300 TOEFL Writing Vocabulary| Spell Practice

300 TOEFL Writing Vocabulary

TOEFL Spell Practice

[Esc]
/ə'bændən/ n. Syn. relinquish
lacking restraint or control; feeling of extreme emotional intensity; unbounded enthusiasm
With her parents out of town, Kelly danced all night with [___].

[Esc]
/ə'bæʃ/ v. Syn. embarrass
embarrass; make ashamed or uneasy; disconcert
Her open admiration should not [___] him at all.

[Esc]
/'æbdɪkeɪt/ v. Syn. renounce
give up, renounce, abandon, lay down, or withdraw from, as a right or claim
When Edward VIII did [___] the British throne to marry the woman he loved, he surprised the entire world.

[Esc]
/ə'bɛt/ v. Syn. encourage
aid, usually in doing something wrong; encourage
She was unwilling to [___] him in the swindle he had planned.

[Esc]
/ə'brɪdʒ/ v. Syn. condense; shorten
condense; shorten; reduce length of written text
Because the publishers felt the public wanted a shorter version of War and Peace, they proceeded to [___] the novel.

[Esc]
/'æbroʊgeɪt/ a. Syn. abolish
abolish, do away with, or annul, especially by authority
He intended to [___] the decree issued by his predecessor.

[Esc]
/æb'sti:mɪəs/ a. Syn. temperate
sparing or moderation in eating and drinking; temperate
Concerned whether her vegetarian son's [___] diet provided him with sufficient protein, the worried mother pressed food on him.

[Esc]
/ækə'dɛmɪk/ a. Syn. scholarly; collegiate; theoretical
related to school; not practical or directly useful; relating to scholarly organization; based on formal education
The dean's talk about reforming the college admissions system was only an [___] discussion.

[Esc]
/æk'si:d/ v. Syn. agree; assent; concede
agree; give consent, often at insistence of another; concede
The idea that one of the two chief executives should eventually [___] to the role, as has happened in the past, would raise fresh doubts about the board's independence.

[Esc]
/ək'sɛləreɪt/ v. Syn. speed; hasten
move faster; cause to develop or progress more quickly; occur sooner than expected
Demand for Taiwanese goods likely will [___] from the second quarter, as strong Asian demand offsets the effects of a U.S. slowdown.

[Esc]
/'ækəleɪd/ n. Syn. praise
award of merit; expression of approval; praise
In Hollywood, an "Oscar" is the highest [___].

[Esc]
/ə'kɔ:d/ n. Syn. agreement; treaty
settlement or compromise of conflicting opinions; written agreement between two states
Although the [___] is a small step forward, politicians around the world have their work cut out for them.

[Esc]
/ækrɪ'moʊnɪəs/ a. Syn. rancorous
bitter and sharp in language, tone, or manner
The candidate attacked his opponent in highly [___] terms.

[Esc]
/'ækjʊmɛn, ə'kju:mɛn/ n. Syn. acuteness; insight
mental keenness; quickness of perception
However, her team's political [___] is clearly beyond mine, an Ivy League Medical Science Professor and NOT a Political "Science" Professor.

[Esc]
/əd'mɒnɪʃ/ v. Syn. warn; reprove
warn; counsel someone against something to be avoided
I would again [___] the reader carefully to consider the nature of our doctrine.

[Esc]
/ædmɒ'nɪʃ(ə)n/ n. Syn. warning
gentle or friendly reproof; cautionary advice or warning
The article concludes with an [___] from a psychologist

[Esc]
/'ædvəsərɪ/ n. Syn. opponent; contestant
opponent in contest; someone who offers opposition
The young wrestler struggled to defeat his [___].

[Esc]
/'ædvɜrs/ a. Syn. unfavorable; hostile
in opposing direction; harmful or unfavorable; acting or serving to oppose
The recession had a highly [___] effect on father's investment portfolio: he lost so much money that he could no longer afford the house.

[Esc]
/əd'vɜrsɪtɪ/ n. Syn. poverty; misfortune
state of misfortune, hardship, or affliction; misfortune
A young boy who's strength in [___] is an inspiration to all who know him.

[Esc]
/i:s'θɛtɪk/ a. Syn. artistic; elegant
elegant or tasteful; of or concerning appreciation of beauty or good taste
Kenneth Cole, the American designer known for his modern, urban [___], is hawking $35 T-shirts.

[Esc]
/'æfəb(ə)l/ a.
easily approachable; warmly friendly
Accustomed to cold, aloof supervisors, Nicholas was amazed at how [___] his new employer was.

[Esc]
/'æflʊənt/ a.
having an abundant supply of money or possessions of value
They want the same opportunity to pursue their dreams as everyone else who lives in [___] school districts.

[Esc]
/'əgrɛsɪv/ a.
making assaults; unjustly attacking; combative; hostile; tending to spread quickly
During his tenure in Beijing, Huntsman was known as an [___] advocate for human rights and pushed to expand U.S. economic ties with China.

[Esc]
/ə'lækrɪtɪ/ n.
cheerful promptness or willingness; eagerness; speed or quickness
Phil and Dave were raring to get off to the mountains; they packed up their ski gear and climbed into the van with [___].

[Esc]
/'eɪlɪəneɪt/ v. Syn. estrange; transfer; separate
cause to become unfriendly or hostile; transfer property or ownership; isolate or dissociate emotionally
We could not see what should again [___] us from one another, or how one brother could again oppress another.

[Esc]
/ə'leɪ/ v. Syn. calm; pacify; relieve
calm; pacify; reduce the intensity of; relieve
The crew tried to [___] the fears of the passengers by announcing that the fire had been controlled.

[Esc]
/ə'lu:d/ v. Syn. imply; refer
refer casually or indirectly, or by suggestion
Try not to mention divorce in Jack's presence because he will think you [___] to his marital problems with Jill.

[Esc]
/ə'ljʊə(r)/ v. Syn. entice; attract
attract with something desirable; be highly, often subtly attractive
Promises of quick profits [___] the unwary investor.

[Esc]
/ə'lu:ʒ(ə)n/ n. Syn. metaphor
indirect reference; symbolical reference or comparison; metaphor
Without naming names, the candidate criticized the national leaders by [___].

[Esc]
/æm'bɪgjʊəs/ a.
unclear or doubtful in meaning
His [___] instructions misled us; we did not know which road to take.

[Esc]
/ə'mi:nəb(ə)l/ a. Syn. responsible; accountable
responsive to advice or suggestion; responsible to higher authority; willing to comply with; agreeable
He was [___] to any suggestions that came from those he looked up to.

[Esc]
/'eɪmɪəb(ə)l/ a. Syn. agreeable; lovable
good-natured and likable; lovable; warmly friendly
In Little Women, Beth is the [___] daughter whose loving disposition endears her to all who know her.

[Esc]
/ə'næləgəs/ a. Syn. comparable
comparable; similar or alike
She called our attention to the things that had been done in an [___] situation and recommended that we do the same.

[Esc]
/ə'nælədʒɪ/ n. Syn. similarity; parallelism
similarity in some respects; comparison based on similarity
This [___] is almost always noted without further comment, although in fact it may be taken further.

[Esc]
/'ænəkɪ/ n. Syn. lawlessness; disorder
absence of governing body; state of disorder; political disorder and confusion
One might say that eastern Congo is already in [___], but Congo has faded from the headlines in recent months.

[Esc]
/'ænɪməs/ n. Syn. enmity; disposition
feeling of enmity or ill will; attitude that informs one's actions; disposition
The [___] of the speaker became obvious to all when he began to indulge in sarcastic and insulting remarks.

[Esc]
/'æn(ə)lz/ n. Syn. records; history
chronological record of the events of successive years
In the [___] of this period, we find no mention of democratic movements.

[Esc]
/ə'nɒnɪməs/ a. Syn. unknown; nameless
having no name; having unknown or unacknowledged name
The buyer, who wished to remain [___], is a foreigner with homes in Europe.

[Esc]
/æn'θɒlədʒɪ/ n. Syn. collection
book of literary selections by various authors
This [___] of science fiction was compiled by the late Isaac Asimov.

[Esc]
/æn'tɪθəsɪs/ n. Syn. contrast
contrast; direct contrast; opposition
This tyranny was the [___] of all that he had hoped for, and he fought it with all his strength.

[Esc]
/æpə'θɛtɪk/ a.
feeling or showing a lack of interest or concern; indifferent
But he shares Mary's [___] and listless look: he seems to have more length of limb than vivacity of blood or vigor of brain.

[Esc]
/'æpəθɪ/ n. Syn. indifference
lack of caring; indifference
A firm believer in democratic government, she could not understand the [___] of people who never bothered to vote.

[Esc]
/æprɪ'hɛnd/ v. Syn. arrest; perceive
take into custody; arrest a criminal; grasp mentally; perceive
The police will [___] the culprit and convict him.

[Esc]
/æprɪ'hɛnsɪv/ a.
capable of apprehending; knowing; conscious; relating to the faculty of apprehension; sensible; feeling; perceptive
Here I walked about for a long time, feeling very strange, and mortally [___] of some one coming in and kidnapping me.

[Esc]
/ə'praɪz/ v. Syn. inform
inform; give notice to; make aware
If you [___] him the dangerous weather conditions, he has to postpone his trip.

[Esc]
/æprə'beɪʃ(ə)n/ n. Syn. approval
expression of warm approval; praise
She looked for some sign of [___] from her parents, hoping her good grades would please them.

[Esc]
/æpt/ a. Syn. appropriate; suitable
likely; exactly suitable; appropriate; quick to learn or understand
The defeated England coach, Bobby Robson, described it as a miracle, which following 'the Hand-of-God' goal seems supremely [___].

[Esc]
/'æptɪtju:d/;/'æptɪtud/ n. Syn. intelligence; talent
inherent ability; quickness in learning and understanding
The counselor gave him an [___] test before advising him about the career he should follow.

[Esc]
/'ɑrbɪtə(r)/ n. Syn. judge
person with power to decide a dispute; judge
As an [___] in labor disputes, she has won the confidence of the workers and the employers.

[Esc]
/'ɑrkɪtaɪp/ n. Syn. prototype
prototype; original model or type after which other similar things are patterned
The Brooklyn Bridge was the [___] of the many spans that now connect Manhattan with Long Island and New Jersey.

[Esc]
/'ærɪd/ a. Syn. dry; barren
dry; lacking moisture, especially having insufficient rainfall to support trees or plants
The cactus has adapted to survive in an [___] environment.

[Esc]
/ærɪs'tɒkrəsɪ/ n.
hereditary nobility; privileged class
Americans have mixed feelings about hereditary [___].

[Esc]
/ɑr'tɪkjʊlət/ a. Syn. effective; distinct
expressing oneself easily in clear and effective language
Her [___] presentation of the advertising campaign impressed her employers.

[Esc]
/ə'sɛtɪk/ a. Syn. austere; severe
leading a life of self-discipline and self-denial; austere
The wealthy, self-indulgent young man felt oddly drawn to the strict, [___] life led by members of some monastic orders.

[Esc]
/ə'sɪdjʊəs/;/ə'sɪdʒʊəs/ a. Syn. diligent; persistent
constant in application or attention; diligent; unceasing or persistent
He was [___], working at this task for weeks before he felt satisfied with his results.

[Esc]
/ə'saɪləm/ n. Syn. protection
place of refuge or shelter; protection
The refugees sought [___] from religious persecution in a new land.

[Esc]
/'eɪθiɪst/ n. Syn. nonbeliever
nonbeliever; one who denies the existence of god
The view that children are born [___] is relatively recent.

[Esc]
/ə'trɪbju:t/ n. Syn. trait
essential quality; reputation; honor
His outstanding [___] was his kindness.

[Esc]
/ɔ:g'mɛnt/ v. Syn. increase
make greater, as in size, extent, or quantity
Armies [___] their forces by calling up reinforcements.

[Esc]
/ɔ:'spɪʃəs/ a. Syn. propitious
attended by favorable circumstances; marked by success; prosperous
With favorable weather conditions, it was an [___] moment to set sail.

[Esc]
/ɜr'θɛntɪk/ a. Syn. genuine; real; valid; trustworthy
not counterfeit or copied; valid; trustworthy
It is [___], genuine, and a true and correct copy of the original.

[Esc]
/ɔtə'krætɪk/ a. Syn. dictatorial
having absolute, unchecked power; dictatorial
Someone accustomed to exercising authority may become [___] if his or her power is unchecked.

[Esc]
/'ævərɪs/ n.
greediness for wealth; insatiable desire of gain
King Midas is a perfect example of [___], for he was so greedy that he wished everything he touched would turn to gold.

[Esc]
/ə'raɪ/ ad. Syn. distorted; crooked ; askew; amiss
in a position that is turned toward one side; away from correct course
He held his head [___], giving the impression that he had caught cold in his neck during the night.

[Esc]
/bə'nɑrl/;/'beɪnl/ a. Syn. dull; commonplace; trite
obvious and dull; commonplace; lacking originality
The writer made his comic sketch seem [___], only a few people liked it.

[Esc]
/beɪn/ n. Syn. curse
something causes misery or death; curse; fatal injury or ruin
Lucy's little brother was the [___] of her existence: his attempts to make her life miserable worked so well that she could have poisoned him.

[Esc]
/'bæntə(r)/ n.
good-humored, playful conversation
You bring good diversity to the BombCast because your opinions are varied and present a good contrast to what can sometimes be predictable [___] from the guys.

[Esc]
/'bæt(ə)n/;/bə'tɒn/ n.
staff or truncheon for various purposes, as one of a conductor in musical performances, one transferred by runners in a relay race
What's the textbook way to handoff the [___] in the relays?

[Esc]
/bɪ'laɪ/ v. Syn. contradict
contradict; give a false impression
His coarse, hard-bitten exterior does [___] his inner sensitivity.

[Esc]
/'bɛlɪkoʊs/ a. Syn. warlike; belligerent
warlike or hostile in manner or temperament; showing or having impulse to be combative
His [___] disposition alienated his friends.

[Esc]
/bɪ'lɪdʒərənt/ a. Syn. quarrelsome; aggressive
inclined or eager to fight; aggressive
Whenever he had too much to drink, he became [___] and tried to pick fights with strangers.

[Esc]
/bɪ'nɛvələnt/ a. Syn. generous; charitable
generous in providing aid to others; charitable
Mr. Fezziwig was a [___] employer, who wished to make Christmas merrier for young Scrooge and his other employees.

[Esc]
/bɪ'smɜrtʃ/ v.
soil, smear so as to make dirty or stained
The scandalous remarks in the newspaper [___] the reputations of every member of the society.

[Esc]
/'baɪəs(ɪ)d/ a. Syn. slanted; prejudiced
favoring one person or side over another; prejudiced
Because the judge played golf regularly with the district attorney's father, we feared he might be [___] in the prosecution's favor.

[Esc]
/bɪ'zɑr(r)/ a. Syn. fantastic
fantastic; violently contrasting; strangely unconventional in style or appearance
The plot of the novel was too [___] to be believed.

[Esc]
/blænd/ a. Syn. soothing; mild; agreeable
lacking stimulating or mild; agreeable
She kept her gaze level and her expression [___], but her teeth were gritted.

[Esc]
/'blændɪʃmənt/ n. Syn. flattery
flattery; speech or action expressive of affection or kindness, and tending to win the heart
Despite the salesperson's [___], the customer did not buy the outfit.

[Esc]
/'blɛmɪʃ/ v.
mark with deformity; injure or impair, as anything which is excellent; make defective, either the body or mind
A newspaper article alleging he had taken bribes may [___] his reputation.

[Esc]
/blaɪt/ v.
blast; prevent the growth and fertility of; destroy the happiness of; ruin; frustrate
I wish to foster, not to [___] -- to earn gratitude, not to wring tears of blood -- no, nor of brine: my harvest must be in smiles, in endearments, in sweet -- That will do.

[Esc]
/blaɪð/ a. Syn. gay; joyous; heedless
gay; joyous; carefree and lighthearted
Shelley called the skylark a "blithe spirit" because of its happy song.

[Esc]
/bɒm'bæstɪk/ a. Syn. pompous
pompous; using inflated language; high-sounding but with little meaning
The biggest military power on Earth was acting belligerent and its president was indulging in [___] nationalistic grandstanding.

[Esc]
/'bʊərɪʃ/ a. Syn. rude; clumsy; illiterate
rude and clumsy in behavior; ungentlemanly; awkward in manners
Natasha was embarrassed by her fellow spy's [___] behavior.

[Esc]
/bju:'kɒlɪk/ a. Syn. rustic; pastoral
rustic; pastoral; agricultural; relating to country affairs, or to shepherd's life and occupation
Filled with browsing cows and bleating sheep, the meadow was a charmingly [___] sight.

[Esc]
/bʌ'fu:n/ n.
one who makes a practice of amusing others by low tricks, antic gestures; droll; mimic; clown
This [___] is the most self-centered idiot I have ever seen or heard.

[Esc]
/'bʊlwək/ n.
earthwork or other strong defense; person who defends
The navy is our principal [___] against invasion.

[Esc]
/'bʌmpʃəs/ a.
offensively self-assertive; liable to give or take offense; forward; pushing
His classmates called him a show-off because of his [___] airs.

[Esc]
/kə'bæl/ n.
small group of persons secretly united to promote their own interests
The number of Republicans who support this man and his [___] is astonishing, but nothing will change the minds of that percentage.

[Esc]
/kə'kɒfənəs/ a. Syn. discordant; inharmonious
discordant; inharmonious; sounding harshly; ill-sounding
Do the students in the orchestra enjoy the [___] sounds they make when they're tuning up? I don't know how they can stand the racket.