One of the best and most efficient ways to learn new words quickly and build up your vocabulary is to see how they are used in a sentence.

Learning words by seeing how they are used in a sentence is called learning vocabulary in context. It is considered much more efficient than just memorizing the word and its meanings. It’s also much more interesting. 

When you learn vocabulary in context, you look at the word and its meaning, then read or hear a sentence that uses that word. This helps you internalize the meaning of the word and can also help you see how to use that word to make your own sentences. So, you are not just improving your vocabulary, you are also picking up grammar tips as well. 

In this post, we’re going to show you 50 words with their meanings and sentences.

1. Accommodate

Meaning: 

This is a verb that means that you gave consideration to someone. It’s often used to say that you agreed to a request.

Sentence:

The shopkeeper accommodated Jack’s request to buy a toothbrush, even if he was already closing up.

2. Advantageous

Meaning:

This is an adjective that means that you gave or were given an advantage. It is a synonym for favorable.

Sentence:

They specifically looked for a hostel near the train station as it would be advantageous for their travel plans.

3. Absolve

Meaning:

This verb is used to say that you have forgiven someone or decided that they are not guilty

Sentence:

After listening to their story, the policeman absolved them and turned their attention to the truck driver.

4. Antidote

Meaning:

An antidote is a noun that means something that will relieve or counteract the negative effects of something. It’s commonly used to talk about a cure for poison.

Sentence: 

A stroll in the sunny park was the perfect antidote to Mark’s bad mood.

5. Boredom

Meaning: 

You can use this noun to say that you, or someone else, are very disinterested in what is happening or about the current state of affairs. Most of the time, people who are suffering from boredom need to try something new.

Sentence:

Boredom drove me to finally pursue my dream of learning Russian.

6. Broach

Meaning: 

You can use this verb if you want to say that someone introduced a topic into the conversation.

Sentence:

The teacher broached the subject about different swear words in Chinese.

7. Clannish

Meaning: 

This adjective is used to describe a group of people who are very close and as such rather closed off or standoffish towards others.

Sentence:

Their clannish behavior makes it hard to approach them to ask for help.

8. Competence

Meaning:

This noun is used to indicate that someone is considered capable of doing a good job.

Sentence:

Fred’s competence as an engineer led to his being entrusted with several projects for the organization.

9. Compassion

Meaning:

This is a noun that is used to describe acting with kindness or pity.

Sentence:

Show some compassion for those left homeless by the fire and donate some clothes you no longer use.

10. Consider 

Meaning: 

This is a verb that means to think carefully about a decision you need to make.

Sentence:

Before deciding what language to learn, you need to consider what language is important for your career.

11. Cull

Meaning:

This is a noun that means to reduce the population of a group of animals by killing a select few.

Sentence:

The farmer will cull sickly chickens in the hope of saving the flock.

12. Dauntless

Meaning:

This adjective is used to describe a person or a person’s actions that are considered bold or brave. It also implies that they are persistent in the face of danger or people advising them to change their minds.

Sentence:

The most famous explorers in history needed to be dauntless in the face of the unknown.

13. Dreary

Meaning: 

The adjective is used to describe a situation or a person that is gloomy or cheerless.

Sentence:

Dark clouds and the hint of rain cast a dreary light over the beach.

14. Evident

Meaning:

This adjective is used to say that something is clear, easily seen, or understood.

Sentence:

Bert’s eagerness to learn is evident in the way he keeps asking for new lists of idioms and their meanings.

15. Flurry

Meaning: 

This noun is a synonym for the commotion. It means that a lot of activity is taking place.

Sentence:

The news that their mother was on the way home caused a flurry of activity as the children put away their toys.

16. Fickle

Meaning:

You can use this adjective to indicate that someone changes their mind often.

Sentence:

Mark was very fickle when we were younger; he first wanted to be a doctor, then an actor, before he decided to just go to culinary school.

17. Fictitious

Meaning:

This word is an adjective that describes something that is imaginary. A character in a fiction book is fictitious.

Sentence:

I know he is a fictitious character, but I would love to find my own Mr. Darcy.

18. Irate

Meaning:

You use this adjective when you want to say that someone is angry and irritated.

Sentence:

Polly was irate that John and his friends insisted on playing loud music as she tried to study.

19. Gambol

Meaning: 

You can use this verb if you want to say that someone or something is running and jumping around in a playful manner.

Sentence:

Watching the children gambol with their new puppy really lifted my spirits.

20. Grotesque

Meaning: 

You can use this adjective to say that you think something is very ugly and odd-looking. 

Sentence:

The gargoyles on medieval cathedrals were deliberately carved to be as grotesque as possible.

21. Jubilant

Meaning: 

This adjective is used to imply that someone is extremely, visibly happy about something.

Sentence:

Henry and Paul were so jubilant over their football team winning they were dancing in the street.

22. Justifiable

Meaning: 

When you use this adjective, you are saying that someone’s actions were reasonable or acceptable.

Sentence:

Given the fact that she needed to take her cat to the vet this morning, it was justifiable that Karen was later to our lunch.

23. Laud

Meaning: 

This is a verb that means that someone is praising someone else in a public setting.

Sentence:

The mayor lauded the efforts of the city’s firemen in quickly putting out the blaze.

24. Laconic

Meaning:

This is an adjective that means brief. It’s usually meant to describe a short answer to a question. A laconic person is someone who can be referred to by the idiom “man of few words”.

Sentence:

The always laconic Pedro just said “yes” to the proposal.

25. Mammoth

Meaning:

This adjective is used to describe something that is very, very big. Synonyms for this word are huge and enormous.

Sentence: 

The huge burger also came with a mammoth heap of fries.

26. Meddlesome

Meaning:

This adjective is used to describe behavior that is considered interfering or intrusive. The English idiom “stick their nose in” describes a meddlesome person.

Sentence: 

The problem with a small town is the many meddlesome neighbors.

27. Misstep

Meaning:

People use this verb when they want to say someone misjudged the situation and did the wrong thing.

Sentence:

Mary made a misstep when she mentioned the professor’s ex-wife.

28. Obtuse

Meaning: 

This adjective is basically a synonym for stupid. Someone who is obtuse doesn’t seem to comprehend what is happening around them.

Sentence:

Bobby is so obtuse he didn’t understand that Fred was making fun of him.

29. Officious

Meaning: 

This is an adjective that is used to describe someone who is overeager and offering unwanted help.

Sentence:

Allan and Betty just wanted to browse, but the officious salesperson trailing them around made them uncomfortable.

30. Opulence

Meaning:

This is a noun that denotes a show of wealth or abundance.

Sentence:

The opulence of the grand hotel had them staring around in awe.

31. Overt

Meaning:

This adjective is used to say that something is obvious. It is a synonym for apparent.

Sentence:

There were no overt signs that Zoe had heard Dan and Ben talking about her.

32. Pallid

Meaning: 

This adjective is used to describe someone who is pale and white. It’s usually meant to say that someone looks unhealthy.

Sentence:

After coming home from the hospital, friends were concerned about how pallid John still looked.

33. Paragon

Meaning: 

A paragon is someone who is considered a perfect example. This noun is a synonym for model.

Sentences:

Superheroes were originally meant to be paragons of humanity.

34. Pariah

Meaning: 

This is a noun that is used to describe someone who is a social outcast or who is being shunned by the majority of their social group.

Sentence:

After Ben was caught trying to pass off Mandy’s work as his own, he became the office pariah.

35. Perfunctory

Meaning:

This adjective is used to describe how someone performs a dull and routine task. Someone performs their duty perfunctory if they do it and do it properly but have little interest in it.  

Sentence:

Alice was a perfunctory employee; she accomplished her tasks and went home.

36. Precocious

Meaning:

This adjective is usually used when describing children. It means that someone displays behavior that is advanced for their age.

Sentence: 

Sally was always precocious; she was reading Shakespeare by age seven.

37. Propensity

Meaning: 

This is a noun that is used to say that someone has a natural inclination or preference for something.

Sentence:

While Sam is very smart, he has a propensity to be dismissive of others’ opinions.

38. Quandary

Meaning:

This is a noun that means a difficult situation or decision.

Sentence:

 Having to decide between his job and an opportunity to study abroad had Harry in a quandary.

39. Querulous

Meaning: 

This is an adjective that is used to describe someone who is fretful or has a habit of whining or complaining.

Sentence:

While Mindy loved working at the nursing home, Mr. Santos strained her patients with his querulous questions about meals.

40. Ransack

Meaning: 

When you use the verb ransack you are saying that someone was searching for something so frantically, that they made a huge mess.

Sentence:

I ransacked my room looking for my phone and it turned out to be behind the sofa cushions. 

41. Rebuke

Meaning:

This is a verb that means to scold or criticize someone.

Sentence:

Seeing how hurt Peter was at Alice’s words, Lucy rebuked her friend.

42. Revelry 

Meaning:

This is a noun to denote a feeling of festivity or celebration.

Sentence: 

The revelry of the town festival is something you don’t want to miss.

43. Rift

Meaning: 

A rift is a division or a gap. You can use this noun to say that two people disagreed about something and it ruined their relationship.

Sentence:

The rift between Tom and Nick happened when they found themselves competing for the same job.

44. Simpleton

Meaning:

This noun is used for someone who is not very bright or who has a low mental capacity.

Sentence:

He’s a simpleton and doesn’t really understand why people laugh at him.

45. Spurious

Meaning:

The use of this adjective implies that something is false or counterfeit.

Sentence:

Politicians make a lot of spurious promises during the campaign trail.

46. Strain

Meaning:

When someone or something is under strain, they cannot meet the demands of the situation. This noun means that the resources available are just barely meeting the need or are on the verge of running out.

Sentence:

Between losing her job and her mortgage, having to pay for car repairs really strained Jenny’s budget.

47. Teem

Meaning:

You can use this verb to say that something is full or overflowing.

Sentence: 

The bar was teeming with language learners hoping to practice their conversational skills.

48. Tout

Meaning: 

This verb means that someone is praising or promoting a person or a product.

Sentence:

Much of my makeup collection consists of products touted by my favorite beauty bloggers.

49. Tranquil

Meaning: 

This is an adjective that is used to describe someone who is at peace or to say that the mood is peaceful.

Sentence:

The tranquil mood of the quiet beach was just what I needed to destress after a tough week.

50. Unscathed

Meaning:

This adjective describes someone or something that was untouched or unhurt by a bad situation like an accident.

Sentence: 

While Kyle had a small cut on his forehead, Lindsey was unscathed by the accident.

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If you’re interested in expanding your English vocabulary even further, consider these excellent online learning resources: Kick off your journey with Babbel, offering user-friendly, engaging lessons tailored to fit seamlessly into your daily schedule. If you want something more in-depth, there's a great English course on Coursera that covers everything from the basics to more advanced topics. For a more personalized learning experience, connect with native English tutors on Preply, enhancing your speaking and comprehension skills. Take advantage of a 50% discount on your first Preply session by using this link.

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