4000 CPE Vocabulary List

a. accidental; casual; not inherent but added extrinsically
He found this adventitious meeting with his friend extremely fortunate.

n. support; active pleading on behalf of something
No threats could dissuade Bishop Desmond Tutu from his advocacy of the human rights of black South Africans.

n. nest of a bird, such as an eagle, built on a cliff or other high place
The mother eagle swooped down on the unwitting rabbit and bore it off to her aerie high in the Rocky Mountains.

a. easily approachable; warmly friendly
Accustomed to cold, aloof supervisors, Nicholas was amazed at how affable his new employer was.

v. associate; cause a group to become part of or form a close relationship with another
Our Affiliate programs empower our associates to earn commissions and receive ticket discounts.

n. natural attraction, liking, or feeling of kinship; relationship by marriage
She felt an affinity with all who suffered; their pains were her pains.

v. state something as true; assert; confirm
Briggs calmly took a paper from his pocket and read out in a sort of official voice: 'I affirm and can prove that on the 20th of October.'

n. positive assertion; confirmation; solemn pledge by one who refuses to take an oath
Despite Tom's affirmation of innocence, Aunt Polly still suspected he had eaten the pie.

v. fasten; append; add on; secure to something
First, the registrar had to add her signature to the license; then, she had to affix her official seal.

n. cause or condition of pain, suffering, or distress
Even in the midst of her affliction, Elizabeth tried to keep up the spirits of those around her.

n. abundance; a plentiful supply of material goods; wealth
Foreigners are amazed by the affluence and luxury of the American way of life.

a. able to pay for
We need treatments that are more affordable, and we need an HIV vaccine that can have the same impact on the HIV epidemic as vaccines have had on smallpox and other diseases.

n. insult; offense; intentional act of disrespect
When Mrs. Proudie was not seated beside the Archdeacon at the head table, she took it as a personal affront and refused to speak to her hosts for a week.

n. outcome; consequence, especially of a disaster or misfortune
The most critical lesson Barbara has learned from her diagnosis and the aftermath is the importance of selecting a good facility and sticking with it.

n. collection; heap; act or process of gathering into a mass
It took weeks to assort the agglomeration of miscellaneous items she had collected on her trip.

v. increase the scope of; extend; intensify; make greater in power, influence, stature, or reputation
The history of the past quarter-century illustrates how a President may aggrandize his power to act aggressively in international affairs.

v. worsen; make worse or more troublesome
Ridiculous, offensive comments like this do nothing but aggravate the situation.

v. gather into a mass, sum, or whole; amount to
Before the Wall Street scandals, dealers managed to aggregate great wealth in short periods of time.

n. several things grouped together or considered as a whole
It provides an overview of a diverse set of more than thirty digital library aggregation services, organizes them into functional clusters.

a. struck by shock, terror, or amazement
The film grabs you by the throat so that any feeling of being aghast is contained – and you hold on to that feeling up to the very last scene.