400 Must Have Words for the TOEFL LESSON 10 - Spirituality Vocabulary Test
Word List
agnostic [æɡˈnɑstɪk] adj.
Believing that humans cannot know whether there is a god
→ His devoutly Christian parents had problems with his agnostic beliefs.
Parts of speech agnostic n., agnosticism n.
animism [ˈænəˌmɪzəm] n.
The belief that natural objects, such as trees, have souls
→ Desert cultures that practice animism often believe that winds contain spirits.
Parts of speech animistic adj.
atheist [ˈeɪθiəst] n.
One who does not believe in the existence of a supreme being
→ He argued that his scientific training made it impossible for him to be anything but an atheist.
Parts of speech atheistic adj.
be inclined to [ɪnˈklaɪn] v.
To favor an opinion or a course of action
→ He couldn’t say which candidate he favored, but he had always been inclined to vote Republican.
Parts of speech incline n., inclination n.
contemplate [ˈkɑn(t)əmˌpleɪt] v.
To consider thoughtfully
→ If you contemplate each step for so long,we will never complete this project on time.
Parts of speech contemplation n., contemplative adj.
deify [ˈdiəˌfaɪ] v.
To worship as a god
→ When people deify the leader of their country, the leader is able to abuse power more easily.
Parts of speech deity n.
ecclesiastical [əˌkliziˈæstək(ə)l] adj.
Relating to a church
→ He was looking specifically for a university where he could study ecclesiastical history.
Parts of speech ecclesiastic n., ecclesiastically adv.
exalt [ɪɡˈzɔlt] v.
To praise or honor
→ He would often exalt the virtues of his new wife.
Parts of speech exaltation n.
pious [ˈpaɪəs] adj.
Having or exhibiting religious reverence
→ Sometimes she was so pious that the rest of us felt like heathens.
Parts of speech piousness n., piety n., piously adv.
sacrifice [ˈsækrəˌfaɪs] v.
Anything offered to a deity as a religious thanksgiving; giving up something in order to have something more valuable later on
→ Every harvest time, the Fadeloni people sacrificed vegetables to their gods as a show of thanks.
Parts of speech sacrifice n., sacrificial adj., sacrificially adv.
