100 Essential Words for TOEFL iBT® Vocabulary Word List

"Essential TOEFL vocabulary words from A to Z, including meanings and examples, to help with your test preparation and improve your English skills."
Key Highlights
A strong vocabulary is key to scoring well on the TOEFL exam. This 100 Essential Words for TOEFL Vocabulary Word List covers important words that often appear in the exam. Expanding your word bank will help you understand reading passages, follow lectures, and express ideas clearly in speaking and writing. The right vocabulary makes it easier to answer questions accurately and communicate effectively. Let’s explore these essential words and boost your TOEFL score!
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TOEFL Essential Vocabulary: A to C
Here are some essential TOEFL vocabulary words from A to C, complete with meanings and example sentences to help you prepare and perform your best on the test:
S. No |
Word |
Meaning |
Example |
1. |
Abundant |
Existing in large quantities |
The region has abundant rainfall throughout the year. |
2. |
Accumulate |
To gather or collect |
Dust began to accumulate on the shelves. |
3. |
Adjacent |
Next to or adjoining something else |
The park is adjacent to the school. |
4. |
Adverse |
Preventing success; harmful |
The team faced adverse weather conditions. |
5. |
Advocate |
To publicly support a cause |
She advocates for children's rights. |
6. |
Alter |
To change or modify |
They decided to alter the design of the house. |
7. |
Ample |
Enough or more than enough |
The ample storage space is ideal for families. |
8.. |
Appeal |
To make a serious or urgent request |
He appealed to the crowd for calm. |
9. |
Arbitrary |
Based on random choice |
The decision to cut funding was arbitrary. |
10. |
Assert |
To state a fact or belief confidently |
He asserted his innocence at the trial. |
11. |
Beneficial |
Resulting in good |
Regular exercise is beneficial to your health. |
12. |
Benign |
Gentle and kindly |
The medication has benign side effects. |
13. |
Bias |
A preference or inclination |
The article showed a bias towards the new policy. |
14. |
Clarify |
To make a statement less confusing |
The teacher clarified the instructions for the test. |
15. |
Coherent |
Logical and consistent |
His argument was clear and coherent. |
16. |
Coincide |
To occur at the same time |
The festival coincides with the national holiday. |
17. |
Confer |
To discuss or exchange opinions |
The lawyers conferred before the trial. |
18. |
Consequently |
As a result |
Ram didn’t study; consequently, Ram failed the exam. |
19. |
Constrain |
To restrict or limit |
The budget constraints limited our options. |
20. |
Convene |
To come together for a meeting |
The committee is scheduled to convene at 10 AM the next day. |
21. |
Crucial |
Extremely important |
Submitting the assignment on time is crucial for achieving a good grade. |
22. |
Cumulative |
Increasing by successive additions |
The cumulative effect of the sun made him tired. |
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TOEFL Essential Vocabulary: D to F
Here are key TOEFL vocabulary words from D to F, along with their meanings and example sentences to aid in your preparation:
S. No |
Word |
Meaning |
Example |
23. |
Deduce |
To infer or conclude from the evidence |
The detective deduced the identity of the thief. |
24. |
Deficient |
Lacking in some aspect |
His diet was deficient in vitamins. |
25. |
Depict |
To represent in words or art |
The painting depicts a serene landscape. |
26. |
Derive |
To obtain from a source |
Many English words are derived from Latin. |
27. |
Detract |
To diminish the value of something |
The large sign detracted from the view. |
28. |
Devote |
To dedicate something to a purpose |
She devotes much of her time to charity work. |
29. |
Displace |
To move from its usual position |
The storm displaced thousands of residents. |
30. |
Diverse |
Showing a great deal of variety |
The city boasts a diverse population with a variety of cultural backgrounds. |
31. |
Dominate |
To have control over |
The team dominated the match from start to finish. |
32. |
Elicit |
To draw out a response |
The speech elicited applause from the audience. |
33. |
Enable |
To make something possible |
The new software enables faster processing. |
34. |
Encounter |
To meet or come across |
We encountered a problem during the experiment. |
35. |
Enhance |
To improve the quality of |
The new policy enhances student learning. |
36. |
Entail |
To involve something as a necessary part |
The job entails a lot of travel. |
37. |
Evident |
Clearly seen or understood |
The joy on her face was evident. |
38. |
Exclude |
To leave out or omit |
The list excludes members who did not participate. |
39. |
Expand |
To increase in size or scope |
The company plans to expand its operations. |
40. |
Exposed |
Left without protection |
The house is exposed to strong winds. |
41. |
Facilitate |
To make an action easier |
The new tools facilitate the building process. |
42. |
Fluctuate |
To change irregularly |
The temperature fluctuates throughout the day. |
43. |
Framework |
A basic structure underlying a system |
The book provides a framework for understanding economics. |
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TOEFL Essential Vocabulary: G to O
Here are essential TOEFL vocabulary words from G to O, complete with definitions and examples to enhance your understanding and usage:
S. No |
Word |
Meaning |
Example |
44. |
Generate |
To produce or create |
The project generates a lot of interest. |
45. |
Guarantee |
To provide assurance |
The company guarantees satisfaction with its products. |
46. |
Hypothesis |
A proposed explanation based on evidence |
The hypothesis was tested in the laboratory. |
47. |
Identify |
To recognise and name |
The witness identified the suspect. |
48. |
Implement |
To put a decision into effect |
The school implemented a new curriculum. |
49. |
Imply |
To suggest without stating directly |
His silence implied agreement. |
50. |
Indicate |
To point out or show |
The signs indicate the direction to the exit. |
51. |
Infer |
To deduce or conclude from the evidence |
From his tone, I inferred he was unhappy. |
52. |
Integrate |
To combine into a whole |
The new system integrates all departments. |
53. |
Interpret |
To explain the meaning of |
The lawyer interpreted the contract for the client. |
54. |
Justify |
To show or prove to be right |
He justified his actions with solid evidence. |
55. |
Legislate |
To make or enact laws |
The government plans to legislate new safety standards. |
56. |
Maintain |
To maintain a specific state or condition |
Regular exercise is essential to maintain overall well-being. |
57. |
Mitigate |
To make less severe |
The doctor recommended medication to mitigate the severity of the pain. |
58. |
Modify |
To change something slightly |
They modified the plan to better suit the situation. |
59. |
Negate |
To nullify or invalidate |
The breach of terms led to the contract being negated. |
60. |
Notion |
A belief or idea |
She had a notion that the project would fail. |
61. |
Obtain |
To acquire or secure something |
You must obtain a visa before traveling abroad. |
62. |
Occupy |
To take up space or time |
The book occupies the top shelf in my library. |
63. |
Omit |
To leave out or exclude |
You should not omit important details from the report. |
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TOEFL Essential Vocabulary: P to R
Here are the key TOEFL vocabulary words from P to R, along with definitions and examples to improve your comprehension and usage:
S. No |
Word |
Meaning |
Example |
64. |
Persist |
To continue firmly despite the difficulty |
Despite the challenges, she persisted in her studies. |
65. |
Phenomenon |
An observable occurrence or event. |
The Northern Lights are a natural phenomenon. |
66. |
Precede |
To come before something else |
A brief introduction preceded the presentation. |
67. |
Preclude |
To prevent something from happening |
His injury precludes him from participating in the race. |
68. |
Predominant |
The most common or strongest |
The predominant color in the painting is blue. |
69. |
Presume |
To assume something is true without evidence |
We presumed that the meeting was canceled. |
70. |
Prohibit |
To formally forbid something |
The law prohibits smoking in public places. |
71. |
Prolong |
To extend the duration of |
The medication prolonged his life by several years. |
72. |
Proportion |
A part in relation to the whole |
A large proportion of the budget goes to education. |
73. |
Propose |
To put forward an idea or plan |
She proposed a new solution to the problem. |
74. |
Pursue |
To follow or chase after |
He decided to pursue a career in law. |
75. |
Radical |
Relating to fundamental change |
The new policy represents a radical shift in strategy. |
76. |
Recede |
To move back or withdraw |
After the initial rush of visitors, the crowd started to recede, leaving the museum quieter. |
77. |
Reform |
To improve by making changes |
The university aims to reform its curriculum to better meet the needs of modern students. |
78. |
Regulate |
To control or maintain by rules |
The agency regulates food safety standards. |
79. |
Reinforce |
To strengthen or support |
The teacher reinforced the lesson with examples. |
80. |
Reluctant |
Unwilling or hesitant |
She was reluctant to try the new dish. |
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TOEFL Essential Vocabulary: S to Z
Here is the list of TOEFL vocabulary words from S to Z, complete with meanings and examples to enhance your preparation:
S. No |
Word |
Meaning |
Example |
81. |
Simulate |
To imitate the appearance or character of |
The flight simulator helps pilots practice emergencies. |
82. |
Subsequent |
Coming after something in time |
Subsequent events proved the prediction correct. |
83. |
Subtle |
Not obvious or easily noticed |
The subtle hints of lavender in the fragrance added a delicate layer of complexity. |
84. |
Suppress |
To put an end to or hold back |
The government tried to suppress the protest. |
85. |
Sustain |
To support or keep going |
The library's collection is designed to sustain a reader’s interest across various genres. |
86. |
Terminate |
To bring to an end |
The contract was terminated by mutual agreement. |
87. |
Trend |
A broad trend in which something is evolving. |
There is a trend towards online education. |
88. |
Ultimate |
The best or most extreme |
Her ultimate goal as a dancer is to perform on the world’s most prestigious stages. |
89. |
Undermine |
To weaken or damage something |
The inconsistent grading practices undermined students' confidence in the fairness of the exams. |
90. |
Utilize |
To make use of |
The company utilizes the latest technology. |
91. |
Validate |
To verify the correctness or validity of something. |
The technician will validate the washing machine's performance by running a series of tests. |
92. |
Variable |
An element that can change |
The weather is a variable that we cannot control. |
93. |
Viable |
Capable of working successfully |
The project is not financially viable. |
94. |
Warrant |
To justify or necessitate |
The circumstances did not warrant such a harsh response. |
95. |
Widespread |
Found or distributed over a large area |
The disease is widespread in rural areas. |
96. |
Withdraw |
To remove or take back |
She decided to withdraw her application from the university. |
97. |
Withstand |
To endure or resist successfully |
The new smartphone case is designed to withstand drops and impacts |
98. |
Yield |
To produce or provide |
The experiment yielded promising results. |
99. |
Zealous |
Having or showing strong enthusiasm |
The football team was zealous in their quest to secure the championship title. |
100. |
Zeal |
Great enthusiasm or passion for something. |
Lisa worked with zeal to make sure the project was finished on time. |
Also Read:
- Top 5 Tips to Master English Vocabulary for TOEFL iBT®
- How to Keep Up with Fast Speakers in TOEFL Listening Tasks
- How to Download Your TOEFL iBT® Test Result?
- Is Scoring 30 in the Writing Section of TOEFL Doable?
- List of Top 10 Common Proverbs in English
- Helpful Abbreviations for Speedy Note-taking
- How Mastering English Can Impact Professional Networking
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