abase:
humiliate; lower or depress in rank or esteem | abash:
embarrass; make ashamed or uneasy; disconcert |
abate:
subside; decrease; become less in amount or intensity | abbreviate:
make shorter; reduce to shorter form intended to represent full form, as for word or phrase |
abdicate:
give up, renounce, abandon, lay down, or withdraw from, as a right or claim | aberrant:
abnormal; markedly different from an accepted norm |
abet:
aid, usually in doing something wrong; encourage | abeyance:
suspended action; temporary cessation or suspension |
abhor:
fill with horror and loathing; horrify; hate | abject:
being of the most miserable kind; wretched; lacking pride; brought low in condition or status |
abjure:
renounce upon oath; abandon forever | ablution:
washing or cleansing of the body, especially as part of religious rite |
abnegation:
repudiation; self-sacrifice; renouncing your own interests in favor of interests of others | abode:
act of waiting; delay; stay or continuance in a place |
abolish:
cancel; put an end to; destroy completely | abominable:
detestable; extremely unpleasant; very bad |
aboriginal:
being the first of its kind in a region; primitive; native | abortive:
unsuccessful; failing to accomplish an intended objective; fruitless |
abrasive:
rubbing away; tending to grind down | abridge:
condense; shorten; reduce length of written text |
abrogate:
abolish, do away with, or annul, especially by authority | abscond:
leave quickly and secretly and hide oneself, often to avoid arrest or prosecution |
absolute:
perfect in quality or nature; complete; totally unlimited; certain | absolve:
let off hook; relieve of requirement or obligation |
abstemious:
sparing or moderation in eating and drinking; temperate | abstinence:
restraint from eating or drinking; refraining from indulging appetite or desire |
abstract:
theoretical; not concrete; not applied or practical; difficult to understand | abstruse:
obscure; profound; difficult to understand. |
abusive:
coarsely insulting; physically harmful; characterized by improper or wrongful use | abut:
border upon; adjoin; touch or end at one end or side; lie adjacent |
abysmal:
bottomless; very profound; limitless; very bad | abyss:
enormous chasm; vast bottomless pit; any deep, immeasurable space; hell |
academic:
related to school; not practical or directly useful; relating to scholarly organization; based on formal education | accede:
agree; give consent, often at insistence of another; concede |
accelerate:
move faster; cause to develop or progress more quickly; occur sooner than expected | accessible:
easily approached or entered; obtainable; easy to talk to or get along with |
accessory:
additional object; useful but not essential thing; subordinate or supplementary item | acclaim:
applaud; announce with great approval |
acclimate:
accustom or become accustomed to a new environment or situation; adapt | acclivity:
upward slope, as of hill |
accolade:
award of merit; expression of approval; praise | accommodate:
do a favor or service for; provide for; supply with; make suitable; adapt; allow for |
accomplice:
partner in crime; associate in wrongdoing | accord:
settlement or compromise of conflicting opinions; written agreement between two states |
accost:
approach and speak to boldly or aggressively, as with demand or request | accretion:
growth or increase in size by gradual external addition, fusion, or inclusion |
accrue:
increase, accumulate, or come about as a result of growth; accumulate over time | acerbity:
bitterness of speech and temper; sourness or acidness of taste, character, or tone |
acetic:
having properties of vinegar; sour | acidulous:
slightly sour in taste or in manner; sharp; caustic |
acknowledge:
declare to be true or admit; express obligation, thanks | acme:
the highest point or level, as of achievement or development; maturity or perfection of animal |
acne:
skin condition, usually of the face, that is common in adolescents, characterized by red pimples, caused by inflammation | acoustics:
science of sound; quality that makes a room easy or hard to hear in |
acquiesce:
assent; agree without protesting | acquittal:
state of being found or proved not guilty; judgment of not guilty |
acrid:
unpleasantly sharp or bitter to taste or smell; bitterly pungent | acrimonious:
bitter and sharp in language, tone, or manner |
acrophobia:
fear of heights; abnormal fear of high places | actuarial:
calculating; pertaining to insurance statistics |
actuate:
put into motion or action; activate | acuity:
sharpness; acuteness of vision or perception; keenness |
acumen:
mental keenness; quickness of perception | acute:
quickly perceptive; keen; having a sharp point or tip; extremely sharp or severe |
adage:
wise saying; brief familiar proverb; expression of popular wisdom | adamant:
extremely hard; inflexible; stubbornly unyielding |
adapt:
make fit for; change to suit a new purpose | addendum:
something added or to be added, especially a supplement to a book |
addiction:
compulsive physiological and psychological need for a substance; being abnormally dependent on something | addle:
muddle; drive crazy; become confused |
adept:
expert at; very skilled; having or showing knowledge and skill and aptitude | adhere:
stick fast; stick to firmly; be compatible or in accordance with |
adherent:
person who adheres; one who follows or upholds a leader, party, cause | adjacent:
adjoining; neighboring; close to; lying near |
adjunct:
something added on or attached generally nonessential or inferior | admonish:
warn; counsel someone against something to be avoided |
adorn:
enhance or decorate with or as if with ornaments | adroit:
skillful and adept under pressing conditions |
adulation:
excessive flattery or admiration; unmerited praise | adulterate:
make impure by adding inferior or tainted substances |
advent:
coming or arrival, especially of something extremely important | adventitious:
accidental; casual; not inherent but added extrinsically |
adversary:
opponent in contest; someone who offers opposition | adverse:
in opposing direction; harmful or unfavorable; acting or serving to oppose |
adversity:
state of misfortune, hardship, or affliction; misfortune | advocacy:
support; active pleading on behalf of something |
advocate:
speak, plead, or argue in favour of; plead for; push for something | aesthetic:
elegant or tasteful; of or concerning appreciation of beauty or good taste |
affable:
easily approachable; warmly friendly | affected:
speaking or behaving in artificial way; emotionally stirred or moved; infected or attacked |
affidavit:
written statement made under oath | affiliation:
partnership; alliance; association in the same family or society |
affinity:
natural attraction, liking, or feeling of kinship; relationship by marriage | affirmation:
positive assertion; confirmation; solemn pledge by one who refuses to take an oath |
affliction:
cause or condition of pain, suffering, or distress | affluence:
abundance; a plentiful supply of material goods; wealth |
affront:
insult; offense; intentional act of disrespect | agenda:
items of business at a meeting; list or program of things to be done or considered |
agglomeration:
collection; heap; act or process of gathering into a mass | aggrandize:
increase scope of; extend; intensify; make greater in power, influence, stature, or reputation |
aggregate:
gather into a mass, sum, or whole; amount to | aghast:
struck by shock, terror, or amazement |
agility:
mentally quick; moving quickly and lightly | agitate:
cause to move with violence or sudden force; upset; disturb |
agnostic:
one who is skeptical of existence of a god or any ultimate reality | agrarian:
pertaining to land or its cultivation; relating to agricultural or rural matters |
alacrity:
cheerful promptness or willingness; eagerness; speed or quickness | alchemy:
medieval chemistry; magical or mysterious power or process of transforming |
alcove:
nook; small, recessed section of a room | alias:
assumed name; another name; name that has been assumed temporarily |
alienate:
cause to become unfriendly or hostile; transfer property or ownership; isolate or dissociate emotionally | alimentary:
providing nourishment; concerned with food, nutrition, or digestion |
alimony:
payment by a husband to his divorced wife, or vice versa | allay:
calm; pacify; reduce the intensity of; relieve |
allege:
state without proof; assert to be true | allegiance:
loyalty to a nation, sovereign, or cause; fidelity to any person or thing; devotion |
allegory:
symbolic representation of abstract ideas or principles in narrative, dramatic, or pictorial form | alleviate:
provide physical relief, as from pain; make easier; remove in part |
alliteration:
repetition of beginning sound in poetry | allocate:
assign; distribute according to plan |
alloy:
combine; mix; make less pure; lessen or moderate | allude:
refer casually or indirectly, or by suggestion |
allure:
attract with something desirable; be highly, often subtly attractive | aloft:
in or into a high place; high or higher up |
altercation:
noisy quarrel; contention in words; dispute carried on with heat or anger; controversy | altruistic:
unselfishly generous; concerned for others |
amalgamate:
combine; unite in one body; mix or alloy a metal with mercury | amass:
collect; gather for oneself, as for one's pleasure or profit |
ambidextrous:
capable of using either hand with equal ease | ambience:
particular environment or surrounding influence; atmosphere of environment |
ambiguous:
unclear or doubtful in meaning | ambivalence:
state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes, such as love and hate |
amble:
moving at an easy pace; walk slowly or leisurely | ambrosia:
something with delicious flavor or fragrance; fruit dessert made of oranges and bananas with shredded coconut |
ambulatory:
able to walk; formed or adapted for walking; not stationary | ambush:
disposition or arrangement of troops for attacking an enemy unexpectedly from a concealed station |
ameliorate:
make or become better; improve; grow better | amenable:
responsive to advice or suggestion; responsible to higher authority; willing to comply with; agreeable |
amend:
change for the better; improve; remove faults or errors | amenities:
convenient features; courtesies |
amiable:
good-natured and likable; lovable; warmly friendly | amicable:
exhibiting friendliness or goodwill; not quarrelsome |
amiss:
out of proper order; not in perfect shape; faulty | amity:
friendship; peaceful relations, as between nations |
amnesia:
partial or total loss of memory, usually resulting from shock or illness | amnesty:
general pardon granted by government, especially for political offenses |
amoral:
lacking moral sensibility; not caring about right and wrong. | amorous:
moved by sexual love; loving |
amorphous:
formless; lacking shape or definition | amphibian:
able to live both on land and in water |
amphitheater:
oval building with tiers of seats from central open space or arena | ample:
more than enough in size or scope or capacity; fairly large |
amputate:
cut off part of body, especially by surgery; prune | amulet:
object worn, especially around neck, as a charm against evil or injury; charm |
analgesic:
serving to reduce sensibility to pain without loss of consciousness | analogous:
comparable; similar or alike |
analogy:
similarity in some respects; comparison based on similarity | anarchist:
person who seeks to overturn established government; advocate of abolishing authority |
anarchy:
absence of governing body; state of disorder; political disorder and confusion | anathema:
solemn curse; someone or something regarded as a curse |
ancestry:
family descent; series or line of ancestors; lineage | anchor:
secure or fasten firmly; be fixed in place; narrate or coordinate |
ancillary:
serving as aid or accessory; auxiliary | anecdote:
short account of amusing or interesting event; short narrative; secret story of history or biography |
anemia:
condition in which blood lacks red corpuscles; deficiency of red blood cells; lack of vitality | anesthetic:
substance that causes loss of sensation; producing temporary loss or impairment of feeling |
anguish:
agonizing physical or mental pain; extreme suffering | angular:
sharp-cornered; consisting of an angle or angles; stiff in manner |
animated:
having life or vigor or spirit; filled with activity; in form of cartoon | animosity:
bitter hostility; active hatred; hostile feeling or act |
animus:
feeling of enmity or ill will; attitude that informs one's actions; disposition | annals:
chronological record of the events of successive years |
annex:
append or attach; take possession of; incorporate into an existing political unit | annihilate:
destroy completely; reduce to nonexistence |
annotate:
comment; make explanatory notes | annuity:
annual payment of allowance or income; periodical payment, amounting to a fixed sum in each year |
annul:
make or declare void or invalid; reduce to nothing | anodyne:
source of relaxation or comfort; medicine that relieves pain |
anoint:
apply oil or similar substance to; put oil on during religious ceremony as a sign of sanctification or consecration. | anomalous:
deviating from normal or common order, form, or rule |
anomaly:
irregularity; person or something that is unusual; departure from normal or common order | anonymity:
state of being nameless; one that is unknown or unacknowledged |
antagonism:
active resistance; condition of being an opposing principle, force, or factor | antecede:
precede; go before in time, and sometimes in place, rank, or logical order |
antecedents:
preceding events or circumstances that influence what comes later; ancestors or early background | antediluvian:
antiquated; extremely old and ancient; belonging to very ancient times |
anthem:
song of praise or patriotism; song of devotion or loyalty | anthology:
book of literary selections by various authors |
anthropoid:
manlike; resembling a human, especially in shape or outward appearance | anthropologist:
one who studies history and science of mankind |
anthropomorphic:
having human form or characteristics | anticlimax:
letdown in thought or emotion; decline viewed in disappointing contrast with previous rise |
antidote:
medicine to counteract a poison or disease; agent that relieves or counteracts | antipathy:
strong feeling of aversion; dislike |
antiquated:
too old to be fashionable, suitable, or useful; obsolete; aged | |
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