Academic Word of the Day Set 8

Previous Academic Word of the Day Sets

This page contains words from Set 8

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.

avoidance: NOUN UNCOUNTABLE the act of avoiding (staying away from) something or someone
Phone anxiety – or telephobia – is the fear and avoidance of phone conversations and it’s common among those with social anxiety disorder. (Sebah 2021)
Certain textures or smells may cause sensory overload, making it difficult for people with ADHD to eat them – leading to avoidance of those foods or food groups altogether. (Flight 2022)
The colour of clown makeup reminds us of death, infection or blood injury, and evokes disgust or avoidance. (Greville et al. 2023)
Tax avoidance not only shifts funds away from the public purse – which is even more pertinent in times of budgetary austerity and economic uncertainty (think Brexit) – but also undermines perceived social fairness. (Lord 2017)
Common collocates for this word:

avoidance

tax
collision
congestion
cost
obstacle
risk
conflict
predator
harm
deadlock
crash
allergen
hazard
accident
disaster

Word Family: avoidance (noun), avoid (verb), avoidable (adjective)
Lexical phrases: for the avoidance of doubt ...
6/06/25 - Set 8
creation AWL AKL OPAL NGSL: NOUN COUNTABLE the act of making something; a product
Generative artificial intelligence has been hailed for its potential to transform creativity, and especially by lowering the barriers to content creation. (Susarla 2024)
This year [2019] marks the 150th anniversary of Dmitri Mendeleev's creation of the periodic table of the chemical elements. (University of Guelph 2019)
With the creation of the first fundamental forces of the universe, the Inflation Epoch began, lasting from 10-32 seconds in Planck time to an unknown point. (Williams 2015)
[New tools] can expand our cell engineering capabilities and lead to the creation of new medicines and therapies for both rare and common diseases [...]. (Brigham 2025)
[in vitro gametogenesis”] involves the creation (genesis) of eggs and sperm (gametes) outside the human body (in vitro). (Koplin and Bhatia 2023)
Common collocates for this word:

creation

artistic
social
original
human
natural
eventual
literary
recent
conscious
proposed
divine
successful
early
poetic
deliberate

Word Family: creation (noun), create (verb), creative (adjective), creatively (adverb)
Synonyms: product, production, development, invention, construction, founding
Antonyms: destruction
5/06/25 - Set 8
principle AWL OPAL NGSL: NOUN COUNTABLE an idea about how something works or should work; a rule or guideline; a standard of of behaviour
The Magna Carta itself was, as the U.K. parliament describes it, “the first document to put into writing the principle that the king and his government was not above the law.”(Seielstad 2025)
The toroidal motion of hurricanes, the curvature of ocean waves, the patterns of electromagnetic fields, and even the structure of subatomic interactions all reflect this fundamental principle. (Ali and Wojnar 2025)
Grice’s cooperative principle holds that conversation is underpinned by our overarching will to understand one another. (Louro 2024)
Increasingly, there are national and international codes of research ethics, guiding researchers in different fields. An example is the 2010 Singapore Statement on Research Integrity. It emphasises the principles of honesty, accountability, professional courtesy and fairness, and good stewardship of data. (Knight 2022)
The concept of separation of powers is incorporated into just about every democratic constitution. It rests on the principle of the separation of powers between the three fundamental branches of government: executive, legislature and judiciary. (Bufacchi 2025)
The court decided that the secretary of state did not have the legal authority to issue a search warrant, and therefore Carrington had trespassed. This case reflects the principle that “no man is above the law” – not even the secretary of state. (Clapham 2018)

Common collocates for this word:

principle

basic
general
fundamental
guiding
important
particular
underlying
legal
moral
co-operative
democratic
vital
simple
central
political

Word Family: principle (noun), principled (adjective)
Synonyms: rule, assumption, basis, foundation, formula, theory
Lexical phrases: In principle (theoretically, but perhaps not in practice)
4/06/25 - Set 8
pattern AKL OPAL NGSL: NOUN COUNTABLE 1. a regular repeated arrangement of shapes, lines or colours; 2. a particular method, procedure, or behaviour which is always conducted in the same way.
Black powder is used to launch the firework in the air as well as ignite and propel the effects – like color – into a pattern in the sky. (Smith 2021)
Patterns (made up of tiles) and crystals (made up of atoms or molecules) are typically periodic like a sheet of graph paper and have related symmetries. (Subramanian 2016)
The natural world presents a palette of beautiful complexity. From the peacock tail and the eyespots of a butterfly, to the evolving camouflage of the chameleon, nature loves patterns. (Woolley 2017)
We have known since the 18th century that we will never be able to calculate all the digits of pi because it is an irrational number, one that continues forever without any repeating pattern. (Humble 2016)
The question of whether personality is the result of nature or nurture has plagued researchers – and the general public – for decades. What we do know is that we are all unique, each with a distinctive pattern of speech, gesture, movement and thought. (Chater 2019)
Over a lifetime, our pattern of thoughts and behaviour become entrenched – it is our unique history, our unique habits and patterns, that make us special. (Chater 2019)
Common collocates for this word:

pattern

different
basic
normal
regular
usual
particular
complex
common
changing
consistent
traditional
typical
clear
original
simple

Word Family: pattern (noun)
Synonyms: form, shape, design
3/06/25 - Set 8
participation AWL OPAL NGSL: NOUN COUNTABLE being or becoming involved in something; taking part in
The decline in sport participation may be a factor in the rise of poor mental health. (Barnstone, Brooks, and Fransen 2017)
Despite many programs to increase youth physical activity and sport participation, results have been inconsistent. (Barnstone, Brooks, and Fransen 2017)
Young people see intergenerational justice and social justice as interconnected, demanding climate action, economic opportunity and democratic participation. (Dastyari et al. 2025)
Despite all this evidence of many benefits, studies have charted a steady global decline in sport participation between the ages of 11 and 16. Participation is particularly low among older girls. (Barnstone, Brooks, and Fransen 2017)
Regular participation in meaningful and engaging activities can also contribute positively to mental health. (Edgelow 2022)
Common collocates for this word:

participation

active
political
public
popular
full
direct
increased
personal
local
democratic
female
effective
foreign
voluntary
joint

Word Family: participation (noun), participate (verb), participatory (adjective)
Synonyms: association, cooperation, collaboration
2/06/25 - Set 8
overestimate AWL: VERB TRANSITIVE to imagine that something is greater, larger, more important ... than it actually is
But, even with these clear guidelines, research shows that many of us overestimate the amount of exercise we do. (Lee 2021)
Some doubt their intellectual ability while others greatly overestimate their talents. In general, though, when asked to estimate their IQ, men think they’re significantly brighter than they are, while women’s estimates are far more modest. (Reilly 2022)
Many women might also feel more self-doubt, while men may be more inclined toward confidence and may even overestimate their intelligence. (Williams 2021)
According to the Linköping researchers, the results show that researchers as a group often overestimate their own ethical behavior. (Rosund 2024)
The data showed that young males tended to overestimate their IQ by between 5 and 15 points on average, a finding similar to other studies. (Yirka 2023)
Common collocates for this word:

overestimate the

importance
value
amount
number
significance
influence
impact
power
extent
degree
role
effect
size
strength
ability

of

Word Family: overestimate (verb), overestimation (noun)
Synonyms: overrate, miscalculate, misjudge, overvalue
30/05/25 - Set 8
misinterpret AWL: VERB TRANSITIVE to fail to understand something correctly - usually something said or written.
As humans, we make errors. We can have attention lapses and misinterpret information. Yet when we reassess, we can pick out our errors and correct them. (Simpson-Young and Caetano 2021)
Even many traditional news organizations and media outlets report incomplete aspects of scientific studies, or misinterpret the findings and highlight unusual claims. (Groshek and Bronda 2016)
But people inexperienced with monkey behavior will often misinterpret a threatening facial expression for a friendly one. This can lead to dangerous encounters. (McKinney 2024)
Your eyesight gets worse, with increased susceptibility to glare and poor depth perception. This can lead you to misinterpret the lay of the land, or misjudge distance, which can cause a fall. (Skelton 2015)
Common collocates for this word:

misinterpret

meaning
nature
significance
actions
results
behaviour
intent
intentions
spirit
data
situation
words
motives
purpose
role

Word Family: misinterpret (verb), misinterpretation (noun)
Synonyms: misunderstand, misjudge, misread, misconstrue
29/05/25 - Set 8
modify AWL OPAL NGSL: VERB TRANSITIVE to change the character, structure or properties of something
Accents are a work, for example, they will probably at least modify their accent, either consciously or unconsciously. (Setter 2023)
Plants are able to modify their root hydraulics to maintain water status and strategically use soil water, according to a new study published today in the New Phytologist. (Rothamstead Research 2025)
Our research shows lyrebirds scratch and modify the forest floor in ways that promote bigger and more diverse food sources. (Maisey, Bennett, and Haslem 2025)
We will also be able to use this technology to reprogram cells to kill cancerous cells and perhaps even modify organs to reduce cholesterol levels. (Davies 2019)
In early 2015, Chinese scientists used [gene editing] to modify human embryos as a first step towards preventing the genetic transmission of a blood disease. (Savulescu 2015)
Common collocates for this word:

modify

behaviour
text
diet
attitudes
data
DNA
identity
legislation
style
policy
practice
climates
norms
programs
genes

Word Family: modify (verb), modification (noun)
Synonyms: change, alter, transform
28/05/25 - Set 8
level AKL OPAL NGSL: NOUN COUNTABLE the position of something in relation to other things in the same category; height, rank; degree; amount
Clouds are a result of saturation, but saturated air can also exist at ground level. When this occurs, we call it fog. (Lazear 2025)
Today, more than half of the world's population lives in regions where the fertility rate is below the replacement level. (Leek 2025)
But heart rate can also be influenced by temperature, medications and stress levels, which may affect readings during exercise. (Sawyer 2024)
Meanwhile, the frequency of once-in-a-decade agricultural and ecological droughts has increased, global sea levels have risen and the Earth's pole has shifted. (Walling 2025)
At the national level, the Clean Air Act requires that six common air pollutants, such as ozone and carbon monoxide, are kept below specific levels. (Shearston 2025)
Common collocates for this word:

level

high
local
low
national
international
current
certain
basic
personal
appropriate
regional
natural
general
different
acceptable

level

sea
ground
price
water
floor
school
street
subsistence
equilibrium
community
eye
spirit
base
income
noise

Word Family: level (noun), level (adjective)
Synonyms: position, rank, degree, height
Lexical phrases: [at, to, above, below, on] the level of ...
at the same level as ...
27/05/25 - Set 8
layer AWL NGSL: NOUN COUNTABLE a sheet, thickness or level of a material or substance which covers another surface or lies between other levels or layers
The top layer of our skin (the stratum corneum) is our skin’s key protective layer. (Wong and Nixon 2020)
The outermost layer of Earth, the lithosphere, is composed of solid rock and is broken into large sections called tectonic plates. (Tadesse 2025)
The scientists added a few layers of graphene – one-atom thick sheets of graphite – to a metal support and exposed the topmost layer to hydrogen. (Gnida 2014)
Since the 1985 discovery of a hole in the ozone layer countries have agreed and amended treaties to aid its recovery. (Western 2024)
Asphalt concrete’s pavement structure typically has three main layers: the base layer, the intermediate layer and the surface layer. (Solaimanian 2024)
The crust is the outermost layer of the planet, the cooled and hardened part of the Earth that ranges in depth from approximately 5-70 km (~3-44 miles). (Williams 2015)
Common collocates for this word:

layer

thin
thick
outer
upper
single
double
protective
extra
basal
generous
top
additional
insulating
phyical
fine

Word Family: layer (noun), layer (verb)
Lexical phrases: [outer, surface, top, inner, upper, thin, ...] layer of the ...
26/05/25 - Set 8

❮❯