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TOEFL Word List # TOEFL/W52

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Description of insidious (adjective)
working secretly or slyly; cunning; crafty; deceitful

Samples of insidious
Piecemeal change to pub exteriors and interiors, while more insidious than wholesale rebuilding, can be equally destructive.



   
Description of gossamer (adjective)
thin and light

Samples of gossamer
British Commonwealth links, though gossamer thin for most of the time, can become emotional ties of steel in times of crisis, drawing us into unexpected military commitments, as occurred in the Falklands Campaign.



   
Description of teeming (adjective)
in abundance; fertile; highly productive

Samples of teeming
If walking down streets teeming with non-residents induces mild panic, or if it strikes you as undignified to whizz around a museum in 10 minutes, because entry is part of the combination ticket you have bought from the tourist office, then forget Bruges.



   
Description of candid (adjective)
honest; truthful; sincere; frank; straightforward; open

Samples of candid
People trust her because she's so candid.



   
Description of fleeting (adjective)
brief; passing swiftly; temporary; transient

Samples of fleeting
The Impressionist painters caught the contagion, and the new race of photographers tried to seize the fleeting moment and make it stay.



   
Description of plebeian (adjective)
pertaining to the common people, hence common or vulgar; rude

Samples of plebeian
The civil rights marches created an opportunity for Ian Paisley to put himself at the head of plebeian Protestant resistance to the civil rights movement.



   
Description of acrimonious (adjective)
sharp or harsh in language or temper; rancorous; bitter; caustic

Samples of acrimonious
The dispute between Abbey and Lloyds appeared increasingly acrimonious yesterday.
Mr Kinnock also sprang a surprise by restoring Ms Clare Short to the front bench less than a year after she resigned as spokeswoman on Employment in an acrimonious row with Mr Kinnock over the party's stance on the Prevention of Terrorism Act.

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


   
Description of effete (adjective)
no longer productive; worn out; degenerate; exhausted

Samples of effete
London papers in fact ate up the scandal, writing that the New York socialists would nevermore import a professional agitator from the effete monarchies of Europe.



   
Description of gregarious (adjective)
fond of the company of others; sociable

Samples of gregarious
Gregarious people may find those jobs with human contact more enjoyable than jobs that isolate them from the public.



   
Description of anonymous (adjective)
nameless; unidentified

Samples of anonymous
Not wishing to be identified by the police, he remained anonymous by returning the money he had stolen by sending it through the mail.



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