Intermediate — Set 32

Set 32 of Intermediate covers 5 words: concerned, contain, approve, resemble, invest. Each entry below includes its definition, an example sentence, and synonyms — practice them with the interactive cards above.

1. concerned · adjective/kənˈsərnd/

   worried

   His family must be really concerned about his recent behavior and choices.

   Synonyms: anxious, disturbed, uneasy, troubled

2. contain · verb/kənˈteɪn/

   to have something as a part

   He gave her a box containing a diamond ring.

   Synonyms: include, involve

   Origin: Middle English: from Old French contenir, from Latin continere, from con- ‘altogether’ + tenere ‘to hold’

3. approve · verb/əˈpruv/

   to think that something is good or right

   We worked hard on the proposal, but our boss did not approve of the arrangement.

   Synonyms: accept, confirm

   Origin: Middle English: from Old French aprover, from Latin approbare (see approbate). The original sense was ‘prove, demonstrate’, later ‘corroborate, confirm’, hence ‘pronounce to be satisfactory’ (late Middle English)

4. resemble · verb/rəˈzɛmb(ə)l/

   to look like or be like something or someone

   They did not look alike as children, but over the years they have come to resemble each other.

   Synonyms: take after, mirror, mimic

   Origin: Middle English: from Old French resembler, based on Latin similare (from similis ‘like’)

5. invest · verb/ɪnˈvɛst/

   to put money, time, or effort into something to gain a future benefit

   He has invested a lot of money in the stock market.

   Synonyms: finance, fund, put money into

   Origin: mid 16th century (in the senses ‘clothe’, ‘clothe with the insignia of a rank’, and ‘endow with authority’): from French investir or Latin investire, from in- ‘into, upon’ + vestire ‘clothe’ (from vestis ‘clothing’). invest (sense 1) (early 17th century) is influenced by Italian investire