N words P synonyms Examples
1. A abandon v desert How could she abandon her own child?
2. abolish v end Do abolish this kind of bad evil.
3. abrupt adj sudden I don't know the cause of his abrupt leave.
4. acclaim v applaud He started to acclaim and the others joined in.
5. adept adj skillful Melissa quickly became adept at predicting his moods.
6. adhere v stick The eggs of these fish adhere to plant leaves.
7. admonish v warn Admonish your friends in private, praise them in public.
8. adorn v decorate He tried to adorn his story with a lot of lies.
9. advent n coming With the advent of the railways, tourism boomed.
10. adverse adj hostile There were no adverse toxicological effects.
11. affluent adj rich Some weeks, of course, were more affluent than others.
12. aggravate v annoy Stress and lack of sleep can aggravate the situation.
13. agile adj graceful At 20 years old he was not as agile as he is now.
14. allot v divide How much time has been allotted to this work?
15. aroma n smell The musty aroma of incense made her head swim.
16. apt adj correct, A man apt to promise is apt to forget.
17. attain v accomplish, Here is your opportunity to attain a goal.
18. augment v increase, Any surplus was sold to augment their income.
19. B baffle v confuse One of the exam questions baffled me completely.
20. ban v forbid If you want to go, I can't ban you.
21. bar v block Large trees may bar the passage of light.
22. barren adj sterile Such a barren desert can support very few creatures.
23. barter v trade I had to barter with the locals for food.
24. beckon v summon All the attractions of the peninsula beckon.
25. belligerent adj hostile He is always very belligerent towards me.
26. benevolent adj benign The clerk regarded him with benevolent amusement.
27. bias n leaning Some institutions still have a strong bias against women.
28. blatant adj flagrant. The whole episode was a blatant attempt to gain publicity.
29. bloom v blossom These flowers will bloom all through the summer.
30. bolster v sustain But several factors bolster their position.
31. brace v support The doctor cautioned him to brace up.
32. brisk adj lively The actress is walking at a brisk pace.
33. brittle adj fragile The pond was covered in a brittle layer of ice.
34. C calamity n disaster Calamity and prosperity are the touchstones of integrity.
35. carve v cut At the dinner table, father's job is to carve the meat.
36. cautious adj careful The old lady is very cautious with her money.
37. celebrated adj distinguished Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.
38. charming adj delightful The village is charming and the surrounding scenery superb.
39. cherish v esteem These people cherish their independence and sovereignty.
40. cite v quote It is important to cite examples to support your argument.
41. cling v adhere Wet clothes cling to the body.
42. coax v urge He could coax tears and laughter from his audience.
43. colossal adj huge There has been a colossal waste of public money.
44. commence v begin Work will commence on the new building immediately.
45. commerce n trade Commerce binds the two countries together.
46. commodity n good He is British football's most marketable commodity.
47. compel v force His courage and skill compel our admiration.
48. competent adj adept He's not competent to look after young children.
49. comprehensive adj exhaustive Two very clear and comprehensive handbooks are available.
50. compulsory adj mandatory Attendance at these lectures is not compulsory.
51. concede v admit The President was obliged to concede power to the army.
52. concise adj brief I gave a concise answer about this.
53. congregate v assemble Insects tend to congregate on the underside of leaves.
54. conspicuous adj noticeable The notice must be displayed in a conspicuous place.
55. contemplate v think about, They contemplate trouble in obtaining hotel reservation.
56. copious adj abundant She supports her theory with copious evidence.
57. cordial adj congenial The talks were conducted in a cordial atmosphere.
58. courteous adj polite She was unfailingly courteous and helpful.
59. covert adj hidden They have been supplying covert military aid to the rebels.
60. crave v desire Many young children crave attention.
61. cryptic adj secret My father's notes are more cryptic here.
62. curb v control Nothing will curb her natural exuberance.
63. curt adj abrupt The assistant behind the counter gave a curt nod.
64. D dazzling adj shining In are the eye tears, what pain dazzling?
65. declare v proclaim I declare, it was a very warm day!
66. deem v believe We deem very highly of his administrative talent.
67. defiant adj rebellious Despite the criticisms, she remained defiant.
68. delicate adj exquisite, Everything you see exists together in a delicate balance.
69. demolish v destroy, They'll demolish this house over my dead body.
70. desist v stop, The high winds are expected to desist tomorrow.
71. devise v invent You can devise your own exercises to music.
72. dim adj unclear This light is too dim to read by.
73. din n noise The din of the engines was deafening.
74. dire adj desperate These people are in dire need of help.
75. dismal adj gloomy, The future looks pretty dismal right now.
76. divulge v reveal, Officials refuse to divulge details of the negotiations.
77. drawback n disadvantage It's a great city - the only drawback is the weather.
78. drowsy adj sleepy, I'd just woken up and was still drowsy.
79. dwell v live, They dwell at Bath but work in the city.
80. dwindle v diminish Savings will begin to dwindle as retirees run them down.
81. E eerie adj Strange He had the eerie sensation of being watched.
82. eligible adj suitable All those eligible wills receive a cash handout.
83. eminent adj celebrated Several eminent scientists number among his friends.
84. enchanting adj charming, The child looked enchanting in a pale blue dress.
85. encounter v meet, When did you first encounter these difficulties?
86. endeavor n attempt We always endeavor to please our customers.
87. endorse v approve No one is foolish enough to endorse it.
88. ensue v follow Otherwise, inundation would ensue to our dismay.
89. entice v lure The ads entice young people to smoke.
90. esteem v cherish, I esteem it an honor to attend this meeting.
91. evade v escape They evade paying taxes by living abroad.
92. exhaustive adj comprehensive This list is by no means exhaustive.
93. extravagant adj lavish I felt very extravagant spending ￡100 on a dress.
94. F facet n aspect Now let's look at another facet of the problem.
95. falter v waver We must not falter in our resolve.
96. fatigue v tire Sooner or later he'll fatigue of politics.
97. faulty adj flawed, The probable cause of the fire was faulty wiring.
98. feasible adj possible A tunnel was not considered economically feasible.
99. ferocious adj savage Butler is famous for his ferocious temper.
100. flagrant adj blatant, Telling the story was a flagrant breach of trust.
101. flee v escape He should not flee from responsibility.
102. forego v abandon Today forego a grudge. Forgive those who hurt you.
103. foremost adj chief, This is one of the country's foremost arts centers.
104. fraudulent adj false, He got the job of science teacher by fraudulent means.
105. fundamental adj basic, Fresh air is fundamental to good health.
106. fusion n blend, She was a fusion of the dreamer and doer.
107. futile adj useless My efforts to go back to sleep proved futile.
108. G garrulous adj talkative Laz isn't normally this garrulous.
109. genial adj cordial Waved to them in genial greeting.
110. genuine adj real The sport is genuine leather.
111. glitter v sparkle The river glittered in the sunlight.
112. grasp v grip I grasped his arm firmly and led him away.
113. gregarious adj sociable He was a popular and gregarious man.
114. grim adj severe His grim expression.
115. grueling adj exhausting The cast took a break from their grueling schedule.
116. gullible adj naive He's so gullible he'll believe anything.
117. H hamper v hinder She was hampered by her heavy suitcase.
118. haphazard adj random I continued my studies in a rather haphazard way.
119. hardship n difficulty We are ready to face any hardship.
120. harness v use We must harness the rivers which overflow annually.
121. heed v obey I had told him not to go, but he didn't heed.
122. hinder v hamper His career has been hindered by injury.
123. hoist v lift The crew harried to hoist the flag.
124. hue n tint Her face lost its golden hue.
125. hurl v pitch He hurled a chair a cross the set.
126. I idle adj lazy Go and wake up that idle brother of yours.
127. immense adj colossal They made an immense improvement in English.
128. impair v damage Loud noise can impair your hearing.
129. implement v realize The decision will be difficult to implement.
130. incessant adj constant The child's incessant talking started to irritate her.
131. indigenous adj native Blueberries are indigenous to America.
132. indispensable adj necessary This is an indispensable book.
133. induce v coax The doctor decided to induce labour.
134. inept adj incompetent He was always rather inept at sport.
135. inexorable adj unstoppable The seemingly inexorable rise in crime.
136. infinite adj limitless The universe is infinite.
137. infinitesimal adj minute, Infinitesimal changes in temperature.
138. ingenious adj brilliant His plots are always very ingenious.
139. ingenuous adj naive, I assure you, I'm neither ingenuous or naive here.
140. inhabit v live, dwell, A bird that inhabits North America.
141. inhibit v control Cold inhibits plant growth.
142. intricate adj complex, An intricate network of canals.
143. irate adj angry, A barrage of irate letters.
144. J jeopardy n danger Ali's job was not in jeopardy.
145. K knack n skill She got the knack of it in the end.
146. L lag v fall behind Britain is lagging behind the rest of Europe.
147. lavish adj abundant The food was lavish.
148. lax adj careless, Lax security arrangements at the airport.
149. legitimate adj proper That's a perfectly legitimate question.
150. lethargic adj slow I felt tired and a little lethargic.
151. linger v remain She lingered in the yard, enjoying the warm sunshine.
152. long v desire He longed to see her again.
153. lucid adj clear You must write in a clear and lucid style.
154. lull v soothe, calm, The hum of the tyres on the road lulled her to sleep.
155. lure v entice Was she the bait to lure him into a trap?
156. lurid adj shocking A lurid miasma dazed his vision.
157. lurk v prowl She didn't see the figure lurking behind the bushes.
158. luster n shine The luster of the Milky Way.
159. M magnitude n size We did not realize the magnitude of the problem.
160. mandatory adj compulsory Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.
161. mar v damage, No wrinkles marred her face.
162. minute adj tiny, Her handwriting is minute.
163. monitor v watch The government is monitoring the situation closely.
164. morale n spirit, A win is always good for morale.
165. murky adj unclear, A politician whit a murky past.
166. N negligible adj unimportant He is a negligible person in the government.
167. nimble adj agile She was extremely nimble on her feet.
168. notable adj remarkable This is a notable step forward.
169. notify v inform We shall notify you as soon as he arrives.
170. notion n idea I have no notion of resigning.
171. novel adj new What a novel idea!
172. O objective n goal His objective was to finish by October.
173. obscure adj unfamiliar The meaning of the passage is obscure.
174. obsolete adj antiquated There ought to be a note on this obsolete word.
175. offspring n young, John is her only offspring.
176. outlook n opinion, I adopted a positive outlook on life.
177. overcome v overwhelm He that endures is not overcome.
178. overlook v ignore, It is easy to overlook a small detail like that.
179. oversee v supervise, You must employ someone to oversee the project.
180. oversight n error The oversight issued in heavy loss.
181. overt adj open Overt race discrimination is illegal.
182. overwhelm v overcome Its harsh tannins seem to overwhelm the fruit.
183. P paltry adj Unimportant This account offers a paltry 1% return on your investment.
184. penetrate v enter Western ideas penetrate slowly through the East.
185. perceive v observe, I plainly perceive some objections remain.
186. peril n danger The refugees were in peril of death from hunger.
187. perpetual adj constant That I exist is a perpetual surprise which is life.
188. perplexing adj puzzling, I found the whole thing extremely perplexing.
189. ponder v consider Authorities ponder whether to charge the driver.
190. potent adj strong, Beauty is potent; but money is omnipotent.
191. pressing adj urgent The rent collector is pressing for payment again.
192. pretext n excuse The incident provided the pretext for war.
193. prevail v succeed We hope that common sense would prevail.
194. prevalent adj common The prevalent view is that interest rates will fall.
195. prior adj earlier My children have a prior claim on my time.
196. procure v obtain It was difficult to procure food.
197. profound adj important Her speech made a profound impact on everyone.
198. provoke v irritate Unemployment may provoke a sense of alienation from society.
199. pulverize v crush He pulverizes the opposition with the force of his oratory.
200. pursue v chase If you are passionate about something, pursue it.
201. Q quake v shiver Every time I get on a plane, I quake with fear.
202. quandary n problem Kate was in a quandary over whether to go or not.
203. quest n search, Nothing will stop them in their quest for truth.
204. R raze v demolish Many villages were razed to the ground.
205. recollect v recall I recollect seeing Ryder some years ago in Bonn.
206. relish v enjoy I relish the challenge of doing jobs that others turn down.
207. remedy n treatment Danger itself is the best remedy for danger.
208. remnant n remainder Their outdated attitudes are a remnant from colonial days.
209. renowned adj famous He is one of the world's renowned writers.
210. resent v dislike They resent what they see as bossiness.
211. rudimentary adj elementary He has only a rudimentary knowledge of the subject.
212. rumor n gossip Rumor has it that you have grandson.
213. ruthless adj cruel Like all great survivors, she has a ruthless streak.