Academic Word of the Day Set 3

This page contains words from Set 3

Today's word is:

2025-03-28

3

development   AKL OPAL NGSL

NOUN COUNTABLE A process, or the result, of change. This process may be a natural one or the result of human intervention. Usually this process is seen as a positive one; an improvement.
Adolescent development is a complex process with very particular characteristics. They cannot yet be considered as adults, but childish behaviours are also being left far behind. (Viejo and Fernández 2022)
Cities are home to a wide range of plants and animals, including 30% of Australia’s threatened species. But ongoing population growth and urban development threatens this biodiversity. (Humphrey 2025)
Having lasting, meaningful friendships is extremely important for children’s health, development and wellbeing. (Geng and Slee 2025)
Child development is a dynamic, interactive process. Every child is unique in interacting with the world around them, and what they invoke and receive from others and the environment also shapes how they think and behave. (Huang 2018)
Not all developments are positive as you can see in this example.
A clear understanding of molecular mechanisms involved in the development of cancer cells could help us to identify and correct genetic mutations so that the abnormality in the cell division might be ruled over. (Kashyap and Dubey 2022)
When the plural is used it usually refers to a completed innovation or invention rather than the actual process of change.
But in archaeology, major developments were seen even before the first early modern human fossils emerged. Two key developments were the appearance of projectile (spear) points and the long-distance transport of materials. (Gowlett 2024)
Common collocates for this word:

development

economic
rural
professional
industrial
regional
new
social
urban
personal
sustainable
national
overseas
historical
agricultural
future

Word Family: development (noun), develop (verb), developing (adjective)
Synonyms: growth, evolution, invention, innovation
Lexical phrases: [in, to, for, on, of, with …] the development of
28/03/25 - Set 3

Test your understanding of words 21 - 30 with these quick quizzes: Quiz 3 Quiz 3B Quiz 3C

2025-03-27

3

hierarchy  AWL NAWL OPAL

NOUN COUNTABLE A system in which items are arranged according to their importance or precedence.
In Ukraine, 4,000 year-old cities show little evidence of hierarchy or centralized control. And in modern times, hunter-gatherers shift between hierarchy and equality, depending on the season. (Venkataraman 2022)
Darwin's belief that hierarchies are necessary for groups to succeed pervades the social sciences. [...] But do hierarchies actually improve group functioning? At first blush, the ubiquity of hierarchy would seem to suggest the answer is “yes.” Many scholars have argued that hierarchies are a universal feature of all human groups, including organizations [...]. (Anderson and Brown 2010)
Maslow’s needs theory proposes a hierarchy of needs and argues for their sequential satisfaction. The theory has been very influential in development studies, in the establishment of development priorities, in the design of policies and social programs, and in the role economic growth plays as central development instrument. (Rojas, Méndez, and Watkins-Fassler 2023)
The waste hierarchy indicates an order of preference for different measures to reduce and manage waste. (Williams 2016)
Hierarchy is a basic element of social life. It defines the day-to-day reality of members of countless species across the animal kingdom, including numerous types of insects, fish, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Higher-ranking individuals typically enjoy various privileges compared to their lower-ranking counterparts, varying from preferential access to food and mates to greater influence on group decisions. (Kleef and Cheng 2020)
Common collocates for this word:

hierarchy

social
managerial
administrative
branching
military
orgnanisational
urban
corporate
traditional
simple
political
bureaucratic
rigid
occupational
digital

hierarchical

structure
manner
fashion
order
classification
nature
organization
levels
model
clustering
data
relationships
control
relations
authority

Word Family: hierarchy (noun), hierarchical (adjective), hierarchically (adverb)
Synonyms: level, rank, tier
Lexical phrases: in [the, a] hierarchy of
27/03/25 - Set 3

2025-03-26

3

justification  AWL NAWL OPAL

NOUN COUNTABLE An argument presented in defence of, or reason for, an action, behaviour or opinion.
If the arts make children happy and feel good about themselves, give them a sense of achievement and help them to appreciate beauty, then that is justification in itself. (See 2015)
Why can’t you get married until you’re 16, drive until you’re 17, and vote until you’re 18? The usual justification for these age limits is that they reflect the growing development of young people’s minds. (Kelly 2018)
Considering that justification requires people to use more cognitive effort in their decision making, these previous studies show the close connection between cognitive effort and justification. People may not be aversive to spending cognitive effort in appropriate contexts to find reasons to support their behaviors or decisions. (Park and Hill 2018)
The study of philosophy teaches students to consider the justification for arguments, the reasons supporting a position and to consider alternatives. (D’Olimpio 2014)
Common collocates for this word:

justification

sufficient
moral
legal
only
main
ample
theoretical
economic
possible
implicit
rational
partial
real
scientific
general

Word Family: justification (noun), justify (verb), justifiable (adjective), justifiably (adverb)
Synonyms: defence, reason, grounds, explanation, rationale
Lexical phrases: as a justification [for, of]; [be] no justification for
The verb justify is often used as a task verb, requiring a writer to provide a justification for a thesis, argument or opinion.
26/03/25 - Set 3

2025-03-25

3

temporary   AWL NGSL

ADJECTIVE Lasting for a limited, usually short, period of time
Last month, scientists found a culprit: a strong El Niño event, which led to a temporary fall in sea level. (Saintilan 2022)
These scientists are a mix of permanent members and temporary participants. (Salem 2025)
Unfortunately, there is no effective treatment for primary progressive aphasia, although some studies have suggested speech therapy can produce temporary benefits. (Zubicaray 2023)
Using European Working Conditions Survey, this paper shows that being employed on a temporary, rather than an open-ended, contract has a negative bearing for job satisfaction. (Aleksynska 2018)
The can for temporary dwellings is typically ended when the people are provided with temporary houses of higher quality or new permanent homes. (Abulnour 2014)
Common collocates for this word:

temporary

workers
accommodation
basis
jobs
measure
exhibitions
staff
work
provisions
employment
nature
home
suspension
relief
loss

Word Family: temporary (adjective)
Synonyms: short-lived, interim, provisional
Antonyms: permanent
Lexical phrases: on a temporary basis
"Based on these figures, the majority of staff in UK higher education work on a temporary basis." (Allmer 2017)
25/03/25 - Set 3

2025-03-24

3

qualitative  AWL NAWL OPAL

ADJECTIVE CLASSIFIER describing the qualities or attributes of something rather than attributes which can be measured and quantified
Understanding and fitting the numbers into a bigger story is what qualitative research aims to achieve. Qualitative methods include a range of techniques – but interviews are one of the most common ways of gathering this sort of data. (Stephens 2018)
The relatively low number of interviewees is typical of qualitative research, where the emphasis is placed on depth rather than breadth. This approach allows researchers to obtain detailed, context-rich data from a small, focused group of participants. (Kanosvamhira 2025)
We suggest integration of quantitative and qualitative methods, with interviews enabling young people to describe their experiences in their own words, potentially revealing links between social media activity and mental state. (McCrae 2017)
Qualitative research is defined as a type of research that aims to explore and understand phenomena and behaviors, focusing on the 'what', 'how', and 'why' aspects rather than quantitative measurements like 'how many' or 'how much'. (Qualitative Research - an Overview | ScienceDirect Topics n.d.)
Common collocates for this word:

qualitative

research
data
analysis
methods
study
differences
change
information
aspects
assessment
evaluation
approach
inquiry
results
nature

Word Family: qualitative (adjective), qualitatively (adverb), quality (noun)
Antonym: quantitative
Lexical phrases: quantitative and qualitative [disclosures, analysis, research, aspects, data, methods, …]
See also quantitative.
24/03/25 - Set 3

2025-03-21

3

accumulation  AWL NAWL

NOUN COUNTABLE or UNCOUNTABLE FORMAL The total amount of something which has been collected over a period of time; the process of collection something.
By contrast, the winds reverse during the winter monsoons and transport debris directly towards Seychelles. We expect plastic debris accumulation to peak in Seychelles shortly after the winter monsoons (February to April). (Burt and Vogt-Vincent 2023)
In order to stop the accumulation of heat, we would have to eliminate not just carbon dioxide emissions, but all greenhouse gases, such as methane and nitrous oxide. (Rood 2017)
The World Health Organization defines obesity as “abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health.” (Nguyen 2023)
As part of the Ocean Cleanup’s Aerial Expedition, I was coordinating a visual survey team assessing the largest accumulation of ocean plastic in the world: the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. (Kent 2019)
The short life-cycle of plastic (i.e., single-use material) increases plastic accumulation in the environment. Roughly two-thirds of global plastics have a short life cycle which is less than a month (Panda et al., 2010). (Nayanathara Thathsarani Pilapitiya and Ratnayake 2024)
Common collocates for this word:

accumulation

steady
rapid
great
impressive
massive
slow
low
large
accelerated
cellular
spontaneous
excessive
enormous
long-term
continued

Word Family: accumulation (noun), accumulate (verb), accumulative (adjective)
Synonyms: collection, aggregation, mass
21/03/25 - Set 3

2025-03-20

3

conceptual   AWL NAWL OPAL

adjective from the noun 'concept': relating to ideas, knowledge and memories and how we think about them
Conceptual understanding is a key ingredient to helping people think mathematically and use mathematics outside of a classroom. (Rakes 2017)
The goal of maths education in China is to develop conceptual and procedural knowledge through rigid practice. (Wei 2014)
This approach does not equip students with skills that can transform their minds: critical and logical reasoning, argumentation, conceptual and analytical thinking, and problem solving. (Angu 2024)
They often describe [memories] as a conceptual list of things that occurred rather than a movie reel playing in their mind. (Pearson and Keogh 2017)
Explicit, or declarative, memories can be verbally expressed. These include memories of facts and events, and spatial memories of locations. These memories can be consciously recalled and can be autobiographical – for instance, what you did for your last birthday – or conceptual, such as learning information for an exam. (Reichelt 2016)
I now turn to how these aspects of learning can be handled with the aid of conceptual spaces. Learning a concept often proceeds by generalizing from a limited number of exemplars of the concept (see, e.g., Langley, 1996; Nosofsky, 1986, 1988; Reed, 1972). (Cohen and Lefebvre 2017)
Common collocates for this word:

conceptual

framework
model
design
understanding
level
art
analysis
structure
scheme
change
development
basis
knowledge
approach
tools

Word Family: conceptual (adjective), concept (noun), conceive (verb) conception (noun),
Synonyms: notional, theoretical, abstract
Lexical phrase: at [a, the] conceptual level
20/03/2025 - Set 3

2025-03-19

3

variance   AWL NAWL OPAL

NOUN difference or variability
"Wide variance" just tells us that there are big differences but we don't know exactly how big:
The research in this field consistently reports that despite accredited training courses, there is wide variance in the quality of training provided by registered training organisations. (Montague 2014)
Differences or variability (in data, findings, results ...) often needs to be explained.
This study suggests that not all variance in risk is due to differences in study methods. (Jongsma 2019) (Note also the hedging - suggests - in this sentence):
Variance may also be measured and given a score:
They highlighted that genetic scores explained only about 11% to 13% of the variance – meaning, 87% to 89% of differences in educational attainment were due to influences other than genetics. (Dasgupta 2025) In this case variance is a statistical measurement calculated by taking the average of the squared differences from the mean.
Common collocates for this word:

variance

total
minimum
estimated
wide
genetic
observed
true
constant
perfect
average

Word Family: variance (noun), variant (noun), variant (adjective), vary (verb)
Synonyms: divergence, difference, discord, discrepancy, disagreement
Lexical phrases: [be] at variance with : meaning 'differing from' or 'contrasting with'. It is the inherited form of capitalism practised in Africa, which is often at variance with the socio-economic development of the continent. (Amaeshi 2015)
19/03/2025 - Set 3

2025-03-18

3

undermine  NAWL AKL

VERB TRANSITIVE VERB to weaken a thing or a person, often in an indirect way; to make something or someone less effective
You could undermine something physical, concrete. Digging a hole under a wall would weaken it and perhaps cause its collapse. But this verb is used mainly with more abstract notions as you can see from these examples and from the collocates.
Many people in Latin America remember how political power was abused in the recent past to undermine democracy. (Smart 2025)
As a leadership trait, perfectionism can drive teams to meet high standards. Our research has explored an important catch, though. Perfectionist leaders, especially when displaying anger, can undermine creativity and innovation. (Koseoglu 2025)
Poor mental health can undermine young people’s academic outcomes and their lifelong prospects. (Dorjee 2025)
For many parents, attempting to meet such unrealistic expectations can undermine their self-worth – and their sanity. (Cederna and Felton 2024)
Common collocates for this word:

undermine

credibility
authority
intergrity
confidence
efforts
legitimacy
power
support
stability
value
democracy
morale

Word Family: undermine (verb)
Synonyms: erode, subvert, frustrate, weaken, sabotage, thwart
You can see more verbs prefixed with under- on the prefixes page.
18/03/2025 - Set 3

2025-03-17

3

academic   AWL NGSL

ADJECTIVE and NOUN COUNTABLE Describing the world of study (in schools colleges, conservatories, and universities) and the process of thinking, reasoning, studying, learning and research. It is also sometimes used as a noun; someone whose main occupation is concerned with teaching and research at a tertiary level. Occasionally, it is used in a dismissive sense meaning that something is merely theoretical and has no practical value.
Both the Lima and the Kampala declarations are emphatic that academic freedom is fundamental to the functioning of the academic community. (Adesina 2020)
The conference was against the backdrop of mounting harassment of academics on the continent. Adesina 2020)
These findings are not just academic but have implications for the Japanese Space Agency (Jaxa)'s Destiny+ mission, set to launch later this decade. (Suttle 2024)
Common collocates for this word:

academic

year
programs
publishers
calendar
achievement
affairs
staff
freedom
performance
research

Word Family: academic (adjective), academic (noun), academy (noun), academically (adverb)
Synonyms: educated, erudite, scholarly, studious
17/03/2025 - Set 3