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steady

adjective/ˈstɛdi/

constantly developing, unlikely to change

For the past 5 years, the new company of sustainable shoewear has been making steady progress in expanding its markets.

constantceaselessregular
word origin — Middle English (in the sense ‘unwavering, without deviation’): from stead+ -y. The verb dates from the mid 16th century

Advanced — Set 50

Set 50 of Advanced covers 5 words: steady, impoverished, broke, affluent, stingy. Each entry below includes its definition, an example sentence, and synonyms — practice them with the interactive cards above.

  1. steady · adjective/ˈstɛdi/

    constantly developing, unlikely to change

    For the past 5 years, the new company of sustainable shoewear has been making steady progress in expanding its markets.

    Synonyms: constant, ceaseless, regular

    Origin: Middle English (in the sense ‘unwavering, without deviation’): from stead+ -y. The verb dates from the mid 16th century

  2. impoverished · adjective/ɪmˈpɑv(ə)rɪʃt/

    having been made poor, of an area or a person

    Due to a history of relentless exploitation, many countries across Africa have become war-torn and impoverished.

    Synonyms: needy, poverty-stricken, penniless

  3. broke · adjective/breɪk/

    without money or savings

    He asked his friend for some money to take a taxi home as he was completely broke.

    Synonyms: penniless, bankrupt, destitute

    Origin: Old English brecan (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch breken and German brechen, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin frangere ‘to break’

  4. affluent · adjective/ˈæˌfluənt/

    having a lot of money

    Studies indicate that the affluent do not, in fact, donate more to charities than the less prosperous.

    Synonyms: wealthy, prosperous, upscale

    Origin: late Middle English (in affluent (sense 2 of the adjective)): via Old French from Latin affluent- ‘flowing towards, flowing freely’, from the verb affluere, from ad- ‘to’ + fluere ‘to flow’

  5. stingy · adjective/ˈstɪndʒi/

    unwilling to spend or give money

    Hank was known to be a rather stingy old man and never left as much as a tip at a restaurant.

    Synonyms: selfish, ungenerous

    Origin: mid 17th century: perhaps a dialect variant of the noun sting+ -y