IELTS Vocabulary (4) Petroleum Alternatives

1. Constraint n. Something that restricts thought or action
The constraints of military life kept Eileen from seeing Private Morris more than once a month.

2. Contamination n. Being made less clean by a germ or hazardous substance
The contamination in the river came from the factory located just upstream.

3. Deplete v. To greatly decrease the supply of a resource or material
The prolonged war depleted the country’s national treasury.

4. Dispose of v. To throw away; to get rid of; to kill
She disposed of her unwanted possessions before moving.
The tyrant cruelly disposed of all his enemies.

5. Elementally adv. In terms of elements; basically
Elementally, coal and diamonds are the same.

6. Emission n. Sending out from a small space into the general environment; a substance discharged into the air
The Environmental Protection Agency regulates the emission of pollutants into the air.

7. Extinction n. Complete disappearance; the end of existence
Human beings have caused the extinction of many other species.

8. Reservoir n. A place where a liquid is collected and stored
Cult members threatened to poison the town’s water reservoir.

9. Shrink v. To become reduced in size, amount, or value
If you dry your clothing on the “high heat” setting, they may shrink.

10. Stable adj. Firm and dependable; showing little change
He fell because the ladder wasn’t stable.