This page features IELTS and TOEFL words that you may see or hear on the reading and/or listening sections of the TOEFL and IELTS tests. Becoming familiar with these and similar words will also help you on the writing and speaking portions of the tests.
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abaseverb
To lower in position, estimation, or the like; degrade.
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abbessnoun
The lady superior of a nunnery.
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abbeynoun
The group of buildings which collectively form the dwelling-place of a society of monks or nuns.
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abbotnoun
The superior of a community of monks.
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abdicateverb
To give up (royal power or the like).
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abdomennoun
In mammals, the visceral cavity between the diaphragm and the pelvic floor; the belly.
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abdominalnoun
Of, pertaining to, or situated on the abdomen.
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abductionnoun
A carrying away of a person against his will, or illegally.
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abedadverb
In bed; on a bed.
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aberrationnoun
Deviation from a right, customary, or prescribed course.
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abetverb
To aid, promote, or encourage the commission of (an offense).
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abeyancenoun
A state of suspension or temporary inaction.
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abhorrencenoun
The act of detesting extremely.
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abhorrentadjective
Very repugnant; hateful.
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abidancenoun
An abiding. (abide: continue, wait for, endure, dwell)
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abjectadjective
Sunk to a low condition.
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abjureverb
To recant, renounce, repudiate under oath.
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able-bodiedadjective
Competent for physical service.
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ablutionnoun
A washing or cleansing, especially of the body.
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abnegateverb
To renounce (a right or privilege).
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abnormaladjective
Not conformed to the ordinary rule or standard.
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abominableadjective
Very hateful.
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abominateverb
To hate violently.
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abominationnoun
A very detestable act or practice.
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aboriginaladjective
Primitive; unsophisticated.
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aboriginesnoun
The original of earliest known inhabitants of a country.
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aboveboardadverb & adjective
Without concealment, fraud, or trickery.
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abradeverb
To wear away the surface or some part of by friction.
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abrasionnoun
That which is rubbed off.
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abridgeverb
To make shorter in words, keeping the essential features, leaning out minor particles.
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abridgmentnoun
A condensed form as of a book or play.
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abrogateverb
To abolish, repeal.
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abruptadjective
Beginning, ending, or changing suddenly or with a break.
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abscessnoun
A Collection of pus in a cavity formed within some tissue of the body.
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abscissionnoun
The act of cutting off, as in a surgical operation.
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abscondverb
To depart suddenly and secretly, as for the purpose of escaping arrest.
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absencenoun
The fact of not being present or available.
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absent-mindedadjective
Lacking in attention to immediate surroundings or business.
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absolutionnoun
Forgiveness, or passing over of offenses.
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absolveverb
To free from sin or its penalties.
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absorbverb
To drink in or suck up, as a sponge absorbs water.
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absorptionnoun
The act or process of absorbing.
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abstainverb
To keep oneself back (from doing or using something).
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abstemiousadjective
Characterized by self denial or abstinence, as in the use of drink, food.
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abstinencenoun
Self denial.
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abstruseadjective
Dealing with matters difficult to be understood.
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absurdadjective
Inconsistent with reason or common sense.
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abundantadjective
Plentiful.
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abusiveadjective
Employing harsh words or ill treatment.
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abutverb
To touch at the end or boundary line.
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abyssnoun
Bottomless gulf.
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academicadjective
Of or pertaining to an academy, college, or university.
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academiciannoun
A member of an academy of literature, art, or science.
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academynoun
Any institution where the higher branches of learning are taught.
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accedeverb
To agree.
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accelerateverb
To move faster.
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acceptverb
To take when offered.
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accessnoun
A way of approach or entrance; passage.
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accessibleadjective
Approachable.
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accessionnoun
Induction or elevation, as to dignity, office, or government.
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accessorynoun
A person or thing that aids the principal agent.
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acclaimverb
To utter with a shout.
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accommodateverb
To furnish something as a kindness or favor.
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accompanimentnoun
A subordinate part or parts, enriching or supporting the leading part.
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accompanistnoun
One who or that which accompanies.
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accompanyverb
To go with, or be associated with, as a companion.
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accomplicenoun
An associate in wrong-doing.
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accomplishverb
To bring to pass.
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accordionnoun
A portable free-reed musical instrument.
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accostverb
To speak to.
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accountnoun
A record or statement of receipts and expenditures, or of business transactions.
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accouterverb
To dress.
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accreditverb
To give credit or authority to.
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accumulateverb
To become greater in quantity or number.
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accuracynoun
Exactness.
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accurateadjective
Conforming exactly to truth or to a standard.
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accursedadjective
Doomed to evil, misery, or misfortune.
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accusationnoun
A charge of crime, misdemeanor, or error.
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accusatoryadjective
Of, pertaining to, or involving an accusation.
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accuseverb
To charge with wrong doing, misconduct, or error.
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accustomverb
To make familiar by use.
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acerbitynoun
Sourness, with bitterness and astringency.
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acetatenoun
A salt of acetic acid.
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aceticadjective
Of, pertaining to, or of the nature of vinegar.
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acheverb
To be in pain or distress.
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Achilleanadjective
Invulnerable.
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achromaticadjective
Colorless,
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acidnoun
A sour substance.
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acidifyverb
To change into acid.
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acknowledgeverb
To recognize; to admit the genuineness or validity of.
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acknowledgmentnoun
Recognition.
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acmenoun
The highest point, or summit.
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acousticadjective
Pertaining to the act or sense of hearing.
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acquaintverb
To make familiar or conversant.
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acquiesceverb
To comply; submit.
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acquiescencenoun
Passive consent.
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acquireverb
To get as one’s own.
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acquisitionnoun
Anything gained, or made one’s own, usually by effort or labor.
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acquitverb
To free or clear, as from accusation.
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acquittalnoun
A discharge from accusation by judicial action.
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acquaintancenoun
Release or discharge from indebtedness, obligation, or responsibility.
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acreagenoun
Quantity or extent of land, especially of cultivated land.
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acridadjective
Harshly pungent or bitter.
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acrimoniousadjective
Full of bitterness.
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acrimonynoun
Sharpness or bitterness of speech or temper.
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actionableadjective
Affording cause for instituting an action, as trespass, slanderous words.
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actualitynoun
Any reality.
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actuarynoun
An officer, as of an insurance company, who calculates and states the risks and premiums.
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actuateverb
To move or incite to action.
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acumennoun
Quickness of intellectual insight, or discernment; keenness of discrimination.
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acuteadjective
Having fine and penetrating discernment.
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adamantnoun
Any substance of exceeding hardness or impenetrability.
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addendumnoun
Something added, or to be added.
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addleverb
To make inefficient or worthless; muddle.
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adduceverb
To bring forward or name for consideration.
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adhereverb
To stick fast or together.
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adherencenoun
Attachment.
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adherentadjective
Clinging or sticking fast.
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adhesionnoun
The state of being attached or joined.
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adjacencynoun
The state of being adjacent.
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adjacentnoun
That which is near or bordering upon.
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adjudgeverb
To award or bestow by formal decision.
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adjunctnoun
Something joined to or connected with another thing, but holding a subordinate place.
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adjurationnoun
A vehement appeal.
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adjutantadjective
Auxiliary.
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administratornoun
One who manages affairs of any kind.
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admissibleadjective
Having the right or privilege of entry.
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admittancenoun
Entrance, or the right or permission to enter.
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admonishverb
To warn of a fault.
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admonitionnoun
Gentle reproof.
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adonoun
unnecessary activity or ceremony.
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adorationnoun
Profound devotion.
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adroitadjective
Having skill in the use of the bodily or mental powers.
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adulterantnoun
An adulterating substance.
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adulterateverb
To make impure by the admixture of other or baser ingredients.
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adumbrateverb
To represent beforehand in outline or by emblem.
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adventnoun
The coming or arrival, as of any important change, event, state, or personage.
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adverseadjective
Opposing or opposed.
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adversitynoun
Misfortune.
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advertverb
To refer incidentally.
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advertisernoun
One who advertises, especially in newspapers.
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advisoryadjective
Not mandatory.
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advocacynoun
The act of pleading a cause.
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advocatenoun
One who pleads the cause of another, as in a legal or ecclesiastical court.
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aerialadjective
Of, pertaining to, or like the air.
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aeronautnoun
One who navigates the air, a balloonist.
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aeronauticsnoun
the art or practice of flying aircraft
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aerostatnoun
A balloon or other apparatus floating in or sustained by the air.
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aerostaticsnoun
The branch of pneumatics that treats of the equilibrium, pressure, and mechanical properties.
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affableadjective
Easy to approach.
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affectverb
To act upon
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affectationnoun
A studied or ostentatious pretense or attempt.
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affiliatenoun
Some auxiliary person or thing.
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affirmativeadjective
Answering yes; to a question at issue.
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affixverb
To fasten.
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affluencenoun
A profuse or abundant supply of riches.
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affrontnoun
An open insult or indignity.
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afireadverb & adjective
On fire, literally or figuratively.
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afootadverb
In progress.
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aforesaidadjective
Said in a preceding part or before.
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afreshadverb
Once more, after rest or interval.
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afterthoughtnoun
A thought that comes later than its appropriate or expected time.
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agglomerateverb
To pile or heap together.
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aggrandizeverb
To cause to appear greatly.
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aggravateverb
To make heavier, worse, or more burdensome.
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aggravationnoun
The fact of being made heavier or more heinous, as a crime , offense, misfortune, etc.
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aggregatenoun
The entire number, sum, mass, or quantity of something.
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aggressverb
To make the first attack.
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aggressionnoun
An unprovoked attack.
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aggrieveverb
To give grief or sorrow to.
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aghastadjective
Struck with terror and amazement.
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agileadjective
Able to move or act quickly, physically, or mentally.
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agitateverb
To move or excite (the feelings or thoughts).
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agrarianadjective
Pertaining to land, especially agricultural land.
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aide-de-campnoun
An officer who receives and transmits the orders of the general.
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ailmentnoun
Slight sickness.
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airyadjective
Delicate, ethereal.
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akinadjective
Of similar nature or qualities.
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alabasternoun
A white or delicately tinted fine-grained gypsum.
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alacritynoun
Cheerful willingness.
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albeitconjunction
Even though.
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albinonoun
A person with milky white skin and hair, and eyes with bright red pupil and usually pink iris.
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albumnoun
A book whose leaves are so made to form paper frames for holding photographs or the like.
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alchemynoun
Chemistry of the middle ages, characterized by the pursuit of changing base metals to gold.
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alcoholnoun
A volatile, inflammable, colorless liquid of a penetrating odor and burning taste.
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alcoholismnoun
A condition resulting from the inordinate or persistent use of alcoholic beverages.
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alcovenoun
A covered recess connected with or at the side of a larger room.
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aldernoun
Any shrub or small tree of the genus Alumnus, of the oak family.
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aldermannoun
A member of a municipal legislative body, who usually exercises also certain judicial functions.
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aldermanshipnoun
The dignity, condition, office, or term of office of an alderman.
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aliasnoun
An assumed name.
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aliennoun
One who owes allegiance to a foreign government.
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alienableadjective
Capable of being aliened or alienated, as lands.
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alienateverb
To cause to turn away.
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alienationnoun
Estrangement.
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alimentnoun
That which nourishes.
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alkalinoun
Anything that will neutralize an acid, as lime, magnesia, etc.
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allayverb
To calm the violence or reduce the intensity of; mitigate.
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allegeverb
To assert to be true, especially in a formal manner, as in court.
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allegorynoun
The setting forth of a subject under the guise of another subject of aptly suggestive likeness.
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alleviateverb
To make less burdensome or less hard to bear.
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alleynoun
A narrow street, garden path, walk, or the like.
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alliancenoun
Any combination or union for some common purpose.
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allotverb
To assign a definite thing or part to a certain person.
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allotmentnoun
Portion.
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alludeverb
To refer incidentally, or by suggestion.
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allusionnoun
An indirect and incidental reference to something without definite mention of it.
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alluvionnoun
Flood.
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allynoun
A person or thing connected with another, usually in some relation of helpfulness.
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almanacnoun
A series of tables giving the days of the week together with certain astronomical information.
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aloofadverb
Not in sympathy with or desiring to associate with others.
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altarnoun
Any raised place or structure on which sacrifices may be offered or incense burned.
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alterverb
To make change in.
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alterationnoun
Change or modification.
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altercateverb
To contend angrily or zealously in words.
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alternatenoun
One chosen to act in place of another, in case of the absence or incapacity of that other.
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alternativenoun
Something that may or must exist, be taken or chosen, or done instead of something else.
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altitudenoun
Vertical distance or elevation above any point or base-level, as the sea.
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altonoun
The lowest or deepest female voice or part.
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altruismnoun
Benevolence to others on subordination to self-interest.
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altruistnoun
One who advocates or practices altruism.
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amalgamnoun
An alloy or union of mercury with another metal.
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amalgamateverb
To mix or blend together in a homogeneous body.
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amateuradjective
Practicing an art or occupation for the love of it, but not as a profession.
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amatoryadjective
Designed to excite love.
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ambidextrousadjective
Having the ability of using both hands with equal skill or ease.
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ambiguousadjective
Having a double meaning.
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ambitiousadjective
Eagerly desirous and aspiring.
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ambrosialadjective
Divinely sweet, fragrant, or delicious.
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ambulancenoun
A vehicle fitted for conveying the sick and wounded.
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ambulateverb
To walk about
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ambushnoun
The act or state of lying concealed for the purpose of surprising or attacking the enemy.
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ameliorateverb
To relieve, as from pain or hardship
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amenableadjective
Willing and ready to submit.
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Americanismnoun
A peculiar sense in which an English word or phrase is used in the United States.
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amicableadjective
Done in a friendly spirit.
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amitynoun
Friendship.
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amorousadjective
Having a propensity for falling in love.
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amorphousadjective
Without determinate shape.
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amournoun
A love-affair, especially one of an illicit nature.
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amperenoun
The practical unit of electric-current strength.
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ampersandnoun
The character &; and.
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amphibiousadjective
Living both on land and in water.
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amphitheaternoun
An edifice of elliptical shape, constructed about a central open space or arena.
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amplitudenoun
Largeness.
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amplyadverb
Sufficiently.
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amputateverb
To remove by cutting, as a limb or some portion of the body.
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amusementnoun
Diversion.
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anachronismnoun
Anything occurring or existing out of its proper time.
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anagramnoun