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TOEFL Word List # TOEFL/W51

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Description of depraved (adjective)
corrupt; degenerate; debauched

Samples of depraved
The depraved state of women in monogamy, associated as it is with private property and capitalism, will according to him, be replaced when capitalism is overthrown.



   
Description of kaleidoscopic (adjective)
constantly changing or varying in pattern or scenes

Samples of kaleidoscopic
Those Victorian forces had apparently enrolled too many inadequate individuals, susceptible to the kaleidoscopic temptations of street life.

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


   
Description of impostor (noun)
person who pretends to be someone else in order to deceive others; pretender; impersonator

Samples of impostor
The nurse was an impostor who drugged the baby but was exposed after two days and sacked.



   
Description of irascible (adjective)
prone to anger; short-tempered

Samples of irascible
The irascible teenager was known to cause fights when upset.
Knowing that the king was irascible, the servants decided not to tell him about the broken crystal.



   
Description of bereave (verb)
to deprive or leave desolate by loss; to suffer loss

Samples of bereave
From 1689 a new form of service was established for that day, thanking God for discovering' the snares of death that were laid for us' in 1605,' and likewise upon this day' for bringing King William' safely into this Kingdom, to preserve us from the late attempts of our enemies to bereave us of our religion and laws'.



   
Description of cryptic (adjective)
containing hidden meaning; obscure; secret; concealing

Samples of cryptic
Sorry to be so cryptic, and it's nothing to worry about - in fact, quite the reverse.



   
Description of avarice (noun)
inordinate desire for gaining and possessing wealth; greed

Samples of avarice
The man's avarice for money kept him at work through the evenings and weekends.
The avarice of the president led to his downfall.



   
Description of obviate (verb)
to make unnecessary; to prevent; to remove an obstacle in advance

Samples of obviate
The invention of cars has obviated the use of horse and carriage.
A cure for the common cold would obviate the need for shelf after shelf of cold remedies.



   
Description of condign (adjective)
well-deserved (applied chiefly to punishment); proper; fitting

Samples of condign
Outright condemnation was as rare as condign punishment where the criminal was a man of high social standing; for if the delinquent vassal chose to submit himself to his lord, he had performed an act of self-abasement which, in itself, merited courteous handling.



   
Description of itinerant (adjective)
traveling about; wandering

Samples of itinerant
Ian Franchi, of Britain's Open University, and his colleagues have just spent three weeks on crampons and skidoos, combing the ice sheet for these itinerant boulders.
Evidently the general itinerant care exercised by Paul and his helpers is supplemented by permanent resident officeholders.



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