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TOEFL Word List # TOEFL/M49

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Explanation of callous (adjective)
unfeeling; insensitive; hard

Sample of callous
The ideal pecuniary man is like the ideal delinquent in his unscrupulous conversion of goods and persons to his own ends, and in a callous disregard for the feelings and wishes of others and of the remoter effects of his actions.
A radical criminology which appears to deny this will be seen as callous and rightly rejected.



   
Explanation of expatiate (verb)
to speak or write at great length; to describe in full

Sample of expatiate
There was, undeniably, an issue: whether the nonspecialist had any right to expatiate on scientific matters.



   
Explanation of approbation (noun)
approval; praise; sanction; assent; consent

Sample of approbation
Certainly, Jacques passed on Green's approbation of Barker's attitude to Hampden Jackson and Douglas-Smith a few days after the late February meeting.
Fortunately for the Government, this short debate in the House of Lords seems to have attracted little attention from the press, and it continued to receive general approbation for the exhibition, with the relevance of the competition remaining largely unquestioned.



   
Explanation of ingenuous (adjective)
noble; honorable; candid; artless; honest; innocent

Sample of ingenuous
The ingenuous doctor had a great bedside manner, especially when it came to laying out the full implications of an illness.



   
Explanation of admonition (noun)
reproof; warning; reproval

Sample of admonition
A good parent does not let his or her child do anything; there have to be proper guidelines, firm but loving admonition at times and clear but gentle encouragement.



   
Explanation of refute (verb)
to challenge; to disprove; to prove false

Sample of refute
This bold hypothesis would still be accepted by many anthropologists and historians, and even those who have tried to refute it are still working within its framework.
Now individuals and community groups had the facts at their fingertips to refute the placatory statements of the developers and corporate businessmen, and no longer had to rely on instinctive judgments to support their case.



   
Explanation of gibe (verb)
to laugh at; to utter with scorn; to jeer; to taunt mock

Sample of gibe
Chatellerault was gibing, when my silence had endured some moments.



   
Explanation of craven (adjective)
cowardly; fearful

Sample of craven
Craven men will not stand up for what they believe in.



   
Explanation of disparity (noun)
difference in form, character or degree; inequality

Sample of disparity
There is a great disparity between a light snack and a great feast.



   
Explanation of fluctuate (verb)
to waver from one course to another; to vary irregularly; to vacillate

Sample of fluctuate
The mortgage rates may fluctuate, but the administration and the repayments remain the same until the time comes to adjust.



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