TOEFL wordlist 30

1. consonant [ˈkɒnsənənt]

(1). n. A consonant is a sound such as 'p', 'f', 'n', or 't' which you pronounce by stopping the air flowing freely through your month.

(2). adj. Something that is consonant with something else fits or agrees with it very well.

The man is behaving with a dignity consonant with his rank.

2. vibrant [ˈvaɪbrənt]

(1). adj. Someone or something that is vibrant is full of life, energy, and enthusiasm.

(2). adj. Vibrant colours are very bright and clear.

Please keep your cell phone in vibrant mode when the meeting is going on.

3. pathetic [pəˈθetɪk]

(1). adj. If you describe a person or animal as pathetic, you mean that they are sad and weak or helpless, and they make you feel very sorry for them.

(2). adj. If you describe someone or soemthing as pathetic, you mean that they make you feel impatient or angry, often because they are weak or not very good.

The little girl's miserable experience and her tears were pathetic to the audiences.

4. agitate [ˈædʒɪteɪt]

(1). v. If people agitate for something, they protest or take part in political activity in order to get it.

(2). v. If you agitate something, you shake it so that it moves about.

(3). v. If something agitates you, it worries you and makes you unable to think clearly or calmly.

Nancy was agitated by her ex-boyfriend's appearance at the performance.

5. defiant [dɪˈfaɪənt]

adj. If you say that someone is defiant, you mean they show aggression or independence by refusing to obey someone.

The local government received a defiant letter from the terrorists this morning.

6. placid [ˈplæsɪd]

(1). adj. A placid person or animal is calm and does not easily become excited, angry, or upset.

(2). adj. A placid place, area of water, or life is calm and peaceful.

After the heavy rain for the whole night, the lake restored its placid state as before.

7. gloomy [ˈɡluːmi]

(1). adj. If a place is gloomy, it is almost dark so that you cannot see very well.

(2). adj. If people are gloomy, they are unhappy and have no hope.

(3). adj. If a situation is gloomy, it does not give you much hope of success or happiness.

It was sunny ten minutes ago, but now it's gloomy.

8. tangible [ˈtændʒəbl]

adj. If something is tangible, it is clear enough or definite enough to be easily seen, felt, or noticed.

Any assumption cannot be included, and we can only accept tangible evidence.

9. chronological [ˌkrɒnəˈlɒdʒɪkl]

(1). adj. If things are described or shown in chronological order, they are described or shown in the order in which they happened.

(2). adj. If you reder to someone's chronological age, you are referring to the number of years they have lived, in contrast to their mental age or the stage they have reached in their physical or emotional development.

Please arrange these books on the shelf in chronological order.

10. provoke [prəˈvəʊk]

(1). v. If you provoke someone, you debliberately annoy them and try to make them behave aggressively.

(2). v. If something provokes a reaction, it causes it.

Don't provoke the dog, or it will bite you.

11. ascertain [ˌæsəˈteɪn]

v. If you ascertain the truth about something, you find out what it is, especially by making a deblierate effort to do so.

The famous detective tries to ascertain every case.

12. swoon [swuːn]

v. If you swoon, you are strongly affected by your feelings for someone you love or admire very much.

Mary swooned into his arms when she knew her child had died in an accident.

13. monument [ˈmɒnjumənt]

(1). n. A monument is a large structure, usually made of stone, which is built to remind people of an event in history or of a famous person.

(2). n. A monument is something such as a castle or bridge which was built a very long time ago and is regarded as an important part of a country's history.

(3). n. If you describe something as a monument to someone's qualities, you mean that it is a very good example of the results or effects of those qualities.

This is a monument to all those who died in the revolution war.

14. congressional [kənˈɡreʃənl]

adj. A congressional policy, action, or person relates to the United States Congress.

William was given the Congressional Medal of Honor because of his great bravery during the war.

15. remnant [ˈremnənt]

(1). n. The remnants of something are small parts of it that are left over when the main part has disappeared or been destroyed.

(2). n. A remnant is a small piece of cloth that is left over when most of the cloth has been sold. Shops usually sell remnants cheaply.

Most astronomers agree that comets are primordial remnants from the formation of the solar system.

16. exotic [ɪɡˈzɒtɪk] 

adj. Something that is exotic is unusual and interesting, usually because it comes from or is related to a distant country.

Leopold was to create a botanical garden where only exotic flowers grew.

17. rivalry [ˈraɪvlri]

n. Rivalry is competition or fighting between people, businesses, or ogranizations who are in the same area or want the same things.

Due to the financial crisis, the rivalry between the two companies grew much more intense.

18. sacrificial [ˌsækrɪˈfɪʃl]

adj. Sacrificial means connected with or used in a sacrifice.

The temple located in the city is the largest surviving sacrifical temple in the world.

19. pasture [ˈpɑːstʃə(r)]

(1). n. Pasture is land with grass growing on it for farm animals to eat.

(2). phrase. If someone leaves for greener pastures, or in British English pastures new, they leave their job, their home, or the situation they are in for something they think will be much better.

(3). phrase. If you put animals out to pasture, you move them out into fields so they can eat the grass.

(4). phrase. If you say that someone is being put out to pasture, you mean they are no longer being employed bacuse they are considered to be too old or no longer useful.

The cattle were put out to pasture.

20. cram [kræm]

(1). v. If you cram things or people into a container or place, you put them into it, although there is hardly enough room for them.

(2). v. If people cram into a place or vehicle or cram a place or vehicle, so many of them enter it at one time that it is completely full.

(3). v. If you cram a hat on, you put it on, especially in a hurry.

(4). v. If you are cramming for an examination, you are learning as much as possible in a short time just before you take the examination.

The children all managed to cram into my car.

21. precursor [priˈkɜːsə(r)]

n. A precursor of something is a similar thing that happened or existed before it, often something which led to the existence or development of that thing.

Carbon compounds might have been the precursors of life on Earth.

22. teem [tiːm]

v. If you say that a place is teeming with people or animals, you mean that it is crowded and the people and animals are moving around a lot.

The food was found to be teeming with bacteria.

23. alga ['ælgə]

Today algae are used by humans in many ways; for example, as fertilizers, soil conditioners and livestock feed.

24. devise [dɪˈvaɪz]

v. If you devise a plan, a system, or machine, you have the idea for it and design it.

Every year the company devises a new plan.

25. hinterland [ˈhɪntəlænd]

n. The hinterland of a stretch of coast or a large river is the area of land behind it or around it.

Dunhuang is located in the hinterland of the great desert.

26. stellar [ˈstelə(r)]

(1). adj. Stellar is used to describe anything connected with stars.

(2). adj. A stellar person or thing is considered to be very good.

She gave a stellar performance.

27. marvel [ˈmɑːvl]

(1). v. If you marvel at something, you express your great surprise, wonder, or admiration.

(2). n. You can describe something or someone as a marvel to indicate that you think that they are wonderful.

(3). n. Marvels are things that people have done, or that have happened, which are very unexpected or surprising.

We all marveled at his courage.

28. syllable [ˈsɪləbl]

n. A syllable is a part of a word that contains a single vowel sound and that is pronounced as a unit. So, for example, 'book' has one syllable, and 'reading' has two syllables.

Potato is stressed on the second syllable.

29. cannibalism [ˈkænɪbəlɪzəm]

n. If a group of people practise cannibalism, they eat the flesh of other people.

Cannibalism was widespread in the past among humans throughout the world, continuing into the 19th century in some isolated South Pacific cultures.

30. scavenger  [ˈskævɪndʒə(r)]

Scavengers play an important role in the ecosystem by contributing to the decomposition of dead animal and plant material.

31. impart [ɪmˈpɑːt]

(1). v. If you impart information to people, you tell it to them.

(2). v. To impart a particular quality to something means to give it that quality.

Parents rarely encourage this instinctive attraction by imparting a knowledge of nature to their children.

32. substantiate [səbˈstænʃieɪt]

v. To substantiate a statement or a story means to supply evidence which proves that it is true.

The hypothesis was substantiated soon afterward by the discovery.

整理自《柯林斯词典》、《新东方托福词汇》，侵删歉。