Academic Word of the Day Set 18

2025-10-24

18

technique  AWL

NOUN COUNTABLE a process needing skill and often particular tools or instruments

One more technique scientists have developed to see molecules is called cyro-electron microscopy. (Helms 2022) Volcanologists can predict if a volcano is about to erupt by using several techniques. (Skilling 2020) This technique, called the molecular clock, works by sampling the genetics of modern animals and comparing their DNA. (Anderson 2023) We could learn a thing or two from Aboriginal people and the techniques they have traditionally used to prevent bushfires. (Evans 2020) Mindfulness and relaxation techniques can enhance emotional intelligence and creativity, while a variety of different practices can help with assertiveness. (Becker and O’Connor 2019) Common collocates for this word:

technique

new
good
similar
different
classical
useful
statistical
basic
simple
effective
particular
analytical
alternative
powerful
standard

Word Family: technique (noun)Synonyms: skill, craft, proficiency, method, system24/10/2025 - Set 18

2025-10-23

18

accessible  AWL AKL OPAL NGSL

ADJECTIVE easy to use, obtain or enter

If our public spaces are not accessible to all, then they cannot be truly public. (Cucuzzella 2025) Our objective must be to teach students how to make our built environment more inclusive and universally accessible through creative means rather than basic technological add-ons. (Cucuzzella 2025) The road to an active lifestyle is more accessible and achievable than we thought – and is not just for gym regulars. (Diaz and Chastin 2021) Students in our research also reported that accessible spaces and equipment – such as an ergonomic chair – were not reliably available during exams. (Tai et al. 2023) Countries across the globe could benefit from adopting this model, including South Africa, where despite industry pledges not to sell to schools, unhealthy foods and beverages remain easily accessible and available in schools. (Erzse 2023) Accessible venues will not just benefit wheelchair users. Older people, those with impaired mobility and people who push prams and tow suitcases all benefit. (Clifton 2024) Common collocates for this word:

accessible

areas
countryside
form
way
route
place
information
manner
source
service
introduction
parts
books
settlements
toilet

Word Family: accessible (adjective), access (verb), access (noun), accessibility (noun)Synonyms: reachable, attainable, available 23/10/2025 - Set 18

2025-10-22

18

annual  AWL AKL OPAL NGSL

ADJECTIVE happening once every year

When on annual leave, try to spend as much time as you can in nature because it is associated an improvement in both emotional and psychological health. (Burke 2022) The annual World Economic Forum in Davos brought together representatives from government and business to deliberate how to solve the worsening climate and ecological crisis. (Alberro 2020) The draft decision will be considered at the annual meeting of the World Heritage Committee in July, chaired by China and comprising 21 countries. (Day, Heron, and Hughes 2021) Fruit and vegetable growing is one of Australia’s most important agricultural sectors, with an annual production value (excluding wine grapes) exceeding A 11 billion in 2021–2022. (Bohra and Varshney 2023) From tropical forests to polar ice caps and abyssal depths, the annual journey of Earth around the Sun brings distinct seasons to all corners of the planet. (Carrasco and Tonkin 2025) Common collocates for this word:

annual

report
meeting
conference
rate
budget
event
dinner
growth
income
fee
basis
turnover
accounts
sales
leave

Word Family: annual (adjective), annually (adverb)Synonyms: yearly 22/10/2025 - Set 18

2025-10-21

18

commitment  AWL AKL NGSL

NOUN COUNTABLE a promise or a willingness to do something

Interviewees emphasised the need for strategic and critical thinking skills, the ability to discern right from wrong and the commitment to do what is right. (Mlambo et al. 2025) Creating an inclusive school environment is a complex task, one that requires a firm, unwavering commitment and coordinated action by all members of the school community. (Ruíz 2024) It said the plan requires stronger and clearer commitments, in particular on urgently addressing threats from climate change, and improving water quality and land management. (Day, Heron, and Hughes 2021) The timescale for the transition to 100% renewable energy – electricity, heat and transport – depends on each country or region and the commitment of its governments. (Diesendorf 2016) But to sustain these initiatives, government must demonstrate that its commitment to citizen participation is credible and is not part of a rudimentary check-list. (Bansah 2022) Common collocates for this word:

commitment

strong
personal
total
political
long-term
firm
real
clear
continuing
financial
full
continued
ideological
positive
genuine

Word Family: commitment (noun), commit (verb)Synonyms: promise, dedication, determination, guarantee 21/10/2025 - Set 18

2025-10-20

18

communicate  AWL AKL OPAL NGSL

VERB TRANSITIVE or INTRANSITIVE to share information with others through language, signs or other means

Neurons communicate with each other by sending chemical and electrical signals. (Chronaki 2019) Scholars often communicate by publishing research papers. (Behles 2021) But having longer top eyelashes can also help us express our feelings and communicate with others. (Moro and Stromberga 2020) These are called neurochemicals and are the way brain cells communicate with each other. (Hehr and Marusak 2021) Grammar is how we organise our words and sentences to communicate with others and to express ourselves. (Adoniou 2014) Common collocates for this word:

communicate

effectively
directly
better
successfully
clearly
verbally
well
efficiently
properly
easily
intelligibly
confidently
adequately
instantly
privately
orally

Word Family: communicate (verb), communication (noun), communicative (adjective)Synonyms: inform, report, notify 20/10/2025 - Set 18

2025-10-17

18

concentration  AWL OPAL NGSL

NOUN COUNTABLE 1. thinking carefully about something without being distracted; 2. the amount of one substance found in another

Thinking carefullySo we can think of concentration as the “mental energy” or “thinking petrol” your brain needs to focus. (Munro 2020) When it comes to lighting, for most people, brighter white lighting helps concentration. (Munro 2020) By planning studying sessions in a way that minimises external distractors, you could improve your concentration and overall performance. (Vasilev 2019)Amount of one substance found in another Researchers have shown protocells just will not form in the presence of the concentrations of sodium chloride, magnesium and calcium found in seawater. (Jordan 2019) That’s why we say that seawater has a much higher concentration of salt – or “salinity” – than the freshwater flowing through rivers and streams. (Little 2019) Had this event happened in a world where carbon dioxide concentrationswere instead at pre-industrial levels, the rains probably would have been less intense.(Clarke, Otto, and Harrington 2022) Common collocates for this word:

concentration

high
final
intense
industrial
increased
low
heavy
total
poor
great
critical
exclusive
increasing
large
admissible

Word Family: concentration (noun), concentrate (verb)Synonyms: diligence, absorption 17/10/2025 - Set 18

2025-10-16

18

cycle  AWL

NOUN COUNTABLE the return of a process to its starting point

There are 12 cycles of the moon each year, so the calendar was divided into twelve months. (Parish 2022) When we sleep we go through cycles consisting of light and deep stages of sleep. (Zajamsek and Micic 2020) As climate change affects the water cycle, some regions may have less precipitation and consequently less hydropower generation. (Tarroja 2022) Fire is part of that cycle, turning solid carbon in plants back into carbon dioxide gas. (Archibald 2021) While evidence clearly implicates El Niño, we found this climate cycle had a very large accomplice: the Moon. (Saintilan 2022) Milankovitch cycles have also influenced the migration and evolution of flora and fauna including our own species.(Davies and Lantink 2022) Common collocates for this word:

cycle

economic
hydrological
vicious
annual
solar
complete
whole
reproductive
new
lunar
natural
combined
entire
regular
menstrual

Word Family: cycle (noun), cycle (verb), cyclical (adjective)Synonyms: sequence, succession, circle 16/10/2025 - Set 18

2025-10-15

18

debate  AWL AKL OPAL NGSL

NOUN COUNTABLE a formal discussion taking place in person or through written communication

In 1938, a British engineer and amateur meteorologist made a discovery that set off a fierce debate about climate change. (Dee 2022) Scholarly debates need to be free and without let or hindrance. (Adesina 2020) The debate about no-platforming and “cancel culture” has largely revolved around free speech and the question of whether it is ever right to deny it. (Douglas and Lord 2020) But an important debate did surface – that is, the question of who, or what, is to blame for the crisis. (Alberro 2020) Our results clearly support the beneficial effects of both moderate and vigorous physical activity on cognitive functioning, fuelling an important scientific debate. (Cheval and Boisgontier 2023) Common collocates for this word:

debate

public
political
considerable
heated
great
parliamentary
national
current
lively
long
open
fierce
recent
major
important

Word Family: debate (noun), debate (verb), debatable (adjective)Synonyms: discussion, deliberation, argument 15/10/2025 - Set 18

2025-10-14

18

domestic  AWL OPAL NGSL

ADJECTIVE taking place at home or in a home country

Although 96% of all these countries have some form of domestic anti-trafficking legislation in place, many of them appear to have failed to prohibit other types of human exploitation in their domestic law. (Allain and Schwarz 2020) Currently, gold contributes 12% to Ghana’s Gross Domestic Product. (Bansah 2022) One Indigenous community there is successfully growing peaches and lemons for the domestic market and avocados for the international market, while also planting native pines on their communal lands. (Fernández 2024) The advent of precision farming comes at a time of significant upheaval in the global supply chain and as the number of foreign and domestic hackers with the ability to exploit this technology continues to grow. (Doctor and Grispos 2022) This requires both the discovery of new technologies and the application of these technologies to new and existing industries, in both domestic and international markets. (Coleborne and McGuire 2023) Common collocates for this word:

domestic

product
market
violence
policy
service
life
economy
law
rates
demand
affairs
work
politics
servants
consumption

Word Family: domestic (adjective), domesticity (noun)Synonyms: native, home, indigenous, home-grown, endemic 14/10/2025 - Set 18

2025-10-13

18

emerge  AWL AKL OPAL

VERB INTRANSITIVE to appear, come into view or existence

Without the daily ebb and flow of water, it’s possible life would never have emerged from the sea onto land. (Laycock 2023) The industry emerged and developed in regions with coal resources and rapid industrialisation, such as the UK. (Bauer and Nielsen 2021) Since our species, Homo sapiens, emerged about 300,000 years ago in Africa, we have spread around the world. (Su 2022) If the attack was successful, the fox will emerge from the snow with a lemming in its mouth. (Job 2021) And over time humans in various cultures have noticed patterns that emerge in numbers, and developed mathematical systems around them. (Galligan 2019) Terms like vagrant, native, invasive, migrant and colonist all emerge from centuries of political discourses describing which persons belong where. (Craciun 2023) Common collocates for this word:

emerge

eventually
then
suddenly
finally
soon
ultimately
probably
often
never
occasionally
necessarily
slowly
always
gradually
typically

Word Family: emerge (verb), emergence (noun)Synonyms: appear, come out, become visible/apparent 13/10/2025 - Set 18