v. humiliate; lower or depress in rank or esteem
E.g. Defeated, Queen Zenobia was forced to abase herself before the conquering Romans, who made her march in chains before the emperor in the procession celebrating his triumph.
v. subside; decrease; become less in amount or intensity
E.g. Rather than leaving immediately, they waited for the storm to abate.
n. shortening something by omitting parts of it
E.g. For example, the word abbreviation can itself be represented by the "abbr." or "abbrev."
v. give up, renounce, abandon, lay down, or withdraw from, as a right or claim
E.g. When Edward VIII did abdicate the British throne to marry the woman he loved, he surprised the entire world.
v. aid, usually in doing something wrong; encourage
E.g. She was unwilling to abet him in the swindle he had planned.
n. suspended action; temporary cessation or suspension
E.g. The deal was held in abeyance until her arrival.
v. fill with horror and loathing; horrify; hate
E.g. One of the things I abhor is the threat to withhold aid.
v. renounce upon oath; abandon forever
E.g. He will abjure his allegiance to the king.
n. washing or cleansing of the body, especially as part of religious rite
E.g. His ablution was accompanied by loud noises that he humorously labeled "Opera in the Bath.".
n. repudiation; self-sacrifice; renouncing your own interests in favor of interests of others
E.g. No act of abnegation was more pronounced than his refusal of any rewards for his discovery.
n. ending; act of abolishing; act of doing away with
E.g. In particular the economists say that the proposed abolition of taxes on the dividends is not credible as a short term stimulus.
a. unsuccessful; failing to accomplish an intended objective; fruitless
E.g. They warmed themselves beside these great hearthfires; they tried their powers in abortive creations, in work laid aside and taken up again with new glow of enthusiasm.atize Beijing peacefully.
v. wear away by friction; scrape; erode
E.g. The sharp rocks did abrade the skin on her legs, so she put iodine on her abrasions.
n. scratch; friction
E.g. Dust also, is a significant cause of abrasion of book papers and covers.
v. condense; shorten; reduce length of written text
E.g. Because the publishers felt the public wanted a shorter version of War and Peace, they proceeded to abridge the novel.
a. abolish, do away with, or annul, especially by authority
E.g. He intended to abrogate the decree issued by his predecessor.
v. leave quickly and secretly and hide oneself, often to avoid arrest or prosecution
E.g. The teller who did abscond with the bonds went un-captured until someone recognized him from his photograph on "America's Most Wanted.".
a. sparing or moderation in eating and drinking; temperate
E.g. Concerned whether her vegetarian son's abstemious diet provided him with sufficient protein, the worried mother pressed food on him.
a. obscure; profound; difficult to understand.
E.g. She carries around abstruse works of philosophy, not because she understands them but because she wants her friends to think she does.
v. agree; give consent, often at insistence of another; concede
E.g. The idea that one of the two chief executives should eventually accede to the role, as has happened in the past, would raise fresh doubts about the board's independence.
n. upward slope, as of hill
E.g. The car would not go up the acclivity in high gear.
n. award of merit; expression of approval; praise
E.g. In Hollywood, an "Oscar" is the highest accolade.
n. growth or increase in size by gradual external addition, fusion, or inclusion
E.g. The accretion of wealth marked the family's rise in power.
n. bitterness of speech and temper; sourness or acidness of taste, character, or tone
E.g. The meeting of the United Nations General Assembly was marked with such acerbity that informed sources held out little hope of reaching any useful settlement of the problem.
a. slightly sour in taste or in manner; sharp; caustic
E.g. James was unpopular because of his sarcastic and acidulous remarks.
v. assent; agree without protesting
E.g. Although she appeared to acquiesce to her employer's suggestions, I could tell she had reservations about the changes he wanted made.
a. bitter and sharp in language, tone, or manner
E.g. The candidate attacked his opponent in highly acrimonious terms.
n. abbreviation
E.g. Acronym has been an integral part of computer culture, and many originated in the military and government sectors.
v. muddle; drive crazy; become confused
E.g. This idiotic plan is confusing enough to addle anyone.
n. person who adheres; one who follows or upholds a leader, party, cause
E.g. In the wake of the scandal, John, the senator's one-time adherent, quickly deserted him.
v. hear and settle a case by judicial procedure
E.g. The principle decided to adjudicate the disagreement between two students.
v. appeal to or entreat earnestly; command or enjoin solemnly, as under oath
E.g. The criminal tried to adjure to the court for mercy.
v. enhance or decorate with or as if with ornaments
E.g. This small icon indicates that the plastic yard sign they adorn is either recyclable.
n. embellishment; decoration; something that beautifies or adorns; ornament
E.g. On close examination, the boy can be seen to have a woven strand of some sort around his left ankle, possibly adornment, spiritual or medicinal.
a. skillful and adept under pressing conditions
E.g. I should work in adroit references to this evening's speeches.
v. make impure by adding inferior or tainted substances
E.g. It is a crime to adulterate foods without informing the buyer.
v. give hint or indication of something; disclose partially or guardedly; overshadow; shade
E.g. Her constant complaining about the job would adumbrate her intent to leave.
a. easily approachable; warmly friendly
E.g. Accustomed to cold, aloof supervisors, Nicholas was amazed at how affable his new employer was.
v. increase scope of; extend; intensify; make greater in power, influence, stature, or reputation
E.g. The history of the past quarter century illustrates how a President may aggrandize his power to act aggressively in international affairs without considering the wishes of Congress.
n. several things grouped together or considered as a whole
E.g. It provides an overview of a diverse set of more than thirty digital library aggregation services, organizes them into functional clusters.