TOEFL Vocabulary

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TOEFL Vocabulary

Introduction

Toefl Vocabulary is a collection of most frequently recurring words in the Toefl tests. Toefl Vocabulary is a good resource for individuals working towards enhancing their vocabulary and desiring a satisfied Toefl score. The Toefl vocabulary lists with high-frequency words are always very resourceful in mastering English language and communication skills.
TOEFL does not have a section that tests the candidates directly on vocabulary words. However, to obtain a good score in all the different sections (Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening), the TOEFL vocabulary list is a splendid read. The TOEFL vocabulary not only helps with answering the Reading and Listening sections but also helps in devising effective responses in the Speaking and Writing sections of TOEFL.

TOEFL Vocabulary - Letter A

Word	Meaning	Synonyms	Antonyms	Usage of Word
Abundant (adjective)	Present in large quantities	Ample Bountiful Copious Generous	Depleted Insufficient Lacking Meager	Living close to a lake means we have an abundant supply of water.
Accumulate (verb)	To gradually collect	Accrue Acquire Add to Assemble	Contract Decrease Diminish Disperse	Each fall, leaves accumulate in our driveway.
Accurate (adjective)	Correct Free from errors	Correct Precise Exact Right	Careless Counterfeit Easy-going False	Make sure your address is accurate before submitting your online order.
Accustomed (adjective)	Used to something	Customary Usual Normal Habitual	Abnormal Unaccustomed Unusual	Having 8AM classes means I’m accustomed to getting up early.
Acquire (verb)	To come into possession of	Achieve Amass Bring in Buy	Disperse Divide Fail Forfeit	When my grandmother died, I acquired her cookbook collection.
Adamant (adjective)	Refusing to change an opinion	Unshakeable Immovable Inflexible Unwavering Uncompromising	Flexible Irresolute Lenient Weak	The defendant was adamant that he was innocent.
Adequate (adjective)	Enough to suit your needs	Acceptable Capable Competent Decent	Inadequate Inappropriate Incapable Incompetent	Our house isn’t big, but it’s adequate for the two of us.
Adjacent (adjective)	Close to or next to	Adjoining Bordering Contiguous Neighboring	Divided Separate Apart Away	The park is adjacent to the school.
Adjust (verb)	To change something so it serves its purpose better	Accommodate Accustom Adapt Alter	Disarrange Disorganize Disturb Confuse	The bike seat may be too high; you’ll probably need to adjust it.
Advantage (noun) (verb)	Something that makes it easier to achieve success	asset Choice Convenience Dominance	Block Disadvantage Disapproval Disfavor	His height gives him an advantage in basketball
Advocate (noun) (verb)	To publicly support	Backer Campaigner Defender Lawyer	Opponent Antagonist Assailant Enemy	My aunt is a major advocate for women’s’ rights.
Adverse (adjective)	Unfavorable Against one’s desires	Conflictingstarstar Detrimental Disadvantageous Inimical	Advantageous Assisting Beneficial Friendly	I had an adverse reaction to my medication and had to stop taking it
Aggregate (noun) (adjective) (verb)	To combine	Accumulated Combined Corporate Cumulative	Uncombined Individual Part Particular	We should aggregate our resources to share them more easily
Aggressive (adjective)	Assertive and pushy	Combative Contentious Destructive Intrusive	Calm Complaisant Easy-going Aid-back	The salesperson was very aggressive when trying to get us to buy the television.
Allocate (verb)	To put aside for a specific purpose	Allot Apportion Appropriate Designate	Hold Keep Withhold Keep together	The village needs to allocate funds for building the new school.
Alternative (adjective) (noun)	Another option or choice	Different Second Substitute Surrogate	Rejection Compulsion Constraint Necessity	If the ATM is broken, an alternative solution is to stop by the bank.
Amateur (noun) (adjective)	Someone who is inexperienced or not highly skilled in a particular area	Abecedarian Apprentice Aspirant Beginner	Expert Professional	He’s an amateur soccer player and is still learning the rules of the game.
Ambiguous (adjective)	Having several potential meanings; unclear and difficult to understand	Cryptic Dubious Enigmatic Equivocal	Certain Clear Definite Determined	When I asked the HR manager what my chances were of getting the job, she gave me a very ambiguous reply.
Ambitious (adjective)	Having large goals	Aggressive Determined Earnest Energetic	Lethargiceasy Unenthusiastic Content Easy	My son is very ambitious and hopes to be a millionaire by the time he’s thirty
Amend (verb)	To change for the better To improve	Alter Enhance Lift Modify	lower worsen break decrease	I believe we should amend our country’s tax laws.
Ample (adjective)	Plentiful	Abundantstar Bountiful Broad Copious	cramped insignificant lacking limited	Our new apartment has ample space for the two of us.
Anomaly (noun)	Deviation from the norm	Aberration Abnormality Deviation Inconsistency	Conformity Normality Regularity Sameness	The basketball player is the team’s best free thrower, so his missing both shots was an anomaly.
Annual (adjective) (noun)	Occurring yearly	Anniversary Each year Every year Once a year	Two-year Biennial Perennial	The annual company barbeque takes place every August.
Antagonize (verb)	To tease or be hostile towards a person or group	Alienate Anger Annoy Irritate	Aid Calm Make happy Please	The boy loves to antagonize his little sister by pulling her hair.
Attitude (noun)	Manner or feeling	Approachstar Belief Bias Character	Fairness	After she got grounded, the teenager had a bad attitude for the rest of the day
Attribute (verb) (noun)	To give credit	Aspect Characteristic Facet Idiosyncrasy	Misconception	Be sure to attribute credit to your sources when writing a research paper
Arbitrary (adjective)	Based on a whim or random decision	Capriciousstar Discretionary Erratic Frivolous	Consistent Definite Dependable Logical	Flipping a coin is an arbitrary way to make a decision.
Arduous (adjective)	Requiring a lot of effort	Backbreakingstarstarstar Burdensome Exhausting Formidable	Easy Effortless Facile Helpful	After you cross the bridge, there’s an arduous walk up the hill
Assuage (verb)	To lessen a negative feeling	Allaystarstar Alleviate Appease Lessen	Aggravate Agitate Dissatisfy Incite	The mother assuaged her child’s fear of the dark
Assume (verb)	To suppose without solid proof	Accept Conclude Consider Estimate	Abstain Disbelieve Discard Disregard	I assumed he was rich because he worked as a lawyer

TOEFL Vocabulary - Letter B

Word	Meaning	Synonyms	Antonyms	Usage of Word
Benefit (noun) (verb)	Something positive or advantageous	Aid Asset Assistance Gain	Blockage Disadvantage Hindrance Hurt	A benefit of doing homework on Friday is that your weekend will be free.
Berate (verb)	To scold	Castigate Chide Rebuke Reprimand	Compliment Flatter Laud Praise	Our neighbor berated us after we broke his window playing baseball
Bestow (verb)	To give as a gift	Bequeath Confer Donate Entrust	Take Deny Keep Refuse	The medal was bestowed upon him by the president.
Boast (verb) (noun)	To brag or talk with excessive pride	Bluster Avowal Bombast Braggadocio	Humility Modesty Deprecation	He always boasts of his talents after he wins a game
Boost (verb) (noun)	To help raise or increase something	Addition Advance Breakthrough Expansion	Decline Decrease Harm Lessening	I gave him a pep talk to boost his self-esteem before his speech
Brash (adjective)	Rude and tactless	Bold Cheeky Cocky Impetuous	Cautious Shy Timid Afraid	The brash man always asked inappropriate questions.
Brief (adjective) (noun) (verb)	Short (in terms of time)	Abrupt Blunt Concise Pithy	Expansive Lengthy Long-winded Wordy	It will only have a brief meeting, so you’ll still have plenty of time for lunch
Brusque (adjective)	Abrupt to the point of rudeness	Blunt Gruff Terse Abrupt	Polite Courteous Kind Tactful	After being away for so long, I expected more than her brusque greeting

TOEFL Vocabulary - Letter C

Word	Meaning	Synonyms	Antonyms	Usage of Word
Cacophony (noun)	A harsh Unpleasant mixture of noise	Noise Discord Harshness	Silence Harmony Quiet Euphony	The cuckoo clock shop lets off a cacophony every hour
Cease (verb)	To stop	Break off Desist Discontinue Fail	Begin Carry on Complete Continue	I wish they would cease arguing
Censure (verb) (noun)	To express strong disapproval	Condemnation Rebuke Reprimand Admonishment	Praise Acceptance Agreement Approval	Every parent in our district censured the education cuts.
Chronological (adjective)	Arranged in order of time or date	Historical Sequential Chronographic Chronologic	Disordered Chaotic Disorganized Irregular	Put the historical events in chronological order to make them easier to study.
Clarify (verb)	To make clear To remove confusion	Analyze Clear up Define Formulate	Complicate Confuse Question Mix up	I didn’t understand the instructions, so I asked the teacher to clarify them.
Coalesce (verb)	To combine or grow together	Consolidate Fuse Integrate Unite	Divide Separate Detach Disconnect	The people on the street eventually coalesced into a group
Coerce (verb)	To force someone to do something against their will	Browbeat Bully Intimidate Repress	allow Encourage Help Let go	The young boy was coerced into stealing by his friends.
Cognizant (adjective)	Being aware or having knowledge of something	Apprehensive Conscious Informed Judicious	Ignorant Indifferent Senseless Thoughtless	Before mountain climbing, you need to be cognizant of the risks.
Cohesion (noun)	Uniting Becoming one	Coherence Adherence Attachment	Incoherence Discord Disconnectedness Disharmony	Water molecules show strong cohesion when they stick together.
Coincide (verb)	To occur at the same time	Concur Correspond Jibe Accompany	Differ Disagree Dissent Oppose	This year Thanksgiving coincided with my birthday.
Collapse (verb) (noun)	To fall down or break down	Bankruptcy Catastrophe Crash Debacle	miracle Success Wonder Creation	The old building finally collapsed, leaving nothing but a pile of rubble.
Collide (verb)	To hit one another with a forceful impact	Bang Break up Bump Crash	Fail Fix Lose Mend	The two cars collided on the freeway
Commitment (noun)	Dedication to a cause or activity	Engagement Guarantee Need Pledge	Break Breach Irresponsibility Broken promise	Joining a school play is a big commitment. You’ll need to practice every evening.
Community (noun)	A group of people who live or work together	Association Center Company District	Disagreement Dissimilarity	The Chinese community in my city is hosting a New Year celebration next week.
Conceal (verb)	To hide	Bury Camouflage Cloak Cover	Disregard Ignore Reveal Uncover	The mountains concealed the ocean from view.
Concur (verb)	To agree	Acquiesce Coincide Jibe Accede	Clash Disagree Deny Disallow	He believes women should be paid as much as men, and I concur
Conflict (noun) (verb)	A disagreement or fight	Battle Clash <liCcombat Competition	peace Truce Agreement Calm	The conflict between the two families has been going on for generations
Constrain (verb)	To restrict or repress	Bind Constrict Curb Hold down	Aid Allow Assist Encourage	You should move your plant to a bigger pot, otherwise you’ll constrain its roots
Contemplate (verb)	To consider thoughtfully	Aim Consider Envisage Foresee	Forget Ignore Neglect Reject	I spend a lot of time contemplating what career I want to have
Continuously (adverb)	To go on without stopping	Constantly Deliberately Gently Increasingly	Abruptly Fastly Intermittently Suddenly	My neighbors have been continuously blasting their music since last night.
Contradict (verb)	To give the opposite opinion	Belie Contravene Counter Deny	Admit Agree Allow Approve	I told the employees that sales were down, but my boss contradicted me and said sales were actually up
Contribute (verb)	To give something (usually money or time) to a common fund or cause	Add Commit Devote Give	Hold Keep Take Disagree	Every roommate contributes part of his paycheck to the grocery bill.
Convey (verb)	To make known	Bring Send Transfer Transmit	Receive Take Deny Discourage	I’ve conveyed my interest in working for that company.
Copious (adjective)	Abundant	Ample Extensive A mess of Alive with	Lacking Meager Needing Needy	He always takes copious notes during class to study later on.
Core (noun) (verb)	Central Of main importance	Basis Body Bottom line Crux	Exterior Exteriority Outside Cause	Although many employees left the company, the core leadership remained.
Corrode (verb)	To gradually wear away	Deteriorate Erode Impair Rot	Build Construct Create Improve	The rust corroded the paint on my car.
Cumbersome (adjective)	Burdensome Clumsy	Bulky Burdensome Embarrassing Heavy	Aiding Airy Convenient Easy	Trying to carry four grocery bags at once was very cumbersome.
Curriculum (noun)	The courses given by a school or program	Educational program Syllabus Modules Schedule	-----	Our school needs to add more music courses to its curriculum.

TOEFL Vocabulary - Letter D

Word	Meaning	Synonyms	Antonyms	Usage of Word
Data (noun)	Facts Statistics Or pieces of information	Dossiers Evidence gGood Info	Nonmaterial False fact Falsehood Opinion	The data from these graphs show that yearly temperatures are increasing.
Decay (verb) (noun)	To decline in health or excellence	Blight Corrosion Decomposition Degeneration	Building Development Growth Improvement	After the tree died, its wood began to decay.
Deceive (verb)	To trick or mislead	Betray Cheat Circumvent Defraud	Aid Assist Help Protect	He deceived me by pretending to be a millionaire.
Decipher (verb)	To find the meaning of	Analyze Break down Decode Deduce	Conceal Confuse Fix Hide	The spy deciphered the secret code.
Declaration (noun)	An announcement	Acknowledgment Admission Advertisement Affirmation	Denial Ignorance Question Quiet	He made a declaration to the office that he was quitting.
Decline (verb) (noun)	To politely refuse To deteriorate (especially in terms of health)	Deterioration Downturn Drop Failure	Increase Rise Success Accomplishment	I declined his offer of a ride home. Her health has declined ever since she turned 70.
Degrade (verb)	To lower in quality	Cheapen Corrupt Debase Degenerate	Aid Assist Develop Enhance	My attempt at cake degraded into a crumbly mess.
Demonstrate (verb)	To show	Determine Establish Exhibit Expose	Conceal Cover Disprove Hide	Let me demonstrate the proper way of throwing a football.
Deny (verb)	To state that something isn’t true	Ban Call on Contradict Oppose	Accept Allow Approve OK	He denied being the robber.
Deplete (verb)	To significantly decrease	Bankrupt Decrease Diminish Drain	Develop Enlarge Expand Extend	Your shopping sprees have depleted my savings.
Deposit (noun) (verb)	To deliver and leave an item	Security Drop Installment Pledge	Break Whole Debit Withdrawal	Please deposit your books in the bin outside the library.
Desirable (adjective) (noun)	Worth having or wanting	Beautiful Enticing Fascinating Adorable	Repulsive Bad Detrimental Disadvantageous	Bravery is a desirable trait for firefighters to have.
Despise (verb)	To hate	Abhor Deride Detest Disdain	Accept Admire Adore Approve	I despise early morning classes.
Detect (verb)	To locate something	Catch Disclose Distinguish Encounter	Conceal Cover Hide Ignore	The police dog detected the missing child’s scent.
Deter (verb)	To discourage	Avert Block Dampen Daunt	Advance Aid Allow Assist	The warning signs on the house deterred trespassers.
Deviate (verb) (noun & adjective)	To differ from the norm	Depart Differ Diverge Vary	Agreeen Stay Straight Go straight	I decided to deviate from my normal route home and took a shortcut.
Devise (verb) (noun)	To plan or create	Arrange Come up with Concoct Construct	Destroy Disorder Disorganize Ruin	The coach devised a plan for winning the game.
Diatribe (noun)	A sharp criticism or attack	Denunciation Invective Jeremiad Screed	Compliment Praise Recommendation	The politician went into a diatribe against her opponent.
Digress (verb)	To wander from the main subject	Meander Aberrate Depart Divagate	Go direct Stay Be direct	The teacher digressed from the lecture to discuss the weather.
Dilemma (noun)	A situation where one must choose between two difficult choices	Difficulty Embarrassment Impasse Mess	Good fortune Solution Advantage Benefit	The student faced the dilemma of attending school sick or missing her exam.
Diminish (verb)	To shrink or reduce	Abate Curtail Decline Decrease	Develop Enlarge Expand Extend	Sprinkle baking soda on the carpet to diminish the stain.
Dispose (verb)	To get rid of	Adapt Incline Predispose Tempt	Discourage Change Comply Confuse	I need to dispose of this trash.
Disproportionate (adjective)	Too large or small when compared to something else	Excessive Inordinate Superfluous Unequal	Moderate Reasonable Balanced Equal	The piece of pie I received was disproportionately small.
Disrupt (verb)	To interrupt by causing a disturbance	Disturb Rattle Agitate Bollix	Appease Soothe Calm Clear up	The protesters disrupted the politician’s speech.
Distort (verb)	To misrepresent	Alter Belie Deceive Disfigure	Be honest Preserve Straighten Ascend	The camera filter distorted the image.
Distribute (verb)	To give portions of something	Administer Allot Apportion Assign	Collect Conceal Gather Hold	Distribute the materials evenly among the class.
Diverse (adjective)	Showing a lot of variety	Differing Disparate Distinct Divergent	Like Same Similar Alike	This city has a very diverse population.
Divert (verb)	To cause a change of course	Alter Deflect Redirect Switch	Stay Straighten Anger Be direct	Because of the accident, the police had to divert traffic down a side street.
Dynamic (adjective) (noun)	Constantly changing	Aggressive Changing Charismatic Compelling	Fruitless Idle Impotent Inactive	The theater has dynamic shows, so you never know what you’ll see.

TOEFL Vocabulary - Letter E

Word	Meaning	Synonyms	Antonyms	Usage of Word
Ease (noun) (verb)	To reduce unpleasantness or difficulty	Calm Calmness Comfort Content	Agitation Discontent Unhappiness Action	This prescription will ease your allergies.
Efficient (adjective)	Maximizing productivity	Able Active Adequate Capable	Delicate Fragile Idle Impotent	Now that I’m following a schedule at work, I’m much more efficient.
Eliminate (verb)	To remove	Cancel Defeat Dispose of Disqualify	Add Aid Allow Create	Our team lost the match and was eliminated from the competition.
Elite (noun)	A select Above-average group	Exclusive Choice Cool Crack	Bad Inferior Poor Second-rate	The elite detective team were also sent for when there were big crimes.
Eloquent (adjective)	Moving speech or writing	Affecting Ardent Articulate Expressive	Apathetic Calm Cold Cool	Her eloquent writing has gained her many fans.
Emphasize (verb)	To give special importance to when speaking or writing	Accentuate Affirm Assert Highlight	Deny Lose Mumble Depreciate	The teacher emphasized the due date of the project.
Endure (verb)	To suffer through something difficult with patience	Brave Encounter Experience Face	Disallow Halt Hide Refuse	He has endured four knee operations so far.
Enhance (verb)	To intensify or magnify	Add to Appreciate Augment Boost	Decrease Diminish Discourage Hurt	The falling snow enhanced the beauty of the small village.
Epitome (noun)	A perfect example of something	Apotheosis Embodiment Essence Exemplar	Addition Enlargement Expansion Extension	The duchess is the epitome of class.
Equivalent (adjective) (noun)	Equal	Commensurate Comparable Corresponding Equal	Different Dissimilar Opposite Unequal	Twenty-four is equivalent to two dozen.
Erroneous (adjective)	Incorrect	False Faulty Flawed Inaccurate	Accurate Correct Genuine Honest	He apologized for his erroneous statement.
Estimate (verb) (noun)	An approximate value	Appraisal Assessment Conclusion Estimation	Ignorance Fact Truth	Try to get an estimate of the number of people attending the concert.
Evade (verb)	To avoid or escape	Avoid Bypass Circumvent Conceal	Confront Disclose Divulge Encounter	By hiding in the bathroom, we were able to evade the intruder.
Evaluate (verb)	To assess	Appraise Assess Calculate Check	neglect	At the end of the class, every student will evaluate how well the professor taught.
Evidence (noun) (verb)	Facts or information that help prove or disprove something	Clue confirmation Data Deposition	Concealment Denial Hiding Contradiction	These fossils are evidence of evolution.
Evolve (verb)	To gradually change	Derive Emerge Expand Get	Leave Lessen Stop Decrease	The small school evolved into a world-class institution.
Exemplary (adjective)	Worthy of imitation	Admirable Commendable Estimable Excellent	Baddis Honorable Poor Unworthy	She is an exemplary student, and you should copy her study habits.
Exclude (verb)	To leave out	Ban Bar Block Boycott	Accept Add Allow Approve	The young boy was excluded from his friends’ soccer game.
Exclusive (adjective) (noun)	Not admitting the majority	Absolute Chic Exclusionary Fashionable	Old-fashioned Open Poor Public	We may not be able to get in since that club is very exclusive.
Expand (verb)	To increase in size	Bolster Broaden Develop Enlarge	Close Compress Decrease Diminish	Adding air to bike tires will cause them to expand.
Expertise (noun)	Expert knowledge or skill in a particular field	Ability competence Facility Judgment	Clumsiness Ignorance Inability Inadequacy	The surgeon’s expertise is knee surgeries.
Exploit (noun)	To use selfishly	accomplishment adventure deed escapade	Failure Inaction Idleness Inactivity	The company exploited its workers by making them work long hours.
Expose (verb)	To reveal or unmask	Bare Bring to light Disclose Display	Conceal Cover Hide Secrete	The emails presented exposed the company’s corruption.
Extension (noun)	An act of making something longer	Delay Development Expansion Increase	Decrease Base Body Lessening	If you’re sick on the day the paper is due, the teacher may give you an extension on the due date.
Extract (verb) (noun)	To get or remove something	Excerpt Juice Quotation Citation	Refusal Insertion	The dentist extracted one of my teeth.

TOEFL Vocabulary - Letter F

Word	Meaning	Synonyms	Antonyms	Usage of Word
Famine (noun)	A time when there is an extreme lack of food	Drought Misery Poverty Scarcity	Abundance Plenty Feast Stores	Millions of children in Ethiopia died due to the famine there.
Feasible (adjective)	Possible to do	Achievable Advantageous Appropriate Attainable	Disadvantageous Implausible Impossible Impractical	This study plan you made for me sounds feasible, even with my work schedule.
Finite (adjective)	Having an end or limits	Definite Fixed Limited Restricted	Indefinite Unfixed Unlimited Endless	Remember that life is finite; you’re not immortal.
Flaw (noun) (verb)	A feature that ruins the perfection of something	Blemish Bug Defect Failing	Advantage Blessing Perfection Strength	I got the diamond for a reduced price since the stone had a flaw.
Fluctuate (verb)	To change continually	Oscillate Seesaw Vary Veer	Remain Stay Continue Hold	I’m not sure what to wear since the temperature has been fluctuating so much.
Focus (noun) (verb)	The central point or idea	Focal point Spotlight Target Center	Exterior Exteriority Outside Periphery	The program is going to focus on environmental issues.
Fortify (verb)	To strengthen	Brace Build up Buttress Consolidate	Harm Hurt Injure Let down	The king decided to fortify the castle walls to protect them during attacks.
Framework (noun)	A skeletal structure designed to support something	Groundwork Plan Scheme Structure	Dismantlement Demolition Dismantling Disassembly	Skyscrapers must have a strong framework to support all the floors.
Frivolous (adjective)	Unnecessary Of little importance	Foolish Idiotic Impractical Petty	Intelligent Sensible Wise Grave	You must stop spending your money on frivolous purchases.
Function (noun) (verb)	A purpose natural to a person or thing	Action Activity Affair Behavior	Entertainment Fun Idleness Inaction	The function of petals is to attract insects to the plant.
Fundamental (adjective) (noun)	Of primary importance	Central Constitutional Crucial Elemental	Accessory Auxiliary Extrinsic In essential	Learning scales is fundamental to being a good piano player.

TOEFL Vocabulary - Letter G

Word	Meaning	Synonyms	Antonyms	Usage of Word
Gap (noun)	A space in between to objects	Chasm Crack Cut Difference	Accord Agreement Alikeness Closure	Be careful to avoid the gap between the two steps.
Garbled (adj)	Communication that is distorted and unclear	Disordered Disconnected Scattered Confused	Coherent	Our answering machine is so bad that people’s voices are always garbled.
Generate (verb)	To produce	Achieve Bring about Cause Develop	Destroy End Fail Finish	The fire generates heat, which keeps the room warm.
Grandiose (adjective)	Pompous Overly important	Ambitious Bombastic Flamboyant Grand	Bad Common Humble Insignificant	The actress had only one small part before she got grandiose ideas of her fame.

TOEFL Vocabulary - Letter H

Word	Meaning	Synonyms	Antonyms	Usage of Word
Hackneyed (adjective)	Overused and unoriginal	Banal Corny Stale Threadbare	Fresh New Original Uncommon	HIs poems contain many hackneyed phrases.
Haphazard (adjective)	Lacking planning	Aimless Arbitrary Careless Casual	Careful Definite Deliberate Methodical	There was no schedule, so the event was very haphazard.
Harsh (adjective)	Not gentle Unpleasant	Bitter Bleak Grim Hard	Bland Bright Calm Cheerful	Her comments on my performance were very harsh and not kind at all.
Hasty (adjective)	In a hurry	Abrupt Careless Expeditious Hurried	Careful Cautious Kind Leisurely	In order to avoid the police, the robbers made a hasty retreat.
Hazardous (adjective)	Full of risk	Dicey Difficult Perilous Precarious	Certain Definite Safe Secure	The nuclear reactor has a lot of hazardous waste.
Hesitate (verb)	To pause Often due to reluctance.	Balk Dither Falter Pause	Continue Persist Advance Agree	She hesitated before entering the abandoned building.
Hierarchy (noun)	A ranking system	Pecking order Ranking Echelons Grouping	Declassification Mayhem Jumble Disarrangement	In the office hierarchy, the manager is higher than the associate.
Hindrance (noun)	Something that causes delay or resistance	Barrier Deterrent Drawback Handicap	Advantage Aid Assistance Benefit	Her hatred of public transportation is a hindrance when trying to get around New York City.
Hollow (adjective) (noun) (verb)	Empty inside	Arched Cleft Cupped Curved	Convex Earnest Frank Full	The dead tree is hollow.
Horror (noun)	An intense feeling of fear	Apprehension Awe Consternation Disgust	Calm Calmness Confidence Encouragement	The haunted house filled me with horror.
Hostile (adjective)	Extremely unfriendly	Adverse Belligerent Bitter Contentious	Agreeable Aiding Favorable Friendly	My ex-boyfriend’s new girlfriend was very hostile towards me.
Hypothesis (noun)	An unproven idea that attempts to explain something	Assumption Axiom Conclusion Conjecture	Fact Proof Reality Truth	You’ll need to conduct an experiment to test your hypothesis.

TOEFL Vocabulary - Letter I

Word	Meaning	Synonyms	Antonyms	Usage of Word
Identical (adjective)	Exactly the same	Exact Indistinguishable Interchangeable Carbon copy	Different Dissimilar Distinct Diverse	The twins were completely identical.
Illiterate (adjective) noun)	Unable to read	Ignorant Uneducated Benighted Catachrestic	Educated Intelligent Able Learned	Because he’d never been able to attend school, the man was illiterate.
Illustrate (verb)	To explain by using an example	Clarify Delineate Depict Embody	Complicate Conceal Confuse Cover	The professor illustrated the lesson with a personal story.
Impact (noun) (verb)	Effect or influence	Brunt Shock Bang Blow	Avoidance Failure Loss Praise	His moving words had a large impact on me.
Impair (verb)	To worsen	Blunt Damage Debilitate Decrease	Aid Assist Cure Develop	Drinking alcohol will impair your driving abilities.
Implement (noun) (noun)	To carry out	Appliance Gadget Instrument Utensil	Cancel Cease Exempt Neglect	We will implement the new schedule starting next semester.
Imply (verb)	To strongly suggest	Entail Hint Involve Mention	Defin Explicate Express Estate	My mother implied that I was the one who forgot to take out the trash.
Impose (verb)	To force upon	Appoint Charge Demand Enforce	Disorder Displace Forget Overlook	After the riots, the mayor imposed a curfew on the town.
Impoverish (verb)	To reduce to poverty	Bankrupt Deplete Exhaust Ruin	Enrich	These medical bills are going to impoverish me.
Incentive (noun)	A reason to do something	Encouragement Enticement Impetus Motivation	Discouragement Hindrance Deterrent Dislike	I hate my job, but the big paychecks are a good incentive to stick with it.
Incessant (adjective)	Continuing without pause	Ceaseless Constant Continual Continuous	Bounded Ceasing Completed Discontinuous	I can’t sleep because of the dog’s incessant barking.
Incidental (adjective) (noun)	A minor part	Accidental Ancillary Casual Coincidental	Decided Deliberate Designed Planned	Don’t worry about your grade on this quiz; it’s only an incidental part of your grade.
Incite (verb)	To urge on	Abetstar Agitate Arouse Encourage	Block Calm Dampen Depress	The ringleader incited the soldiers to rebellion.
Inclination (noun)	A preference	Affection Appetite Aptitude Bias	Antipathy Aversion Disgust Disinclination	My inclination is to go to bed early.
Incompetent (adjective) (noun)	Incapable Lacking ability	Amateurish Helpless Inadequate Incapable	Able Capable Competent Expert	The incompetent worker was fired from his job.
Inconsistent (adjective)	Changing randomly	Conflicting Contrary Erratic Illogical	Certain Definite Harmonious Predictable	His pitching has been very inconsistent all season.
Indefatigable (adjective)	Untiring	Assiduous Diligent Dogged Energetic	Changing Idle Inactive Indifferent	She is an indefatigable hiker and can walk all day.
Indisputable (adjective)	Not able to be challenged	Absolute Evident Irrefutable Unassailable	Disputable Doubtful Indefinite Questionable	She’s the indisputable star of the basketball team.
Ineffective (adjective)	Not producing any major impact	Feeble Fruitless Futile Impotent	Able Adequate Capable Competent	The drug was shown to be ineffective at curing cancer.
Inevitable (adjective) (noun)	Unable to be avoided	Imminent Impending Inescapable Inexorable	Avoidable Distant Escapable Later	Even if you’re healthy, death is inevitable in the end.
Infer (verb)	To guess based on evidence	Ascertain Assume Construe Deduce	Abstain Disbelieve Neglect Disperse	I inferred that she was annoyed based on her body language.
Inflate (verb)	To increase in size	Augment Bloat Boost Enlarge	Abridge Decrease Diminish Lessen	Getting a promotion has really inflated his ego.
Influence (noun) (verb)	The ability to have an impact of something	Clout Consequence Control Domination	Beginning Cause Commencement Insignificance	The older sister has been a positive influence on her younger siblings.
Inhibit (verb)	To hinder or restrain	Constrain Curb Discourage Forbid	Advance Aid Allow Assist	This cleaning spray inhibits the growth of bacteria.
Initial (adjective) (noun) (verb)	The first	Basic Introductory Original Antecedent	Following Last Subordinate Unimportant	She was the initial president of the company.
Inquiry (noun)	An investigation to determine the truth	Analysis Audit Examination Hearing	Answer Ignorance Neglect Reply	Congress launched an inquiry after the senator was accused of taking bribes.
Integral (adjective)	Necessary to complete the whole	Elemental Essential Indispensable Intrinsic	Nonessential Accessory Extrinsic Fractional	You can’t quit. You’re an integral part of this team.
Integrate (verb)	To combine	Accommodate Assimilate Blend Combine	Disarrange Disconnect Disjoin Disperse	When making a cake, you need to fully integrate the wet and dry ingredients.
Interpret (verb)	To explain the meaning of something	Clarify Construe Decipher Depict	Confuse Disbelieve Mix up Obscure	I need you to interpret this German speech for me.
Intervene (verb)	To come between people, objects, or an event and change what is happening	Arbitrate Intercede Interfere Involve	Combine Connect Join Leave	When the toddlers couldn’t share their toys, their mothers had to intervene.
Intrepid (adjective)	Fearless	Courageous Fearless Heroic Plucky	Afraid Cowardly Fearful Meek	The intrepid mountain climber reached the top of Mt. Everest.
Intricate (adjective)	Highly detailed	Baroque Complex Convoluted Difficult	Apparent Clear Direct Easy	The pattern on this blanket is so intricate.
Invasive (adjective)	Intrusive	Nosy Forward Interfering Meddlesome	Pacifist Confined Noninvasive Native	We found the stranger’s questions too personal and very invasive.
Investigate (verb)	To examine or study	Consider Examine Explore Inspect	Answer Forget Ignore Neglect	The police are going to investigate the crime scene.
Irascible (adjective)	Easy to anger	cantankerous cranky feisty grouchy	Cool Happy Pleasant Cheerful	Even though my grandfather seems irascible, he’s actually very loving.
Irony (noun)	The use of words to give a meaning opposite to their literal meaning	Humor Paradox Satire Twist	seriousness approval compliment flattery	“I love spending my Friday nights doing homework,” she said with irony.
Irresolute (adjective)	Uncertain	Changingstar Doubtful Doubting Faltering	Definited Determine Obstinate Resolute	Not sure which direction to go in, he stood irresolute.

TOEFL Vocabulary - Letter J

Word	Meaning	Synonyms	Antonyms	Usage of Word
Jargon (noun)	Words specific to a certain job or group	Argotstar Idiom Lingo Parlance	Standard Quiet Sense Silence	To be a successful doctor, you’ll need to learn a lot of medical jargon.
Jointly (adverb)	Together	Accordingly Collectively Cooperatively Mutually	Singly	The newlyweds jointly opened up a bank account.

TOEFL Vocabulary - Letter K

Word	Meaning	Synonyms	Antonyms	Usage of Word
Knack (noun)	A special talent or skill	Aptitude Dexterity Flair Genius	Disinclinationin Inability Capacity Ineptness	My brother has a real knack for solving tricky math problems.

TOEFL Vocabulary - Letter L

Word	Meaning	Synonyms	Antonyms	Usage of Word
Labor (noun) (verb)	Work or effort	Activity Employment Energy Industry	Idleness Inactivity Indolence Laziness	Building a house requires a lot of labor
Lag (verb) (noun)	To fall behind	Decrease Diminish Fail Fall off	Develop Enlarge Expand Grow	I stayed with the front group of runners for the first few miles, but after that I began to lag.
Lampoon (verb) (noun)	To mock or ridicule	Burlesque Caricature Invective Pasquinade	Flattery Praise	The cartoonist lampooned the president’s speech.
Languish (verb)	To become weak To be neglected	Deteriorate Dwindle Fail Faint	Build Develop Grow Be happy	During winter break, my plants languished since I was visiting my parents and couldn’t water them.
Lecture (noun) (verb)	A talk given to an audience	Address Discourse Instruction Allocution	Congratulations Approve Excuse Praise	The professor will give a 30 minute lecture before the quiz.
Leery (adjective)	Wary	Careful Cautious Distrustful Dubious	Believing Careless Certain Clear	I’m leery of taking the dark-looking shortcut.
Legitimate (adjective) (verb)	Lawful	Appropriate Certain Consistent Correct	Abnormal Affected Counterfeit Deceptive	The way he became mayor is completely legitimate.
Lenient (adjective)	Merciful Less harsh	benign compassionate compliant forgiving	Hateful Merciless Hard Intolerant	The judge gave the criminal a lenient sentence due to his bad childhood.
Likely (adjective) (adverb)	Probable	Acceptable Expected Fair Feasible	Impossible Unlikely Unreasonable Implausible	I don’t have much homework, so it’s likely I’ll be able to go out tonight.
Ludicrous (adjective)	Ridiculous	Bizarre Comical Crazy Fantastic	Common Familiar Grave Matched	His claims about me are absolutely ludicrous.

TOEFL Vocabulary - Letter M

Word	Meaning	Synonyms	Antonyms	Usage of Word
Maintain (verb)	To continue at the same level	Continue Control Cultivate Finance	Abandon Destroy Discontinue Finish	She has maintained the same weight since high school.
Major (adjective) (noun) (verb)	Very important	Big Considerable Dominant Extensive	Humble Inconsiderable Inferior Insignificant	This test is a major part of your final grade.
Manipulate (verb)	To influence Especially in an unfair way	Employ Shape Wield Feel	Destroy Idle Leave alone	He tried to manipulate the results of the election.
Maximize (verb)	To increase to the greatest possible size	Augment Bloat Boost Enlarge	Abridge Decrease Diminish Lessen	The store’s goal this year is to maximize its profit.
Measure (verb) (noun)	To find the size and dimensions of something	Part Quota Allotment Allowance	Extreme Unimportance Whole Ignorance	By measuring the tree, I found it was seven feet tall.
Mediocre (adjective)	Ordinary Average	Decent Dull Inferior Middling	Different Excellent Exceptional Extraordinary	The meal the chef made was only mediocre.
Mend (verb) (noun)	To fix	Ameliorate Cure Heal Rebuild	Break Damage Destroy Hurt	My mother will mend the hole in my shirt.
Method (noun)	A way of doing something	Approach Arrangement Design Form	Disorganization Break Difference	Her method for making bread takes three days.
Migrate (verb)	To move from one place to another	drift Emigrate Immigrate Roam	Remain Stay	Every fall, the geese migrate to Florida.
Minimum (noun) (adjective)	The smallest or lowest amount possible	Minimalst Least possible Little Merest	Largest Maximum Most	You need to get a minimum of 70% on the test to pass the class.
Misleading (adjective)	Giving the wrong idea	Ambiguous Deceitful Disingenuous Evasive	Accurate Correct Frank Honest	The advertisement for the weight loss pills is very misleading since studies have shown they’re ineffective.
Modify (verb)	To change	Adapt Adjust Correct Customize	Disarrange Disorder Remain Spoil	I need to modify my style so it looks more professional.
Morose (adjective)	Gloomy Depressed	Cranky Dour Gloomy Glum	Bright Cheerful Content Gentle	The boy was morose after hearing he didn’t make the football team.

TOEFL Vocabulary - Letter N

Word	Meaning	Synonyms	Antonyms	Usage of Word
Negligent (adjective)	Lazy Neglectful	Inadvertent Inattentive Lax Sloppy	Attentive Careful Caring Mindful	The negligent babysitter invited her friends over while the children were upstairs.
Nonchalant (adjective)	Indifferent Unexcited	Aloof Apathetic Casual Detached	Biased Careful Caring Concerned	I was hurt when my friend greeted me so nonchalantly.

TOEFL Vocabulary - Letter O

Word	Meaning	Synonyms	Antonyms	Usage of Word
Obey (verb)	To follow orders or instructions	Accept Adhere to Carry out Comply	Decline Deny Disregard Forget	My dog always obeys me when I ask her to sit.
Obtain (verb)	To get	Access Achieve Attain Collect	Disperse Distribute Divide Fail	The spy obtained the secret codes we need.
Obvious (adjective)	Easily understood	Accessible Clear Conspicuous Discernible	Ambiguous Concealed Dark Disputable	The large poster of Michael Jackson over her bed made it obvious who her favorite singer was.
Opponent (noun)	Someone on the opposite side for a game or contest	Adversary Aspirant Candidate Challenger	Ally Assistant Friend Helper	The soccer player blocked her opponent’s shot at the goal.
Oppress (verb)	To unfairly burden	Afflict Annoy Beat down Harass	Aid Assist Comfort Help	For the past ten generations the royal family has oppressed the peasants by keeping them in poverty.
Origin (noun)	The source Where something began	Ancestor Ancestry Connection Element	Conclusion Effect End Ending	The explorers are trying to find the origin of the Nile.

TOEFL Vocabulary - Letter P

Word	Meaning	Synonyms	Antonyms	Usage of Word
Paradigm (noun)	A typical example of something	Archetype Chart Criterion Exemplar	atypical	This work of art is a paradigm of the period; you’ll see many examples of it in the museum.
Parsimonious (adjective)	Frugal Stingy	Avaricious Chintzy Close Frugal	Generous Lavish Liberal	The parsimonious woman only donated a dollar to charity.
Partake (verb)	To join in	Consume Devour Divide Engage	Abstain Collect Gather Give	My leg was feeling much better, so I decided to partake in the soccer match.
Partial (adjective) (noun)	Preferring one option over others	Limited Imperfect Part Sectional	Complete Entire Fair Just	We can get strawberry ice cream, but I’m actually more partial to chocolate.
Paucity (noun)	Something existing in very small amounts Scarcity	Dearth Insufficiency Smallness Absence	Sufficiency Abundance Enough Plenty	During the drought, the town had a paucity of fresh water.
Peak (noun) (verb) (adjective)	The highest or most important point	Crest Hill Mountain Pinnacle	Base Bottom Nadir	Winning the championship was the peak of his career.
Peripheral (adjective) (noun)	Located on the side or edge	Incidental Tangential Borderline Exterior	Central Inside Interior Middle	There are some peripheral fights going on at the outdoor concert.
Permeate (verb)	To penetrate or pass through	Imbue Impregnate Infiltrate Infuse	Dehydrate Dry Take out	Let the maple syrup permeate your waffles before eating them.
Persist (verb)	To continue Especially when facing opposition	Continue Endure Go on Linger	Cease Discontinue Give up Go
Pertain (verb)	Relate	Apply Refer Relate Affect	Disconnect Disjoin Divide Part	How does your question pertain to the lecture?
Phase (noun) (verb)	A period or stage in a process	Aspect Chapter Development Point	whole	In high school, I went through a phase where I only wore black clothes.
Poll (noun) (verb)	A record of opinions or votes	Ballot Count Opinion Survey	Reply Return Replication Respond	The polls show that my candidate is going to win the election.
Potent (adjective)	Powerful	Compelling Dominant Dynamic Great	Inactive Ineffective Ineffectual Infirm	Only take one sleeping pill since they’re very potent.
Pragmatic (adjective)	Practical Sensible	Businesslike Down-to-earth Efficient Hardheaded	Excited Impractical Inefficient Irrational	Your boyfriend is too dramatic. I think you need a more pragmatic man.
Praise (verb) (noun)	To give approval or admiration	Acclaim Accolade Applause Appreciation	Blame Censure Criticism Disapproval	The book is the best I’ve ever read; I can’t praise it enough.
Precede (verb)	To come before	Anticipate Foreshadow Predate Presage	End Finish Follow Obey	The flower girls preceded the bride when they walked down the aisle.
Precise (adjective)	Exact	Actual Clear-cut Correct Decisive	Ambiguous Easy-going Flexible General	When collecting data, it’s important that your measurements are very precise.
Prestigious (adjective)	Having a high reputation	Distinguished Esteemed Famed Illustrious	Common Insignificant Obscure Ordinary	Harvard is one of the most prestigious colleges in the United States.
Prevalent (adjective)	Widespread	Common Commonplace Everyday Extensive	Abnormal Different Exceptional Infrequent	If more people don’t start washing their hands, disease will become more prevalent.
Primary (adjective) (noun)	First Most important	Constitutional Dominant Elementary Essential	Advanced Auxiliary Extra Inessential	Maeve’s primary goal in life is to become a doctor.
Prior (adjective) (noun)	Previous or earlier	Above-mentioned Preceding Previous Antecedent	Later After Current Following	Prior to becoming a teacher, Elena worked as a book editor.
Proceed (verb)	To continue doing something	Advance Continue Get Go ahead	Cease Decrease Discontinue Fail	I’m sorry for interrupting; please proceed with your speech.
Progeny (noun)	Offspring	Breed Children Descendants Family	parent	The dog’s progeny all have yellow fur.
Promote (verb)	To further to progress of something	Advertise Advocate Benefit Bolster	Block Cease Conceal Decrease	I’m promoting this new indie movie so that more people will buy tickets to it.
Prosper (verb)	To do well	Bloom Blossom Catch on Do well	Fail Languish Shrink Shrivel	Dave hopes his new business will prosper and make him a millionaire.
Proximity (noun)	Nearness in time or space	Closeness Adjacency Concurrence Contiguity	Distance Remoteness	The twins hated to be apart, so they bought houses in close proximity to each other.

TOEFL Vocabulary - Letter Q

Word	Meaning	Synonyms	Antonyms	Usage of Word
Quarrel (noun) (verb)	Disagreement or fight To have an argument	Altercation Argument Bickering Brawl	Accord Agreement Calm Concord	Nina and her boyfriend always quarrel over money.

TOEFL Vocabulary - Letter R

Word	Meaning	Synonyms	Antonyms	Usage of Word
Range (noun)	The distance between two things, often the maximum and the minimum	Area Dimension Field Length	Extreme Limitation Part	The range of ages at the concert spanned from 12 to 65.
Rank (noun) (verb)	An official position or station	Musty Noxious Putrid Bad	Clean Fresh Good Nice	Archibald was promoted to the rank of first captain.
Rebuke (verb) (noun)	To sternly disapprove or reprimand	Admonition Censure Condemnation Disapproval	Approval Encouragement Endorsement Exoneration	After staying out too late, Grace received a rebuke from her parents.
Recapitulate (verb)	To give a brief summary	Recape Rehash Pitomize Outline	take back	At the end of his speech, the politician made sure to recapitulate his main points.
Recede (verb)	To retreat	Abate Decrease Diminish Dwindle	Develop Enhance Enlarge Expand	Two days after the flood, the seawater finally began to recede from our house.
Recommend (verb)	To present someone with confidence and approval	Advocate Back Confirm Endorse	Censure Condemn Deny Discourage	I need to ask Mr. Smith if he’ll recommend me for this leadership position.
Reform (verb) (noun)	To make changes that improve something	Amend Improve Rebuild Rehabilitate	Break Damage Destroy Harm	Melanie’s father is in charge of reforming to school system.
Regulate verb(verb)	To supervise or control a process so that it functions correctly	Adjust Administer Balance Classify	Damage Mismanage Neglect Obey	Ben needs to regulate how much he eats in order to stay at a healthy weight.
Reinforce (verb)	To strengthen with added support	Add to Bolster Boost Build up	Decrease Diminish Discourage Hinder	The builders reinforced the house’s wooden frame with steel beams.
Reject (verb) (noun)	To say no to something that is offered	Deny Dismiss Rebuff Refuse	Accept Admit Agree Allow	Lydia rejected my invitation to the homecoming dance.
Release (verb) (noun)	To free To allow to be known	Clemency Discharge Absolution Acquittal	Imprisonment Incarceration Restraint Check	The CEO decided to release the company’s profits from last year.
Rely (verb)	To depend on	await bank bet build	Disbelieve Disregard Ignore Keep	I rely on coffee to get my through my mornings.
Reproach (verb) (noun)	To express disapproval or disappointment	Disgrace Abuse Admonishment Admonition	Approval Commendation Compliment Endorsement	The coach reproached the players for failing to play their best.
Require (verb)	To need for a specific purpose	Lack Crave Desire Miss	Dislike Hate Not want Have	The camping trip requires that every participant bring their own food and sleeping bag.
Resent (verb)	To feel bitterness or anger towards someone or something.	Dislike Begrudge Grudge Be in a huff	Be happy Like Love
Resign (verb)	To give up an office or position	Abandon Abdicate Capitulate Cede	Assert Begin Claim Come	Due to his declining health, the mayor decided to resign from office.
Resist (verb) (noun)	To withstand the effect of	Abide Combat Confront Continue	Accept Aid Allow Assist	Resist the impulse to have ice cream for breakfast.
Resolve (verb) (noun)	To come to a firm decision	Boldness Courage Firmness Intention	Cowardicein Fear Weakness Decision	Matt resolved to get better grades next semester by studying every night.
Restrict (verb)	To confine or keep within limits	Curb Decrease Define Diminish	Aid Allow Assist Develop	My doctor told me to restrict myself to one glass of wine a day.
Retain (verb)	To continue to do something or keep something	Absorb Cling to Contain Enjoy	Abandon Desert Disperse Dispossess	I’ve decided to retain my normal hairstyle.
Retract (verb)	To draw back in To withdraw something after it’s found to be untrue	Back down Back off Cancel Deny	Acknowledge Admit Agree Allow	I felt calmer after the lion retracted its claws. After numerous errors were found, the newspaper retracted the story.
Retrieve (verb) (noun)	To bring back	Bring back Fetch Recapture Reclaim	Break Damage Destroy Endanger	Alexis got out of the car to retrieve the ball her little brother had thrown.
Rhetorical (adjective)	Used just for style or impact	Oratorical Vocal Articulate Aureate	concise	You aren’t expected to actually answer rhetorical questions.
Rigid (adjective) (noun)	Stiff Unyielding	Adamant Austere Definite Exact	Broken Easy Flexible Gentle	The boys’ father was happy to see the base of the treehouse was rigid and sturdy.
Rotate (verb)	To turn	Pivot Revolve Spin Swivel	Straighten Untwist Stay	Rotate the sculpture so I can see the other side.

TOEFL Vocabulary - Letter S

Word	Meaning	Synonyms	Antonyms	Usage of Word
Safeguard (noun) (verb)	Something that serves as protection or ensures safety	Security Shield Aegis Armament	Endangerment Harm Hurt Injury	A retirement fund is one way to safeguard your finances for the future.
Scrutinize (verb)	To very carefully examine	Analyze Check Check out Comb	Forget Ignore Neglect Misunderstand	The judges were looking for perfection, so they scrutinized every entry.
Section (noun) (verb)	A part of the whole	Area Branch Category Chunk	Whole Entirety Total	This section of the stadium dressed completely in red.
Select (verb) (adjective)	To choose	Eclectic Exclusive Preferred Privileged	Open Least Unpopular Inferior	Jane selected a blue dress to wear to the wedding.
Sequence (noun) (verb)	Things that follow each other in a certain order	Arrangement Array Progression String	Interruption Stoppage	Librarians need to know how order books in the correct sequence.
Severe (adjective)	Harsh or strict Harsh Strict	Harsh Relentless Serious Strict	Kind Amenable Calm Compromising	The robbers suffered severe consequences for stealing. My uncle is currently battling a severe illness in the hospital.
Shallow (adjective) (noun) (verb)	Not deep	Empty Flat <liHollow Trivial	Full Raised Important Significant	You don’t need to worry about getting your dress wet. The water is very shallow here.
Shelter (noun) (verb)	To protect from something harmful	Apartment Asylum Condo Dwelling	Brightnes Slight	The empty barn gave the men shelter during the storm.
Shrink (verb) (noun)	To become smaller	Decrease Diminish Drop off Dwindle	Develop Enlarge Expand Extend	Hopefully this cream will cause my scar to shrink.
Significant (adjective)	Important Noteworthy	Compelling Important Momentous Powerful	Insignificant Trivial Unimportant Meaningless	The Gettysburg Address was a significant event during the Civil War.
Source (noun) (verb)	A person Place Or thing where something was obtained	Authority Cause Expert Origin	Consequence Effect End Outcome	You shouldn’t use Wikipedia as a source when writing school papers.
Sparse (adjective)	Thinly scattered	Inadequate Infrequent Meager Scant	Abundant Adequate Enough Fat	The farm was almost empty; there were just a few sparse trees here and there.
Specify (verb)	To clearly indicate which one	Cite Define Determine Enumerate	Confuse Destroy Neglect Unsettle	You need to specify which size shirt you want before I can order it.
Speculate (verb)	To form a theory without strong evidence	Contemplate Figure out Guess Hypothesize	Disregard Ignore Neglect Dismiss	My sister loves to speculate on the private lives of celebrities.
Solitary (adjective) (noun)	Alone Without others	Lone Lonely Singular Individual	Together Common General Ordinary	The hermit lives a solitary existence deep in the mountains.
Somber (adjective)	Gloomy Depressing	Bleak Dark Dull Earnest	Bright Cheerful Encouraging Excited	After losing the competition, the chess players were very somber.
Soothe (verb)	To calm or comfort	Allay Alleviate Appease Assuage	Aggravate Agitate Incite Increase	The mother sang a lullaby to soothe her crying baby.
Squalid (adjective)	Filthy and unpleasant	Dingy Fetid Filthy Grimy	Bright Clean Clear Good	The shelter was squalid and overcrowded.
Stable (adjective)	Unlikely to change or fail	Balanced Calm Durable Fast	Broken Ephemeral Imbalanced Impermanent	We’re lucky to live in a country with such a stable government.
Stagnant (adjective)	Sluggish Showing little movement	Dormant Idle Inactive Lifeless	Active Alert Busy Energetic	With few new jobs created, the economy has remained stagnant for the past five years.
Strategy (noun)	A plan to reach a desired outcome	Action Approach Blueprint Design	Honesty Openness	The football team will need a good strategy to win the game tomorrow.
Subsequent (adjective)	Coming after something in time	Consecutive Consequent Ensuing Following	Preceding Anteceent Earlier Former	The first king was a good ruler, but subsequent kings have all been corrupt.
Substitute (noun) (verb)	A person or thing acting in place of another	Acting Alternate Backup Counterfeit	Finished Genuine Permanent Real	If you don’t have sugar, honey makes a good substitute for this recipe.
Subtle (adjective)	Difficult to notice right away	Exquisite Faint Indirect Ingenious	Ignorant Stupid Forthright Hard	Maya’s perfume was very subtle; you had to get close to her to smell it.
Sufficient (adjective & determiner)	Enough to serve a particular purpose	Acceptable Ample Plentiful Satisfactory	Insufficientun Meager Unacceptable Satisfactory	Make sure you have sufficient food for the camping trip.
Summarize (verb)	To briefly give the main points	Compile Encapsulate Epitomize Outline	Add Enlarge <liExpand Increase	The class didn’t have time to read the book, so the professor summarized it for them.
Supervise (verb)	To oversee work or a process	Administer Conduct Deal with Direct	Mismanage Neglect Follow Serve	My dad didn’t think we were old enough to build the fort on our own, so he supervised us.
Supplant (verb)	To take the place of something else	Overthrow Succeed Supersede Undermine	Give in Surrender Allow Hold	The king was supplanted by his treacherous younger brother who locked him in the dungeon.
Suspend (verb)	To temporarily stop To hang something from somewhere	Append Attach Dangle Depend	Disjoin Take away Complete Continue	The power outage suspended the school concert. The lamp is suspended from the high ceiling.
Suspicious (adjective)	Having the belief that someone is doing something dishonest or illegal.	Apprehensive Careful Cautious Doubtful	Believing Careless Certain Confident	The couple became suspicious when they saw strange men removing their neighbor’s expensive electronics during the night.
Sustain (verb)	To keep going	Assist Bolster Buoy Continue	Harm Hinder Hurt Obstruct	I stopped trying to sustain the friendship after he made fun of how I looked.
Symbolic (adjective)	Serving as a symbol	Allegorical Emblematic Figurative Significant	Actual Dysfunctional Nonrepresentative Literal	A cross is symbolic of Christianity.

TOEFL Vocabulary - Letter T

Word	Meaning	Synonyms	Antonyms	Usage of Word
Technical (adjective) (noun)	Relating to a specific subject or craft	High-tech Industrial Mechanical Professional	Unmechanical Untechnical	The laptop manual is full of technical terms only a computer expert can understand.
Terminal (adjective) (noun)	Situated at the end	fatal incurable lethal closing	Life-giving Beginning First Introductory	Everyone on the train must get off at the terminal stop.
Tolerate (verb)	To put up with	Abide Accept Brook Condone	Deny Disagree Disallow Dispute	I tolerate the rude man since he is my husband’s best friend.
Transfer (verb) (noun)	To move from one place to another	Deportation Relocation Removal Transmission	Stagnation Hold Keeping	Ben’s work is going to transfer him from Chicago to Detroit.
Transition (noun) (verb)	Changing from one state or condition to another	changeover conversion development evolution	Decline Decrease Idleness Sameness	The transition from student to employee can often take awhile to get used to.
Transparent (adjective)	See-through material Easy to detect	Clear Thin Translucent Cellophane	Blocked Cloudy Dark Opaque	The glass vase is completely transparent. Her attempt to flatter the movie star was very transparent.
Tuition (noun)	The fee for instruction at a school	Charge Expenditure Fee instruction	-----	College tuition prices have gone up in recent decades.

TOEFL Vocabulary - Letter U

Word	Meaning	Synonyms	Antonyms	Usage of Word
Unobtrusive (adjective)	Not attracting attention	Inconspicuous Low-key Restrained Self-effacing	Bold Confident Flaunting Noticeable	The prince’s bodyguards had mastered the art of being unobtrusive.
Unscathed (adjective)	Unharmed	Unharmed Unhurt Uninjured Unmarked	Harmed Hurt Injured	Ian was lucky to walk away from the car crash unscathed.
Upbeat (noun) (adjective)	Happy Optimistic	Buoyant Cheery Encouraging Happy	Depressed Discouraged Doubtful Gloomy	Even when she’s having a bad day, my mom always has an upbeat attitude.
Unjust (adjective)	Unfair	Biased Inequitable One-sided Partisan	Fairhonest Good Honest Impartial	Since I tried my hardest on the exam, I felt my teacher’s criticism of me was unjust.

TOEFL Vocabulary - Letter V

Word	Meaning	Synonyms	Antonyms	Usage of Word
Vacillate (verb)	To waver or be indecisive	Dither Fluctuate Oscillate seesaw	Remain Stay Continue Hold	She vacillated between the two dresses before finally deciding to wear a skirt.
Valid (adjective)	Just Well-founded	Accurate Authentic Binding Compelling	Counterfeit Evil Fake False	The soldiers had valid concerns about the battles they’d be facing.
Vanish (verb)	To disappear quickly	Die Die out Dissolve Evaporate	Coagulate Improve Solidify Appear	The plane vanished behind the clouds.
Vary (verb)	To be different from something else in a group	Alter Differ Diverge Diversify	Agree Conform Disorganize Hold	-----
Verdict (noun)	A judgement or decision	Answer Award Conclusion Decision	Accusation	The jury delivered a guilty verdict.
Vestige (noun)	A small trace of something that is disappearing or has already disappeared.	Glimmer Relic Remnant Residue	Information Lot	The empty castle still had a few vestiges of its former wealth.
Vial (noun)	A small container used to hold liquids	Bottle Flask Ampoule Ampul	-----	The chemist carefully filled the vial with the bubbling solution.
Vilify (verb)	To speak poorly of To slander	Assail Berate Damn Decry	Approve Cherish Commend Compliment	Mark was vilified by his angry ex-girlfriend.
Voluminous (adjective)	Taking up a lot of space	Ample Billowing Comprehensive Copious	Lacking Meager Little Slight	The puffy wedding dress had voluminous sleeves.

TOEFL Vocabulary - Letter W

Word	Meaning	Synonyms	Antonyms	Usage of Word
Whereas (conjunction)	On the contrary	Because Considering Since Though	-----	I always save my money whereas my brother is constantly in debt.
Wholly (adverb)	Completely	Altogether Fully Perfectly Quite	Inadequately Incompletely Partially Partly	The monk is wholly devoted to his faith.
Widespread (adjective)	Occurring over a large region	Across the board All over the place Boundless Broad	Concentrated Limited Local Narrow	There is widespread poverty across that country.
Wilt (verb) (noun)	To droop and become limp	Cave in Diminish Droop Dwindle	Develop Enlarge Expand Extend	Plants will wilt if you don’t water them regularly.

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