Unit 4 · New Headway Upper Intermediate Vocabulary List

a word or phrase that has an opposite or contrasting meaning to another word or phrase

"Hot is an antonym for cold."

"The word "hot" is a common antonym for the word "cold" in English vocabulary."

(grammar) a letter or a set of letters that are added to the beginning of a word to alter its meaning and make a new word

"A prefix changes word meaning."

"The prefix 'un-' is commonly added to words to indicate negation or the opposite."

able to be believed or relied on

"The source is credible."

"The journalist refused to publish the story because the source was not credible and there was no evidence to support the claims."

having a high possibility of happening or being true based on available evidence or circumstances

"His success is probable."

"It is probable that the company will announce layoffs next month given their poor financial performance."

telling the truth and having no intention of cheating or stealing

"She is honest."

"The honest salesman told the customer that the cheaper model would actually meet her needs better than the expensive one."

having been subjected to excessive use or mistreatment, resulting in damage or wear

"The abused tool broke."

"The abused tools were no longer sharp enough to be effective for the carpenter."

previously in use but is now abandoned, neglected, or no longer in operation

"The building is disused."

"The disused factory was scheduled for demolition and the city planned to build affordable housing on the empty lot."

not put into action by anyone before

"The unused ticket expired."

"The pristine, unused bicycle sat in the garage, waiting for its first ride."

to use something improperly or incorrectly

"Never misuse your authority over others."

"It is easy to misuse power if you do not have strong ethical principles to guide your decisions."

to use something excessively or beyond reasonable limits

"Do not overuse your smartphone daily."

"The teacher warned the students not to overuse certain words in their essays because repetition makes the writing less interesting to read."

to use something less than it should be or less than its full potential

"Do not underuse your skills."

"We must ensure that we do not underuse the valuable resources available to us."

extremely small

"A tiny flower bloomed."

"She found a tiny, delicate flower blooming in the crack of the pavement."

the feeling of being happy and well

"Her face radiated pure happiness and joy."

"True happiness does not come from material possessions but from spending time with loved ones."

to make a person or thing better

"Practice will improve your skills."

"Regular practice is the best way to improve your language skills and become more fluent over time."

having a willingness to freely give or share something with others, without expecting anything in return

"She is generous."

"The generous millionaire donated most of his fortune to build schools and libraries in poor communities around the world."

knowledge that gives someone relief as they did nothing wrong and should not feel guilty

"She has a clear conscience."

"After admitting his mistake, he finally felt he had a clear conscience about the situation."

the part of a bed made of soft material on which a person sleeps

"The mattress is soft."

"He bought a new mattress after realizing his old one was causing back pain having sagged in the middle from years of use."

a public performance by musicians or singers

"We went to a concert."

"The concert last night was absolutely amazing, and the band played all of their most popular songs."

a prejudice that prevents fair consideration of a situation

"Media bias is problem."

"Bias can affect judgment."

the act of deliberately creating or inventing false information or stories, often with the intention to deceive or mislead

"His story was fabrication."

"The journalist was accused of fabricating the entire story to increase readership."

(of measurements, information, etc.) free from errors and matching facts

"The information is accurate."

"The accurate weather forecast predicted rain for today and sure enough it started pouring at noon."

something that is known to be true or real, especially when it can be proved

"That is a fact."

"It is a well established fact that smoking cigarettes increases your risk of developing lung cancer and other serious respiratory diseases over time."

a person who imagines or believes things that are not real

"He is a fantasist."

"The therapist recognized that the patient was a fantasist, often lost in elaborate imaginary worlds."

the act of overstating or stretching the truth beyond what is accurate or realistic

"That is exaggeration."

"His account of the fishing trip was clearly an exaggeration, claiming he caught a shark."

an unreasonable opinion or judgment based on dislike felt for a person, group, etc., particularly because of their race, sex, etc.

"Education can reduce social prejudice effectively"

"Prejudice based on race or religion leads to discrimination and social injustice in society."

a belief or explanation that suggests a secret group or organization is responsible for an event, often involving illegal or dishonest activities

"The conspiracy theory is not supported by evidence."

"The conspiracy theory is not supported by evidence and most experts dismiss it as nonsense."

extremely poor in quality, performance, or condition

"The service is lousy."

"The lousy service at the hotel ruined our vacation because the staff was rude and the rooms were dirty."

extremely unpleasant or disagreeable

"The weather is awful."

"The awful smell coming from the refrigerator made her gag and she discovered that the chicken had been rotting for a week."

having a very pleasant flavor

"The cake is delicious."

"The delicious chocolate cake was moist and rich and everyone asked for a second slice immediately."

making us feel tired and unsatisfied because of not being interesting

"The lecture is boring."

"The boring lecture lasted for three hours and half of the students fell asleep in their chairs."

unwilling to spend or give away money or resources

"He is stingy."

"The stingy millionaire never gave money to charity and lived in a small house despite his great wealth."

used to ask for an explanation or reason for something

"How come you did not call me?"

"How come the report was submitted without any of the recommended changes being incorporated?"

someone who has persistent difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or getting quality sleep

"The insomniac reads until 3 AM."

"The insomniac reads until three AM and still cannot fall asleep even after taking sleeping pills."

a person who never drinks alcohol

"The teetotaler never drinks alcohol."

"The teetotaler never drinks alcohol and always orders soda or juice at parties and bars."

an individual who is against war and violence as a way to settle disagreements or conflicts

"He is a pacifist who opposes all wars."

"The pacifist refused to serve in the military because he believed all violence was morally wrong."

someone who does not believe in the existence of God or gods

"An atheist does not believe in God."

"The atheist argued that morality can exist without religion based on reason empathy and human values."

someone who irrationally fears or dislikes things or people that seem foreign or different, often leading to prejudice

"The xenophobe fears people from other countries."

"The xenophobe fears people from other countries and opposes immigration and multiculturalism."

someone who opposes or rejects the institution of monarchy, often advocating for its abolition

"The anti-royalist supports abolishing the monarchy."

"The anti royalist supports abolishing the monarchy and believes that the royal family is a waste of money."

someone who is resistant or apprehensive towards technology, often avoiding or expressing fear or aversion towards its use or adoption

"The technophobe refuses to use a smartphone."

"The technophobe refuses to use a smartphone and still carries an old flip phone for emergencies."

a person who is concerned with the environment and tries to protect it

"The environmentalist gave a speech on plastic pollution."

"The environmentalist gave a passionate speech about the dangers of plastic pollution in the ocean and urged everyone to reduce their use of single-use plastic bottles and bags."

someone who pretends to have virtues or beliefs they do not practice, often contradicting their own stated values or engaging in deceptive behavior

"The hypocrite preaches honesty but lies himself."

"The hypocrite preaches honesty but lies himself and his coworkers soon lose respect for him."

located across from a particular thing, typically separated by an intervening space

"He sat on the opposite side."

"The restaurant is on the opposite side of the street and you can see the sign from here if you look across the road."

able to be trusted to perform consistently well and meet expectations

"My car is reliable."

"The reliable old truck never broke down even after two hundred thousand miles and the farmer trusted it completely."

related to the law or the legal system

"It is legal."

"The new legislation aims to make the process of obtaining a business license more legal and straightforward."

(of a person) having an obligation to do something or to take care of someone or something as part of one's job or role

"She is a responsible adult."

"The responsible teenager saved half of her paycheck every month and by the end of the year she had enough money to buy her own car."

designed to resemble the real thing but lacking authenticity

"The watch is fake."

"The fake watch looked real but it stopped working after only two weeks of wearing it."

to feel that someone or something is good, enjoyable, or interesting

"I really like chocolate ice cream."

"Most children like to eat ice cream on hot summer days because it helps them cool down quickly."

responsible for an illegal act or wrongdoing

"He is guilty."

"The jury found the defendant guilty of all charges presented."

protected from any danger

"The neighborhood is safe."

"The safe neighborhood had very little crime and families felt comfortable letting their children play outside until dark without worrying about their safety."

to let someone or something do a particular thing

"Parents allow children to play."

"The new law will allow citizens to vote by mail if they cannot physically reach the polling stations on election day."

(of statements, feelings, beliefs, or behavior) showing what is true and honest, based on one's real opinions or feelings

"His words were sincere."

"Her sincere gratitude was evident in the heartfelt thank-you note she wrote."

the fact of reaching what one tried for or desired

"Success takes time."

"Their success came after years of hard work and patience."

to develop mentally, physically, and emotionally

"Apples mature in the autumn season."

"His painting style continued to mature over the years as he gained more experience and confidence in his work."

to provide someone with support, hope, or confidence

"Encourage the team to win."

"Her encouraging words helped the athlete overcome his self-doubt and perform exceptionally well."

to become visible and noticeable

"The sun will appear."

"After the storm clouds dissipated, the sun began to appear, casting a warm glow."

difficult to achieve or deal with

"The task is tough."

"The tough exam required months of preparation but he studied hard every day and managed to pass it successfully."

without clouds or mist

"The sky is clear."

"The weather forecast predicts a clear sky for the entire duration of our camping trip."

(of skin or hair) very light in color

"She has fair skin."

"Her fair complexion contrasted beautifully with her dark, expressive eyes and hair."

very difficult to cut, bend, or break

"The rock is hard."

"The hard rock was difficult to break so the workers used a powerful drill to make holes and split it into smaller pieces."

needing a lot of skill or effort to do

"This puzzle is hard."

"The advanced calculus problem proved to be incredibly hard for most of the students in the class."

having life or currently alive

"This is a live fish."

"The documentary captured the raw beauty of the live performance in its natural habitat."

a living thing, like a cat or a dog, that can move and needs food to stay alive, but not a plant or a human

"The zoo has many animals."

"My daughter wants to adopt a small animal from the local shelter this weekend."

(of TV or radio broadcasts) aired at the exact moment the events are taking place, without any earlier recording or editing

"We watched a live broadcast."

"The live concert was amazing because the band played all of their best songs."

(of sound) having little volume or intensity

"The music was very light."

"Her voice was a light whisper, barely audible above the wind."

anything that proves the truth or possibility of something, such as facts, objects, or signs

"There is no evidence of a crime."

"Circumstantial evidence alone is insufficient for a conviction in a court of law."

an intentionally false or unlikely story

"That's fiction."

"The detective suspected the suspect's elaborate story was pure fiction designed to mislead."

having actual existence and not imaginary

"Is this real gold?"

"The real diamond was much more expensive than the fake one."

not authentic or true, despite attempting to make it seem so

"The painting is bogus."

"The painting is bogus and was actually painted last week not three hundred years ago."

intentionally misleading or deceptive

"That is a fake watch."

"The report contained several fake statistics designed to mislead the public about the economic situation."

improbable or unlikely to happen or be the case

"It is doubtful."

"It is doubtful that he will show up because he has never been reliable in the past."

based on sound reasoning or evidence and can be trusted to be accurate

"It is reliable."

"This scientific study provides reliable data that can be trusted for future research."

associated with or characteristic of the tropics, regions of the Earth near the equator known for their warm climate and lush vegetation

"The weather is tropical."

"The lush vegetation and high humidity are characteristic of the tropical climate found near the equator."

below average in physical size

"The mouse is small."

"The small coffee shop on the corner serves the best espresso in the entire neighborhood according to local residents."

(of food, particularly cake and bread) not fresh anymore, due to exposure to air or prolonged storage

"The bread is stale."

"The stale bread was hard and dry so she decided to make breadcrumbs instead of trying to eat it with butter."

someone who avoids eating meat

"He is a vegetarian."

"Vegetarian meals can be very healthy when they include enough protein"

someone who does not consume or use anything that is produced from animals, such as meat, milk, or eggs

"A vegan avoids meat."

"She has been a vegan for over five years and feels much healthier now."