Academic Word List Vocabulary

Flashcards covering essential terms and definitions from the 570-word Academic Word List.

abandon

to leave forever, or to stop something in progress

abstract

a written summary of the important points of a text

academic

relating to school, college, study or theory

access

the ability to get to or enter somewhere or something

accommodation

adjustment, agreement, or living place

accurate

correct and without any mistakes

achieve

to succeed in reaching a target or aim

acknowledgement

recognized, admitted the truth, or expressed thanks

acquisition

the process of getting something

adaptation

modification to suit new conditions or environment

adequate

enough or barely enough

advocate

to publicly recommend or support something

affect

to influence or cause something to change

aggregate

the total of all the parts

albeit

although, even though

alternative

something different, or a choice of something else

ambiguous

not clear, or having two or more possible interpretations

amendment

a change made to the words of a text

analysis

a detailed investigation of the parts of something

assessment

when you decide the value or quality of something

assume

accept something to be true without questioning it

attained

achieved or gained by effort

attributed

indicated the cause of something

available

able to be used

benefit

an advantage or good effect

bias

unfair preference, or distortion of statistics

capable

having the ability or qualities to do something

capacity

the maximum that can be contained or produced

cited

quoted as an example to support an argument

clarity

clearness of expression, thought, sound or image

coherence

logical consistency, or integration of parts

coincide

to happen at the same time, or be similar

commodity

something that can be bought or sold

compensation

money received for the loss or damage of something

comprehensive

including many things or everything that is necessary

concept

an abstract or general idea

conclusion

an opinion one reaches after careful consideration

concurrent

happening at the same time

conflict

fighting, or disagreement between people or ideas

conformity

agreement in form or opinion, or doing as others do

consent

voluntary agreement or permission

consequences

the undesired results of a particular act or situation

considerable

large or of noticeable importance

consistent

in agreement with expectations or other facts

constraints

conditions that limit the freedom of a system or thing

contemporary

existing now, or of the same period

context

the situation in which something exists or happens

contradiction

disagreement or incompatibility of two or more things

contrary

not in agreement with, or opposite

controversy

disagreement or argument about an important topic

criteria

the rules or guidelines to test or evaluate something

crucial

extremely important

currency

money or acceptance

data

information from which conclusions may be drawn

decades

periods of ten years, or a long time

deduction

the act of finding a logical answer or opinion

definite

certain or clear

demonstrate

to show or explain how something works

denote

to indicate, or act as a symbol for

derived

formed or developed from something else

deviation

difference from the norm or what is usual or expected

differentiation

the process of making something different

dimensions

aspects, or the length, width and height of something

discretion

careful consideration for others, or the right to choose

discrimination

biased and unfair treatment of a person or group

distortion

change of shape, or inaccurate description or reporting

diversity

variety of opinions, styles, social groups or living things

domain

an area of interest, or an area controlled by someone

domestic

relating to home or country

duration

period of time that something lasts

dynamic

relating to energy, motion, or change

elements

the basic principles of a subject of study

eliminate

to get rid of, remove, or leave out

emerged

became known, or appeared out of something

emphasis

the importance or special consideration of something

empirical

based on observation or experiment

entities

things, real or abstract, which exist independently

equivalent

being equal to or effectively the same as

erosion

gradual weakening or damage caused by nature

ethical

morally right

evaluation

judgment of the value or quality of something

evidence

one or more reasons for believing something

evolution

a gradual process of change, or Darwin's theory

explicit

clear and detailed, not implicit

exploitation

good use of resources, or unfair use of people

facilitate

to make something easy or easier to do

factors

facts which contribute to the result of something

finite

countable, or having an end or limit

fluctuations

irregular variations, or rises and falls

formula

a standard way of making or doing something

framework

an outline or basic description of a complex process

fundamental

basic, central, or more important than anything else

generated

caused something to exist

global

relating to the whole world

hierarchical

classified by rank or grade

hypothesis

an idea based on observation but not yet proven

identical

the same in every way

ideology

system of beliefs or principles

implementation

the realization of a plan, idea or policy

implications

the possible consequences an event may bring