فهرست واژگان تافل: 60 کلمهی مهم برای شروع
|
Word |
Word type |
Definition |
Example sentence |
Academic
|
Noun or adjective |
Noun: a university lecturer.
Adjective: a person who excels in their studies
|
My uncle was an academic
She was a very academic child
|
Adverse |
Adjective |
Unfavorable, inauspicious |
The medicine might have adverse effects we don’t know about |
Adversity
|
Noun |
Hardship |
He overcame significant adversity to become a doctor |
Aesthetic |
Noun |
A philosophical theory about why things are beautiful
'Now also used as a synonym for “style
|
Your room has a great aesthetic |
Ambiguous
|
Adjective |
Unclear, sometimes intentionally unclear |
Are we friends or enemies? Her body language is ambiguous |
Analogy |
Noun |
A comparison between two things, or a partial similarity |
A well-oiled machine is a great analogy for a successful business |
Apt |
Adjective |
Suitable, extremely fitting |
The cat was always nervous so Twitchy was an apt name |
Banter |
Noun, verb |
Noun: (slang, informal) jokes, jovial conversation
Verb: to joke around with someone
|
The party had everything: great drinks, great atmosphere and great banter
My uncle was bantering at the funeral, it was not appropriate
|
Bizarre |
Adjective |
Odd or strange |
It was bizarre to run into my next door neighbour in the middle of the desert, thousands of miles from home |
Bland |
Adjective |
Boring, without flavor or identifying characteristics. |
My mother’s leek soup is comforting but a little bland |
Bombastic |
Adjective |
Showy, loud or over-the-top. Often used to describe people |
The circus was run by a bombastic little man in a red hat |
Candid |
Adjective |
Without working hard to seem different or important, caught in a moment of naturalness. Often used to describe photos the subject doesn’t know is being taken |
The candid photos from the wedding were more romantic than the official, posed ones |
Chronic |
Adjective |
Long-term. Often used to describe illnesses |
He’s got a chronic cough from smoking every day |
Civil |
Adjective |
Polite, well-mannered, sometimes in a way that implies a lack of friendliness. Also anything to do with citizens and citizenship |
I’m not friends with my neighbour, but we are civil to each other |
Compatible |
Adjective |
When two people or things are able to exist in each other’s presence in harmony, without conflict |
My ex-husband and I did not have compatible tastes in furniture |
Concede |
Verb |
To willingly give into something, to admit defeat without a fuss |
I concede that white was not the smartest color for a table cloth |
Crucial |
Adjective |
Necessary. Absolutely essential |
It’s crucial that you hand this assignment in on time |
Devastate |
Verb |
To destroy or ruin something. Or to disappoint, shock or overwhelm a person in a profound way |
The tsunami devastated the island. I was devastated when my dog died
|
Diversify |
Verb |
To make something more varied and different in its parts |
We diversified our workforce and now employ an equal number of women to men |
Ephemeral |
Adjective |
Lasting for a very short time; here one day and gone the next |
Instagram posts are one of the most ephemeral art forms: in your feed one moment, forgotten the next |
Erratic |
Adjective |
In a state of unpredictable and dynamic change |
He was driving erratically so I knew he was drunk |
Fallible |
Adjective |
Flawed, not resistant to weaknesses |
You become a teenager when you realise your parents are fallible |
Fiasco |
Noun |
A situation which causes a lot of angst and unnecessary effort. Often a little silly |
A situation which causes a lot of angst and unnecessary effort. Often a little silly.I lost my phone on the way to the interview, it was such a fiasco |
Gluttonous |
Adjective |
Greedy, especially in regard to food |
One scoop of ice cream is delicious, two is a special treat, but three is just gluttonous. |
Hoax |
Noun |
A trick, a situation created to deliberately mislead someone or a group of people |
The robbers said they needed to enter the house to read the electricity meter, but it was a hoax! |
Immune |
Adjective |
When someone or something cannot be damaged by something else, they are “immune to” it. It is often used in relation to illness |
Vegetarians are immune to certain types of cancer |
Implicit |
Adjective |
A meaning which is suggested, but not stated directly. |
She didn’t say she was moving out, but it was implicit in her actions |
Ingenious |
Adjective |
When something is brilliant in an innovative way. Often used to refer to solutions which solve a difficult problem in a simple way |
We created an ingenious pulley system to move the mattress up 10 flights of stairs |
Inhibit |
Adjective |
To prevent something’s development, to hold something back |
Don’t let fear of failure inhibit your personal growth |
Jargon |
Noun |
Words and phrases developed for use in specific contexts, especially ones that are unnecessary or pointlessly complex |
The worst thing about being a lawyer is all the legal jargon you have to understand |
Lavish |
Adjective |
When something is more luxurious than it needs to be, usually in a positive way |
The empress wore a lavish fur coat and a crown of diamonds |
Lucid |
Adjective |
Easy to understand, perfectly clear. Also used to mean bright or full of light |
I couldn’t sleep last night and am not very lucid this morning |
Malice |
Noun |
Ill-will. Bad vibes. The intent to harm someone or something |
There was malice in the robber’s smile |
Mediocre |
Adjective |
Literal meaning is average, but it is often used to describe something worse than average |
My grades were always mediocre at school |
Myriad |
Adjective |
Many or lots of something, especially many very dissimilar things |
Friendship can take a myriad of forms |
Nostalgia |
Noun |
A feeling of longing for something in the past |
Fashion today is all about 1990s nostalgia |
Notorious |
Adjective |
Famous or renowned for bad reasons |
He was notorious for never doing the washing up |
Novice |
Noun |
Beginner. Person starting to learn a skill from scratch |
Even novice fishermen can catch big fish if they are lucky |
Oblivious |
Adjective |
Describes a person who is completely unaware that something is happening, often in an ignorant way |
My nephew was oblivious that taking your shoes and socks off in a restaurant is rude |
Obtrusive |
Adjective |
Something that gets in the way of a positive situation or result. An unwelcome interference |
My neighbor's new shed is very obtrusive, it blocks my view of the sea |
Ostracize |
Verb |
When a person is deliberately made to feel unwelcome or separate from a group |
He was ostracized from society for his unusual paintings |
Paradox |
Noun |
A situation or phrase that logically contradicts itself |
Mistakes are a sign that we are failing, but paradoxically, making mistakes is the way for us to learn to succeed |
Pedantic |
Adjective |
A person or thing that pays special attention to small details. Often has negative connotations |
My last teacher was so pedantic, she loved correcting every tiny mistake |
Plagiarism |
Noun |
To copy someone’s work and pretend that you created it yourself |
I couldn’t borrow your essay! That would be plagiarism |
Precarious |
Adjective |
A situation that is unstable or at risk of losing balance. |
As a freelance actress, my income was precarious |
Radical |
Adjective |
Extreme, or very different from the norm. Can have positive or negative connotations |
2020 brought radical change to lifestyles all over the world |
Refute |
Verb |
To prove something to be wrong or false. Also, to contradict a statement or disagree with it strongly |
Claims that climate change isn’t man-made have been refuted by leading scientists for decades |
Reiterate |
Verb |
To mention the same point again, to repeat your idea in a way that strengthens it |
Just to reiterate: please buy your own milk. |
Satellite |
Noun |
An object placed into orbit around the earth, usually for communications reasons, such as television satellites. The moon is a natural satellite
|
I’m not sure if that light in the sky is a star or a satellite |
Sinister |
Adjective |
Something or someone that seems slightly evil, or which might have the potential and intention to cause harm |
The alley was dark and his shadow looked sinister in the moonlight |
Sleazy |
Adjective |
Sordid, corrupt or immoral |
It was 5am and the only night-clubs still open were expensive and sleazy |
Tangible |
Adjective |
Something that you can measure, or otherwise understand as a definite concept. The opposite is intangible, when you can’t quite describe something exactly |
We left the meeting with some tangible next steps |
Tantamount |
Adjective |
Equal to. Virtually the same as something else |
Leaving the house during the hurricane would be tantamount to suicide |
Tenuous |
Adjective |
Something that is very fragile, almost on the point of failure. Often used to refer to unproven claims |
The claim that Geminis have higher divorce rates is tenuous at best |
Trivial |
Adjective |
Silly, superficial, or lacking in depth. Can be used in a positive or negative sense |
We talked about trivial things and ignored the difficult problem we needed to discuss |
Utilitarian |
Adjective |
Something which is purely functional, with no decoration or unnecessary details |
The bedroom was utilitarian: just a small bed, a chest of drawers and a reading lamp |
Versatile |
Adjective |
Something or someone that has many uses, or can be adapted to lots of different situations |
This lipstick is such a versatile colour; I could wear it to work, on a date, or whilst having dinner with my parents |
Whim |
Noun |
Something you feel like doing for no serious reason, just to please yourself. Implies a sense of spontaneity |
I bought this teapot on a whim, but now I use it every day |
Xenophobia |
Noun |
Fear of people who are different, or outside of your everyday norm. Often used as a synonym for “prejudice |
My grandparents can be very xenophobic sometimes |
Zealous |
Adjective |
Extremely enthusiastic |
He hit the tennis ball so zealously that it flew out of the park and onto the road |