Academic Word of the Day Set 24
Previous Academic Word of the Day Sets
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 collocationsThe tendency of a particular word or phrase to be found in the proximity of another., connotationsThe additional or incidental meanings, associations or references which a word, phrase or sentence might have in addition to its obvious core meaning., other words in the same word familiesA group of words which share the same root and similar basic meaning but have different syntactic uses because of their different inflected forms or derived forms made with different affixes., possible synonymsA word which has the same meaning and use as another., antonymsA word which has the opposite meaning to another word., and lexical phrasesMulti-word chunks of language which may be of varying length and which have various functions., and provides examples of its use in authentic textsA text written by someone writing about matters in their own specialist area for other specialists or for the general public, but not for English teaching purposes. 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:
- AWLPresent in the Academic Word List: The Academic Word List
- NAWLPresent in the New Academic Word List: The New Academic Word List
- AKLPresent in the Academic Keyword List: The Academic Keyword List
- OPALPresent in the Oxford Phrasal Academic Lexicon: The Oxford Phrasal Academic Lexicon
- NGSLPresent in the New General Service List: The New General Service List (a basic word list rather than an academic one)
Where the example sentences contain 'academic' words, these are highlighted in bold, as in this paragraph. Only words from the Academic Word List (AWLPresent in the Academic Word List), the New Academic Word List (NAWLPresent in the New Academic Word List) or some from the Academic Keyword List (AKLPresent in the Academic Keyword List) 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.
Today's word is:
- 2024-01-1624commentaryAWL
- NOUN COUNTABLE 1. writing which explains or gives an opinion: 2. a spoken description of an event (such as a game or sporting event)Much of our historical understanding of sleep comes from medical texts or social commentaries. (Alter 2024) Images from outside have been powerful commentaries on the state of Earth. (Gorman 2022) Yet in our conversations with girls, we found astute commentaries on their communities, and the causes of the issues that they face. (Gordon and Lee-Koo 2021) In his sharp, often merciless, commentaries of his country, he criticised factors damaging democracy and human rights, including nationalistic governmental policies, the presence of dangerous atomic power plants and the imperial system. (Cervelli 2023) The Tibetan Book of the Dead is an exemplar of Tibetan literary prose and a compelling commentary on the universal experience of death and dying from a Buddhist perspective. (Düddul 2022) Common collocates for this word:Word Family: commentary (noun), comment (noun), comment (verb)SynonymsTrue synonyms are rare: all of these have related meanings but are used in different contexts with different collocates: comment, examination, annotation, observation 16/01/2026 - Set 24Test your understanding of the words in set 24 with these quick quizzes: Quiz 24 Quiz 24B Quiz 24C
commentary
running
critical
financial
detailed
social
brief
political
accompanying
written
ironic
verbal
useful
satirical
learned
breathless - 2024-01-1524instituteAWL AKL OPAL NGSL
- VERB TRANSITIVE to put into action or effectTexas International Airlines, which ultimately merged with United, and Western Airlines, which later joined Delta, were among the first to institute frequent flyer programs. (Karaca and Zagorsky 2022) Political will is vital to establishing a strong climate change regulator with statutory powers to institute the framework. (Kila 2024) To further address bias, CBSA needs to institute an anti-racism strategy, like the Anti-racism Strategy 2.0 being implemented within Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada. (Garneau and Dennler 2022) Melbourne was one of the first cities in the world to institute “agent of change” laws. (Lacey 2022) As of March 1 2020, all buses, trains and trams throughout the country can be boarded without paying a fare – the largest area to institute free public transport for both residents and tourists so far. (Papa 2020) Word Family: institute (verb), institute (noun), institution (noun)SynonymsTrue synonyms are rare: all of these have related meanings but are used in different contexts with different collocates: establish, start, found, organise 15/01/2026 - Set 24
- 2024-01-1424researchAWL AKL OPAL NGSL
- NOUN UNCOUNTABLE a comprehensive and detailed examination of a particular question in order to find new information or to test a hypothesisResearch shows apps can help aid language learning. (Rosell-Aguilar 2018) Our new research is published today in the journal Nature. (Edgar 2023) Research shows that the anti-science movement is escalating and globalising. (Clarke 2022) Research in Portugal is revealing the importance of moths as pollinators. (Evans 2020) Other research has suggested that memories are linked to language development. (Justice, Conway, and Akhtar 2018) Common collocates for this word:Word Family: research (noun), research (verb), researcher (noun)SynonymsTrue synonyms are rare: all of these have related meanings but are used in different contexts with different collocates: inquiry, investigation, analysis, examination 14/01/2026 - Set 24
research
social
medical
scientific
recent
substantive
historical
basic
current
educational
empirical
previous
clinical
extensive
academic
applied - 2024-01-1324irrelevantAWL AKL NGSL
- ADJECTIVE having no relation, connection to, or influence over a subject or eventChatGPT determines if a headline is good, bad or irrelevant for a firm’s stock prices and computes a score. (Oh 2023) But you may have noticed as you’ve scrolled through social media or read the news online recently that the ads you see are often impersonal and irrelevant to your interests. (D’Alessandro 2024) Nowadays, much of the information surrounding us is noise. By noise, I mean insignificant and irrelevant information that no one needs to know. (Brody 2025) While the source of our current inflation is irrelevant to consumers, it matters for economic policy. (Li 2022) For example, a recent study recorded participants' eye movements as they read texts and listened to irrelevant background speech. (Vasilev 2019) Common collocates for this word:Word Family: irrelevant (adjective), irrelevance (noun), relevant (adjective), relevance (noun)SynonymsTrue synonyms are rare: all of these have related meanings but are used in different contexts with different collocates: immaterial, unconnected 13/01/2026 - Set 24
irrelevant
considerations
material
information
aspects
matters
details
question
detail
speech
statement
defence
associations
factors
content
memories - 2024-01-1224structureAWL AKL OPAL NGSL
- NOUN COUNTABLE 1. the way in which parts of a system are arranged to form a coherent unit; 2. something put together or grown for a particular purposeSome mushrooms never form an above-ground structure. (Hughes 2021) The sentence structure of older books can also make them difficult. (Gruner 2019) Nowadays, it’s a lot easier to determine the structure of new compounds. (Addicoat 2023) Understanding penicillin’s structure meant we knew what it looked like and could search for its chemical cousins. (Addicoat 2023) But it took even longer, until 1945, for Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin to identify penicillin’s chemical structure. (Addicoat 2023) Participating in multiple activities can also provide structure and a routine for children, which helps them feel in control of their environment and predict what is coming next.(Nivison and Madigan 2024) Common collocates for this word:Word Family: structure (noun), structure (verb), structural (adjective)SynonymsTrue synonyms are rare: all of these have related meanings but are used in different contexts with different collocates: arrangement, construction, plan, organisation 12/01/2026 - Set 24
structure
social
industrial
internal
new
organisational
political
hierarchical
basic
economic
whole
financial
formal
syntactic
administrative
complex - 2024-01-0924analyseAWL OPAL NGSL
- VERB TRANSITIVE 1. to examine something in detail - especially its constituent parts in order to understand more about it; 2. (as a task verb) critically examine and describe the details of a topic, argument, proposition, etc.For the last year, ChatGPT has been able to analyse images as well as text as a feature of its latest version – GPT-4V(ision). (Kramer 2024) Researchers can analyze that reflected energy to detect important characteristics about the tornado. (Houser 2022) For example, Morgan Stanley’s AI models analyse a wide range of data – including news articles, social media posts and financial statements – to identify patterns and predict stock prices. (Oh 2023) Covering a wide range of generic and branded foods, it’s a quick and easy tool to help researchers, and potentially also clinicians, to track, monitor and analyse nutritional intake. (Cade 2017) For example, an AI tool could be used to analyse financial data, such as balance sheets and income statements, from technology companies. (Cade 2017) Common collocates for this word:Word Family: analyse (verb), analysis (noun), analytical (adjective)SynonymsTrue synonyms are rare: all of these have related meanings but are used in different contexts with different collocates: examine, study, investigate, evaluate 09/01/2026 - Set 24
analyse
data
information
problems
situations
results
consciousness
trends
samples
developments
soil
differences
events
changes
companies
media - 2024-01-0824designAWL
- NOUN COUNTABLE 1. a drawing or plan showing how something is made or will be made; 2. a pattern or structureTraining in making art, design and craft work can help scientists and engineers better in their work. (Shneiderman 2019) By taking tips from these natural designs, humans can create more sustainable and resilient environments for themselves and other living beings. (Roudavski 2025) Many factors influence how loud a car is on the road, including its design, how fast it travels and physical road conditions. (Walker 2022) It’s important to study the inner workings of locks and computer programs to understand how their design might allow someone to break them. (Craver 2022) Barriers to technological access can exclude older adults from the research, design and development process of digital technologies. (Chu et al. 2022) Common collocates for this word:Word Family: design (noun), design (verb)SynonymsTrue synonyms are rare: all of these have related meanings but are used in different contexts with different collocates: outline, plan, drawing, blueprint 08/01/2026 - Set 24
design
original
computer-aided
basic
grand
interior
graphic
experimental
detailed
architectural
modern
industrial
simple
traditional
similar
particular - 2024-01-0724specificationAWL AKL OPAL NGSL
- NOUN COUNTABLE 1. a detailed description showing how something is to be done or made (or is made), including a list of materials and componentsMost schools in both England and Australia seem to assume that it is better and easier for the teacher if every child has a device, and that all the devices have the same specification. (Twining 2014) We obtained region-specific vehicle specifications including vehicle sales, car make and model, weight, size, rated power, battery capacity and certified emissions performance. (Smit 2024) Chinese cars can offer consumers a combination of low price, good specification, innovative design and technology that is often more advanced than that of “legacy” companies. (Wells 2025) One issue with 3D recreations and computer-generated virtual reality simulations is that they require expensive headsets, and top specification computers to work. (Chowdhury 2016) It can write computer code to a user’s specification, draft business letters or rental contracts, compose homework essays and even pass university exams.(Walsh 2022) Common collocates for this word:Word Family: specification (noun), specify (verb), specific (adjective), specifically (adverb)SynonymsTrue synonyms are rare: all of these have related meanings but are used in different contexts with different collocates: stipulation, itemization, requirement 07/01/2026 - Set 24
specification
high
detailed
complete
full
original
technical
exact
proper
new
clear
basic
particular
written
precise
agreed - 2024-01-0624participateAWL OPAL NGSL
- VERB INTRANSITIVE to become involved in an activity or eventWe started our work by conducting a systematic review to consolidate existing research on what drives people to participate in extreme sports. (Hornby 2024) It [university experience] also encouraged them to participate in certain social and political activities. (Evans 2017) More than 200 highly trained volunteers have now participated in the Reef Life Survey of Australia. (Edgar 2023) The chimpanzees were familiar with this type of task and could choose whether they wanted to participate or not. (Völter 2019) This was demonstrated by a series of clever experiments in which participants had the option to be idle (waiting in a room for 15 minutes for an experiment to start) or to be busy (walking for 15 minutes to another venue to participate in an experiment). (Ku 2021) Moreover, research has shown that building cultures where girls and women are encouraged to participate, lead and make decisions in both public and private spheres is central to achieving lasting peace. (Gordon and Lee-Koo 2021) Common collocates for this word:Word Family: participate (verb), participation (noun)SynonymsTrue synonyms are rare: all of these have related meanings but are used in different contexts with different collocates: take part, engage in 06/01/2026 - Set 24
participate
fully
actively
directly
equally
regularly
effectively
meaningfully
extensively
formally
further
gainfully
vocally
unequally
proportionally
constructively - 2024-01-0524conductAWL AKL OPAL
- NOUN UNCOUNTABLE behaviour (especially with regard to how other people are treated)Codes of conduct are sets of policies and procedures that every employee adheres to. (Khemakhem et al. 2022) Since children are encouraged to follow and emulate their achievements, perhaps it is reasonable to expect that Olympic athletes meet a minimum standard of conduct. (Hutchison 2016) Journals routinely retract the publications of “research papers” purely on the grounds of unethical research conduct and cooked-up data. (Adesina 2020) All within the academy need to know that academic freedom is not being invoked to protect those who engage in unethical conduct. (Adesina 2020) Interdisciplinary researchers are working to establish basic common guidelines for research design and conduct. (Prendergast n.d.) The court also stated that breaching these obligations is an internationally wrongful act. As such, the government responsible will have to stop the harmful conduct. (Wadiwala 2025) Common collocates for this word:Word Family: conduct (noun), conduct (verb)SynonymsTrue synonyms are rare: all of these have related meanings but are used in different contexts with different collocates: behaviour, manner, comportment 05/01/2026 - Set 24
conduct
professional
sexual
violent
proper
good
disorderly
improper
human
safe
personal
offensive
future
oppressive
aggressive
efficient