400 Must Have Words for the TOEFL LESSON 29 - Government Corruption Vocabulary Test
Word List
bribery [ˈbraɪbərɪ] n.
Giving money or other gifts to a government official or other person in authority in order to get special privileges
→ Bribery of police officers is common in countries where police salaries are very low.
Parts of speech bribe v., bribe n.
cynically [ˈsɪnɪklɪ] adv.
Disrespectfully; emphasizing the weaknesses of otherwise respected things
→ Employees of the Roadways Department cynically referred to their boss as “the banker” because he took so many bribes.
Parts of speech cynic n., cynicism n., cynical adj.
erode [ɪˈrəʊd] v.
To wear away and become smaller
→ People’s respect for the government eroded as more officials were arrested for corruption.
Usage tips Erode can be intransitive (the beach eroded) or transitive (the waves eroded the beach).
Parts of speech erosion n., erosive adj.
evade [ɪˈveɪd] v.
To get away from something that tries to catch you
→ The robbery suspects tried to evade the police by fleeing to Canada.
Parts of speech evasion n., evasive adj.
grotesque [grəʊˈtesk] adj.
Extremely unattractive, in a way that catches a lot of attention.
→ Spending $3.5 million to redecorate the governor’s house is a grotesque misuse of public money.
integrity [ɪnˈtegrɪtɪ] n.
Personal honesty and good character
→ We don’t have a problem with our employees stealing from the store because we hire only people with a lot of integrity.
prevalent [ˈprevələnt] adj.
Common; easy to find because it exists in great amounts
→ Distrust of elected officials was prevalent in our county because many of them were friends with certain candidates.
Parts of speech prevail v., prevalence n.
reform [rɪˈfɔːm] v.
To make big improvements
→ The new law was an attempt to reform the system of giving money to political candidates.
Parts of speech reform n., reformer n.
scandal [ˈskændl] n.
A case of wrongdoing that hurts someone’s reputation
→ In the Watergate scandal, some of the president’s top advisors were revealed to be criminals.
Parts of speech scandalize v., scandalous adj.
unmask [ˈʌnˈmɑːsk] v.
Reveal; expose something that is hidden
→ The Forge Trucking Company was eventually unmasked as a front for organized crime.
