TOEFL® Vocabulary Flashcard

Adverse is an adjective describing a factor that seems to work against or actively harm something - like adverse weather conditions or the adverse effects of eating too much sugar.

Example sentences using the word adverse:

• He had an adverse reaction to the medicine. (meaning he reacted badly to the medicine; the medicine had a bad effect on him)
• Many fear that budget cuts will have an adverse (harmful, detrimental) effect on education.
• The drug has no adverse side effects.

Definition: Having a tendency to do something:

Example sentences:

• Emotion problems are apt to damage personal relationships

Definition: having the tendency to do something; likely

Example sentences:

• Sawfish and sawsharks are aptly named for their long, serrated snouts.
• With news from pro-democracy protests continuing to stream out of the country through social media, the announcement is aptly timed.

Definition: to make something difficult to see

Example sentences:

• Crying hard can cause your vision to blur until you wipe your tears away.

Conceivable means the possibility to imagine something. 

Let’s look at some more example sentences where the word “conceivable” is used:

• They discussed the question from every conceivable angle.

This sentence simply means that the question was discussed from every possible angle.

Here is another example sentence:

• It is conceivable that she will refuse to go.

Again, the sentence simply means that it is possible that she will refuse to go.

Conceivably means in a conceivable manner or something may be conceived/possible. Conceivably is the adverb form of the verb “conceive”.

Example sentences using the word “conceivably”:

• Conceivably, the date could be moved up a week.
• We could conceivably (meaning possibly] finish tomorrow.

The word “conceive” is popularly used to describe someone who is pregnant. A conceived woman is a pregnant woman.

Here are example sentences

• She is unable to conceive a child
• Mrs. Brown conceived three children.

Another meaning for "conceive" is to imagine, creating something in mind.  Also, when the word “conceive” is used in a sentence to mean to imagine, creating something in mind, it can be followed by an object or can be used without an object.

Here are some example sentences where the word “conceive” is followed by an object:

• A novelist is able to conceive (meaning imagined) an imaginary world.
• When the writer conceived this role, he had a specific actor in mind to play the part.
• The system was conceived (meaning invented) by a Swedish engineer.

When the word “conceive” is not followed by an object, it is usually followed by the preposition “of” as seen in the following example sentences:

• They conceived of (meaning thought of, regarded) her as a genius.
• I can't conceive of (meaning imagine) a reason for not supporting this policy.

Definition: A qualification, achievement, personal quality, or aspect of a person’s background, typically when used to indicate that they are suitable for something:

Example sentences:

• He had stellar academic credentials, a tremendous background, had succeeded at everything he had done.

Definition: in a misleading way

Example sentences:

• The action also states some customers were deceptively enrolled in these programs and that some services promised weren't provided.

Definition: needing careful treatment; sensitive

Example sentences:

• Proposals to drill for oil have also triggered concerns about threats to the region’s delicate ecology.

Definition: done with persistence and hard work; with attention to details

Example sentences:

• Though rhythmically impeccable, the dancers looked constrained, almost too diligent, and in some cases not up to the work’s technical demands.
• Diligent financial planners have probably already shifted some of their nest egg into more conservative investments in the years leading up to retirement.

Definition: Cause (an idea or account) to seem false or unreliable:

Example sentences:

• Can we expect to defeat terrorism without also discrediting the ideas and passions that underlie it?

Definition: make unrecognizable

Example sentences:

• Her method of investigation has involved going undercover, adopting various disguises and secretly audio- and video-taping his subjects.
• Most packaged cereals are calorie-bombs of powdered sugar disguised as a nutritious breakfast.

Definition: Causing or tending to cause disruption:

Example sentences:

• Frequent meetings can be disruptive at work

Definition: Cause (someone or something) to change course or turn from one direction to another

Example sentences:

• Another method employs moveable flaps in the rocket motor to divert the exhaust flow direction.

Definition: Involving many carefully arranged parts or details; detailed and complicated in design and planning.

Example sentences:

• The buildings were all made of white stone, built carefully with elaborate details, as if every family lived in a miniature castle

Definition: wear out completely

Example senences:

• Taking the high road is often a steep and winding path with lots of rocks to trip you up, and it’s sometimes painful and exhausting.
• While these lessons and assignments are not exhaustive, they might sound exhausting.

Definition: having a debilitating effect

Example senences:

• I’m bored most of the time, and the workload is exhausting

Definition: Activity involving the making of decorative domestic or other objects by hand:

Example sentences:

• A wide range of wooden statues, ready-made garments, decorative greeting cards, handicrafts items and eateries were on display. Other handicrafts include woodcarving and basketry.

Definition: to cause to go faster; move forward more quickly

Example sentences:

• A personalized approach could eliminate a lot of trial-and-error and hasten critical time to treatment, the study suggests.
• The rise of alternative platforms, such as online streaming services, can also hasten the subscriber losses for the pay-TV industry.

Definition: a person or thing that is very well known

Example sentences:

• Long before mixed martial arts became a worldwide phenomenon and Ultimate Fighting became a household name, Bruce Lee created jeet kune do — a realistic combat hybrid that incorporated the most useful elements of kung fu, boxing and fencing.

Definition: uninterrupted in time and indefinitely long continuing

Example sentences:

• This incessant belching expels an impressive volume of greenhouse gases—mostly methane and carbon dioxide.
• Fourteen large fires are burning, mostly in the scorched northern half of the state, and California's incessant drought is only making matters worse.

Definition: not many times; almost never

Example sentences:

• Tornadoes occur infrequently in the eastern part of the United States.
• Cold storage refers to low cost storage of information that is expected to be accessed infrequently, such as archives of user search histories.

Definition: Become or make more intense

Example sentences:

• The researchers say that increasing the amount of zirconium may intensify the color.
• The importance of the test will intensify the nervousness of the students

Definition: with intention; in an intentional manner

Example sentences:

• Users should not put up with major companies that are intentionally creating a poor user experience by keeping these practices alive.
• The researchers found that ivory is often shipped from countries different to where it was poached, and traffickers intentionally try to mislead authorities.

Definition: Very complicated or detailed

Example sentences:

• I seem to remember my dreams in unusually intricate detail and twice as often as most people. The intricate detail and structure of this miniscule world is breathtaking.

Definition: cause to be interested or curious

Example sentences:

• As listeners, we’re meant to be intrigued by these secrets, even if their basis in reality is unclear.

Intriguing things or people arouse curiosity and have an indescribable draw.  Synonyms for intriguing are captivating, riveting, and titillating.

Example sentences using intriguing

• The book was so intriguing, I couldn’t put it down!
• If you find the night sky intriguing and enjoy pondering the limitlessness of the universe, you should consider becoming an astronomer.
• He has an intriguing personality
• This intriguing book is both thoughtful and informative

Definition: The average period that a person may expect to live

Example sentences:

• One in five adults is HIV positive and the average life expectancy at birth is just under 49 years. They are now of an age that exceeds the average life expectancy in the countries where they live.

Definition: The length of time for which a person or animal lives or a thing functions:

Example sentences:

• As humans lengthened lifespans with better nutrition and hunting skills, childhood also lengthened.

Definition: A means of securing the necessities of life

Example sentences:

• In the city people have relied on business to supply jobs to maintain their livelihoods.

Definition: Long life

Example sentences:

• She's seen many changes to society in her life, and thinks her longevity is due to her faith in God.

Definition: Death, especially on a large scale

Example sentences:

• The most dramatic and perhaps most significant cause of natural mortality among gray whales is predation by killer whales.
• Cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer mortality among women worldwide.
• Maternal deaths have been shown to account for a substantial burden of mortality among refugee women of reproductive age.

Definition: Perform better than

Example sentences:

• Other researchers have found that when essay exams are used to evaluate performance, women outperformed their male counterparts.

Definition: Very great in amount

Example sentences:

• The government must unite behind this policy, which is supported by the overwhelming majority of the nation.

Definition: occurring at specific periods of time

Example sentences:

• Periodic payments must be made on home loans

Definition: A magazine or newspaper published at regular intervals; Occurring or appearing at intervals; occasional:

Example sentences:

• He has a diploma in journalism and has published several features, stories and poetry in magazines and periodicals
• At periodical intervals, the network returns the data to a central control room by cellular phone, satellite, or a conventional telephone circuit.

Definition: Corresponding in size or amount to something else:

Example senences:

• Your salary should be proportional to your contribution to the company.

Definition: The state or fact of being similar:

Example sentences:

• The similarity of symptoms makes them hard to diagnose

Definition: Occurring at irregular intervals or only in a few places; scattered or isolated:

Example sentences:

• The radio communications were subject to sporadic sunspot interference

Definition: Unable to be denied or disputed:

Example sentences:

• it is an undeniable fact that some dogs are easier to train than others