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TOEFL Word List # TOEFL/W39

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Description of sordid (adjective)
filthy; base; vile; foul; dirty

Samples of sordid
The sordid gutters needed to be cleaned after the long, rainy autumn.
The criminals thought patterns were so sordid that he was not granted parole.



   
Description of countenance (noun)
face; appearance; features; encouragement; support

Samples of countenance
A slight flush had crept over Albert's unlovely countenance, but still his eyes remained lowered.
The walk that defeated me on the way up seemed to take about five minutes coming down, and despite the forced cheery countenance of my friends, I knew I had ruined the day.

Determination of countenance
Dictionary.com · Cambridge Dictionaries · Merriam-Webster · Onelook.com


   
Description of frustrate (verb)
to foil; to thwart; to disappoint; to defeat; to baffle

Samples of frustrate
They were prepared to ferry the ball from blue shirt to blue shirt and in the process frustrate Nottingham Forest.



   
Description of ignominy (noun)
disgrace; humiliation; dishonor

Samples of ignominy
Arsenal's poor performances in January 1933 sparked off a minor panic among supporters, and Chapman was even called upon to deny the widespread rumor that the new West Stand was to be dismantled and re-erected at Tottenham, the ultimate ignominy.



   
Description of rue (verb)
to be sorry for; to feel remorse; to regret

Samples of rue
East Londoner Williams is certainly not ruing his decision to move back to Selhurst Park, saying: It's familiar territory as far as I'm concerned, I had two good years here with Charlton and I'm hoping to spend a good few more here with Palace.



   
Description of impervious (adjective)
not allowing anything to pass through; unaffected; susceptible to harm or injury; impossible to influence

Samples of impervious
The vest that the policeman wears is impervious to bullets.
The child was impervious to the actions of the adult.



   
Description of irksome (adjective)
tedious; monotonous; frustrating; annoying

Samples of irksome
An American agreement with Ireland was especially irksome to Churchill.
Travelers might get used to jet-lag in the sense that they learn to live with it, or they might find it progressively more irksome as their initial excitement with travel begins to wear thin.



   
Description of annals (noun)
historical records; archives; chronicles

Samples of annals
The dualistic ambiance in literature has long been influential, but has remained controversial, and it is both influential and controversial in these annals of the House of Roth.
Fact, in this instance, is far stranger and more profoundly disquieting than anything in the annals of fiction.



   
Description of imposture (noun)
fraud; deception; deceit; forgery

Samples of imposture
In a day and a night of violence and imposture William Bentley, working for his uncle, the captain of the frigate Welfare , also succeeds in capturing Jesse Broad, a smuggler returning with a cargo from a French ship.



   
Description of ponderous (adjective)
unwieldy from weight; dull; labored; heavy; awkward

Samples of ponderous
The ponderous piano posed a serious challenge to having it pulled up to the 16th floor.
As if being grainy wasn't bad enough, the film's ponderous story made it tough to get through.



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