Unit 8 · New Headway Upper Intermediate Vocabulary List

causing strong admiration or shock due to beauty or impact

"She looks stunning."

"The stunning view from the mountaintop took her breath away and she stood there silently taking photographs of the incredible landscape."

feeling or showing shock or amazement

"I was surprised."

"She was surprised to see her brother at the party because he had told her that he would be out of town on a business trip all week."

catching and keeping our attention because of being unusual, exciting, etc.

"The book is interesting."

"The interesting documentary about space exploration showed never before seen footage of astronauts walking on the moon and repairing satellites in orbit around the earth."

beyond the usual or ordinary, often causing amazement or admiration due to its exceptional nature

"The party was fabulous."

"The fabulous party had live music and delicious food and everyone danced until the sun came up."

emotionally bad or unhappy

"The movie is sad."

"The sad dog waited by the door every day for its owner who never came home again."

needing to sleep or rest because of not having any more energy

"I am tired."

"After working twelve hours straight without a break she felt completely tired and exhausted beyond words."

needing or wanting something to eat

"I am hungry."

"The hungry child ate his entire dinner in five minutes and then asked for more because he had not eaten anything since breakfast."

causing great amusement and laughter

"The story was hilarious."

"Her hilarious anecdote about the mistaken identity had everyone in the room roaring with uncontrollable laughter."

very great and pleasant

"We had a wonderful time."

"The wonderful surprise party made her cry happy tears because all of her friends and family had gathered to celebrate her fortieth birthday together."

feeling extremely tired physically or mentally, often due to a lack of sleep

"He is exhausted."

"The exhausted hiker collapsed on the ground after climbing the steep mountain trail for eight hours without a break."

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."

extremely attractive and beautiful

"You look gorgeous."

"The gorgeous wedding dress had a long train and delicate lace and the bride looked like a princess on her special day."

extremely interesting or captivating

"The story is fascinating."

"The fascinating documentary about space exploration made her want to become an astronaut and study the universe."

completely wet, soaked, or saturated with water or another liquid

"She is drenched."

"She got completely drenched in the sudden downpour because she forgot to bring an umbrella with her to work."

feeling or showing great surprise

"We were amazed."

"The audience was absolutely amazed by the magician's incredible illusion that defied all logic and expectation."

desperately needing or wanting food

"I am starving."

"I am starving because I have not eaten anything since breakfast and it is now dinnertime."

feeling intense excitement or pleasure

"I am thrilled."

"The children were thrilled to meet their favorite cartoon character at the theme park and they hugged him tightly."

extremely silly and deserving to be laughed at

"That is ridiculous."

"The price of the designer handbag is ridiculous and nobody should pay five thousand dollars for something made of leather."

regarding extremely cold temperatures, typically below the freezing point of water

"The water is freezing."

"The freezing temperatures caused the pipes in the old house to burst and flood the basement completely."

experiencing great shock or sadness

"She is devastated."

"The family was devastated by the news that their home had been destroyed in the wildfire that swept through the town."

situated next to or near something

"The house is adjacent to mine."

"The house adjacent to ours is empty because the owners moved out last month and nobody has bought it yet."

to make a great effort or take extra care to do something, often involving a lot of time and energy

"She took great pains to make the dinner perfect."

"She took great pains to decorate the room perfectly for her daughter's birthday party."

not discovered, noticed, or detected, often referring to something that was searched or looked for

"The virus went undetected."

"The virus remained undetected in the patient's body for months before symptoms finally appeared and she sought medical help."

feeling or expressing sorrow, grief, or sadness, especially due to someone's death or a great loss

"The song is mournful."

"The mournful sound of the bagpipes filled the church during the funeral and made everyone cry."

to feel amazed or puzzled by something extraordinary or remarkable

"We marvel at the beautiful sunset."

"The tourists marvel at the stunning beauty of the ancient cathedral with its magnificent stained glass windows and tall spires."

to disassemble or separate into its individual components or parts

"Take apart the machine carefully."

"The curious child loved to take apart his old toys to see how the small mechanical parts worked inside."

describing something that is not seen or noticed

"The mistake went unnoticed."

"The thief slipped through the crowd unnoticed and escaped with the woman's purse before anyone realized what had happened."

to the greatest amount or extent possible

"I completely forgot about our meeting."

"I completely forgot about our meeting today because I had so many other things on my mind."

to a very great amount or degree

"The weather is extremely cold today."

"The weather is extremely cold today so make sure to wear a warm coat and gloves before going outside."

to a significantly large extent or by a considerable amount

"His health improved dramatically."

"His health improved dramatically after the treatment and he was able to return to work within a few weeks."

in a manner involving a large amount of something

"He apologized profusely for his mistake."

"He apologized profusely for his mistake and promised that it would never happen again under any circumstances."

used to indicate that something is completely accurate or correct

"That is exactly right."

"That is exactly what I wanted to say but I could not find the right words."

in a way that shows poor judgment or a lack of intelligence or sense

"He stupidly forgot his keys again."

"He stupidly forgot his keys again and had to call his roommate to let him into the apartment."

able to think quickly and find solutions to problems

"She is a clever girl."

"The clever student devised an innovative strategy to solve the complex mathematical equation efficiently."

extremely pleasing to the mind or senses

"The flower is beautiful."

"The beautiful sunset painted the sky in shades of orange and pink and the couple watched from their balcony."

very beautiful or attractive

"The view is lovely."

"The couple enjoyed a lovely picnic in the park, surrounded by beautiful scenery and warm sunshine."

having a quality that is satisfying

"The movie is good."

"The good news made everyone happy and they celebrated by opening a bottle of champagne and toasting to the future together."

providing pleasure and enjoyment

"She is a nice person."

"The nice waitress brought extra napkins and refilled their drinks without being asked and they left her a generous tip at the end."

having a quality that is not satisfying

"The news is bad."

"The bad weather forced them to cancel their outdoor wedding ceremony and move everything inside the church at the last minute."

feeling disturbed or distressed due to a negative event

"She is upset."

"She was upset about the argument with her best friend and cried alone in her room for hours."

showing a lack of seriousness, often in a playful way

"That was a silly joke."

"The children engaged in a silly game of tag, giggling as they chased each other around the park."

able to make people laugh

"The joke is funny."

"The funny comedian told jokes about his family and his childhood and the audience laughed so hard that some people had tears in their eyes."

emotionally feeling good or glad

"The child is happy."

"The happy couple celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary with a big party and all their friends."

having a higher than normal temperature

"The soup is hot."

"The hot soup burned his tongue because he was too impatient to wait for it to cool down properly."

having a temperature lower than the human body's average temperature

"The drink is cold."

"The cold wind cut through his jacket like a knife and he wished he had worn a warmer coat."

above average in size or extent

"The elephant is big."

"The big red balloon floated high into the sky until it disappeared completely from our view."

to a great extent or degree

"The coffee is very hot."

"The coffee is very hot so be careful not to burn your tongue when you drink it."

in a total or complete way

"You are absolutely right."

"You are absolutely right about that and I completely agree with everything you just said."

to the highest degree

"The movie was quite good."

"The movie was quite good actually much better than I expected from the reviews I had read online."

extremely large in physical dimensions

"The mountain is enormous."

"An enormous whale swam right next to our small boat yesterday morning."

covered with or full of water or another liquid

"The grass is wet."

"The wet towel was left on the bathroom floor and it started to smell musty so she hung it up to dry in the sun."

very large in size

"The whale was huge."

"The huge truck could not fit inside the small garage so the driver had to park it on the street."

having an intense, almost unbearable heat

"The day was boiling."

"The boiling water bubbled furiously in the pot so she turned down the heat to prevent it from overflowing."

extremely clever, talented, or impressive

"He is a brilliant student."

"Her brilliant performance on the stage captivated the entire audience."

very bad, often causing one to feel angry or annoyed

"The news was dreadful."

"The dreadful news of the plane crash spread quickly and the families of the passengers gathered at the airport."

bringing about strong emotions, often causing feelings of sympathy or warmth

"The story is touching."

"The touching reunion between the soldier and his dog was captured on video and millions of people watched it online."

to take apart or disassemble a structure, machine, or object, breaking it down into its individual parts

"We dismantle the old shed."

"The demolition crew will carefully dismantle the unstable structure to avoid further damage."

causing powerful emotions of sympathy or sorrow

"The movie was very moving."

"The movie was so moving that I cried three times during the emotional final scene."

to a high degree, used for emphasis

"He is really happy."

"She was really impressed by the unexpected generosity of the stranger."

in a manner that suggests harm, damage, or threat is substantial

"The car was seriously damaged."

"The accident seriously injured the driver, leaving him with a long recovery ahead."

in a correct or satisfactory manner

"Do it properly."

"Please ensure you complete the task properly by following all the instructions carefully."

to notice or see someone or something that is hard to do so

"She spots her friend in the crowd."

"The eagle spotted a small rabbit in the grass below and immediately dove down to catch its prey."