TOEFL® Vocabulary Flashcard

Justification is a good reason or explanation for something. Here are example sentences:

• There is no justification for treating people so badly.
• It can be said, with some justification, that she is one of the greatest actresses on the English stage today.

To justify is to provide or be a good reason for.  For example:

•  I can't really justify taking another day off work.
• He tried to justify his behavior by saying that he was being pressured unfairly by his boss.
• The fact that we are at war does not justify treating innocent people as criminals.
• It's hard to justify the cost of a new car right now. = It's hard to justify spending money on a new car right now.

Advertent is a word used to describe giving attention to something. For example, a nurse gives advertent care to her patients, whether she likes them or not- it is her job.

Example sentences of the word advertent:

• Farmers give advertent care to their plants.
• Parents give advertent care to their children.

You might be thinking that advertent should mean "intentional." Due to the fact that inadvertent means "unintentional." If we remove the negative prefix in- and you're left with that word's opposite, right? The recognized meaning of advertent falls opposite that older sense of inadvertent.

Ambiguous is an adjective used to describe a word or something that has more than one meaning. Look to the adjective ambiguous when you need to describe something that's open to more than one interpretation. They synonym of ambiguous is equivocal.

Example sentences:

• We were confused by the ambiguous wording of the message.
• He looked at her with an ambiguous smile.
• Due to the ambiguous nature of the question, it was difficult to choose the right answer.
• This agreement is very ambiguous and open to various interpretations.

Ambivalent means "having mixed feelings about something."  If you're ambivalent you're being pulled by two equally strong things. You might feel ambivalent about your lunch options if you have to choose between a turkey sandwich or a ham sandwich- they will taste awfully similar. You normally don’t feel ambivalent about subjects that are very important in your life. For example  “He seemed to be ambivalent about where we went for his birthday dinner.”

Definition: (Of a person) not identified by name; of unknown name:

Example senences:

• One anonymous student raises the concern that women are overly sexualized in society.

Definition: Based on random choice or personal whim, rather than any reason or system:

Example sentences:

• This numbering system is an arbitrary designation based on small amino acid sequence differences

Definition: The action or an instance of two or more events or things occurring at the same point in time or space:

Example sentences:

• The conjunction of events marks a widening of the challenge posed by San Francisco's mayor, who last month authorised wedding ceremonies for same-sex couples.

Definition: weakening

Example sentences:

• The lack of investment savings has a debilitating effect on the economy

Definition: Be a sign of; indicate:

Example sentences:

• The council has carried out risk assessments on all restricted areas and has reopened nearly three-quarters of the pathways - identified by a pink sign denoting a right of way.

Definition: Upset the stability of; cause unrest in

Example sentences:

• The relationship has come to dominate British debates affecting domestic and foreign issues and has destabilized both Labour and Conservative parties

Definition: Having or showing deep religious feeling or commitment

Example sentences:

• When I was brought back to faith it was through the prayers of my devout mother.

Definition: A person’s inherent qualities of mind and character

Example sentences:

• There must be hundreds, thousands of words, which quite aptly describe persons of certain dispositions.

Something that's enigmatic is tough to figure out. It's puzzling and even mysterious, examples could include a tricky crossword puzzle or who made a crop circle in the field. “I couldn’t understand the enigmatic syllabus until the end of the class.” A good synonym for enigmatic is puzzling.

If you are equivocal, you are deliberately vague in what you say, because you want to avoid speaking the truth or making a decision. Here are example sentences:​

• He responded to reporters' questions with equivocal answers.

If something is equivocal, it is difficult to understand, interpret, or explain, often because it has aspects that seem to contradict each other. Here are example sentences:

• Research in this area is somewhat equivocal.

Definition: cause to stop

Example sentences:

• A halt to the release of raw methane from oil and gas operations is critical to combating global warming.
• The handful of approved treatments only provide modest and temporary relief for symptoms such as memory loss; none halt the disease's progress.

Definition: in an impulsive or impetuous way; without taking cautions

Example sentences:

• Research suggests that feeling “too positive” can interfere with decision making and cause people to neglect environmental threats and act impulsively.
• This type of a snack can help you avoid becoming so hungry during the day that you impulsively over-consume calories at the next meal.

When something happens by accident, it's inadvertent, or unintentional. .When your actions are inadvertent you're not paying attention to their consequences.

Example of inadvertent usage:

• I’m sorry I forgot to pay rent that was inadvertent.​
• The gas company assured you that the error in your bill was inadvertent and that they would fix it.

Inadvertently is an adverb that means "without knowledge or intent," like when you inadvertently take someone else's coat from the coatroom because it looks just like yours.

Example sentences using the word inadvertently:

• I inadvertently (meaning accidentally, mistakenly) dialed the wrong number.
• I inadvertently deleted your phone number
• She inadvertently told my husband about his surprise  party

Incomprehensible means it's difficult to understand and it might be impossible to explain. Many unfamiliar customs or rituals seem incomprehensible from a distance, for example, people who don’t wear shoes at all may find it incomprehensible why women would wear high heels. Used in a sentence, “It is incomprehensible why my family spent so much money on a vacation.”

Example sentences:

• I found his behavior utterly incomprehensible.
• It's incomprehensible to me that he could have acted that way.
• Her speech was almost incomprehensible.

Definition: the state of being invaded or overrun by parasite

Example sentences:

• Indeed, worm infestations, lice and a variety of other health problems plague the residents of the water villages.

An instinct is something you don't need to learn — it happens naturally, without you even thinking about it. Babies cry by instinct, and ducks follow their mother by instinct. If you have an instinct for something, you are naturally good at it.

Example sentences:

• Her instincts told her that something was wrong. (This means she believed that something was wrong even though there was no obvious reason to believe it).
• I didn't have as strong a maternal instinct as some other mothers.
• The basis for training relies on the dog's natural instinct to hunt and retrieve.
• He always knew what time it was, as if by instinct.
• I acted purely on instinct.

COLLOCATIONS

deep/strong/powerful instinct

• He bent down, obeying a deep instinct to protect himself from danger.

a natural instinct

• I followed my natural instinct to run away.

somebody's first/initial instinct

• His first instinct was to try and hide.

somebody's gut instinct informal (=someone's first instinct)

• Her gut instinct about Jimmy had been right.

human instinct

• It's a natural human instinct to comfort someone who is unhappy.

animal instinct

• It's animal instinct to attack the leader of the herd when his strength begins to fail.

trust your instinct(s) (also rely on your instincts) (=believe that your instincts are correct)

• I've trusted my instincts in the past and they've usually been right.

The adjective instinctive describes something you do without thinking about it. If you have an instinctive desire to help animals, you might automatically stop your car to pick up every stray dog you see. Adults also have instinctive reflexes — like yawning, or the reflex that makes you kick your leg when the doctor hits your knee with a rubber mallet. 

Something that is instinctive occurs naturally, like the way babies know how to cry as soon as they're born. 

Things that are instinctive to you are part of your personality. Every day, you may walk to the coffee machine before you realize what you are doing, but having a morning coffee is an instinctive part of your morning routine.

Definition: A thing that intrudes; The action or process of forcing a body of igneous rock between or through existing formations, without reaching the surface

Example sentences:

• Overthrusting, volcanism, and plutonic igneous intrusion were identified as originating above the subduction zone where one plate is forced beneath the edge of its neighbour.
• Traffic generates noise and pollution, and is an intrusion for many areas.

Definition: Causing disruption or annoyance through being unwelcome or uninvited:

Example sentences:

• That was an intrusive question

Definition: Having no meaning; making no sense

Example sentences:

• It was a nonsensical argument and one got the impression that Kerr did not believe it himself.

Definition: Neither parallel nor at right angles to a specified or implied line; slanting

Example sentences:

• We sat on the settee oblique to the fireplace

If you are oblivious to something or oblivious of it, you are not aware of it.

Example sentences:

• She kept dancing, oblivious to everyone around her.

Definition: Expose too much, especially to the public eye or to risk:

Example sentences:

• The dollar pessimists argue that the Asian central banks are already dangerously overexposed both to the dollar and to the U.S. bond market

Definition: Appear more prominent or important than

Example sentences:

• With just five weeks to go before the midterm elections, the talk of war appears to be overshadowing other issues, such as the economy and Social Security.

Definition: That participates, or is capable of participating

Example sentences:

• Compared with our existing lunchtime lectures and conversations with artists, this programme will be more participative, more in depth and dealing with more general themes.

Something that's puzzling is confusing, or hard to understand. You might also come across particularly puzzling questions on a test or quiz — these are the hard ones, taking a long time to figure out and requiring a lot of thought. “The ending of the book was puzzling, I don’t understand it.

Definition: Able to receive signals or stimuli

Example sentences:

• The goldfish’s vision is receptive to a wider band of light than almost any other animal.
• Exfoliation removes dead skin cells, embedded dirt and toxins, and stimulates the skin, making it receptive to the nutrient-rich facial mask that should follow.

Definition: An organ or cell able to respond to light, heat, or other external stimulus and transmit a signal to a sensory nerve:

Example sentences:

• Our own skin contains a battery of touch receptors that produce nerve signals when pressed.

Definition: Respond to (a gesture or action) by making a corresponding one:

Example sentences:

• This was a phenomenal break for the band and they reciprocated the gesture with an astounding and memorable performance.

Definition: A substance that dissuades particular insects or other pests from approaching or settling

Example sentences:

• The fruits make good outdoor Christmas ornaments or could be used as insect pest repellents in the winter.

Definition: Of regulations, requirements, or conditions) strict, precise, and exacting

Example sentences:

• Their produce must be processed under the most stringent conditions by well-trained staff.

Definition: The action or process of transmitting something or the state of being transmitted:

Example sentences:

• Even the most simple information can be forgotten or distorted in the process of transmission.

Definition: (Of ground, water, conditions, etc.) presenting hidden or unpredictable dangers

Example sentences:

• A holidaymaker was swept away by treacherous currents.

Definition: Without opposition; with the agreement of all people involved

Example sentences:

• The Board of Governors voted unanimously to allow the administrators to unionize. A committee of MPs has unanimously agreed to back his bill.