Academic Word List (AWL)

The central or most essential part (n.); most important (adj.)

A distinct part of an economy, society, or area

Supporting freedom and social progress; generous; a person with liberal views

Extremely large in size or amount

To decrease or worsen; a gradual deterioration

To put money or effort into something for future benefit

To uncover or reveal; to make vulnerable to something

To refuse to accept or turn down; something discarded as unsatisfactory

To make someone believe something or persuade them to act

To evaluate the value or quality of something; to impose a tax or charge

To obtain or gain something through effort; to come to possess

Relating to a specific skill or technology; requiring specialist knowledge

Added to; and also; a positive advantage

A choice between two or more options; available as another option

A public show or screen; to show something openly

Something considered more important than other things; the right to be dealt with first

To regain something lost; to return to good health

A timetable of planned activities; to plan something for a specific time

Short in duration or concise in expression; a summary of key information; to inform someone concisely

to buy; something bought

Relating to sight or vision; an image or graphic element

To become aware of something through the senses; to understand or interpret

A single thickness of material; one level in a series of stacked items

A part or share of something; a serving of food

To desert or give up completely (v.); uninhibited freedom from restraint (n.)

To change completely in form or nature; a mathematical conversion operation

To be made up of particular parts or elements

To give the ability or means to do something; to make possible

A mistake or inaccuracy; to malfunction due to a fault

A recurring sequence of events; a complete rotation; to ride a bicycle

A body position held for a photo; to present a risk or problem; to pretend

To find a solution or make a firm decision; strong determination

A distinct stage in a process; to introduce or discontinue something gradually

The study of existence and knowledge; a personal set of guiding beliefs

To repeat someone's exact words; a repeated statement or passage; a price estimate

The base on which something is built; an endowed institution; the act of founding

To carry out a plan or decision; a tool for a specific task

Extremely strong or severe in degree; deeply felt or focused

To make changes to improve or adapt something

Able to be seen; noticeable or apparent

To have control or power over others; to be the most important element

To move something or someone to another place or person; the act of doing so

To fasten or join one thing to another; to include a file with a message

The likelihood of future success; a wide view or scene; to search for minerals

Forming the essential base; a basic principle

To improve or increase the quality or value of something

To force a rule, tax, or burden on someone

To assess or judge the quality or value of something