Vocabulary for TOEFL iBT

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.the foundation.2.to destroy in an underhanded way.By telling the children thatthey could eat chocolate, the babysitter undermined their mother, who had forbadethem to eat sweets.undulate ('un�jm�layt) v.to move in waves or in a wavelike fashion, fluctuate.The curtains undulated in the breeze.untoward (un�'tohrd) adj.1.contrary to one s best interest or welfare; inconven-ient, troublesome, adverse.2.improper, unseemly, perverse.Jackson s untowardremarks made Amelia very uncomfortable.upbraid (up�'brayd) v.to reprove, reproach sharply, condemn; admonish.Thechild was upbraided for misbehaving during the ceremony.urbane (ur�'bayn) adj.elegant, highly refined in manners, extremely tactful andpolite.Christopher thinks he s so urbane, but he s really quite pedestrian.usurp (yoo�'surp) v.to seize, or take possession of, by force and without right; towrongfully take over.After the king s half-brother usurped the throne, he executedthe king and queen and imprisoned the prince, who was the rightful heir to thethrone.Vvacillate ('vas��layt) v.1.to move or sway from side to side, fluctuate.2.to swing back and forth about an opinion, course of action, etc.; to be inde-cisive, waver.Denise vacillated for weeks before she decided to accept our offer.vacuous ('vak�yoo�ms) adj.empty, purposeless; senseless, stupid, inane.This TVshow is yet another vacuous sitcom.6044_Vocabulary_ToefliBT(4).qxd 9/19/07 11:44 AM Page 171WORD LIST171vehement ('vee��mnt) adj.1.characterized by extreme intensity of emotion orforcefulness of expression or conviction.2.marked by great force, vigor, orenergy.The senator was vehement in her denial of any wrongdoing and maintainedher innocence throughout the investigation.venal ('vee�nl) adj.easily bribed or corrupted; unprincipled.The venal judge wasremoved and disbarred.venerable ('ven��r�bl) adj.worthy of reverence or respect because of age, dig-nity, character or position.The venerable Jimmy Carter has won the Nobel PeacePrize.verbose (vr�'bohs) adj.using more words than necessary; wordy, long-winded.Her verbose letter rambled so much that it didn t seem to have a point.verisimilitude (ver�i�si�'mil�i�tood) n.the appearance of being true or real.Themovie aims for complete verisimilitude and has painstakingly recreated the details ofeveryday life in the 1920s.veritable ('ver�i�t�bl) adj.real, true, genuine.Einstein was a veritable genius.vex (veks) v.1.to annoy, irritate.2.to cause worry to.I was completely vexed by hispuerile behavior.vie (v to compete with or contend; to strive for superiority or victory.The two�) v.scientists were vying to be the first to find concrete evidence of extraterrestrial life.vignette (vin�'yet) n.a brief description or depiction, especially a short literarysketch or scene or ornamental sketch in a book.The film is a series of interrelatedvignettes rather than one continuous narrative.virulent ('vir�ym�lnt) adj.1.extremely poisonous, injurious or infectious.2.bitterly hostile or hateful, acrimonious.They say that the pen is mightier thanthe sword; indeed, words can be every bit as virulent as the sting of a scorpion.vis-�-vis (vee�z�'vee) adj.1.referring or directing attention to.2.face to facewith or opposite to.adv.face to face.After a few minutes of pandemonium, thelights came back on, and Suki suddenly found herself vis-�-vis with the man of herdreams.vitriolic (vit�ri�'ol�ik) adj.savagely hostile or bitter, caustic.Her vitriolic attack onher opponent was so hostile that it may cost her the election.vituperate (v��too�p�rayt) v.to criticize or rebuke harshly or abusively; to cen-sure severely, berate.After being vituperated by her boss for something that wasn teven her fault, Jin handed in her letter of resignation.6044_Vocabulary_ToefliBT(4).qxd 9/19/07 11:44 AM Page 172VOCABULARY FOR TOEFL iBT172volatile ('vol��til) adj.1.varying widely, inconstant, changeable, fickle.2.unstable, explosive, likely to change suddenly or violently.3.(in chemistry)evaporating readily.The stock market has been so volatile lately that I have decidedto invest in bonds instead.voluble ('vol�ym�bl) adj.1.talking a great deal and with great ease; languagemarked by great fluency; rapid, nimble speech.2.turning or rotating easily onan axis.Your new spokesperson is very voluble and clearly comfortable speaking infront of large audiences.voracious (voh�'ray�shms) adj.excessively greedy, rapacious; having a greatappetite for something, devouring greedily.I have always been a voracious readerand literally consume dozens of books every month.Wwary ('wair�ee) adj.guarded, watchful, cautious.After being swindled by the streetvendor, Bridget was wary of most salespeople.winnow ('win�oh) v.1.to separate the grain from the chaff by using the wind orother current of air to blow the chaff away.2.to separate the good from thebad; to examine or sift through to remove undesirable elements.We have win-nowed the list of applicants down to five highly qualified candidates.Xxenophobia (zen�O�'foh�bee�) n.a strong dislike, distrust, or fear of foreigners.Many atrocities have been committed because of xenophobia.Zzealous ('zel�ms) adj.filled with or marked by great interest or enthusiasm; eager,earnest, fervent.Shalom was such a zealous student that he begged his teacher toassign him extra projects.zeitgeist ('ts �st) n.the spirit of the times; the general intellectual and moral�t�outlook or attitude characteristic of a particular generation or period of time.The revolutionary zeitgeist of the sixties and seventies is in sharp contrast to the con-servative zeitgeist of the fifties.zenith ('zee�nith) n.1.the highest point, top, peak.2.the point in the skydirectly above the observer.She is at the zenith of her career and has won everycase this year.6044_Vocabulary_ToefliBT(4).qxd 9/19/07 11:44 AM Page 173WORD LISTAPPENDIX BPrefixes, Suffixes,and Word RootsPREFIXESThe following table lists the most common English language prefixes, their mean-ings, and examples of words with each prefix.PREFIX MEANING EXAMPLESa-, an- not, without atypical, anarchy, amorphousab-, abs- from, away, off abnormal, abduct, abscondante- prior to, in front of, before antedate, antecedent, antebellumant-, anti- opposite, opposing, against antidote, antagonist, antipathybi- two, twice bisect, bilateral, bicameralcircum- around, about, on all sides circumference, circumnavigate,circumspectco-, com-, with, together, jointly cooperate, community, consensuscon-contra- against, contrary, contrasting contradict, contraindicationcounter- contrary, opposite or opposing; counterclockwise, countermeasure,complementary counterpartde- do the opposite or reverse of; remove from, deactivate, dethrone, detractreducedis- away from, apart, reversal, not disperse, dismiss, disinterested1736044_Vocabulary_ToefliBT(4) [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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