Wordlist 13A

Wordlist 13A
a tad (phr) slightly; a little

I might buy the jacket when I get paid next week as it’s a tad expensive for me now.
ambition (n) a strong desire to accomplish sth

Laura has the drive and ambition to be successful at whatever she puts her mind to.
aspiration (n) a desire to do sth or become sb

Daniela has an aspiration to be a politician; she hopes to become a senator one day.
attractive (adj) pleasant to look at

Jane has a house in an attractive part of the city; all the buildings there are beautiful.
blaze (n) a big fire

The forest blaze spread quickly and took a week to be extinguished by fire crews.
blunt (adj) straightforward and rather abrupt

His blunt, to-the-point manner of talking would often offend people.
cad (n) a man who treats others badly

The two miserly cads left the restaurant without paying, so their friends were left to pay the
bill.
capacity (n) sb's/sth's ability to do sth specific

It seems that she has an infinite capacity for learning languages; she's a real natural.
capitalist (n) a supporter of the political system in which industry and property belong to
individuals, not the state
His business empire and personal fortune have made him a role model
for capitalists worldwide.
charming (adj ) pleasing and attractive

We visited a charming and quaint little village on our vacation in the Lake District.
client (n) a customer

Sue works in a telesales company where she has to sell products to clients over the phone.
competitive (adj) ambitious; eager to succeed

Jane is a competitive person who loves to win.
concentration (n) the ability to focus on sth

You’ll have to keep your concentration; you can't afford to lose your focus for one minute on
these icy roads.
conflict (n) fighting

There is hope for a peace agreement after years of armed conflict in the region.
convey (v) to communicate information, ideas, etc.
The film conveyed what life is really like in the poor neighborhoods of Brazil.
crafty (adj) cunning; clever at deceiving people

The thieves had a crafty plan to steal money from people’s credit cards online.
craze (n) a trend; a fad

The latest fitness craze of Pilates is becoming as popular as older trends like jogging.
daydreamer (n) sb who thinks about other things and doesn't pay attention
Ian is a daydreamer and often escapes into his own world.
delightful (adj) very enjoyable

We had a delightful day in the park; the weather was glorious.
denotative (adj) relating to the main meaning of a word

Many phrasal verbs have a denotative meaning, which is different to the literal meaning of
the individual words.
descriptive (adj) containing detailed observations

The book contains lots of descriptive passages that illustrate London life in the late 19th
century.
detect (v) to notice; to discover

The doctor detected a low level of iron in Alison’s blood and told her to eat more fish and
meat.
disagreement (n) a situation in which people argue about what should be done
After initially being in disagreement about the data, the scientists finally reached a
consensus.
driving ambition (phr) a vigorous desire; great aspiration

He was proficient at his job, but it was his driving ambition that got him the promotion.
entire (adj) whole; total

I read the entire book in one day as I just couldn’t put it down.
experience (v) to go through; to undergo

Children who experience difficulties at school often go on to have successful careers.
explicative (adj) instructive; explanatory

I had to learn the computer program through trial and error as the manual was not
very explicative.
fascinating (adj) extremely interesting

The book was so fascinating and thought-provoking that I couldn’t put it down.
federalist (n) a supporter of a system of government in which states join together but give
up some power to a greater authority
European federalists would like to see the EU become a confederation of states like the USA.
feed (v) to provide sb/sth with food

Mary has just had a baby who needs to be fed every three hours.
fidgety (adj) restless because of boredom or nervousness

The boys were fidgety while waiting for the rain to stop so they could play outside.
figurative (adj) metaphorical

Her style of prose is highly figurative containing frequent use of metaphor and allegory.
finicky (adj) difficult to please; fussy

She’s a finicky eater as she doesn’t eat anything with meat, dairy or sugar in it.
flexible (adj) (of writing, drawing etc.) without breaks or sudden changes
The artist's work features lots of flexible shapes that flow into each other.
flighty (adj) easily changing your opinions, ideas, etc.

She was always a bit flighty and likely to change her mind regularly.
fluid (adj) (of writing, drawing, etc.) smooth; flowing

Jamie's art is full of smooth fluid brushstrokes that cover the canvas.
formal (adj) (of events) special and important

The party will be quite formal, so you should wear your best suit and tie.
functional (adj) operational

The bicycle is not much to look at, but it’s fully functional and will get you from A to B.
grab (v) to take hold of sth abruptly or in a casual way

He was in such a rush that he just grabbed his bag and ran out of the door.
gratify (v) to please; to satisfy

Martin was gratified to see how well his son had done at school.
hasty (adj) acting too quickly without thinking

The company was hasty in firing the manager and wished they had thought through their
decision.
haze (n) a situation in which you can’t think or notice things clearly
The country was in a haze of shock and confusion after the catastrophic earthquake.
hostility (n) unfriendliness and aggression

They eyeballed each other with open hostility during their heated argument.
idealist (n) a romantic; a dreamer
As an idealist, I dream that one day peace and harmony will triumph over war in our world.
indicative (of sth) (adj) showing that sth is true

Her forgetfulness is indicative of the fact that she works long hours and hardly sleeps.
individual (n) a person; a human being

Each individual at the party paid $20 toward the food and drinks.
indulge (in sth) (v) to allow yourself to enjoy sth

This healthy diet will be difficult for me as I indulge in chocolate every day.
inflect (v) to change the sound of your voice while speaking

Californians are likely to inflect their voices to a higher pitch at the end of every sentence.
insight (n) clear perception; deep understanding

Our trip to the country gave us some insight into the challenges of rural life; we really learnt
a lot.
intention (n) a plan to do sth

It is John’s intention to go to Oxford; he has always wanted to study there.
lad (n) a young man; a boy

Graham said that lessons were more difficult when he was a young lad at school.
literal (adj) an exact, basic meaning

Kate interpreted the book in a literal way, missing the underlying irony of the narrative.
manifest (v) to make a feeling, illness, etc. obvious

His sickness first manifested itself with a mild headache and a stiff neck.
maze (n) a labyrinth

In this game, you must guide the wizard through a complex maze to find his way to the
castle.
no-nonsense type (phr) a direct and tough sort of person

Eric is a no-nonsense type who is always upfront with people.
opposition (n) strong disagreement

Thanks to its opposition to the war, the political party was reelected for another four years.
outlet (n) a way of releasing energy or emotions

He decided that learning the violin would be a good creative outlet.
pad (n) a number of sheets of paper stuck together for writing or drawing
The journalists took out their pads to take notes of the President’s speech.
perceptiveness (n) the ability to notice things quickly and understand easily
Her perceptiveness is so strong that she can always sense when I’ve had a bad day.
perfect (v) to master

Tom practiced the guitar for six hours a day until he perfected his technique.
practical (adj) sensible; rational

Sandra is very level-headed. She always makes very practical decisions.
precise (adj) careful about details

He has a precise mind for science as he can analyze things effortlessly.
project (yourself as) (v) to make people see you in a certain way
The presidential candidate projected himself as a man who would listen to the people.
psychotherapist (n) a clinician who deals with emotional disorders

Wendy talked to a psychotherapist to help her get over her depression.
realist (n) sb who accepts and deals with the difficulties of real life
Some people hope for the best but Steve is a realist; he prepares for the worst because he
isn't naive.
record (v) to tape; to film

The concert was recorded by a film crew and will be aired on television tomorrow.
reflect (v) to show or reveal

The drop in retail sales reflects the fact that consumer confidence has fallen.
rigid (adj) strict

The university has a rigid policy of accepting only the most successful students.
scribble (n) a meaningless pattern or drawing

I made a scribble on my notebook when I was daydreaming in class.
selection (n) a choice of sth

Samantha chose all the songs for the party and everyone complimented her on her
tasteful selection.
serviceable (adj) capable of being used

Although the boat is rather old, it is still perfectly serviceable and capable of long voyages.
shrill (adj) (of a sound) sharp; piercing

I heard a shrill, high-pitched cry from across the road, and turned to see Glenda waving at
me.
signify (v) to be a sign of sth; to indicate

Soldiers have stripes on their shirt sleeves to signify which rank they hold.
speak my mind (phr) to be blunt
I believe it is important to speak your mind and always say how you are feeling.
spoil (v) to give a child whatever they want, which has a bad effect on their character
Gavin is spoiled rotten by his parents, who always buy him whatever he wants.
stiff (adj) unbending; inflexible

It was so cold that my hands became frozen stiff and I couldn’t hold anything.
strong-willed (adj) determined; resolved

Helen is a very strong-willed person; once she starts something she never gives up.
subconscious (adj) existing in the part of your mind that can affect you even though you do
not realize it
Dreams often show us subconscious fears that we aren't aware of.
suggestive (adj) mentioning sth indirectly

The papers were full of suggestive articles implying that the politician had been lying.
symbolic (adj) using sth to represent a bigger idea or notion

The painter used the image of a skull as a symbolic representation of our mortality.
tight (adj) placed closely together

His handwriting is so tight that it’s almost illegible.
unyielding (adj) persistent

He was unyielding in his effort to climb the mountain, and finally made it at his sixth
attempt.
vindictive (adj) wanting to hurt those that you dislike

School bullies’ vindictive behavior can really hurt other students’ feelings.
workable (adj) likely to achieve a purpose/goal

Terry's idea seems to be a very workable solution that will deal with the problem.

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Wordlist 13A

a tad (phr) slightly; a little

ambition (n) a strong desire to accomplish sth

aspiration (n) a desire to do sth or become sb

attractive (adj) pleasant to look at

blaze (n) a big fire

blunt (adj) straightforward and rather abrupt

cad (n) a man who treats others badly

capacity (n) sb's/sth's ability to do sth specific

charming (adj ) pleasing and attractive

client (n) a customer

competitive (adj) ambitious; eager to succeed

concentration (n) the ability to focus on sth

conflict (n) fighting

crafty (adj) cunning; clever at deceiving people

craze (n) a trend; a fad

delightful (adj) very enjoyable

denotative (adj) relating to the main meaning of a word

descriptive (adj) containing detailed observations

detect (v) to notice; to discover

driving ambition (phr) a vigorous desire; great aspiration

entire (adj) whole; total

experience (v) to go through; to undergo

explicative (adj) instructive; explanatory

fascinating (adj) extremely interesting

feed (v) to provide sb/sth with food

fidgety (adj) restless because of boredom or nervousness

figurative (adj) metaphorical

finicky (adj) difficult to please; fussy

flighty (adj) easily changing your opinions, ideas, etc.

fluid (adj) (of writing, drawing, etc.) smooth; flowing

formal (adj) (of events) special and important

functional (adj) operational

grab (v) to take hold of sth abruptly or in a casual way

gratify (v) to please; to satisfy

hasty (adj) acting too quickly without thinking

hostility (n) unfriendliness and aggression

indicative (of sth) (adj) showing that sth is true

individual (n) a person; a human being

indulge (in sth) (v) to allow yourself to enjoy sth

inflect (v) to change the sound of your voice while speaking

insight (n) clear perception; deep understanding

intention (n) a plan to do sth

lad (n) a young man; a boy

literal (adj) an exact, basic meaning

manifest (v) to make a feeling, illness, etc. obvious

maze (n) a labyrinth

no-nonsense type (phr) a direct and tough sort of person

opposition (n) strong disagreement

outlet (n) a way of releasing energy or emotions

perfect (v) to master

practical (adj) sensible; rational

precise (adj) careful about details

psychotherapist (n) a clinician who deals with emotional disorders

record (v) to tape; to film

reflect (v) to show or reveal

rigid (adj) strict

scribble (n) a meaningless pattern or drawing

selection (n) a choice of sth

serviceable (adj) capable of being used