Academic Word of the Day

A daily examination of a particular academic (AWL) word and its usage in academic writing

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. They are also divided into sets of ten words, which are the ten words tested in each set of quizzes.

You can see all previous sets by going to the Previous Sets page.

You can see all previous Academic Word of the Day Quizzes by going to the Academic Word of the Day Quizzes page.

There are also occasional collocation quizzes to test recall of words in previous sets (mainly the previous 2 or 3 sets).

All the collocation quizzes are also available on the Academic Word of the Day Collocation Quizzes pages.

You can more collocates of words from various academic word lists by consulting the Collocation Dictionary.

Today's word is:

facilitate AWL NAWL AKL OPAL: VERB TRANSITIVE to make easy or easy to use, promote, stimulate The ability to develop and facilitate this skill is a vital tool for emotional regulation across relationships and circumstances. (Alzner 2025) In the first step of pyrolysis, community recyclers collect the plastic waste and clean it to remove any contaminants. The plastic then gets shredded into smaller pieces to facilitate the pyrolysis process. (Kaplitz and Schug 2025) Fake science websites use extensive hyperlinking to facilitate the appearance of trustworthiness. (Clarke 2022) On the other hand, social media plays a vital role in helping us stay connected with friends over long distances, and organise catch-ups. Video conferencing can facilitate “meetings” when physically meeting is impractical. (Patulny 2020) For example, brain regions usually involved in decision-making and controlling our behaviour have to be inhibited to facilitate spontaneous and unbridled laughter. (Barker 2017) Common collocates for this word:

facilitate

access
discussion
comparison
communication
progress
trade
development
comprehension
identification
participation
learning
entry
performance
movement
management

Word Family: facilitate (verb), facility (noun) Synonyms: expedite, help, speed up05/12/2025 - Set 21Test your understanding of the words in set 21 with these quick quizzes: Quiz 21 Quiz 21B Quiz 21C
imprecise AWL: ADJECTIVE not precise, accurate or reliable Yet even those with exceptional talents find it hard to get and hold a job. While unemployment estimates are imprecise, they suggest these conditions are the least accepted in the working world. (Ott, Russo, and Moeller 2021) Some philosophers of science claim such a definition is too imprecise. In my own research, I’ve argued that this kind of generality is a strength: it helps keep our theories flexible, and applicable to new contexts. (Rider 2025) The first route, called the low road, provides the amygdala with a rapid, but imprecise, signal from the sensory thalamus. This circuit is believed to be responsible for the immediate, unconscious responses to threat. (Debiec 2018) Research into terminology is of the utmost importance in preventing the use of improvised, imprecise language or unintelligible jargon. (Toledo 2024) Common collocates for this word:

imprecise

term
data
information
language
probabilities
nature
knowledge
use
science
definition
estimates
process
concept
results
measurement

Word Family: imprecise (adjective), imprecision (noun), imprecisely (adverb) Synonyms: approximate, rough, inexact04/12/2025 - Set 21
liberation AWL: NOUN UNCOUNTABLE the act or process of being freed from something, political or otherwise Seidman’s artworks are revolutionary weapons. She is behind some of South Africa’s most iconic liberation struggle images, each of which has a story to tell that is both personal and political. (Lissoni 2019) The people who witnessed the drama of liberation were therefore mostly women, children and the elderly. (Diamond 2014) Independence without a firm basis for democracy, human rights and wellbeing (also in terms of material security) is far from liberation. (Melber 2024) African independence and liberation movements turned governments have often become obstacles to building lasting democracies. (Melber 2024) As we move towards the 70th anniversary of liberation, the ordinary stories of the people of the Resistance – and women in particular – are still the key to a deeper and healthier understanding of France’s traumatic occupied years. (Diamond 2014) Common collocates for this word:

liberation

front
army
movement
organisation
theology
struggle
party
forces
network
force
council
coalition
committee
society
armies

Word Family: liberation (noun), liberate (verb), liberal (adjective or noun) Synonyms: release, freedom, liberty, emancipation 03/12/2025 - Set 21
logic AWL AKL OPAL NGSL: NOUN UNCOUNTABLE a rational system of thinking But by using logic, experimentation and research, scientists can explore the mysteries of the world and find answers. (Little 2023) Quantum particles are just mysteriously correlated in ways we can’t describe with everyday logic or language – they don’t communicate while also containing a hidden code, as Einstein had thought. (Fedrizzi and Malik 2022) A conversation with one logic does not present differing thoughts or arguments, rather it follows a single logical set of assertions that are assumed to be correct. (Cowling and Vanderburg 2018) Quantum particles are just mysteriously correlated in ways we can’t describe with everyday logic or language – they don’t communicate while also containing a hidden code, as Einstein had thought. (Fedrizzi and Malik 2022) On social media platforms, it’s easier to broadcast a single logic (your own) than it is to engage with a variety of different logics that might challenge your world view. (Cowling and Vanderburg 2018) Common collocates for this word:

logic

fuzzy
inexorable
formal
commercial
advanced
internal
simple
certain
industrial
economic
underlying
symbolic
programmable
narrative
impeccable

Word Family: logic (noun), logical (adjective), logically (adverb) Synonyms: reasoning, sense, coherence02/12/2025 - Set 21
marginal AWL NAWL: ADJECTIVE lower, less important; at the edges of rather than central Physical Education (PE) is often viewed as a marginal subject within the curriculum. And many secondary schools actively reduce PE time to make way for what are deemed more “serious” or “important” subjects. (Sprake and Palmer 2018) Minority groups in marginal seats can wield significant electoral influence. (Williamson and Markham 2022) The 25% corporate tax rate paid by small companies is much lower than the highest marginal tax rate for individuals of 45%. (Brackin 2024) In traditional economic terms, if you aren’t willing to stump up A$1,800, that’s because the “marginal benefit” (essentially an increased utility or satisfaction) of upgrading doesn’t yet outweigh the marginal benefit of your current phone (or not even having a phone). (Markey-Towler 2017) Once the price starts dropping this cost-benefit analysis starts to change. Eventually the marginal benefit of upgrading will be greater than that of your current situation and that’s when you switch. (Markey-Towler 2017) Common collocates for this word:

marginal

cost
tax
benefit
revenue
rate
product
seats
propensity
utility
value
areas
productivity
land
costing
benefits

Word Family: marginal (adjective), margin (noun), marginally (adverb) Synonyms: borderline, narrow 01/12/2025 - Set 21
monitor AWL OPAL NGSL: VERB TRANSITIVE to watch carefully and record what happens Scientists monitor them and warn nearby communities if they see signs that a volcano may erupt. (Johnson 2022) To enjoy life and to function optimally in everyday life, you may therefore want to monitor your own sleep patterns to ensure that you are getting seven hours of sleep on a regular basis. (Sahakian et al. 2022) For dietary guidelines to be useful, they need to be more specific about what variety means, and how we can monitor variety in our diet. (Pink et al. 2020) We need to deploy more sophisticated methods to monitor the booming online trade. (Cassey and Chekunov 2024) Australia must also enlist the support of other countries to monitor the wildlife trade and identify those species most at risk for greater protection. (Cassey and Chekunov 2024) Common collocates for this word:

monitor

progress
compliance
changes
implementation
performance
developments
discrimination
pollution
air
use
water
trends
data
attendance
quality

Word Family: monitor (verb), monitor (noun) Synonyms: watch, observe, control, oversee 28/11/2025 - Set 21
perspective AWL AKL OPAL NGSL: NOUN COUNTABLE a particular way of looking or thinking about something Although scientists have traditionally reduced many aspects of animal life to biological mechanisms, new research is challenging this perspective. (Craciun 2023) A natural reaction is to put forth the strongest argument for your own – clearly superior – perspective in the hope that logic and evidence will win the day. (Minson 2023) The adoption of this more universal perspective makes our understanding more holistic and more exciting. (Davis 2023) But from a 21st-century perspective, quantum physics is neither mathematically nor conceptually particularly difficult for scientists. (Fedrizzi and Malik 2022) There is currently very little training, auditing or oversight of AI-driven activities from a regulatory or legal perspective.(Chu et al. 2022) Common collocates for this word:

perspective

different
historical
new
international
feminist
proper
sociological
pluralist
theoretical
particular
geometric
horizontal
vertical
political
critical

Word Family: perspective (noun) Synonyms: viewpoint, stance, point of view, angle, attitude, 27/11/2025 - Set 21
ratio AWL OPAL NGSL: NOUN COUNTABLE the relationship between two numbers or amounts; a fraction Although cold brew uses cold water, and a larger grind size, it is brewed with a high coffee to water ratio, with extra beans needed in the brew. (Beckett 2022) In telecommunications, we speak about trying to maximise the “signal-to-noise ratio” by boosting the signal or reducing the background noise as much as possible. (Palmer 2022) While his estimated distance to the Sun was too low (the actual ratio is 390), on account of the lack of telescopic precision available at the time, the value for the ratio of the size of the Earth to the Moon is surprisingly accurate (the Moon has a diameter 0.27 times that of Earth). (Dorrian and Whittaker 2020) In general, those with lower digit ratios – that is, those whose ring fingers are relatively longer than their pointers – are more likely to perform better across a very wide range of sports and athletic events. (Tomkinson and Dyer 2017) It is a ratio that defines a recurring relationship between a larger element and a smaller subset of that element. (Ostwald 2013) Common collocates for this word:

ratio

high
low
certain
desired
mass
financial
constant
expected
actual
direct
good
normalised
prudent
patient
agreed

Word Family: ratio (noun) Synonyms: proportion, fraction 26/11/2025 - Set 21
rejection AWL NAWL OPAL: NOUN COUNTABLE the act of being rejected; the refusal to accept something or someone While rejection can be emotionally painful, it can also teach us something. (Babür 2025) There are many hundreds of possible, or suspected, impact craters on Earth that await confirmation or rejection, including dozens right here on the African continent where we live. (Gibson 2021) But why does being excluded hurt so much? From an evolutionary standpoint, our brains likely evolved to treat social rejection as a threat. (Babür 2025) Most academics regularly submit papers and compete for grants and promotions. These endeavours are necessary for their success but often end in rejection. (Donoghue et al. 2021) An immune reaction called the foreign body response – where the body encapsulates the implant in sometimes painful scar tissue – is a key driver of implant rejection. (Chen 2023) Common collocates for this word:

rejection

total
outright
deliberate
apparent
decisive
complete
wholesale
possible
humiliating
implicit
explicit
ultimate
comprehensive
immediate
final

Word Family: rejection (noun), react (verb), reactive (adjective) Synonyms: refusal, dismissal 25/11/2025 - Set 21
stable AWL AKL OPAL NGSL: ADJECTIVE unchanging, steady While most atoms are very stable, some, called radioactive atoms, are unstable. (Skromne 2022) We’ve replaced the 20th century idea of stable, permanent careers spanning decades with flexible employment and gig work. (Patulny 2020) Over long periods of time, they spontaneously break down into more stable atoms. (Skromne 2022) Oxygen has been relatively stable at a high level for the past 500 million years. (Duarte et al. 2021) It was only in 2015 that a big long-term study showed that fingerprints are stable over a person’s lifetime. (Leupen 2020) Common collocates for this word:

stable

condition
environment
relationship
prices
government
currency
exchange
state
isotope
companion
society
level
equilibrium
strategy
employment

Word Family: stable (adjective), stability (noun) Synonyms: reliable, steady, safe, secure 24/11/2025 - Set 21

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