universities now offer extensive support for their international students.


EXTOL: to praise or celebrate highly

Example:

The delegation extolled the soldier as a great hero who died for his country.


FLIMSY: weak, limp, or without strength

Example:

The flimsy tent fell apart after only a few minutes.


FRAUD: achieving personal gain (usually money) by lying or cheating; a scam; deceit

The wealthy family went to prison for tax fraud.


GAUDY: very ornamented, excessive decoration or color; tasteless; vulgar

The Christmas tree looked gaudy with its neon lights and plastic ornaments.


GHASTLY: horrible; extremely bad or frightening

Example:

The food at the new restaurant was ghastly; it had no flavor.


GRUMBLE: to complain; to moan with a low voice

Example:

The customers were grumbling about the slow service at the checkout counter.


HARASS: to torment or annoy someone; to exhaust something

Example:

He kept harassing me until I finally agreed to help him.


HERETIC: someone who does not believe in the doctrine or practices of an established religion; someone who doesn’t conform to popular attitudes or principles

Example:

Galileo was viewed as a heretic by the Church for his claims that the Earth revolved around the Sun.


IMPEDIMENT: an obstacle; something that makes progress difficult

Examples:

His speech impediment prevented him from communicating his ideas effectively.

The school’s administrative board was a huge impediment to changing outdated policies.


INDIGENOUS: native; local

Example:

Many indigenous tribes still live in the Amazon, completely separated from modern life.


INSATIATE: never satisfied; greedy (other common form: insatiable)

Example:

The old man has an insatiable appetite for good food and beer.


INTREPID: fearless; courageous

Example:

The intrepid crew voyaged to Antarctica, hoping to study parts of the continent that no one has ever seen.


IRATE: angry; irritated or annoyed

Example:

The supervisor was irate at his employees for being late.


JEOPARDY: in danger or at risk of death, loss, or injury

Example:

Many people put their lives in jeopardy by texting while driving.


LEASH: to control, restrain, or chain (Also note the antonym, unleash: to free or release)

Example:

The public suspects that the President is leashed by many corporate advocates.


LOAFER: a lazy person (Verb: to loaf)

Examples:

He moved around like a drunken loafer.

Now that she’s unemployed, she just loafs around the house all day.


LUCRATIVE: profitable; rewarding

Example:

Website design is a very lucrative career field right now.


LUSTROUS: reflecting light; shiny

Example:

The company guarantees that their shampoo will transform dull hair into lustrous hair.


MALIGN: to criticize very harshly; to slander

Adjective: harmful; negative; evil

(Malignant: harmful; cancerous; tending to cause death)

Examples:

The mother’s mental illness led to the malign neglect of her children.

The doctors discovered that the patient’s tumor was malignant.


MEDDLE: to interfere; to mix; to handle someone’s affairs or property without permission

Example:

The administrative assistant was always meddling in her coworkers’ affairs because it made her feel important.


MEND: to make repairs; to fix or restore

Examples:

The tailor mended his customer’s ripped shirts.

After many years of not speaking, the two women mended their friendship.


MIRTH: laughter, humor, or amusement

Examples:

The mirth of the partygoers was visible on their smiling faces.

The novel was a tragedy, but it had moments of mirth.


NAUSEA: vomiting; motion or seasickness; queasiness

Example:

Nausea is a common side effect of sea travel.


NEGLECT: ignore; disregard; pay no attention to

Example:

The car had started to rust due to neglect.


NOCTURNAL: relating to the night; active at night

Example:

Most nocturnal creatures have enhanced vision to see in the dark.


OBESE: extremely fat or overweight (Note: “obesity” as a noun is another common form)

Example:

Many morbidly obese people decide to undergo surgery to lose weight.


OBSOLETE: no longer used; outdated

Example:

DVDs made VHS cassettes obsolete.


PERCH: a high place, elevated; branch or post

Example:

The cat sat on her perch above the window.


PERVADE: to spread or pass through Example:

Artificial ingredients pervade the entire food industry.


PETULANT: easily annoyed; moody

Example:

The child was petulant and always complained when he didn’t get what he wanted.


PILLAGE: to rob or take by force; to take spoils (rewards) in a time of war

Example:

The guerrilla army pillaged many villages of food, ammo, and weapons.


PRESUMPTUOUS: overconfident; arrogant; too direct or forward

Example:

It was presumptuous of him to use my things without my permission.


QUASHED: crushed; cancelled; invalidated

Example:

The company quickly quashed their plans to raise prices.


QUENCHING: satisfying; satiating

Example:

Soda is not very thirst-quenching because it has so much sugar.


REFURBISHED: remodeled; to make look new or clean

Example:

The apartment is in poor condition, but the couple plans to refurbish it.


REJOICING: expressing joy or happiness; pride; triumph (both noun and verb)

Example:

The spectators rejoiced after the soccer team defeated its most difficult opponent.


RETICENT: reserved; quiet, restrained

Example:

She was very reticent about her personal life.


REVERBERATE: to echo or ring

Example:

The sound of the explosion reverberated across the valley.


RIGOR: strictness; accuracy; difficulty or hardship (Plural form: rigors)

Example:

The rigors of medical school lead many students to neglect their personal relationships.


ROTUND: round; full (Noun form: rotundity)

The old man rubbed his rotund belly when he finished eating.


SALVAGE: to save or rescue from destruction; to save for future use

Example:

The plane could not be salvaged after the crash. SCATTERED: spread out; distributed; not together

The researchers couldn’t draw any conclusions because the results were very scattered.


SHATTER: to break into many pieces; to destroy

Example:

The plate shattered on the floor.

Her confidence shattered after she failed the test.


SHUNNED: avoided, rejected, or ignored

Example:

The organization shunned anyone who could not pay the membership fees.


SKETCHY: incomplete; vague or unclear; having a rough form or outline of something

Example:

The investigators had only sketchy evidence, so they could not convict the killer.


SPORADIC: at irregular intervals; no order in time

Example:

The patient had sporadic seizures, but no one could determine a pattern of what caused them.


STIFLED: suppressed; quiet

Example:

Stem cell research has a history of being stifled by the government.


STRIVE: to struggle for something; to attempt

The young woman strives to be an actress, but it is difficult to find work in this field.


SUBSEQUENT: following in time or order; successive; later

Example:

The subsequent chapters of this book outline the method of research.


SUCCUMB: submit to a powerful force or strong desire; give up or give in

(Note: “succumb to temptation” is a common expression) Example:

The recovered cigarette addict succumbed to temptation when he saw his friends smoking.


TACITURN: synonym for reticent; reserved or quiet

Example:

He’s a very taciturn man, but he still gets angry from time to time.


TANTALIZE: tease or tempt; provoke

Example:

The chef’s colorful, unique food tantalized hungry customers.


TENTATIVE: hesitant or uncertain; cautious

Example:

I made tentative plans to spend time with my friend, if time allows.


TORPID: lazy; slow; unmoving

Example:

Many reptiles become torpid when they are trying to conserve energy.


TREACHEROUS: dangerous; betraying; deceitful

Example:

These roads are treacherous in the wintertime when there’s lots of ice.


TREMOR: shaking or vibrating; the shaking of an earthquake

Example:

The earthquake produced tremors up to three hundred miles away.


TYRO: amateur; beginner

Example:

He was a military tyro, but he refused to be intimidated by the other officers.


UPROAR: noise; chaos; excitement

Example:

The entire class was in an uproar when the teacher gave them an additional homework assignment.


VANITY: pride; emptiness; arrogance (Adjective: vain)

Example:

He lifted weights every day because of his extreme vanity; he always had to look good.


VEHEMENCE: forcefulness; violence; intensity (Adjective: vehement)

Example:

The vehemence of the opposition caused the CEO to resign.


VIGILANCE: watchfulness; caution; alertness; paying close attention

Example:

Due to the vigilance of the security guard, the intruder was not able to enter the building.


VINDICATE: to defend; clear from blame

Example:

The judge vindicated him after learning that he was innocent. VOLUPTUOUS: pleasing to the senses; having strong sexual attractiveness

Contrary to the skinny body image portrayed in the media, many Americans find curvy bodies to be more voluptuous.


WAN: pale or sickly-looking

Example:

I could see the exhaustion in her wan face.


WILE: trick; deception

Example:

He used his wiles to sell his fake product to gullible customers.


WRINKLE: a line or crease; a minor difficulty

New evidence adds a wrinkle to the validity of the witness’s story.


Hope you like it and find it useful !

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