adventurous, imaginative, considerate, reliable, reasonable: meanings and examples

Learn these 5 words from Upper-Intermediate set 37. Each entry includes a definition, example sentence, pronunciation, and synonyms. Use the interactive cards above to practice them.

1. adventurous · adjective/ədˈvɛn(t)ʃ(ə)rəs/

   willing to try new, exciting, or risky experiences

   Adventurous visitors should take the opportunity to access the wide forest using the extensive network of bicycle routes.

   Synonyms: risk-taking, courageous

   Origin: Middle English: from Old French aventureus, from aventure (see adventure)

2. imaginative · adjective/ɪˈmædʒ(ə)nədɪv/

   able to think of creative and original ideas

   It is believed that so as to be more imaginative, one has to see opportunities for creative thinking, even in the most boring parts of his/her work.

   Synonyms: creative

3. considerate · adjective/kənˈsɪdərət/

   careful not to inconvenience or hurt other people

   It was obvious that my sister and I had to talk about our relationship; however, her colleague was not considerate enough to leave us alone.

   Synonyms: thoughtful

   Origin: late 16th century (in the sense ‘showing careful thought’): from Latin consideratus, past participle of considerare ‘examine’ (see consider)

4. reliable · adjective/rəˈlaɪəb(ə)l/

   able to be trusted or depended on

   During recruitment, an integrity test is given to the applicant to see how reliable they are as employees and to what extent they could be trusted.

   Synonyms: dependable, trustworthy

5. reasonable · adjective/ˈrizənəb(ə)l/

   fair, sensible, and based on good judgment

   A reasonable boss will try to prevent you from resigning provided that you're a dependable employee and a contributor to the team you work in.

   Synonyms: logical, plausible, rational

   Origin: Middle English: from Old French raisonable, suggested by Latin rationabilis ‘rational’, from ratio (see reason)