compassionate, impoverished, segregate, allege, vengeful: meanings and examples

Learn these 5 words from Advanced Plus set 5. Each entry includes a definition, example sentence, pronunciation, and synonyms. Use the interactive cards above to practice them.

1. compassionate · adjective/kəmˈpæʃ.ən.ət/

   showing sympathy and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others

   She is a compassionate person who always helps those in need.

   Synonyms: caring, kind, sympathetic

   Origin: from Latin 'compassio', meaning 'to suffer with'

2. impoverished · adjective/ɪmˈpɑv.ɚ.ɪʃt/

   very poor and lacking basic resources

   Many impoverished families struggle to buy enough food each month.

   Synonyms: poor, deprived, destitute

   Origin: from Middle English impoverishen, based on Old French forms meaning to make poor

3. segregate · verb/ˈsɛɡ.rɪ.ɡeɪt/

   to set apart or separate from others

   The teacher decided to segregate the students into different groups based on their skill levels.

   Synonyms: separate, divide, isolate

   Origin: from Latin 'segregare', meaning 'to set apart' (se- 'apart' + gregare 'to gather')

4. allege · verb/əˈlɛdʒ/

   to state or declare that something is the case without providing proof

   The teacher alleged that the student cheated on the test.

   Synonyms: claim, assert, maintain

   Origin: from Old French 'alleguer' meaning 'to send forth' or 'to declare' which comes from Latin 'allegāre', meaning 'to dispatch' or 'to bring forth'.

5. vengeful · adjective/ˈvɛn.dʒfəl/

   having a strong desire for revenge

   Consumed by resentment, he became increasingly vengeful, determined to punish everyone he believed had betrayed him.

   Synonyms: vindictive, revengeful

   Origin: Derived from the word 'venge' combined with the suffix '-ful,' which means 'full of' or 'characterized by.'