Essential Words For TOEFL

advantage

n. something that may help one to be successful or to gain something
adv. advantageously
syn. benefit
adj. advantageous

  • Is there any advantage in arriving early?
  • He was advantageously born into a rich family.

advent

n. the coming or appearance of something
syn. arrival

  • With the advent of computers, many tasks have been made easier.
  • The orchestra’s latest newsletter announced the advent of the upcoming concert season.

agile

adj. able to move in a quick and easy way
adv. agilely
syn. nimble
n. agileness
n. agility

  • Deer are very agile animals.
  • She moved agilely across the stage.

albeit

conj. in spite of the facts, regardless of the fact
syn. although

  • His trip was successful, albeit tiring.
  • Albeit difficult at times, speaking another language is rewarding.

appealing

adj. attractive or interesting
v. appeal
syn. alluring
n. appeal
adv. appealingly

  • Working abroad is appealing to many people.
  • Through his speeches, the candidate appealed to the voters.

celebrated

adj. acclaimed; well-known and popular
syn. renowned

  • The celebrated pianist will be giving a concert this weekend.
  • San Francisco is celebrated for its multicultural makeup.

circumvent

v. to go around; avoid
n. circumvention
syn. evade

  • The hacker attempted to circumvent the computer’s security system.
  • Circumvention of the freshman math requirement is possible.

collide

v. to hit one object against another with violent force; to be in opposition
n. collision
syn. crash

  • The collision caused major damage to both cars.
  • Moon craters were caused when large asteroids collided with the moon.

contemporary

adj. modern, up-to-date,
or (n.) a person living at the same time as another person
n. contemporary
syn. current

  • Contemporary architecture makes very good use of space.
  • Cervantes was a contemporary of Shakespeare.

distribute

v. to divide among people or to give out
n. distribution
syn. dispense

  • Many publishers now distribute their newspapers via the Internet.
  • The distribution of seeds is very quick with this new machine.

encourage

v. to promote, help, or support
n. encouragement
syn. stimulate
n. encourager
adv. encouragingly
adv. encouraging

  • The government cut taxes in order to encourage spending.
  • The professor gave each student the encouragement that was needed to learn the material.

energetic

adj. full of life, action, or power
n. energy
syn. vigorous
adv. energetically

  • Sam hasn’t been as energetic as he usually is.
  • There’s a lot of energy in these batteries.

frail

adj. weak in health or in body
n. frailty
syn. fragile

  • The frail wings of the newborn bird could not lift it off the ground.
  • One of the frailties of human beings is laziness.

heyday

n. a high point of success or abundance
syn. pinnacle

  • Many settlers became rich during the heyday of the California gold rush of the 1800s.
  • We are living in the heyday of digital communications.

myth

n. an invented story or idea
adj. mythological
syn. legend
n. mythology

  • Throughout history myths were created in an attempt to explain many common natural occurrences.
  • Mythology is the study of legends and fables.

refine

v. to make pure; to improve
n. refinement
syn. perfect (verb)
adj. refined

  • Factories must refine oil before it can be used as fuel.
  • A squirt of lime juice is the perfect refinement to cola.

worthwhile

adj. value in doing something
syn. rewarding

  • It was worthwhile waiting ten hours in line for the tickets.
  • It’s worthwhile to prepare for the TOEFL.