504 Absolutele Essential Words

Vocabulary (503)

Abandon — desert; leave without planning to come back; quit
Abide — accept and follow out; remain faithful to; dwell; endure
Abolish — do away with completely; put an end to
Abroad — outside one's country; going around; far and wide
Absorb — take in or suck up (liquids); interest greatly
Absurd — plainly not true or sensible; foolish
Abundant — more than enough; very plentiful
Abuse — make bad use of; use wrongly; treat badly; scold very severely; bad or wrong use; badtreatment
Accurate — exactly right as result of care or pains
Acknowledge — admit to be true
Addict — one who cannot break away from a habit or practice
Adequate — as much as is needed; fully sufficient
Adolescnet — growing up to manhood or womanhood; youthful; a person from about 13 to 22 years of age
Alter — make different; change; vary
Amateur — person who dows something for pleasure, not for money or as a profession
Ambush — a trap in which soldiers or other enemies hide to make a surprise attack
Amend — change for the better; correct; change
Annual — once a year; something that appears yearly or lasts for a year
Anticipate — look forward to; expect
Appeal — attraction; interest; to urge
Appoint — decide on; set time or place; choose for a position; equip or furnish
Approach — come near or nearer to
Appropriate — fit; set apart for some special use
Architect — a person who makes plans for buildings and other structures; a maker; a creator
Assemble — gather together; bring together
Attract — draw to oneself; win the attention and linking of
Audible — able to be heard
Authority — the right to command or enforce obedience; power delegated to another
Avoid — keep away from; keep out of the way
Aware — knowing; realizing
Awesome — causing or showing great fear, wonder, or respect
Awkward — clumsy; not well-suited to use; not easily managed; embarrassing
Bachelor — a man who has not married
Baffle — be too hard to understand or solve
Baggage — the trunks and suitcases a person takes when he or she travels; an army's equipment
Bait — anything especially food, used to attract fish or other animals so that they may be caught; anything used to tempt or attract a person to begin something he or she does not wish
Ballot — piece of paper used in voting; the whole number of votes casts; the method of secret voting; to vote or decide by using ballots
Bat — prohibit; forbid
Beckon — signal by a motion of the hand or head; attract
Beneficiary — person who receives benefit
Betray — give away to the enemy; be unfaithful; mislead; show
Bewildered — confused completely; puzzled
Bigamy — having two wives or two husbands at the same time
Biography — the written story of a person's life; the part of literature that consists of biographies
Blend — mix together thoroughly; a mixture
Blunder — stupid mistake; to make a stupid mistake; stumble; say cumsily
Brawl — a noisy quarrel or fight
Brutal — coarse and savage; like a brute; cruel
Budget — estimate of the amount of money that can be spent for different purposes in a given time
Bulky — taking up much space; large
Burden — what is carried; a load
Calamity — a great misfortune; serious trouble
Calculate — find out by adding, subtracting, multiplying or dividing; figure
Campus — grounds of a college, university, or school
Cancel — cross out; mark so that it cannot be used; wipe out; call off
Candidate — person who is proposed for some office or honor
Capacity — amount of room or space inside; largest amount that can be held by a container
Capsule — a small case or covering
Captive — prisoner
Casual — hapening by chance; not planned or expected; not calling attention to itself
Cautious — very careful; never taking chances
Cease — stop
Censor — person who tells others how they out to behave; one who changes books, plays and other works so as to make them acceptable to goverment; to make changes in
Century — 100 years
Challenge — call to a fight
Charity — generous giving to the poor; institutions for helping the sick, the poor. or the helpless; kindness in judging people's faults
Chiropractor — a person who treats aliments by massage and manipulation of the vertebrae and other forms of therapy on the theory that disease results from interference with normal functioning of the nervous system
Cinema — moving picture
Circulate — go around; go from place to place or person to person
Clergy — persons prepared for religious work; clergymen as a group
Client — person for whom a lawyer acts; customer
Coeducational — having to do with education both sexes in the same school
Coincide — occupy the same place in space; occupy the same time; correspond exactly; agree
Collapse — a breakdown; to fall in; break down; fail suddenly; fold together
Colleague — associate; fellow worker
Collide — come together with force
Commence — begin; start
Commend — praise; hand over for safekeeping
Commuter — one who travels regularly, especially over a considerable distance, between home and work
Compel — force; get by force
Compete — try hard to get something wanted by others; be a rival
Complacent — pleased with oneself; self-satisfied
Comprehend — understand
Comprehensive — including much; covering completely
Conceal — hide
Conclude — end; finish; decide
Confident — firmly believing; certain; sure
Confine — keep in; hold in
Confirm — prove to be true or correct; make certain
Conflict — direct opposition; disagreement
Consent — agree; give permission or approval
Consider — think about in order to decide
Contagious — spreading by contact, easily spreading from one to another
Corpse — a dead body; usually of a person
Crafty — skillful in deceiving others; sly; tricky
Culprit — offender; person guilty of a fault or crime
Customary — usual
Data — facts; information
Daze — Confuse completely
Debate — a discussion in which reasons for and against something are brought out
Debtor — person who owes something to another
Decade — ten years
Deceive — make someone believe as true something that is false; mislead
Decrease — make or become less
Defect — fault; that which is wrong
Defiant — openly resisting; challenging
Defraud — take money, rights, etc. away by cheating
Dejected — in low spirits; sad
Deliberate — to consider carefully; intended; done on purpose; slow and careful, as though allowing time to decide what to do
Delinquent — an offender; criminal; behind time
Denounce — condemn in public; express strong disapproval of
Dense — closely packed together; thick
Depart — go away; leave; turn away (from); change; die
Depict — represented by drawing or painting; describe
Deprive — take away by force
Descend — go or come down from a higher place to a lower level
Despite — in spite of
Detect — find out; discover
Detest — dislike very much; hate
Detour — a roundabout way
Devise — think out; plan; invent
Devour — eat hungrily; absorb completely; take in greedily
Dilemma — situation requiring a choice between two evils; a difficult choice
Diminish — make or become smaller in size, amount or importance
Disaster — an event that causes much suffering or loss; a great misfortune
Discard — throw aside
Disclose — uncover; make known
Dismal — dark and depressing
Dispute — disagree; oppose; try to win; a debate or disagreement
Disrupt — Upset; distracted by anxiety
Distress — great pain or sorrow; misfortune; dangerous or difficult situation; to cause pain or make unhappy
Document — something handwritten or printed that gives information of proof of some fact
Doubt — not believe; not be sure of; feel uncertain about; lack of certainty
Drastic — acting with force or violence
Dread — look forward to with fear; fear greatly;causing great fear
Drench — wet thoroughly; soak
Drought — long period of dry weather; lack of rain; lack of water; dryness
Duplicate — an exact copy; make an exact copy of; repeat exactly
Dwindle — become smaller and smaller; shrink
Economical — not wasting money or time
Editor — person who prepares a publication; one who corrects a manuscript and helps to improve it
Elevate — raise; lift up
Eliminate — get rid of; remove; omit
Embrace — hug one another; a hug
Emerge — come out; come up; come into view
Employee — a person who works for pay
Encourage — give courage to; increase the confidence of
Endure — last; keep on; undergo; bear; stand
Enormous — large; huge
Envy — jealousy; the object of jealousy; to feel jealous
Epidemic — an outbreak of a disease that spreads rapidly so that many people have it at the same time; widespread
Essential — necessary; very important
Estimate — form a judgment or opinion about; guess
Evade — get away from by trickery or cleverness
Event — happening; important happening; result or outcome; one item in a program of sports
Evidence — that which makes clear the truth or falsehood of something
Exaggerate — make something greater than it is; overstate
Excel — be better than; do better than
Excessive — too much; too great; extreme
Exempt — make free from; freed from
Exhaust — empty completely; use up; tire out
Exhibit — display; show
Expand — increase in size; enlarge; swell
Expensive — costly; highly prices
Explore — go over carefully; look into closely; examine
Expose — lay open; uncover; leave unprotected; show openly
Extract — pull out or draw out, usually with some effort
Famine — starvation; great shortage
Feeble — weak
Feminine — of women or girls
Fertile — bearing seeds or fruits; producing much of anything
Fiction — that which is imagined or made up
Fierce — savage; wild
Final — coming last; deciding
Finance — money matters; to provide money for
Flee — run away; go quickly
Flexible — easily bent; willing to yield
Forbid — order someone not to do something; make a rule against
Fortunate — having good luck; lucky
Fragile — broken, damaged, or destroyed; delicate
Frank — free in expressing one's thoughts, opinions, or feelings; not hiding what is in one's mind
Frequent — happening often; occurring repeatedly
Frigid — very cold
Fugitive — a runaway
Gallant — brave; showing respect to women
Glance — to look at quickly; a quick look
Gleam — a flash or beam of light
Glimpse — a short, quick view
Gloomy — dark; dim; in low spirits
Grateful — feeling gratitude; thankful
Guide — a person who shows the way; to direct; to manage
Hardship — something that is hard to bear; difficulty
Harmony — situation of getting on well together or going well together; sweet or musical sound
Harsh — rough to the touch, taste, eye, or ear; sharp
Harvest — gathering in of grain or other food corps
Hasty — quick; hurried; not well thought out
Hazy — misty; smoky; unclear
Heed — give careful attention to; take notice of; careful attention
Heir — person who has a right to someone's property after that one dies; person who inherits anything
Hesitate — fail to act quickly; be undecided
Hinder — hold back; make hard to do
Homicide — a killing of one human being by another; murder
Horrid — terrible; frightful
Humid — moist; damp
Identify — recognize as being, or show to be, a certain person or thing; prove to be the same
Idle — not doing anything; not busy; lazy; without any good reason or cause; to waste (time)
Idol — a thing, usually an image, that is worshiped; a person or a thing that is loved very much
Ignite — set on fire
Ignore — pay no attention to; disregard
Illegal — not lawful; against the law
Illustrate — make clear or explain by stories, examples, comparisons, or other means; serve as an example
Indifference — lack of interest, care, or attention
Ingenious — having great mental ability; clever
Inhabit — live in
Innovative — fresh; clever; having new ideas
Insist — keep firmly to some demand, statement, or position
Jagged — with sharp points sticking out; unevenly cut or torn
Jealous — afraid that one you love might prefer someone else; wanting what someone else has
Jeopardize — risk; endanger
Jest — joke; fun; mockery; thing to be laughed at; to joke; poke fun
Jolly — merry; joking
Journalist — one who writes for, edits, manages or produces newspaper or magazine
Justice — just conduct; fair dealing
Juvenile — young; youthful; of or for boys and girls; a young person
Keen — sharp; eager; intense; sensitive
Keg — small barrel, usually holding less than ten gallons
Lack — be entirely without something; have not enough
Lecture — speech or planned talk; a scolding; to scold
Legend — story coming from the past, which many people have believed; what is written on a coin or below a picture
Legible — able to be read; easy to read; plain and clear
Linger — stay on; go slowly as if unwilling to leave
Logical — reasonable; reasonably expected
Lottery — a scheme for distributing prizes by lot or chance
Loyalty — faithfulness to a person, goverment, idea, custom, or the like
Lubricate — make (machinery) smooth and easy to work by putting on oil, grease, or a similar substance
Lunatic — crazy person; insane; extremely foolish
Magnify — cause to look larger that it really is; make too much of; go beyond the truth in telling
Maim — cripple; disable; cause to lose an arm, leg, or other parts of the body
Maintain — keep; keep up; carry on; uphold; support; declare to be true
Majestic — grand; noble; dignified; kingly
Majority — the larger number; greater part; more than half
Manipulate — handle or treat skillfully
Masculine — of man; male
Massive — big and heavy; large and solid; bulky
Matrimony — married life; ceremony of marriage
Mature — ripe; fully grown or developed
Maximum — greatest amount; greatest possible
Mediocre — neither good nor bad; average; ordinary
Menace — threat
Merit — goodness; worth; value
Microscope — instrument with a lens for making objects larger so that one can see things more clearly
Migrate — move from one place to another
Miniature — represented on a small scale
Minimum — the least possible amount; the lowest amount
Minority — smaller number or part; less than half
Miserly — stingy; like a miser
Misfortune — bad luck
Molest — interfere with and trouble; disturb
Monarch — king or queen; ruler
Morality — the right or wrong of an action; virtue; a set of rules or principles of conduct
Morgue — place where bodies of unknown persons found dead are kept; the reference library of newspaper office
Morsel — a small bite; mouthful; tiny amount
Mortal — sure to die sometime; pertaining to man; deadly; pertaining or causing death
Mount — get up on
Mourn — grieve; feel or show sorrow for
Multitude — a great number; a crowd
Mumble — speak indistinctly
Municipal — of a city or state; having something to do in the affairs of a city or town
Mute — silent; unable to speak
Mythology — legends or stories that usually attempt to explain something in nature
Narcotic — drug that produces drowsiness, sleep, dullness, or an insensible condition, and lessens pain by dulling the nerves
Negative — saying no; minus; showing the light and shadows reversed
Neglect — give too little care or attention to
Neutral — on neither side of a quarrel or war
Nimble — active and sure footed; quick moving; light and quick
Nominate — name as a candidate for office; appoint to an office
Nourish — make or keep alive and well with food; feed
Novel — new; strange; a long story with characters and plot
Numb — without the power of feeling; deadened
Numerous — very many; several
Oath — a promise that something is true; a curse
Obedient — doing what one in told; willing to obey
Obesity — extreme fatness
Observant — quick to notice; watchful
Obstacle — anything that gets in the way or hinders; impediment; obstruction
Obtain — get; be in use
Obvious — easily seen or understood; clear to eye or mind; not to be doubted; plain
Occupant — person in possession of a house, office, or position
Opponent — person who is on the other side of a fight, game, or discussion; person fighting, struggling or speaking against another
Opt — choose or favor; select
Oral — spoken; using speech; of the mouth
Outlaw — an exile; an outcast; a criminal; to declare unlawful
Pacify — make calm; quiet down; bring pace to
Panic — unreasoning fear; fear spreading through a group of people so that they lose control of themselves
Parole — word of honor; conditional freedom; to free (a prisoner) under certain conditions
Partial — not complete; not total
Patriotic — loving one's country; showing love and loyal support for one's country
Pauper — a very poor person
Pedestrian — person who goes on foot; walker
Penalize — declare punishable by law or rule; set a penalty for
Penetrate — get into or through
Pension — regular payment that is not wages; to make such a payment
Peril — danger
Perish — be destroyed; die
Persist — continue firmly; refuse to stop or be changed
Persuade — win over to do or believe; make willing
Pierce — go into; go through; penetrate
Pioneer — one who goes first or prepares a way for others
Placard — a notice to be posted in a public place; poster
Plea — request; appeal; that which is asked of another
Pledge — promise
Pollute — make dirty
Ponder — consider carefully
Popular — liked by most people
Population — people of a city or country
Possible — able to be done, or happen; able to be true; able to be done or choose properly
Postpone — put off to a later time; delay
Potential — possibility as opposed to actuality; capability of coming into being or action
Precaution — measures taken beforehand; foresight
Precede — go before; come before; be higher in rank or importance
Predict — tell beforehand
Prejudice — an opinion formed without taking time and care to judge fairly; to harm or injure
Preoccupied — took up all attention
Preserve — keep away from harm or change; keep safe; protect
Prior — coming before; earlier
Probe — search into; examine thoroughly; investigate
Proceed — go on after having stopped; move forward
Prohibit — forbid by law or authority
Prominent — well-known; important
Promote — raise in rank or importance; help to grow and develop; help to organize
Prompt — quick; on time; done at once; to cause (someone) to do something; remind (someone) of the words or actions needed
Prosecute — bring before a court; follow up; cary on
Prosper — be successful; having good fortune
Provide — to supply; to state as a condition; to prepare for or against some situation
Pursue — follow; proceed along
Qualify — become fit; show that you are able
Quantity — amount
Quarter — region; section; (quarters) a place to live; to provide a place to live
Quench — put an end to; down or put out
Quota — share of a total due from or to a particular state, distinct, person, etc.
Quote — repeat exactly the words of another or a passage from a book; that is, something that is repeated exactly; give the price of; a quotation
Radical — going to the root; fundamental; extreme; person with extreme opinions
Rage — violent anger; something that arouses intense but brief
Rapid — very quick; swift
Rarely — seldom; not often
Rash — a breaking out with many small red spots on the skin; outbreak of many instances within a short time; too hasty or careless
Rave — talk wildly
Recede — go back; move back; slope backward; withdraw
Recent — done, made, or occurring not long ago
Reckless — careless; heedless; wild
Recline — lie down; stretch out; lean back
Redeem — buy back; pay off; carry out; set free; make up for
Refer — hand over; send; direct, or turn for information, help, or action; (refer to) direct attention or speak bout; assign to or think of as caused by
Reform — make better; improve by removing faults
Refrain — hold back
Rehabilitate — restore to good condition; make over in a new form; restore to former standing, rank reputation, etc.
Reject — refuse to take, use, believe, consider, grant, etc.
Relate — tell; give an account of; connect in thought or meaning
Relieve — make less; make easier; reduce the pain of; replace; release; fee
Reluctant — unwilling
Repetition — act of doing or saying again
Reptile — a cold blooded animal that creeps or crawls; snakes, lizards, turtles, alligators, and corcodiles
Resent — feel injured and angered at (something)
Resign — give up; yield; submit
Resist — act against; strive against; oppose
Respond — answer; react
Resume — begin again; go on; take again
Retain — keep; remember; employ by payment of a fee
Reveal — make known
Revise — change; alter; bring up to date
Revive — bring back or come back to life or consciousness
Rival — person who wants and tries to get the same thing as another; on who tries to equal or do better than another
Roam — wander; go about with no special plan or aim
Rural — in the country
Sacred — worthy of respect; holy
Scald — pour boiling liquid over; burn with hot liquid or steam; heat almost to boiling point
Scarce — hard to get; rare
Scorch — burn slightly; dry up; criticize sharply
Scowl — look angry by lowering the eyebrows; frown
Security — freedom from danger, care, or fear; feeling or condition of being safe
Sensitive — receiving impressions readily; easily affected or influenced; easily hurt or offended
Severity — strictness; harshness; plainness; violence
Shriek — scream
Shrill — having high pitch; high and sharp in sound; piercing
Signify — mean; be a sign of; make known by signs, words, or actions; have importance
Sinister — evil; wicked; dishonest; frightening
Site — position or place (of anything)
Skim — remove from the top; move lightly (over); glide along; read hastily or carelessly
Slender — long and thin; limited; slight
Sneer — show scorn or contempt by looks or words; a scornful look or remark
Snub — treat coldly; scornfully, or with contempt; cold treatment
Soar — fly upward or at a great height; aspire
Solitary — alone; single; only
Soothe — quiet; calm; comfort
Source — place from which something comes or is obtained
Spontaneous — of one's own free will; natural; on the spur of the moment; without rehearsal
Spouse — husband or wife
Squander — spend foolishly; waste
Stationary — having a fixed situation or place; standing still; not moving; not changing in size, number or activity
Subsequent — later; following; coming after
Subside — sink to lower level; grow less
Summit — highest point; top
Surpass — do better than; be greater than; excel
Surplus — amount over and above what is needed; excess; extra
Survive — live longer than; remain alive after
Swarm — group of insects flying or moving about together; crowd of great number; to fly or move about in great numbers
Symbole — something that stands for or represents something else
Sympathetic — having or showing kind feelings toward others; approving; enjoying the same things and getting along well together
Tact — ability to say the right thing
Talent — natural ability
Temperate — not very hot and not very cold; moderate
Tempest — violent storm with much wind; a violent disturbance
Tempt — try to get someone to do something; test; invite
Tendency — leaning; movement in a certain direction
Theory — explanation based on thought, observation, or reasoning
Thorough — being all that is needed; complete
Threat — sign or cause of possible evil or harm
Thrifty — saving; careful in spending; thriving
Thrust — push with force
Toil — hard work; to work hard; move with difficulty
Topic — subject that people think, write, or talk about
Torment — cause very great pain to; worry to annoy very much; cause of very great pain; very great pain
Torrent — any violent, rushing stream; flood
Tradition — beliefs, opinions, and customs handed down from one generation to another
Tragedy — a very sad or terrible happening; a sad play
Traitor — person who betrays his or her country, a friend, duty, etc.
Transmit — send over; pass on; pass along; let through
Transparent — easily seen through; clear
Trifle — a small amount; little bit; something of little value
Tumult — noise; uproar; violent disturbance or disorder
Typical — usual; of a kind
Tyrant — cruel or unjust ruler; cruel master; absolute ruler
Unaccustomed — not used to something
Unanimous — in complete agreement
Undeniable — not to be denied; cannot be questioned
Underdog — person having worst of any struggle; one who is expected to lose
Underestimate — set too low a value, amount, or rate
Undernourished — not sufficiently fed
Undoubtedly — certainly; beyond doubt
Unearth — dig up; discover; find out
Uneasy — restless; disturbed; anxious
Uneventful — without important or striking happenings
Unforeseen — not known beforehand; unexpected
Unify — unite; make or form into one
Unique — having no like or equal; being the only one of its kind
Unite — join together; become onw
Unruly — hard to rule or control; lawless
Unstable — not firmly fixed; easily moved or overthrown
Untidy — not neat; not in order
Upholstery — covering and cushions for furniture
Urban — of or having to do with cities or towns
Urgent — demanding immediate action or attention; important
Utensil — container or tool used for practical purposes
Utilize — make use of
Utter — speak; make known; express
Vacant — empty; not filled
Vaccinate — inoculate with vaccine as a protection against smallpox and other diseases
Vague — not definite; not clear; not distinct
Vain — having too much pride in one's ability, looks, etc.; of no use
Valiant — brave; courageous
Valid — supported by facts or authority; sound true
Valor — bravery; courage
Vandal — person who willfully or ignorantly destroys or damages beautiful things
Vanish — disappear; disappear suddenly
Vapor — moisture in the air that can be seen; fog; mist
Variety — lack of sameness; a number of different things
Vast — very great; enormous
Vein — mood; a blood vessel that carries blood to the heart; a crack or scream
Ventilate — change the air in; purify by fresh air; discuss openly
Venture — a daring undertaking; an ttempt to make money by taking business risks; to dare; to expose to risk
Verdict — decision of jury; judgment
Verify — prove to be true; confirm
Vermin — small animals that are troublesome or destructive
Verse — a short division of a chapter in the bible; a single line or group of lines of poetry
Vertical — straight up and down with reference to the horizon, for example, a vertical line
Vessel — a ship; a hollow container; tube containing body fulid
Vicinity — region near a place; neighborhood
Vicious — evil; wicked; savage
Victorious — having won a victory; conquering
Vigor — active strength or force
Villain — a very wicked person
Violent — acting or done with strong, rough force
Visible — able to be seen
Vision — power of seeing; sense of sight
Vital — having to do with life; necessary to life; causing death; failure or ruin; lively
Vocation — occupation; business; profession; trade
Volunteer — person who enters any service of his or her own free will; to offer one's services
Vulnerable — capable of being injured; open to attack; sensitive to ciritisim, influences, etc.
Wad — small, soft mass; to roll or crush into small mass
Wager — bet
Wail — cry loud and long because of grief or pain
Warden — keeper; guard; person in charge of a prison
Wary — on one's guard against danger or trickery; cautious
Wasp — an insect with a slender body and powerful sting
Weary — tired
Weird — mysterious; unearthly
Wharf — platform built on the shore or out from the shore beside which ships can load or unload
Whirling — turning or swinging round and round; spinning
Wholesale — in large quantity; less than retail price
Witty — cleverly amusing
Wobble — move unsteadily from side to side
Wrath — very great anger; rage
Wretched — very unsatisfactory; miserable