Upper-Intermediate — Set 70

Set 70 of Upper-Intermediate covers 5 words: adequate, incomplete, ultimate, spare, initial. Each entry below includes its definition, an example sentence, and synonyms — practice them with the interactive cards above.

1. adequate · adjective/ˈædəkwət/

   sufficient to meet a need

   Transportation facilities all across the nation were improved so that they would be adequate to meet transportation needs no matter how great the demand may become.

   Synonyms: enough, sufficient

   Origin: early 17th century: from Latin adaequatus ‘made equal to’, past participle of the verb adaequare, from ad- ‘to’ + aequus ‘equal’

2. incomplete · adjective/ˌɪnkəmˈplit/

   not completed

   Incomplete data in scientific research may have a profound effect on the conclusions that can be drawn from the data.

   Synonyms: deficient, unfinished

   Origin: late Middle English: from late Latin incompletus, from Latin in- ‘not’ + completus ‘filled, finished’ (see complete)

3. ultimate · adjective/ˈəltəmət/

   eventual, the last

   The ultimate goal of education is helping individuals question life and be independent learners able to tell right from wrong.

   Synonyms: final, latest

   Origin: mid 17th century: from late Latin ultimatus, past participle of ultimare ‘come to an end’

4. spare · adjective/spɛr/

   free to be used or extra

   Mary had a spare room when her children left for university and she redecorated it as a hobby room for herself.

   Synonyms: extra, additional,unused

   Origin: Old English spær ‘not plentiful, meager’, sparian ‘refrain from injuring’, ‘refrain from using’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch and German sparen ‘to spare’

5. initial · adjective/ɪˈnɪʃ(ə)l/

   happening at the beginning, first

   My family's initial response to my marriage was not very positive, but then they got along very well with my husband.

   Synonyms: primary

   Origin: early 16th century: from Latin initialis, from initium ‘beginning’, from inire ‘go in’, from in- ‘into’ + ire ‘go’