Status: English Vocabulary List

currently effective or actively exerting influence

"The system is operative."

"The machine is operative again after the mechanic replaced the broken part."

no longer in use, operation, or existence

"The club is now defunct."

"The defunct club closed its doors last year because not enough members paid their dues."

decided or arranged beforehand

"The path was predetermined."

"The outcome of the game seemed predetermined because the referee made many bad calls."

depending on each other and mutually reliant

"The two countries are interdependent."

"The two countries are interdependent and rely on each other for trade and resources."

left alone without interference or interruption

"The forest is undisturbed."

"The forest remained undisturbed for centuries until the loggers arrived with their machines."

undamaged and complete

"The package arrived intact."

"The package arrived intact even though the box was damaged during shipping by the delivery company."

not in an active, developing, or operating state but can become so later on

"The volcano is dormant."

"The dormant volcano has not erupted for over five hundred years but could wake up."

having a state of complete disorder

"The room was chaotic."

"The traffic was chaotic after the accident and nobody could move for an hour."

having achieved full status or maturity in a particular role or position

"He is a full-fledged member."

"He is now a full fledged member of the team after completing his six month probation period."

burning with flames

"The fire was alight."

"The bird set the dry twigs alight when it knocked over the burning candle."

brightly illuminated, especially by fire or flames

"The city was ablaze."

"The barn was ablaze and firefighters worked for hours to put out the flames."

feeling calm and peaceful, without any disturbances or things that might be upsetting

"The mood was tranquil."

"The tranquil lake was perfect for kayaking on a calm sunny morning."

making one feel sorry for someone or something that seems unworthy of respect or consideration

"A pitiable situation indeed."

"The pitiable dog was thin and dirty and clearly had not eaten in days."

unable to be divided or separated into parts

"The bond is indivisible."

"The nation is indivisible and no state has the right to secede from the union."

not able to be separated or detached

"Friendship makes them inseparable."

"The twins are inseparable and do everything together from eating to sleeping to playing."

something or someone that attracts a lot of public attention or interest due to prominence, importance, or controversy

"A high profile celebrity."

"The high profile case attracted attention from media all over the world last year."

capable of providing everything that one needs, particularly food, without any help from others

"He is self-sufficient now."

"The farm is self sufficient and grows all the food needed to feed the family."

the capacity to be maintained for a long time and causing no harm to the environment

"Sustainability helps the planet."

"The company is committed to achieving long-term sustainability by reducing its carbon footprint and waste."

a collection of tasks, orders, or materials that have not been completed or processed, requiring attention

"Large backlog exists."

"There is a large backlog of cases waiting to be processed in the court system."

a state of calm and peacefulness, free from stress, anxiety, or disturbance

"The serenity of the quiet lake at dawn was truly breathtaking."

"She found serenity in the mountains, far away from the noise of the busy city."

a damaged or broken state of a building or other structure, because it has not been taken care of

"The old barn fell into disrepair."

"The old house fell into disrepair after the owner moved away and no one maintained the property."

the state of being isolated from other things or people, usually by choice

"He chose seclusion."

"After years of public life, the celebrity sought seclusion in a remote cabin to find peace and quiet."

a state in which other people cannot watch or interrupt a person

"Please respect my privacy."

"We should always respect the privacy of other people in daily life."

an officially declared pause of a specific action or policy, often imposed by authorities to allow for review, safety, or negotiation

"The government declared a moratorium on drilling."

"The government declared a moratorium on new construction in the protected area last month."

a state of confusion or disorder characterized by a mixture of things that are not clearly organized or understood

"My thoughts were in a muddle."

"The instructions were in a complete muddle and nobody understood what to do."

the act of keeping something that one already has

"Customer retention is key."

"The company has a high retention rate because employees are happy with their working conditions."

the conditions or factors that surround and influence a particular situation

"The circumstance forced us to change plans."

"She showed great strength in a very difficult circumstance last year."

to be enough or adequate for a particular purpose or requirement

"One cup of rice will suffice."

"A simple apology will not suffice to repair the damage that has been done to our relationship over the past few months."

to be applicable, connected, or relevant to a particular subject, circumstance, or situation

"The documents pertain to the case."

"The documents that pertain to the court case are confidential and cannot be viewed by the public until after the trial has concluded."

to remove the classification or status of secrecy from information, making it accessible to the public

"They declassify old files."

"The government decided to declassify the top secret documents after fifty years so that historians could study them for research purposes."

in a manner that refers to the natural and essential characteristics of a person, thing, or situation

"It is inherently dangerous."

"The system is inherently flawed and cannot be fixed with small changes because the entire design needs to be redone."

(of a machine, factory, or similar system) not operating or in active use

"The car is idle."

"The idle engine sat in the garage for months without being started or driven anywhere."

perfect or idealistic, often in a romantic or nostalgic sense

"They live an idyllic life."

"They spent their vacation in an idyllic cottage by a peaceful lake in the mountains."

used to describe actions or events that are not going as expected or planned

"Things went awry."

"Despite careful planning, the entire expedition went awry due to unforeseen circumstances."

not subject to significant change or decline

"The economy is steady."

"The steady rain continued for three days and the farmers worried that their crops would be damaged by flooding."

having a poor condition, often because of being abandoned or neglected for a long time

"The ship is derelict."

"The derelict building had broken windows and graffiti all over its crumbling walls."

not currently in motion, operation, or expression

"The cells are quiescent."

"The quiescent volcano showed no signs of activity and scientists said it was safe."

lacking movement or circulation

"The stagnant air felt heavy."

"The stagnant water in the pond smelled bad and was full of mosquitoes and algae."

the quality of being fixed or steady and unlikely to change

"Stability is important."

"Political stability attracts foreign investment and helps the economy grow steadily over many years."

a balanced state between opposing influences or powers

"The chemical reaction reached equilibrium eventually"

"The ecosystem reached equilibrium after the wolves were reintroduced to control the deer population."

a confused or complicated mass of things that are twisted or interwoven together

"A tangled mess of wires."

"The legal matter became a complicated tangle that lasted for many years in the court."

to stay in the same state or condition

"The rain will remain."

"Despite the changes, their friendship continued to remain strong and unwavering through the years."

to intentionally keep, maintain, or preserve something in its current state, resisting removal, elimination, or alteration

"Please retain the receipt."

"It is advisable to retain all original documentation for future reference and verification purposes."

to cause something to remain in its original state without any significant change

"We preserve food by canning it."

"We need to preserve the old building because it is an important part of our city's history and culture."

to exist together in the same location or period, without necessarily interacting

"Different species coexist in this ecosystem."

"The different ethnic groups have managed to coexist peacefully in this diverse city for many decades without any major conflicts."

to temporarily put on hold a process or habit

"Suspend the meeting."

"The negotiations were suspended temporarily due to unforeseen circumstances."

to match or be similar to something else

"Your actions should correspond with your words."

"The signature on the check does not correspond to the customer's signature on file at the bank."

to be closely connected or have mutual effects

"Smoking correlates with several lung diseases."

"The study found that high levels of stress correlate with an increased risk of heart disease among middle aged adults."