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 |
|
