Academic Word of the Day Set 9

Previous Academic Word of the Day Sets

This page contains words from Set 9

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.

context AWL OPAL NGSL: NOUN COUNTABLE 1. the text which surrounds a particular word of phrase and which explains and/or affects the meaning of that word or phrase;
2. the situation or circumstances of an event which help to explain the event itself
Understanding how context influences basic cognitive processes allows us to predict how people might act in new situations. (Trueblood 2021)
Researchers are realising that the context in which memories are created is crucially important in remembering them later. (Osth 2019)
The teacher helps students apply new concepts to different contexts, which allows them to discover knowledge for themselves by exploring, experiencing and discussing as they go. (Kidman 2019)
All learning occurs in the presence of background context and the context facilitates the retrieval of memory (Maren et al., 2013).
Context-dependent memory refers to stronger recall in the same environment in which the original memory was formed (Hupbach et al., 2008; Smith and Vela, 2001). (Context-Dependent Memory - an Overview | ScienceDirect Topics n.d.)
The shape of objects and the context in which you encounter them can also shape the way you perceive colour. (Rakovich 2025)
Emoji are highly context dependent. Much like gestures that are used with speech, we need to understand emoji in the specific conversations and communities they are used in. (Kruk and Gawne 2025)
Common collocates for this word:

context

social
historical
different
political
cultural
particular
immediate
international
economic
given
educational
appropriate
institutioanal
national
urban

Word Family: context (noun), contextual (adjective)
Lexical phrases: in the context of [the, a]
20/06/25 - Set 9
role AWL AKL OPAL NGSL: NOUN COUNTABLE the responsibility or position held by someone in an organisation, group, or society
Parents in different cultures also play an important role in moulding children’s behaviour and thinking patterns. (Huang 2018)
The role of journalists has been changing for some time now. (Henkel 2025)
Roles such as “speaking on behalf of the marginalised” and “shining a light on society’s problems” are both more important for journalists under 40 than for older journalists. (Henkel 2025)
There has been a gradual shift in policy towards recognising the role of indigenous and local communities, although this has not yet become mainstream conservation practice. (Coolsaet, Idrobo, and Dawson 2021)
There is also a tendency to confuse competence – the actual knowledge and skills needed to perform a leadership role – with confidence. (Wilson 2023)
The modern character virtues leadership researchers emphasise include humanity, humility, integrity, temperance, justice, accountability, courage, transcendence, drive and collaboration. Each attribute helps a leader deal more effectively with some aspect of their role. (Wilson 2023)
Common collocates for this word:

role

important
major
different
key
leading
vital
central
active
crucial
significant
political
traditional
dominant
social
dual

Word Family: role (noun)
Synonyms: part, position, responsibility
Lexical phrases: role model
play a role in ...
19/06/25 - Set 9
source AWL AKL OPAL NGSL: NOUN COUNTABLE where something comes from (something physical or information)
While nearly unknown in temperate climates, cassava is a key source of nutrition throughout the tropics. (Wooding 2024)
The world’s most forbidding deserts could be the best places on Earth for harvesting solar power – the most abundant and clean source of energy we have. (Smith and Lu 2021)
This massive new heat source in the Sahara reorganises global air and ocean circulation, affecting precipitation patterns around the world. (Smith and Lu 2021)
Particularly with AI-generated content on the rise, source evaluation and verification are essential skills. (Ashley 2025)
Be cautious with content that lacks the author’s name, relies heavily on anonymous sources – or uses no sources at all – or is published by outlets with a clear ideological agenda. (Ashley 2025)
Common collocates for this word:

source

main
major
important
only
other
useful
single
valuable
good
rich
potential
possible
constant
common
reliable

Word Family: source (noun), source (verb)
Synonyms: origin, basis, cause
18/06/25 - Set 9
issue AWL AKL OPAL NGSL: NOUN COUNTABLE Subject, question, problem, the matter being discussed. The word 'issue' (as a noun) often has no intrinsic meaning; its meaning comes from the context. It is used as an anaphoric noun (or shell) noun to refer to something mentioned earlier in a text - usually a longer piece of test than just one word.
In this example the 'issue' concerns the problems small farmer face, mentioned in the previous paragraph. (Click on the citation link to see the original article and search for 'issue')
Compounding the issue is Canada’s looming farm succession crisis. More than 40 per cent of farmers in Canada are expected to retire by 2033, yet many aspiring farmers cannot afford to purchase farms or access start-up capital. (Levkoe, Potvin, and Kerr 2025)
In this example 'the issue' is the problem of increased screen time being linked to more severe dry eye symptoms, mentioned in the previous sentence. (Click on the citation link to see the original article and search for 'issue': there are two further examples in the article.)
Although reducing screen time is impossible in certain jobs, we can reduce irritation and problems by following certain recommendations. A basic understanding of the issue can also help us to look after our eyes. (Villamarín and Queiruga 2024)
This examples comes from a paragraph which lists a number of problems of which this is the last and "most serious". (Click on the citation link to see the original article and search for 'issue': there are four further examples in the article.)
Perhaps the most severe issue of all is the lack of fair compensation for sustainable cocoa production. (Odijie 2024)
In this example the word "issue" is used in the sense of "topic", "a problem on many people's minds". (Click on the citation link to see the original article and search for 'issue': there are two further examples in the article.)
The good thing about the food waste issue is that it raises fundamental questions. (Lang 2013)
Common collocates for this word:

issue

important
central
major
political
particular
key
main
real
contentious
crucial
specific
fundamental
controversial
preliminary
serious

Word Family: issue (noun)
Synonyms: question, problem, topic, subject
Lexical phrases: At issue [is, was] : the most important point under discussion
take issue with someone [about, over] ... : to disagree about something
17/06/25 - Set 9
circumstances AWL: NOUN COUNTABLE, USUALLY PLURAL the surrounding conditions or events which have an effect on a particular situation - this word is almost always used in the plural
[Doctors] may recommend painkillers in some circumstances – for example if your knee pain is stopping you exercising. (Anderson, Pandit, and Conaghan 2023)
Modern pacemakers also contain sensors to predict whether the heart may benefit from a faster heart rate under certain circumstances. (Singla 2023)
Modern devices are engineered with these factors in mind, but still require careful programming for these special circumstances. (Singla 2023)
When circumstances are right, we can predict what a complex system will do from its past behaviour, and this can inform our proceeding decisions and actions. (Broadbent and Merwe 2022)
An individual’s exposure to widely-used carcinogens depends on a wide range of factors: where they live, for example, and for how long, their work, their life circumstances, even what their parents were exposed to in the past. (Watterson 2015)
Common collocates for this word:

circumstances

certain
exceptional
particular
special
normal
economic
different
similar
personal
social
local
difficult
suspicious
financial
changed

Word Family: circumstances (noun), circumstantial (adjective)
Synonyms: background, environment, context
Lexical phrases: under [the, these, those, certain, particular,...] circumstances
16/06/25 - Set 9
component AWL OPAL NGSL: NOUN COUNTABLE a part, section, ingredient of a larger system or mechanism
Processed foods may not look like they come from microbes, plants, fungi or animals, but nearly all do. Some vitamins and other food ingredients are manufactured, but they are only a very small component of the human diet. (Langen 2022)
Another critical component of this issue [bullying} is cyberbullying, given the prominence of social media in the lives of children and adolescents. (Todres 2016)
[] China controls 60% of the world’s lithium mining, 77% of battery cell capacity and 60% of battery component manufacturing. (Tang, Mak, and Dai 2022)
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the measles component of the MMR vaccine provides lifelong protection. (Amiel 2019)
In cultural evolution, the novelty-generating component is creativity, and the novelty-preserving components include imitation and other forms of social learning. (Gabora 2017)
For example, Ruminococcus flavefaciens, which is commonly found in cattle, goats and sheep, is particularly good at degrading cellulose (the main component of plant cell walls). (Duncan 2024)
Common collocates for this word:

component

important
major
essential
key
main
genetic
vital
fundamental
crucial
single
central
principal
necessary
semantic
electronic

Word Family: component (noun)
Synonyms: part, constituent, ingredient, segment
13/06/25 - Set 9
core AWL OPAL NGSL: NOUN COUNTABLE the central part (physical or abstract) of something
In the future, the human diet may become a little less dependent on consuming plants and animals. Still, living organisms will remain a core component of these foods. (Langen 2022)
We must then ensure that the creative arts are a core component of the curriculum so that all students will become more resourceful and better equipped to successfully manage change. (Snell 2018)
Our challenge is to find ways of integrating the visual arts into the core curriculum and at the heart of the student experience. (Snell 2018)
Deep beneath our feet, at a staggering depth of over 5,100km, lies Earth’s inner core — a solid ball of iron and nickel that plays a crucial role in shaping the conditions we experience on the surface. (Wilson-Spencer 2024)
Many conditions and factors can trigger night sweats by changing the body’s tightly regulated temperature set point, at which the body attempts to maintain its core temperature. (Grosser and Banks 2023)
Common collocates for this word:

core

skills
curriculum
business
subjects
activities
areas
group
programme
values
temperature
funding
vocabulary
unit
services
courses

Word Family: core (noun; often used as a modifier - see the collocates list)
Synonyms: centre, heart, essence
12/06/25 - Set 9
scheme AWL AKL OPAL NGSL: NOUN COUNTABLE a plan to achieve a particular objective.
The UK government’s decision to abruptly close all applications for its flagship nature-friendly farming scheme has shocked many of the country’s farmers and environmentalists. (Burnett 2025)
While Australia has a history of labour mobility schemes for Pacific peoples, this won’t provide opportunities for everyone. (McAdam 2025)
For this scheme to work, there must be government investment over the immediate and longer-term to give people the best prospects of thriving. (McAdam 2025)
The sustainable farming incentive (SFI) is one of a series of schemes which pays farmers in England to nurture the soil and wildlife and improve water quality. (Burnett 2025)
Aid organisations both in the UK and on the continent leapt into action, and the first “Kindertransport” arrived in the country on December 2, bringing around 200 child refugees to the UK. Overall, approximately 10,000 children and young people arrived before the scheme ended with the outbreak of World War II. (Hammel 2018)
Common collocates for this word:

scheme

new
whole
similar
proposed
national
particular
statutory
occupational
ambitious
general
grand
original
special
voluntary
decorative

Word Family: scheme (noun), scheme (verb)
Synonyms: plan, design, program, plot
11/06/25 - Set 9
attribute AWL AKL OPAL NGSL: NOUN COUNTABLE a quality, feature or characteristic of something or someone
Empathy, a sense of duty and a commitment to upholding positive social values also underpin the attributes of good leaders. (Wilson 2023)
Increasing evidence shows that stigma – whether due to a child's weight, sexual orientation, race, income or other attribute—is at the root of bullying, and that it can cause considerable harm to a child's mental health. (Pediatrics 2014)
“Academic buoyancy" is a personal attribute that helps students overcome common setbacks at school, such as a heavy workload, poor test results or competing assignment deadlines. (Martin et al. 2025)
On top of hobbies and interests, we all possess creative attributes that can help as we solve life’s problems and make decisions. (Davies and Newton 2018)
While mechanically strong and waterproof — two attributes needed for medical packaging — it also breaks down efficiently when buried in soil for composting. (Zhang et al. 2025)
Common collocates for this word:

attribute

particular
essential
single
important
positive
necessary
common
main
mysterious
desirable
given
additional
essential
relevant
specific

Word Family: attribute (noun), attribute (verb - with a slightly different meaning; to assign a reason cause etc.), attributable (to) (adjective - caused by)
Synonyms: characteristic, quality, trait, virtue, aspect,
10/06/25 - Set 9
option AWL AKL OPAL NGSL: NOUN COUNTABLE a choice which can be made from a set of possibilities
Decision-making usually involves choosing from a limited range of options. (Hopgood 2023)
Multi-criteria decision analysis can be an excellent tool for choosing between alternative options, but understanding the weighting mechanism is vital. (Hopgood 2023)
People should have the option to live without AI, without facing discrimination or exclusion from essential services. (Kang 2025)
So what is our best option if we want to enjoy sweet-tasting foods without the harms of eating sugar? (Walker and Chichger 2025)
Swimming in the sea can be a good exercise option for those with severe eczema as they often struggle to exercise in the heat and chlorinated pools. (Alvarez 2016)
Common collocates for this word:

component

only
other
soft
easy
preferred
attractive
viable
realistic
popular
possible
expansive
military
cheap
safe
practical

Word Family: option (noun), optional (adjective), optionally (adverb)
Synonyms: choice, alternative
09/06/25 - Set 9

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