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Health-care vocabulary · Topic 8 of 14

Amount, Frequency & Time Words

Amount, Frequency & Time Words — Set 1

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Vocabulary · amount, frequency & time

Amount, Frequency & Time Words — Set 1

Most-listed amount and time words: deficit, volume, impending, ongoing and perpetual — too little, how much, coming soon, still going, never ending.

01 · Most testeddeficit = a shortage, too little
02 · Most testedimpending = about to happen
03 · Most testedperpetual = never ending
01

Most-tested words

deficit (noun) — a shortage below what is needed
perpetual (adjective) — never ending, going on and on
impending (adjective) — about to happen soon
ongoing (adjective) — still going on now
volume (noun) — an amount; the space something fills
02

More words

excess (noun) — more than is needed or normal
adequate (adjective) — enough for the need
sufficient (adjective) — as much as is needed
deficient (adjective) — not having enough of something
copious (adjective) — large in amount, plentiful
paucity (noun) — a scarcity, too little of something
laden (adjective) — heavily loaded or filled
concomitant (adjective) — happening along with something else
chronology (noun) — the time order of events
annual (adjective) — once a year, yearly
profuse (adjective) — pouring out in large amounts
intermittent (adjective) — stopping and starting again
sporadic (adjective) — now and then, with no pattern
concurrent (adjective) — happening during the same time
simultaneous (adjective) — at exactly the same moment
imminent (adjective) — just about to happen
03

Intermittent or sporadic?

Commonly confused
IntermittentSporadic
Core ideaStops and starts againHappens now and then, scattered
PatternOff and on, with breaks betweenScattered, with no set pattern
Health-care usePain that comes and goesOccasional, isolated cases
04

In a sentence

Show 21 example sentences
deficit: The stroke left the patient with a deficit in speech that improved slowly over months.
excess: An excess of fluid in the lungs made it hard for the patient to breathe lying flat.
adequate: The patient needs adequate fluid intake to keep the kidneys working well.
sufficient: One dose was sufficient to bring the fever down.
deficient: Blood work showed the patient was deficient in iron and vitamin D.
copious: The wound produced copious drainage, so the dressing was changed twice a shift.
paucity: A paucity of rural clinics forces many families to drive hours for care.
laden: The nurse pushed a cart laden with supplies down the hall.
concomitant: The patient had a fever with concomitant chills and body aches.
perpetual: The perpetual beeping of monitors made it hard for the patient to sleep.
impending: The patient sensed impending doom just before the heart rhythm changed.
ongoing: The patient needs ongoing physical therapy after the hip replacement.
chronology: The nurse wrote a careful chronology of the symptoms, starting with the first headache.
volume: The nurse measured the volume of urine every hour.
annual: Adults are encouraged to get an annual flu vaccine each fall.
profuse: The patient arrived with profuse sweating and a racing pulse.
intermittent: The patient reported intermittent pain that came and went every few hours.
sporadic: Cases of the illness were sporadic, a few here and there across the county.
concurrent: The patient is receiving concurrent chemotherapy and radiation.
simultaneous: Two nurses took simultaneous blood pressure readings, one on each arm.
imminent: With contractions two minutes apart, the birth was imminent.
Pearl

Intermittent comes and goes; concurrent and simultaneous happen together; imminent and impending are about to happen.

Sources · Cambridge Dictionary — deficit · Cambridge Dictionary — excess · Cambridge Dictionary — adequate · Cambridge Dictionary — sufficient · Cambridge Dictionary — deficient · Cambridge Dictionary — copious · Cambridge Dictionary — paucity · Cambridge Dictionary — laden · Cambridge Dictionary — concomitant · Cambridge Dictionary — perpetual · Cambridge Dictionary — impending · Cambridge Dictionary — ongoing · Cambridge Dictionary — chronology · Cambridge Dictionary — volume · Cambridge Dictionary — annual · Cambridge Dictionary — profuse · Cambridge Dictionary — intermittent · Cambridge Dictionary — sporadic · Cambridge Dictionary — concurrent · Cambridge Dictionary — simultaneous · Cambridge Dictionary — imminent · Union Test Prep — HESI A2 Vocabulary study guide, page 2 · Vocabulary.com — word list "HESI A2" · Vocabulary.com — word list "HESI" · NurseHub — free HESI A2 Vocabulary diagnostic test (50 questions) · McGraw-Hill 500 Evolve Reach (HESI) A2 Questions, ch. 2 Vocabulary (EasyNotecards transcription) · Brainscape — "HESI A2 Vocabulary" deck · Brainscape — "Hesi vocab" deck · Brainscape — "Hesi A2 vocab YT vids" deck · NurseStudy.net — HESI A2 study guide: vocabulary list · Mometrix — free HESI A2 Vocabulary practice test · TestHQ — HESI A2 Vocabulary (frequently tested words) · Built from the verified NurseSavvy HESI A2 fact map (facts reviewed 2026-10-16). HESI is a trademark of Elsevier; NurseSavvy is not affiliated with Elsevier.

Amount, Frequency & Time Words — Set 2

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Vocabulary · amount, frequency & time

Amount, Frequency & Time Words — Set 2

Most-listed words here: temporary, constant and proliferation — for a short time, all the time, and a rapid increase.

01 · Most testedtemporary = for a limited time
02 · Most testedconstant = all the time, unchanging
03 · Most testedproliferation = rapid increase in number
01

Most-tested words

constant (adjective) — all the time; or staying the same
proliferation (noun) — a rapid increase in number
temporary (adjective) — lasting only a limited time
02

More words

ultimately (adverb) — in the end, finally
negligible (adjective) — too small to matter
prior (adjective) — earlier; before something else
continuous (adjective) — without any pause or break
gradual (adjective) — slow, a little at a time
surplus (noun) — an extra amount left over
aggregate (noun) — a total formed by combining parts
incessant (adjective) — never stopping, often annoying
protracted (adjective) — drawn out, lasting longer than expected
ephemeral (adjective) — lasting only a brief time
permanent (adjective) — lasting forever; not going away
subsequent (adjective) — coming after; following
scant (adjective) — very little, barely enough
minimal (adjective) — the least possible; very small
depleted (adjective) — used up or greatly reduced
periodic (adjective) — repeating at intervals
interval (noun) — the time between two events
prolonged (adjective) — continuing for a long time
initial (adjective) — first, at the beginning
03

Continuous or periodic?

Commonly confused
ContinuousPeriodic
Core ideaGoes on without a breakRepeats at intervals
Gaps?NoneYes — a time interval between
Health-care useAn infusion that never stopsVital signs checked every 4 hours
04

In a sentence

Show 22 example sentences
ultimately: The patient tried several treatments but ultimately needed surgery.
negligible: The blood loss during the procedure was negligible.
prior: The patient had no prior surgeries and no known allergies.
constant: The patient described a constant ache that never fully went away.
continuous: The patient is on a continuous infusion that runs day and night.
gradual: The patient made a gradual recovery, walking a bit farther each day.
surplus: The clinic donated its surplus of masks to a nearby school.
aggregate: The aggregate of the three readings gave a clearer picture than any single one.
proliferation: Cancer involves the unchecked proliferation of abnormal cells.
incessant: The patient's incessant cough kept the whole ward awake.
protracted: After a protracted labor of thirty hours, the mother was exhausted.
ephemeral: The relief from the cold pack was ephemeral, and the throbbing soon returned.
temporary: The patient wore a temporary cast until the swelling went down.
permanent: The burn left a permanent scar on the patient's forearm.
subsequent: The first test was normal, but a subsequent test found the infection.
scant: The patient ate scant amounts at each meal and kept losing weight.
minimal: The scope was used so that scarring would be minimal.
depleted: After days of vomiting, the patient's potassium was depleted.
periodic: The patient needs periodic eye exams to check for diabetic changes.
interval: The nurse timed the interval between contractions.
prolonged: Prolonged bed rest can weaken muscles and raise the risk of blood clots.
initial: The initial assessment showed a normal heart rate.
Pearl

Continuous never pauses; periodic repeats at intervals; temporary ends, permanent does not.

Sources · Cambridge Dictionary — ultimately · Cambridge Dictionary — negligible · Cambridge Dictionary — prior · Cambridge Dictionary — constant · Cambridge Dictionary — continuous · Cambridge Dictionary — gradual · Cambridge Dictionary — surplus · Cambridge Dictionary — aggregate · Cambridge Dictionary — proliferation · Cambridge Dictionary — incessant · Cambridge Dictionary — protracted · Cambridge Dictionary — ephemeral · Cambridge Dictionary — temporary · Cambridge Dictionary — permanent · Cambridge Dictionary — subsequent · Cambridge Dictionary — scant · Cambridge Dictionary — minimal · Cambridge Dictionary — depleted · Cambridge Dictionary — periodic · Cambridge Dictionary — interval · Cambridge Dictionary — prolonged · Cambridge Dictionary — initial · Union Test Prep — HESI A2 Vocabulary study guide, page 2 · Vocabulary.com — word list "HESI A2" · Vocabulary.com — word list "HESI" · NurseHub — free HESI A2 Vocabulary diagnostic test (50 questions) · McGraw-Hill 500 Evolve Reach (HESI) A2 Questions, ch. 2 Vocabulary (EasyNotecards transcription) · Brainscape — "HESI A2 Vocabulary" deck · Brainscape — "Hesi A2 vocab YT vids" deck · NurseStudy.net — HESI A2 study guide: vocabulary list · Mometrix — free HESI A2 Vocabulary practice test · TestHQ — HESI A2 Vocabulary (frequently tested words) · Serrari Group — Common HESI A2 vocabulary words · Built from the verified NurseSavvy HESI A2 fact map (facts reviewed 2026-10-16). HESI is a trademark of Elsevier; NurseSavvy is not affiliated with Elsevier.

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