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BENIGN
/bɪˈnaɪn/
She was so gentle and benign, but worked so cleverly with people.
We are not in a benign economic environment.
WARY
/ˈweə.ri/
People did not teach their children to be wary of strangers.
They were very wary about giving him a contract.
PRONE
/prəʊn/
1. He was prone to depression even as a teenager.
She's prone to exaggerate, that's for sure.
2. Our window boxes were prone to vandalism.
CLOSE-KNIT
a close-knit family
community
team
CAPABLE
/ˈkeɪpəb(ə)l/
1. The aircraft is capable of flying 5,000 miles non-stop.
2. Although I was still technically still quite capable, the job became more difficult for me.
MULTIFACETED
/ˌmʌl.tiˈfæs.ɪ.tɪd/
It's a multifaceted business, offering a range of services.
The question is, of course, multifaceted, and perhaps the answer will be too.
INNATE
/ɪˈneɪt/
They have an innate sense of rhythm and produce music using basic instruments.
Children have no innate fear of water and must be carefully supervised.
The annual concert was a fusion of education and entertainment as the kids displayed their innate talents.
SUSTAINABLE
/səˈsteɪnəb(ə)l/
The challenge for any developing country lies in achieving a level of sustainable economic growth.
It is essential, therefore, that the deficit is reduced to a sustainable level.
EVEN-HANDED
In order to be effective the law must be applied in a fair and even-handed way or it is no law at all.
I admired him deeply because I felt he always was fair, even-handed and honest with me.
UNDUE
/ʌnˈdʒuː/
Such a high increase will impose an undue burden on the local tax payer.
SOLITARY
/ˈsɒl.ɪ.tər.i/
In the distance was a solitary building.
He was a solitary child (= he enjoyed being alone).
I live a solitary life.
He enjoys solitary walks in the wilderness.
AGILE
/ˈædʒ.aɪl/
1. She was as agile as a monkey
Monkeys are very agile climbers.
You need to have agile fingers to do this kind of work.
2.Iin his conversation he displayed a quick, agile and fair mind.
COUNTER - INTUITIVE
/ˌkaʊnt(ə)rɪnˈtjuːɪtɪv/
Steering a sailboat is counter-intuitive - you push the tiller the opposite way to the way you want to go.
The results of Experiment 1 paint an interesting, and counter-intuitive, picture.
OUTLYING
/ˈaʊtˌlaɪ.ɪŋ/
There is a shopping centre where all the people from outlying districts come in order to stock up.
Communication with many outlying islands and coastal communities has been lost.
UNCANNY
/ʌnˈkæn.i/
Soaring double-bass harmonics produced an uncanny, ghostly effect.
He predicted the winners of each race with uncanny accuracy.
SALIENT
/ˈseɪliənt/
What were the most salient features of the impeachment crisis and its most important political lessons?
The report covered all the salient points of the case.
PROFOUND
/prəˈfaʊnd/
1. The experience had a very profound effect on me, both emotionally and spiritually.
Please accept my profound regret and apology for any misunderstanding about that letter.
MUNDANE
/mʌnˈdeɪn/
Mundane matters such as paying bills and shopping for food do not interest her.
But underneath all the excitement lurk the mundane pressures of the daily grind.
IRREVOCABLE
/ɪˈrev.ə.kə.bəl/
Multiple factors have contributed to this seemingly irrevocable reversal of fortunes.
It is an irrevocable change that needs to be accepted.
FICKLE
/ˈfɪkl/
1. Always be properly dressed and prepared to cope with our fickle weather.
2. The public is not only fickle, but has a extremely short attention span.
GROWN UP
They're a middle-aged couple, with grown-up children.
He seems very grown up for a ten-year-old.
This book is a bit too grown up for you (= you are too young to understand this book).
HAND HELD
hand held computer
VIABLE
/ˈvʌɪəb(ə)l/
It is hard to see any practical and viable alternative to the state at present.
SHALLOW
/ˈʃæl.əʊ/
1. The stream was fairly shallow so we were able to walk across it.
Fry the onions in a shallow pan.
2. I thought the film was pretty shallow.
He's physically attractive, but shallow.
SOLUBLE
/ˈsɒl.jə.bəl/
Sugar is soluble in water.
DRAB
/dræb/
1. I'm really feeling quite drab and dull this week.
2. The landscape was drab and grey.
SEQUENTIAL
/sɪˈkwɛnʃ(ə)l/
The steps are sequential and linked in the sense that each step was not possible without the previous step, and each step was motivated by the previous one.
AUDITORY
/ˈɔː.dɪ.tər.i/
Teaching methods use both visual and auditory stimulation.
The implant is connected to the auditory nerve with thin wires.
OUTWARD
/ˈaʊt.wəd/
The outward appearance of the building has not changed at all in 200 years.
If he is suffering, he certainly shows no outward sign of it.
COMPREHENSIVE
/ˌkɒm.prɪˈhen.sɪv/
He has written a fully comprehensive guide to Rome.
Is this list comprehensive or are there some names missing?
We gave the house a comprehensive spring clean.
SHEER
/ʃɪər/
The suggestion is sheer nonsense.
It was sheer chance that we met.
My time in prison was sheer hell.
FLASHY
/ˈflæʃ.i/
You know the type, the hideous old men who buy flashy cars and date women half their age?
I just want a good reliable car, nothing flashy.
He was one of those flashy guys with too much money to throw around.
UNDENIABLE
/ˌʌn.dɪˈnaɪ.ə.bəl/
It is an undeniable fact that ice is cold.
HEREDITARY
/hɪˈred.ɪ.tər.i/
Depression is often hereditary.
It is a hereditary title, so Mark Howard will become Sir Mark Howard on his father's death.
VERSATILE
/ˈvɜː.sə.taɪl/
He's a very versatile young actor who's as happy in highbrow dramas as he is in TV comedies.
A leather jacket is a timeless and versatile garment that can be worn in all seasons.
