400 Must Have Words for the TOEFL LESSON 9 – Memory Vocabulary Test

Word List

acquisition [ˌækwəˈzɪʃ(ə)n] n.

The act of taking possession of something

→ Our recent acquisition of over 2,000 books makes ours the biggest library in the region.

Usage tips     Acquisition is often followed by of.

Parts of speech     acquire v.

anomaly [əˈnɑməli] n.

Something unusual

→ White tigers get their beautiful coloring from a genetic anomaly.

consciously [ˈkɑnʃəsli] adv.

With awareness of one’s actions

→ He may have hurt her feelings,but he never would have done so consciously.

Parts of speech     consciousness n., conscious adj.

degrade [dəˈɡreɪd] v.

To reduce in value or strength

→ The roads in cold or wet areas of the United States degrade faster than those in warm,sunny regions.

Parts of speech     degradation n., degradable adj.

gap [ɡæp] n.

Opening; a big difference in amount or quality

→ The small gap between the walls in the old house caused cold drafts to come in.

indisputable [ˌɪndəˈspjudəb(ə)l] adj.

Beyond doubt; unquestionable

→ The members of the jury found her guilty because they found the facts of the case indisputable.

Parts of speech     indisputably adv.

intervene [ˌɪn(t)ərˈvin] v.

To come between

→ A good mediator intervenes only as much as necessary to settle a dispute between other parties.

Parts of speech     intervention n.

intuitively [ɪnˈt(j)uədɪvli] adv.

By means of a natural sense about things that are hard to observe

→ Many mothers know intuitively when something is wrong with their children.

Parts of speech     intuition n., intuitive adj.

recede [rɪˈsiːd] v.

To move back or away from

→ After the age of 30, his hairline began to recede further back from his forehead.

Parts of speech     recession n., recessive adj.

retrieve [rɪˈtriːv] v.

To bring or get back

→ Most dogs can be trained to retrieve objects that their owners have thrown.

Parts of speech     retriever n., retrievable adj.