0 Most important 500 Word List for TOEFL Test (B)

BANAL: Lacking in freshness, originality, or vigor-bored by his banal remarks. Synonyms: commonplace, hackneyed, prosaic, trite, stereotyped, vapid. Antonyms: racy, original, vivid.

BANEFUL (noun: BANE: poison; source of harm): Destructive, poisonous - a baneful effect, causing serious injury. Synonyms: deleterious, pernicious, virulent, noxious, toxic. Antonym: beneficent.

BANTER: Good-natured teasing or ridicule-The two wits I exchanged banter, to the amusement of the audience. Synonyms: raillery, chaff

BATON: A stick or staff - The conductor wielded his baton gracefully.

BELIE: To give a false idea of - His gracious manner belled his evil purpose. Synonym: misrepresent




BELLICOSE; Inclined to quarrel; warlike - His bellicose attitude often got John into fights. Synonyms: pugnacious, contentious, disputatious. Antonyms: pacific, conciliatory.

BELLIGERENT: Engaged in war - two belligerent nations warring fiercely.
BENEVOLENT: Kindly; charitable - like a benevolent monarch, bestowing many favors. Synonyms: benign, benignant, gracious, magnanimous. Antonyms: malevolent, malignant.

BEREAVE: To deprive or leave desolate by loss - a widow just bereaved of her husband.

BESMIRCH: To soil or dirty - besmirched his opponent's good name with vile epithets. Synonyms: stilly, defile, smirch, bespatter.

BIASED: Prejudiced - misled by a biased point of view. Synonyms: bigoted, arbitrary, partial, partisan. Antonyms: disinterested, equitable.

BIBLIOPHILE: A lover of books - The bibliophile fingered the old book fondly. Antonym: bibliophobe.

BIZARRE: Queer; unusual in appearance- bizarre clothes, outlandish in the extreme. Synonyms: odd, fantastic, grotesque, eccentric.

BLAND: Gentle; polite; agreeable - a bland diet, without irritating foods. Synonyms: mild, suave (affable or persuasive in manner), soothing, non-irritating. Antonyms: piquant, tart, racy, caustic, acrid, pungent.

BLANDISHMENT: A flattering speech or act - attracted people by his blandishments.

BLEMISH (verb): To scar or spoil - Bad associates blemished his character; (noun): A disfigurement, defect - a character without a blemish.

BLIGHT: To ruin or decay - the rotting wheat, blighted by incessant rain. Synonyms: wither, blast

BLITHE: Gay and light-hearted in spirit or mood - spread cheer with her blithe spirit. Synonyms: jocund, merry, joyous. Antonyms: dejected, forlorn, abject.

BOG: A swamp - sank into the spongy bog. Synonyms: morass, fen, quagmire, mire.

BOMBASTIC (noun: BOMBAST): High-sounding; pretentious in language - a bombastic speech, inflated with meaningless high-flown words. Synonyms: ranting, pompous, fustian.

BOORISH: Unrefined in speech or manners - exhibited the boorish manners of a backwoodsman. Synonyms: churlish, uncouth, uncultured, crass. Antonym: suave.

BUCOLIC: Pertaining to the country - a bucolic poem - the joys of the shepherd. Synonyms: pastoral, rustic, rural.

BUFFOON: A clown - acting like a buffoon, full of ludicrous tricks. Synonym: harlequin.

BULWARK: (1) An embankment used as a fortification - a lofty bulwark for defense. Synonym: rampart. 2) A person, idea, or object serving as a protection - acted as a bulwark in the fight against crime.

BUMPTIOUS: Obnoxiously conceited or self-assertive - a bumptious monitor, puffed up with his own importance. Synonyms: aggressive, arrogant, contumelious, overbearing.


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0 Most important 500 Word List for TOEFL Test (A)

ABANDON: To give up completely - abandoned the sinking ship. Synonyms: relinquish, forgo, forsake

ABASH: To lose self-confidence; to confuse, put to shame – abashed before the assembled dignitaries. Synonyms: fluster, disconcert, discomfit, discompose. Antonym: (adj.) self-possessed

ABDICATE: To give up claim to - abdicated the throne. Synonyms: renounce, abandon, relinquish

ABET: To encourage -or support - treacherously abetted the enemy. Synonyms: spur, incite. Antonym: deter

ABRIDGE: To shorten - abridged his lengthy speech. Synonyms: curtail, diminish, retrench. Antonyms: protract, elongate, amplify

ABROGATE: To abolish or render void - a treaty abrogated by mutual consent. Synonyms: annul, nullify, rescind, void.

ABSTEMIOUS: Moderate in the use of food or drink - abstemious in his habits. Synonym: temperate

ACADEMIC: Pertaining to school; theoretical academic interests; an academic discussion, with no practical implications. Synonym: scholastic

ACCEDE: To agree to - accede to a request. Synonym: assent. Antonym: demur

ACCELERATE: - To quicken, speed tip - took an accelerated course in order to graduate early. Synonym: expedite (adj. expeditious). Antonym: retard.

ACCOLADE: An award or salute - a tremendous accolade for a returning hero. Synonyms: tribute, ovation

ACCORD: Agreement or harmony - in full accord with his view. Synonyms: concord, concurrence. Antonyms: dissension, discord

ACRIMONIOUS: Sharp or harsh in language or temper - stung by the acrimonious remark. Synonyms: caustic, acerb, pungent, tart, mordant, acrid; (noun) asperity. Antonyms: suave, affable,

ACUMEN: Keenness of mind or insight - showing exceptional business acumen. Synonyms: perspicacity, discernment, perception. Antonym: obtuseness.

ADMONISH (noun: ADMONITION): To warn or find fault gently - admonishing the unruly child. Synonyms: chide, caution, reprimand, reprehend, reproach.

ADVERSARY: (adj.: ADVERSE): An opponent - his adversary in a bitter debate. Synonym: antagonist. Antonyms: cohort, confederate, ally, accomplice.

ADVERSITY: Misfortune - calm in the face of adversity. Synonyms: affliction, mischance, reverses.

AESTHETIC: Pertaining to the beautiful - interested in aesthetic values rather than in purely practical affairs.

AFFABLE: Sociable, courteous, and agreeable in manner a much admired, affable gentleman. Synonyms: civil, complaisant, benign, gracious, genial, urbane, cordial. Antonyms: curt, brusque, rude, boorish, surly.

AFFLUENT: Prosperous, flourishing; copious - a large bequest from an affluent grandfather. Synonyms: opulent, profuse. Antonyms: destitute, impecunious.

AGGRESSIVE (noun: AGGRESSION. an unprovoked attack): self-assertive; attacking, offensive - annoyed people by his aggressive attitude. Synonyms: bumptious, officious, obtrusive. Antonyms: meek, humble, retiring, diffident.

ALACRITY: Eagerness; cheerful promptness - responded to the flattering offer with alacrity. Synonyms: celerity, briskness, energy, animation. Antonyms: apathy, nonchalance, sluggishness, lethargy, phlegmatism.

ALIENATE: To estrange - alterated by his gruff manner.

ALLAY: To calm; to lessen in severity - at ease now that his fears have been allayed. Synonyms: appease, alleviate, pacify, assuage, abate, mitigate, propitiate, mollify, placate. Antonyms: intensify, aggravate.

ALLUDE (noun: ALLUSION): To refer to indirectly - alluded quite subtly to his friend's misfortune. Synonyms: insinuate, intimate, imply. Antonyms: refer, cite.

ALLURE: To tempt by flattery or an attractive offer - allured by the prospect of a new job. Synonyms: lure, decoy, inveigle, entice, seduce, wheedle, beguile, cajole. Antonym: repel.

AMBIGUOUS: Uncertain, vague, capable of being inter- in more than one way - puzzled by the ambiguous statement. Synonyms: hazy, obscure, equivocal, dubious, nebulous. Antonyms: explicit, unquestionable.

AMENABLE: Obedient; willing to submit - amenable to the suggestion. Synonyms: tractable, docile, responsive. Antonyms: intractable, refractory, recalcitrant.

AMIABLE: Good-natured; friendly - attracted friends by his amiable disposition. Synonym: complaisant.

ANACHRONISM: A thing placed or occurring out of its normal time - A machine gun at the Battle of Yorktown would be an anachronism.

ANALOGY (adj.: ANALOGOUS): A relation between two things shown in the resemblance not of the things themselves but of their characteristics - He indicated points of analogy between the two situations. Synonyms: correspondence, affinity. Antonym: anomaly (a deviation from the general rule).

ANARCHY: State of confusion or lawlessness - a country brought to utter anarchy by civil war. Synonyms: chaos, pandemonium.

ANIMUS: A feeling of hatred-felt no animus, even against the enemy. Synonyms: enmity, rancor, malevolence, animosity. Antonym: amity.

ANNALS: Historical records - in the annals of literature.

ANONYMOUS: Of unknown authorship-an anonymous publication.

ANTHOLOGY: A collection of choice literary works – an anthology of modern poetry.

ANTITHESIS (adj.: ANTITHETICAL): Contrast; the direct opposite - His selfish attitude seemed to me the antithesis o patriotism.

APATHY (adj.: APATHETIC): Lack of feeling, emotion, or interest - attributed his failure to apathy, rather than lack of ability. Synonyms: torpor, lethargy, sluggishness, listlessness, languor, lassitude, dispassion; (verb) languish. Antonyms: zeal, animation.

APPREHENSIVE (verb: APPREHEND): Fearful - Being unprepared, John is apprehensive of the examination.

APPRISE: To inform –apprised his lieutenants of the new situation.

APPROBATION: Approval; praise -a plan that met with hearty approbation. Synonyms: sanction, commendation. Antonym: disapprobation.

APT (noun: APTITUDE, APTNESS): ((1) Likely; inclined or disposed - apt to succeed. Synonym: prone. (2) Fit, suitable - an apt remark. Synonyms: appropriate, felicitous. (3) Skillful, expert - apt at woodcarving. Synonyms: deft, dextrous, adept. Antonym: inept.

ARBITER: A person who has authority to decide matters in dispute - a fair decision rendered by the arbiter. Synonyms: mediator, arbitrator

ARCHETYPE: An original pattern - copies reproduced from the archetype. Synonym: prototype. Antonyms: Stereotype, facsimile, replica.

ARID: Dry; barren - the arid desert land. Synonyms: jejune, parched. Antonyms: arable, fertile.

ARISTOCRACY: Government by the best people; a privileged class -special privileges enjoyed by the aristocracy. Synonym: oligarchy. Antonym: democracy.

ARMISTICE: A temporary suspension of hostilities. The armistice halted the war. Synonym: truce

ARTFUL: Sly; crafty - attained his mean objective by artful measures. Synonyms: cunning, wily, adroit, ingenious, guileful. Antonyms: guileless, ingenuous, artless.

ARTICULATE (verb): To speak clearly or distinctly - articulated slowly so that he could not be misunderstood. (adj.): Capable of speech; distinct, clear – an articulate man, always ready to give his views.

ASCETIC: Rigorously self-denying - pursued the ascetic life of a monk. Synonyms: austere, abstinent. Antonyms: wanton, self-indulgent.

ASKANCE: With distrust - looked askance at the forged signature.

ASSEVERATE: To declare positively; to confirm - asseverated his views with conviction. Synonyms: assert, avouch, aver, avow, allege. Antonyms: gainsay, controvert, recant, rescind, abjure, disavow.

ASSIDUOUS: Industrious - an assiduous worker, toiling long hours. Synonyms: sedulous, attentive, diligent, indefatigable. Antonyms: indolent, slothful.

ASYLUM: A place offering shelter and retreat - found asylum from persecution. Synonyms: sanctuary, refuge.

ATHEIST: One who denies that God exists - The atheist declared, "There is no God." Synonyms: infidel, agnostic, skeptic.

ATTRIBUTE (verb): Assign -attributed his success to bard work. Synonym: ascribe (noun): An inherent quality -Generosity was his outstanding attribute.

AUGMENT: To increase or enlarge - an army augmented by numerous enlistments. Synonyms: enhance, amplify. Antonyms: abate, curtail.

AUSPICIOUS: Indicating a happy outcome - The prospect for this project appears auspicious. Synonyms: propitious, fortunate. Antonyms: ominous, foreboding.

AUTHENTIC: Genuine -proved to be an authentic document. Synonyms: veritable, bona fide. Antonyms: apocryphal, counterfeit, spurious, bogus.

AUTOCRATIC: Despotic - feared by the masses as an autocratic ruler. Synonym: tyrannical. Antonym: benevolent.

AVARICE: Excessive greed - a fortune accumulated by avarice and miserliness. Synonyms: covetousness, cupidity, avidity. Antonym: magnanimity.

AWRY: Unsymmetrical; not straight - the picture, hanging awry on the wall. Synonym: askew.



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