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TOEFL Word List # TOEFL/W60

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Description of tantamount (adjective)
equivalent to; equal to

Samples of tantamount
Social workers demonstrated a professional preference for children remaining with their natural families, and regarded admissions to care as tantamount to failure.



   
Description of delineate (verb)
to outline; to describe; to sketch; to draw

Samples of delineate
She delineated her plan so that everyone would have a basic understanding of it.



   
Description of apprise (verb)
to inform; to brief; to notify

Samples of apprise
For I have no doubt that, had this been the case, the great American artist, given the purity of his motivation, would have had the courtesy to apprise the Italian artist of his project.



   
Description of zenith (noun)
point directly overhead in the sky; highest point; climax

Samples of zenith
The astronomer pointed her telescope straight up toward the zenith.
The Broncos seemed to be at the zenith of their power just as their rivals on the turf were flagging.
The sun will reach its zenith at noon.
The zenith of her career occurred during her time as chairperson.



   
Description of precarious (adjective)
depending upon another; risky; uncertain; unstable; unsteady

Samples of precarious
The precarious plans fell through when the second couple changed their minds.
My position in the negotiations was precarious at best.



   
Description of homonym (noun)
two words having the same sound but different meanings

Samples of homonym
Words having exactly the same sound, but different spellings and meanings: To be completely accurate, these are homophones: but homonym is the term in more general use.



   
Description of complacent (adjective)
indifferent; submissive; nonchalant; self-satisfied; at ease

Samples of complacent
Strong competition keeps companies from becoming too complacent.
The CEO worries regularly that his firm's winning ways will make it complacent.
The candidate was so complacent with his poll numbers that he virtually stopped campaigning.



   
Description of predilection (noun)
favorable opinion arrived at beforehand; affinity; liking; fondness

Samples of predilection
The judges clearly had a predilection for this style, the Second Empire mode as Hitchcock calls it, as out of the total of fourteen prizes for the offices, seven were awarded to designs in this style, including the first and second in each class.

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


   
Description of fathom (verb)
to understand; to get to the bottom of; to measure the depth of

Samples of fathom
It was difficult to fathom the reason for closing the institution.



   
Description of sleazy (adjective)
flimsy and cheap; shabby; cheap

Samples of sleazy
The hallway was sleazy in the extreme, plaster falling from those portions of walls that did not have posters holding them together.



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