150 VOCABULARY FOR TOEFL iBT
malleable ('mal·ee·a ̆·be ̆l) adj. 1. easily molded or pressed into shape. 2. easily
controlled or influenced. 3. easily adapting to changing circumstances. Yo u
should be able to convince Xiu quickly; she’s quite a malleable person.
mar (mahr) v. 1. to impair or damage, make defective or imperfect. 2. to spoil the
perfection or integrity of. The strident sounds of Omar’s abysmal saxophone playing
marred the serenity of the afternoon.
maverick ('mav·e ̆r·ik) n. rebel, nonconformist, one who acts independently.
Madonna has always been a maverick in the music industry.
meander (mee·'an·de ̆r) v. 1. to move on a winding or turning course. 2. to wan-
der about, move aimlessly or without a fixed direction or course. I meandered
through the park for hours, trying to figure out how I could have made such an egre-
gious mistake.
mélange (may·'lahnzh) n. a mixture or assortment. The eclectic mélange of people at
the party made for a scintillating evening.
mellifluous (me·'lif·loo·u ̆s) adj. sounding sweet and flowing; honeyed. Her mel-
lifluous voice floated in through the windows and made everyone smile.
mendacity (men·'das·i·tee) n. 1. the tendency to be dishonest or untruthful.- a falsehood or lie. Carlos’s mendacity has made him very unpopular with his
classmates, who don’t feel they can trust him.
mercurial (me ̆r·'kyoor·ee·a ̆l) adj. 1. liable to change moods suddenly. 2. lively,
changeable, volatile. Fiona is so mercurial that you never know what kind of reac-
tion to expect.
meretricious (mer·e ̆·'trish·u ̆s) adj. gaudy, tawdry; showily attractive but false or
insincere. With its casinos and attractions, some people consider Las Vegas the most
meretricious city in the country.
mete (meet) v. to distribute, allot, apportion. The punishments were meted out
fairly to everyone involved in the plot.
meticulous (me ̆·'tik·yu ̆·lu ̆s) adj. extremely careful and precise; paying great
attention to detail. Tibor was awed by the meticulous detail in the painting—it
looked as real as a photograph.
mettlesome ('met·e ̆l·so ̆m) adj. courageous, high-spirited. Alice’s mettlesome atti-
tude was infectious and inspired us all to press on.
milieu (meel·'yuu) n. environment or setting. The milieu at the writer’s retreat is
designed to inspire creativity.