4000 CPE Vocabulary List

n. どん底 the lowest point; point on sphere opposites zenith diametrically
Although few people realized it, the Dow-Jones averages had reached their nadir and would soon begin an upward surge.

n. 素朴 lack of sophistication, experience, judgment or worldliness; simplicity; artlessness; gullibility
Touched by the naivete of sweet, convent-trained Cosette, Marius pledges himself to protect her innocence.

a. 裸 bare and pure; completely unclothed
The brightened comet in the constellation Virgo may even be visible to the naked eye, allowing members of the public worldwide to join in this historic moment in astronomy.

n. 麻薬 the addictive drug, such as opium that reduces pain, alters mood and behavior; inducing sleep
Some patients seek alternative solutions to long-term narcotic painkillers.

a. 新生 incipient; coming into existence; emerging
If we could identify these revolutionary movements in their nascent state, we would be able to eliminate serious trouble in later years.

n. ナレーター biologist knowledgeable about natural history
Experts believe the elderly creature, which weighed a hundred and fifty kilograms, was once the British naturalist's personal pet, Charles Darwin.

v. 吐き気を催す cause to become sick; fill with disgust
The foul smells began to nauseate him.

a. ナビゲーション wide and deep enough to allow ships to pass through; able to be steered
So much sand had built up at the bottom of the canal that the waterway was barely navigable.

a. きちんと clean or orderly; tidy, with everything in its place
As she said this, she came upon a neat little house on the door of a bright brass plate.

n. 星雲 faint, cloudlike, self-luminous mass of matter situated beyond the solar system among the stars
You can see nebula in the clear summer sky.

a. 漠然と lacking definite form or limits; hazy; cloudy
After twenty years, she had only a nebulous memory of her grandmother's face.

n. 降霊術 belief in magical spells to produce unnatural effects; the communicating with spirits of dead ones to predict future
The evil sorcerer performed feats of necromancy, calling on the spirits of the dead to tell the future.

v. 否定 cancel out; make ineffective or invalid; deny
A sudden surge of adrenalin can negate the effects of fatigue: there's nothing like a good shock to wake you up.

n. 否定 act of denying; assertion of the nonrealistic or untruthfulness of anything
Sorry, strictly speaking, the negation is applied to the verb and the verb to the subject.

a. 負 adverse; involving disadvantage or harm; pessimistic
I think our countries are very similar in the negative attitudes that people have towards mathematics.

a. 過失 failing to be careful enough or to give enough attention to your responsibilities; inattentive
Did she like that negligent housekeeper?

a. 無視 so small, trifling, or unimportant that it may be easily disregarded
Because his car's damage had been negligible, Michael decided he wouldn't bother to report the matter to his insurance company.

a. 貧乏 characteristic of a revival of an earlier classical style
In contrast to Shakespeare's plays, those of neoclassical playwrights such as Racine and Moliere develop a single plotline and are strictly limited in time and place.

n. 造語 new or newly invented word or phrase
As we invent new techniques or professions, we must also invent neologism such as 'microcomputer' to describe it.

n. 新古典主義 a colorless, odorless gaseous element that gives a red glow in a vacuum tube
From a distance, downtown Johannesburg looks impressive, with a collection of skyscrapers and neon lights.