IELTS
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backbone
n.
support; mainstay; vertebrate spine or spinal column
balloon
n.
a large non-rigid bag filled with gas or heated air
banker
n.
a person in charge of the bank; one who owns or is an executive in a bank
barber
n.
haircutter; one whose business is to cut hair and to shave or trim beards
barge
n.
flatboat; long, large boat for transporting freight that is unpowered and towed or pushed by other craft
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slag
n.
residue by smelting metal ore; waste material from a coal mine; scum that forms on the surface of molten metal
slender
a.
having little width in proportion to height or length; long and thin
sluggish
a.
lazy; with little movement; very slow
slum
n.
a district of a city marked by poverty and inferior living conditions
soar
v.
fly aloft, as a bird; mount upward on wings; rise in thought, spirits, or imagination
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draft
/drɑrft/;/dræft/ n. Syn. sketch
rough outline; draw up an outline; sketch
Now governments are re-writing the EU's governing treaty and the draft version is considered by the EU's leaders in Brussels.
drama
/'drɑrmə/ n. Syn. play
play; literary work intended for theater
The Danes have now taken the top drama award at the Emmys for three out of the past four years.
duration
/djʊə'reɪʃə
dynamic
/daɪ'næmɪk/ a. Syn. energetic
energetic; vigorously active
The dynamic aerobics instructor kept her students on the run.
economy
/ɪ'kɒnəmɪ/ n.
efficient use of resources; reduction in cost; specific type of economic system
The tribe's main economy is primitive agriculture and its wealth is sometimes counted in people as well as animals.
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TOEFL
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probe
v.
explore with tools; investigate; search
proceed
n.
follow a certain course; move ahead; travel onward
proclivity
n.
inclination; natural tendency; readiness; facility of learning
prodigious
a.
impressively great in size, force, or extent; enormous
professional
a.
engaged in, or suitable for a profession
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mess
n.
soft semi-liquid food; a quantity of food set on a table at one time; provision of food for one meal
metallic
a.
of or pertaining to metal; of metal nature; resembling metal
mien
n.
aspect; air; manner; demeanor; carriage; bearing
mirth
n.
gladness and gaiety, especially when expressed by laughter
misappropriate
v.
appropriate wrongly; use for the wrong purpose; embezzle
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fiasco
/fɪ'æskoʊ/ n.
complete failure; sudden and violent collapse
The real problem with our job fiasco is that I essentially had two nights with almost no sleep.
fictitious
/fɪk'tɪʃəs/ a. Syn. imaginary
existing only in imagination; feigned; not true or real
Although this book purports to be a biography of George Washington, many of the incidents are fictitious.
flaccid
/'flæsɪd/ a.
acting in strength, firmness, or resilience
His sedentary life had left him with flaccid muscles.
flagrant
/'fleɪgrənt/ a.
obvious and offensive, blatant, scandalous; flaming into notice
The governor's appointment of his brother-in-law to the State Supreme Court was a flagrant violation of the state laws against nepotism.
flamboyant
/flæm'bɔɪənt/ a. Syn. showy; ostentatious
elaborately or excessively ornamented
Modern architecture has discarded the flamboyant trimming on buildings and emphasizes simplicity of line.
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stupendous
/stju:'pɛndəs/;/stu:-/ a.
astonishing; wonderful; amazing, especially, astonishing in magnitude or elevation
succulent
/'sʌkjʊlənt/ a. Syn. delectable
full of juicy; full of richness; highly interesting or enjoyable; delectable
sultry
/'sʌltrɪ/ a.
burning hot; extremely and unpleasantly hot
tangible
/'tændʒɪbə
tantamount
/'tæntəmaʊnt/ a.
equivalent in effect or value
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PTE
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sarcasm
n. Syn. wit; satire
cutting, often ironic remark intended to wound; stinging rebuke; form of humor by mocking with irony
saturate
v. Syn. soak
soak, fill, or load to capacity; cause to unite with the greatest possible amount of another substance
savage
a. Syn. rude; wild; brutal
in a state of nature; wild; untamed; uncultivated; inhuman; brutal; not civilized; lacking polish; rude
scalpel
n.
a small knife with a thin, keen blade, used by surgeons, and in dissecting
scant
a.
scarcely sufficient; less than is wanted for the purpose; not enough
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stress
put special emphasis on; utter with an accent; state of extreme difficulty, pressure, or strain
structure
complex construction or entity; complex composition of knowledge
subordinate
occupying lower rank; inferior; submissive
subsequent
following in time or order; succeeding; later
subsidiary
subordinate; secondary; serving to assist or supplement
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GRE
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torso
n.
body excluding head and neck and limbs
toupee
n.
partial wig or hairpiece worn to cover a bald spot
tout
v.
advertize in strongly positive terms; praise excessively; show off
towering
a.
high; outstanding; very great or intense
toxin
n.
a toxic or poisonous substance produced by the biological processes of biological organisms
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incognito
with one's identity disguised or concealed; in disguise; in an assumed character, or under an assumed title
E.g.You can browse normally and in incognito mode at the same time by using separate windows.
incompatible
inharmonious; impossible to coexist; not easy to combine harmoniously
E.g.The married couple argued incessantly and finally decided to separate because they were incompatible.
incongruity
quality of disagreeing; being unsuitable and inappropriate
E.g.My other problem with the iPod is that I find them a bit of an incongruity in this age of convergence.
inconsequential
insignificant; lacking importance; not following from premises or evidence; illogical
E.g.Brushing off Ali's apologies for having broken the wineglass, Tamara said, "Don't worry about it; it's inconsequential."
inconsistency
state of being self-contradictory; lack of uniformity or steadiness
E.g.How is a lawyer different from agricultural inspector? While a lawyer checks inconsistency in witnesses' statements, agricultural inspector checks in Grade A eggs.
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TOEIC
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dizzy
a.
having or causing a whirling sensation
dock
v.
deprive someone of benefits; remove or shorten the tail of an animal
document
v. Syn. record
provide written evidence; record in detail
dodge
v.
avoid a blow by moving or shifting quickly aside; shifty or ingenious trick
dole
n.
share of money, food, or clothing that has been charitably given
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articulate
a. Syn. effective; distinct
expressing oneself easily in clear and effective language
ascertain
v. Syn. discover; insure
find out for certain; discover with certainty; make sure of
ascribe
v. Syn. refer; attribute; assign
inscribe or dedicate; attribute to a specified cause, source, or origin; assign as a quality
assault
n. Syn. attack; onslaught
attack; onslaught
assert
v. Syn. declare
declare or state with confidence; put oneself forward boldly
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ECPE
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eddy
n.
swirling current of water, air; flow in circular current
edible
a. Syn. eatable
eatable; substance that can be used as food
edifice
n. Syn. skyscraper
building, especially one of imposing appearance or size; a structure that has a roof and walls
edit
v.
revise and prepare for publication; select, correct, arrange matter of, for publication
editorial
a.
of or pertaining to an editor; written or sanctioned by an editor
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sewer
waste pipe that carries away sewage or surface water; someone who sews
E.g. A sewer is an artificial pipe or system used to remove human liquid waste and to provide drainage.
sheer
very thin or transparent; very steep; absolute or pure
E.g. Wearing nothing but an almost sheer robe, Delilah draped herself against the very steep temple wall.
shelter
structure that provides privacy and protection from danger
E.g. I undressed hastily, and sought shelter from cold and darkness in my crib.
shock
unpleasant or disappointing surprise; surprise greatly; effect of such a collision or blow
E.g. The shot of the girl standing in shock is one of the most disturbing scenes you'll witness.
siege
seat, especially a royal seat; throne; rank; grade; sitting before a fortified place; surrounding or investing of a place by army
E.g. To me the most alarming feature of the siege is short rations.
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