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:

2026-01-30 25 exclusiveAWL: ADJECTIVE limited to particular group or set
In 1982, the United Nations created exclusive economic zones (EEZs) — areas of sea that provide exploitation rights over marine and energy resources to coastal nations. (Abrantes 2022) However, we are increasingly learning that convergent and divergent thinking styles need not be mutually exclusive. (Pearson 2016) The companies merged, and the newly formed Yosemite Park and Curry Company was granted the exclusive rights to run lodges, restaurants and other facilities within the park, including the new gas station. (Childers 2025) Scholars understand nationalism as exclusive, boosting one identity group over – and at times in direct opposition to – others. (Holzer 2023) Standby power is not exclusive to chargers, either; other electronic devices such as TVs draw a little bit of standby power, too.(Farivar 2025) Common collocates for this word:

exclusive

rights
jurisdiction
possession
use
interview
distribution
occupation
pictures
basis
control
preserve
property
licence
distributor
concentration

Word Family: exclusive (adjective), exclude (verb), exclusion (noun)Synonyms: restricted 30/01/2026 - Set 25Test your understanding of the words in set 25 with these quick quizzes: Quiz 25 Quiz 25B Quiz 25C
2026-01-29 25 ensureAWL AKL OPAL NGSL: VERB to make sure (that something happens)
The UNESCO report calls on Australia to correct this, and ensure the plan sufficiently addresses other threats including water quality. (Day, Heron, and Hughes 2021) Much as we have come to rely on regular visits to the dentist to ensure our teeth are healthy, the regular use of dietary monitoring could help us to ensure that our food and nutrient intakes are also healthy. (Cade 2017) 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) The important thing is that it does need to be taught, and we need to ensure graduates emerge from university being good at it. (Davies 2016) Assessment should promote individuality. It should provide choices for students to demonstrate their achievements, to ensure they meet their goals for their future lives. (Tai et al. 2023) Common collocates for this word:

ensure

confidentiality
stability
efficiency
victory
protection
quality
conformity
reliability
value
supplies
uniformity
adherence
privacy
accountability
freedom

Word Family: ensure (verb)Synonyms: make sure, make certain 29/01/2026 - Set 25
2026-01-28 25 proportionateAWL AKL OPAL NGSL: ADJECTIVE fair or measured in proportion to the factors involvedThis is a word with strong connotations of justice, unlike the word proportional which usually describes how one thing changes in relation to another.
The [relevant legislative provision] provides general guidance and does little to ensure proportionate and equitable distribution of this most severe punishment. (Anderson 2017) The ideal was harmony and moderation. The body and soul needed to be balanced and proportionate in all their parts, without any excess. (Panegyres 2025) We need parliaments interested in making proportionate laws rather than breaking legislative speed limits. (Moulds 2023) Mandatory vaccination should be considered only if it is necessary for, and proportionate to, the achievement of an important public health goal (e.g., protecting the most vulnerable; protecting health care capacity; herd immunity)(Renaud and Ontario 2021) Police can use force to maintain peace or prevent violence. The force used must only be “reasonably necessary”. This means police can only use the minimum amount of force needed that is proportionate to the event.(Moritz, Prince, and Hine 2025) Common collocates for this word:

proportionate

share
increase
amount
part
number
representation
reduction
basis
interest
change
liability
response
size
value
distribution

Word Family: proportionate (adjective), proportion (noun), proportionately (adjective)Synonyms: fair, just, proportional28/01/2026 - Set 25
2026-01-27 25 consequenceAWL AKL NGSL: NOUN the result, or effect, of an action
Migratory geese are now adjusting when and where they migrate as a consequence of global climate change. (Langen 2020) We also must be aware of the unintended consequences that emerge in specific testing circumstances. (Bergen and Lane 2016) This seemingly subtle shift in perception may have profound consequences. (Seymour and Koenig 2025) The ecological disaster is a consequence of not only natural factors but also human activities – but at least this is one reason there is still hope we can reverse the problem. (Marti-Cardona and Torres-Batlló 2021) In consequence, we must constantly resist the temptation to see meaning in chance and to confuse correlation and causation. (Borwein (Jon) and Rose 2014) Common collocates for this word:

consequence

inevitable
direct
natural
important
logical
necessary
immediate
unintended
great
little
practical
obvious
real
probable
political

Word Family: consequence (noun), consequential (adjective), consequentially (adverb)Synonyms: result, effect, outcome , Lexical phrases: [.....] as a consequence of;
suffer, face, take the consequences27/01/2026 - Set 25
2026-01-26 25 potentialAWL AKL OPAL NGSL: ADJECTIVE possible, expected to happen under the right conditions
Potential energy is the capacity something has to do work because of its position in relation to other objects. (Baron 2021) IRBs (institutional review boards) can be useful for a study team to help identify potential risks, threats and ethical dilemmas. (Siagian, Habib, and Kusumaningrum 2021) They spoke about the potential benefits of increasing diversity among teachers and other school staff. (Adebayo 2023) Laughter is, after all, a communal activity which promotes bonding, diffuses potential conflict and eases stress and anxiety. (Barker 2017) Indeed, 95% of the potential predictive accuracy that a machine learning algorithm might achieve is obtainable just from friends' data.(Bagrow and Mitchell 2020) Common collocates for this word:

potential

customers
purchasers
buyers
problems
clients
users
energy
investors
source
conflict
difference
threat
members
benefits
danger

Word Family: potential (adjective), potential (noun), potentially (adjective)Synonyms: possible, conceivable, thinkable 26/01/2026 - Set 25
2026-01-23 25 assistanceAWL OPAL NGSL: NOUN help, aid
Assistance dogs work with people who need help in their daily lives, such as those who are blind or deaf. (Fernandez and Hazel 2020) Young adults in my surveys appreciated AI assistance with spelling and word completion, but they also spoke of negative effects. (Baron 2023) The aforementioned study also looks at preliminary data from 2024, which indicates that AI writing assistance is only becoming more common. (Koplin 2024) What’s more, a series of cost-benefit studies have found that providing a safety net for families not only helps the families who receive assistance but also society as a whole. (Maguire-Jack, Sokol, and Herrenkohl 2025) “Care work” provides assistance and support to community members suffering from mental illness, chronic ill-health, terminal illness, disability and frailty associated with ageing. (Murray and Adams 2012) Common collocates for this word:

assistance

financial
technical
economic
national
military
mutual
legal
public
selective
means-tested
practical
regional
medical
humanitarian
personal

Word Family: assistance (noun), assist (verb)Synonyms: help, aid, support, cooperation 23/01/2026 - Set 25
2026-01-22 25 selectionAWL: NOUN a group of items chosen under certain criteria; 1. the act or process of choosing
A web-based tool, TeacherSelector is comprised of a battery of tests and is now used by a number of education institutions in Australia and overseas to help with their selection processes. (Hattie and Bowles 2013) The new film Conclave is a psychological thriller looking at the selection of the new pope. (Sporzynski 2025) The peppered moth will always hold a special place in the annals of evolutionary biology. Its story is a classic example of natural selection, and of how animals can act as indicators of environmental change. (Feeney 2015) We took this diverse selection of organisms and looked to see how they were related on the tree of life and what genes they shared and didn’t share. (Guijarro-Clarke and Paps 2020) People couldn’t believe that natural selection could turn a hippo-like land animal into a whale, that lost its legs as it became a better swimmer. (Graves 2019) Common collocates for this word:

selection

natural
good
sexual
wide
cumulative
careful
large
small
varied
final
random
artificial
fine
single-step
patient

Word Family: selection (noun), select (verb), selective (adjective)Synonyms: choice, election, range, group 22/01/2026 - Set 25
2026-01-21 25 interactionAWL AKL OPAL NGSL: NOUN action between two or more items, groups or people often involving communication
These systems use language that aims to make interaction with them feel natural, fluent and accessible. (Arias 2024) Another form of communication, emotional intelligence perception, involves developing robots that adapt their behaviors based on social interactions with humans. (Vinjamuri 2023) The type of chemical, its amount and its interaction with other chemicals give the flower its unique scent. (Harkess 2021) Human-robot interaction has the potential to affect every aspect of daily life. (Vinjamuri 2023) Conversational receptiveness is effective because it makes the interaction less confrontational and therefore less unpleasant.(Minson 2023) Common collocates for this word:

interaction

social
significant
complex
direct
human
face-to-face
dynamic
weak
personal
conversational
mutual
strong
dialectical
electromagnetic
communicative

Word Family: interaction (noun), interact (verb), interactive (adjective), interactively (adverb) Lexical phrases: interaction between
21/01/2026 - Set 25
2026-01-20 25 affectAWL OPAL NGSL: VERB to influence something or someone usually involving a change in the affected thing or person
Loneliness affects approximately 9% of people over 65 in the UK. (Carrino and Pabon 2019) This communication between food and genes may affect your health, physiology and longevity. (Jachowski 2023) Scientists can use the results of these experiments to estimate how milder conditions that are more similar to the environment found in archives will affect the film. (Ahmad 2020) Clearly, a lack of gender diversity in the workforce is part of a much larger, systemic problem – one that affects many more people than the individuals being excluded. (Assaad 2023) Even now, 200 years on from the Spanish Inquisition, the locations affected appear to be poorer, more religious, less educated, and less trusting. (Voth, Vidal-Robert, and Drelichman 2021) Common collocates for this word:

affect

people
performance
women
trade
prices
others
sales
management
relations
children
employment
attitudes
patients
companies
survival

Word Family: affect (verb), affection (noun), affect (noun)Synonyms: influence, impact 20/01/2026 - Set 25
2026-01-19 25 consensusAWL AKL OPAL: NOUN agreement between two or more people or groups
As these scientific societies’ position statements reflect, there is a clear scientific consensus on the reality of climate change. (Solomon 2017) But despite the wealth of research, there is no clear consensus on how this mental disorder should be explained. (Clack and Ward 2019) In theory, resolving factual disputes should be relatively easy: Just present evidence of a strong expert consensus. (Bardon 2020) But things don’t work that way when the scientific consensus presents a picture that threatens someone’s ideological worldview. (Bardon 2020) Presenting climate change as a legitimate debate undermines the value of scientific consensus, often validating climate denialism – or its more recent iteration, delayism. (Andrés and Espallargas 2024) Common collocates for this word:

consensus

national
political
general
growing
clear
broad
social
international
apparent
moral
strong
critical
democratic
professional
real

Word Family: consensus (noun)Synonyms: agreement, accord Lexical phrases: [reach, come to] a consensus19/01/2026 - Set 25

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