Academic Word of the Day Set 14

Previous Academic Word of the Day Sets

This page contains words from Set 14

This page examines particular academic words and their usage in academic writing.

For each word, it examines the meaning or meanings of that word and its collocations, connotations, other words in the same word families, possible synonyms, antonyms, and lexical phrases, and provides examples of its use in authentic texts which are cited and listed in the bibliography. Occasionally, where an example is taken from a text which is particularly rich in examples of the headword, the citation is also a link to the source article. There is also an indication of whether the word appears in an academic word list. These are:

AWL: The Academic Word List
NAWL: The New Academic Word List
AKL: The Academic Keyword List
OPAL: The Oxford Phrasal Academic Lexicon
NGSL: The New General Service List (a basic word list rather than an academic one)

In the example sentences the words of the day are highlighted in red. Other 'academic words' are highlighted in bold.
Where the example sentences contain 'academic' words, these are highlighted in bold, as in this paragraph. Only words from the Academic Word List (AWL), the New Academic Word List (NAWL) or some from the Academic Keyword List (AKL) are highlighted. This gives you an idea of how common and important these words are in these types of academic or technical texts.

If you need to find or highlight academic words in a text you can use the Academic Word Highlighter. This gives you a choice about which word list to use for highlighting.

The words of the day appear in order by date.

section AWL AKL OPAL NGSL: NOUN COUNTABLE 1. a part; 2. a subdivision of a written text, especially a legal one.
Fresh tomatoes are usually purchased in a supermarket’s fresh produce section, to be consumed whole, chopped or sliced. (Muhammad and Ribera 2025)
This gene helps regulate the body’s response to hormones such as testosterone and contains a section where a DNA sequence is repeated. (Carroll 2025)
They [police officers] are primarily governed by the same law as other citizens, namely section three of the Criminal Law Act 1967 which states: “A person may use such force as is reasonable in the circumstances in the prevention of crime.”(Clapham 2017)
The Golden Mean – also known as the Golden Section or the Divine Proportion – is a mathematical concept that is typically traced to the 15th century, a period in which geometry served both practical and symbolic purposes. (Ostwald 2013)
Sports receive an exemption from income tax if, under section 50-45 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997, a club or association encourages or promotes a game or sport. (McLaren and Nichol 2025)
AI-generated content is produced by the AI itself. This could mean that the AI tool generates significant portions of text, or even entire sections, based on detailed instructions (prompts) provided by the author. (Laher 2025)
Common collocates for this word:

section

previous
final
thin
separate
following
large
small
short
particular
preceding
central
special
northern
concluding
upper

Word Family: section (noun), sectional (adjective)
Synonyms: part, segment, sector, portion
29/08/2025 - Set 14
abnormal AWL: ADJECTIVE ATTRIBUTIVE or PREDICATIVE not normal or typical; irregular
This adjective is often used to describe medical or psychiatric problems, as in all the following examples,
First, the dividing line between normal and abnormal is arbitrary. The fact the survey concluded “one in three Australians aged 18 years and over (32.8% or 5.6 million people) had abnormal or high total cholesterol levels” suggests “abnormal” is also very close to average. (Glasziou 2013)
Eating disorders, such as anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder, involve abnormal eating patterns and attitudes towards eating that significantly interfere with day-to-day life. (Barker and Brewer 2019)
There are a number of other specific conditions that may also be associated with abnormal brain wiring. (Barker 2017)
Even though the brain is only two per cent of our total body mass, it consumes up to 25 per cent of our energy and is particularly affected by changes in calorie intake. This means that abnormal meal times are bound to have negative health outcomes. (Koning and Brietzke 2022)
Individuals with depression and bipolar disorder have abnormal dopamine levels. (Koning and Brietzke 2022)
Common collocates for this word:

abnormal

behaviour
results
development
offenders
gene
cells
values
situation
activity
symptoms
conditions
changes
times
number
proteins

Word Family: abnormal (adjective), abnormality (noun), abnormally (adverb)
Synonyms: unusual, atypical, irregular, unnatural, strange,
Lexical phrases: assess the [performance, impact, extent, value, effect, potential, effectiveness, ...]

28/08/2025 - Set 14
achievement AWL AKL NGSL: NOUN COUNTABLE the process of reaching a specific goal, often after a period of serious effort
Our new report shows that gaps in achievement between white, Black and Hispanic students in elementary school are primarily explained by differences in family socioeconomic status. (Hu and Morgan 2024)
Under this approach, every student is expected to make excellent progress every year towards the achievement of high standards – regardless of their current levels of attainment. (Masters 2017)
Many alumni told me that success isn’t just a matter of personal achievement – it’s about giving back to society. (Abouchalache 2025)
During the 1800s, students’ achievement in school was communicated to parents through oral progress reports (typically through a visit from teachers to the student’s parents at home). (Coombs et al. 2023)
It’s a common perception that students “earn” grades for their achievement at school; in this way, grades have become the primary currency of learning. (Coombs et al. 2023)
Common collocates for this word:

achievement

remarkable
educational
great
academic
major
outstanding
considerable
personal
technical
notable
significant
technological
unique
supreme
positive

Word Family: achievement (noun), achieve (verb)
Synonyms: attainment, accomplishment
Lexical phrases: [sense, record,level, recognition, evidence, felling standard, ...] of achievement

27/08/2025 - Set 14
administration AWL OPAL NGSL: NOUN COUNTABLE 1. the act or process of controlling an organisation, or the people who do this; 2. the people who are in control of a particular government
Voters’ trust in the electoral process in Britain is fragile and major difficulties on election day could easily undermine that further. Spending adequately on electoral administration is an investment in building and maintaining that trust. (Clark 2024)
[Civil servants] didn’t know how big data, artificial intelligence, robotics, or the automation of public administration could be used to improve public service. Being aware of these technologies and using them to the maximum advantage of public administration are two distinct things. (Mlambo et al. 2025)
Women represent just 22% of board chairs and 13% of CEOs across more than 60 Australian sporting organisations. Why is there such an imbalance? It may be because, in some sporting organisations, women do not get a fair go in progressing their careers in administration. (O’Shea and Fullagar 2019)
In a highly anticipated but not unexpected 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court ruled on June 30, 2022, that the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s authority under the Clean Air Act. (Parenteau 2022)
In 2014 the municipality was put under administration for a period of three months. This meant that an administrator, and not municipal executives, would oversee its day-to-day business. (Kotze 2020)
Common collocates for this word:

administration

public
social
new
local
central
territorial
colonial
educational
day-to-day
previous
civil
military
oral
efficient
internal

Word Family: administration (noun), administer (verb), administrative (adjective), administratively (adverb)
Synonyms: management, government
26/08/2025 - Set 14
category AWL AKL OPAL NGSL: NOUN COUNTABLE 1. a class (part of a classification system); 2.a group of similar items
For example, instead of saying “dog”, they might use an animal from the same category, saying “cat” for instance. In the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, however, these changes are more likely to be related to a broader or more general category such as saying “animal” instead of “cat”. (Curtis 2025)
More than one-third of the plastic polymers produced in 2015 were used for packaging. That category also generated the most waste. (Beckman 2018)
In summary, three categories of climate science disbelief are: sceptic, agnostic and denier. Three subdivisions of deniers are: naive, conspiracists and opportunists. (Ellerton 2019)
If there is no objective category boundary separating normality from abnormality we should not be surprised if people draw a boundary in different or shifting ways. (Haslam 2014)
Once we have more than two categories, pie charts can easily misrepresent percentages and become hard to read. (Barnett and Oguoma 2024)
Common collocates for this word:

category

grammatical
special
different
single
separate
syntactic
particular
social
general
broad
specific
certain
important
residual
final

Word Family: category (noun), categorize (verb), categorical (adjective), categorically (adverb)
Synonyms: class, group, set
25/08/2025 - Set 14
complexity AWL AKL OPAL NGSL: NOUN COUNTABLE the state of being difficult to understand because of the many features, parts and/or varied behaviours of the thing described; not simple
Much of the demand for consultancy services is driven by the increasing complexity of doing business, due to globalisation, digitalisation, changing regulations and many other factors. (Rinta-Kahila 2024)
These became encapsulated in simple cell membranes and grew further in complexity, producing molecules that could carry information and eventually DNA. (Jordan 2019)
However, the problem of the origin of life is not solved yet, with ongoing promising research from several different theories. (Jordan 2019)
It would be easy to assume evolution works by continuously adding features to organisms, constantly increasing their complexity. (Guijarro-Clarke and Paps 2020)
Many successful branches of the tree of life have stayed simple, such as bacteria, or have reduced their complexity, such as parasites. (Guijarro-Clarke and Paps 2020)
Staying simple or reducing complexity may be better for survival than evolving with increased complexity, depending on the environment. (Guijarro-Clarke and Paps 2020)
Common collocates for this word:

complexity

increasing
great
growing
technical
full
syntactic
considerable
added
sheer
bewildering
structural
infinite
grammatical
immense
unnecessary

Word Family: complexity (noun), complex (adjective)
Synonyms: intricacy 22/08/2025 - Set 14
conclude AWL AKL OPAL NGSL: VERB TRANSITIVE or INTRANSITIVE to finish a process or series of actions
Even with the limitations of our data from this survey, however, we can conclude that banning phones in schools is unlikely to be an immediate solution to mental health problems of kids ages 11-13. (Bakour and Martin 2025)
There is a temptation to conclude from these findings that using technology leads to poorer memory — a conclusion that the authors of the study did not draw. (Cecutti and Lee 2021)
The fact the survey concluded “one in three Australians aged 18 years and over (32.8% or 5.6 million people) had abnormal or high total cholesterol levels” suggests “abnormal” is also very close to average. (Glasziou 2013)
Even where causation is present, we must be careful not to mix up the cause with the effect, or else we might conclude, for example, that an increased use of heaters causes colder weather. (Borwein (Jon) and Rose 2014)
When technology was available, people relied on it, but when it was not available, people were still perfectly capable of remembering. As such it would be hasty to conclude that technology impairs our ability to remember. (Cecutti and Lee 2021)
Word Family: conclude (verb), conclusion (noun), conclusive (adjective), conclusively (adverb)
Synonyms: finish, complete
21/08/2025 - Set 14
consume AWL OPAL NGSL: VERB TRANSITIVE 1. to use (especially of a resource which may be limited); 2. to eat
As part of a healthy diet, experts around the world advise people to consume a variety of foods. (Pink et al. 2020)
And it’s resource intensive: Avocado trees consume four to five times more water than Michoacán’s native pines, jeopardizing water resources for human consumption. (Fernández 2024)
And it’s resource intensive: Avocado trees consume four to five times more water than Michoacán’s native pines, jeopardizing water resources for human consumption. (Fernández 2024)
By choosing to consume less or more mindfully, younger individuals can project an image of thoughtfulness, responsibility and uniqueness — qualities that are increasingly valued in the social media landscape. (Fares and Lee 2024)
Economic resources shape what we buy and consume, but price plays a paradoxical role in the realm of sustainable consumption. (Boeuf 2024)
Common collocates for this word:

consume

energy
alcohol
carbon
caffeine
oxygen
food
time
gallons
foods
goods
resources
chocolate
butter
beer
meat

Word Family: consume (verb), consumption (noun)
Synonyms: use, eat

20/08/2025 - Set 14
distinction AWL AKL OPAL NGSL: NOUN COUNTABLE 1. a particular difference which sets something apart from others of a similar type; 2. a mark or recognition of excellence
It is important, however, to draw a distinction between a sedentary lifestyle and physical inactivity. (Porcar and Díaz 2025)
There is an important distinction between “imported” and “locally acquired” cases of malaria. (Webb 2025)
Several decades ago, assessment used to be “norm referenced”. This means the performance of students was measured against their peers. In this system, the best students get high distinctions, the worst fail and there’s a bell curve in between. (Dawson and Corbin 2024)
So, with what confidence can we say that the distinction achieved in a course at a given higher education institution in Australia would be comparable with a distinction at any other higher education institution?(Finger and Alexander 2014)
But if ‘entitled to an opinion’ means ‘entitled to have your views treated as serious candidates for the truth’ then it’s pretty clearly false. And this too is a distinction that tends to get blurred. (Stokes 2012)
Common collocates for this word:

distinction

clear
important
sharp
real
fundamental
great
crucial
useful
social
simple
dubious
traditional
clear-cut
basic
conceptual

Word Family: distinction (noun), distinguish (verb)
Synonyms: difference, contrast, disparity Lexical phrases: inconsistency [in, between]

19/08/2025 - Set 14
finalise AWL: VERB TRANSITIVE to end a process by putting the finishing touches to something or to put into an accepted or prescribed final form (e.g. for publishing)
In terms of transparency, government has yet to finalise how it communicates the costs, funding, rationale and expected benefits of committed unsolicited proposals. (Gleeson et al. 2019)
After an interim report in July, the review panel is due to finalise its work in December. (Norton 2023)
The EU took until December 2021 to finalise the technical rules defining sustainable investments. (Yadav 2022)
The former Coalition government had planned to finalise a new National Skills Agreement in the second half of 2022. But the election changed the timeline. (Jones and Seet 2023)
But even with further work required to finalise details, the basic approach would remain the same. (Hildebrandt and Hurley 2024)
Common collocates for this word:

finalise

plans
method
agreement
arrangements
methods
contract
design
project
negotiations
payment
draft
recommendations
registration
report
preparations

Word Family: finalise (verb), final (adjective), finality (noun), finally (adverb)
Synonyms: settle, finish, resolve
18/08/2025 - Set 14

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