a. unclear or doubtful in meaning
E.g. His ambiguous instructions misled us; we did not know which road to take.
v. change for the better; improve; remove faults or errors
E.g. Would McCain amend executive orders to ensure that communications between persons outside government and White House staff are disclosed to the public?
ad. in the middle of; among; surrounded by
E.g. He and other leaders are more optimistic than eight years ago, when Easley's began his term amid a recession.
ad. amid; in the middle of; among
E.g. He found that a traveler's life is one that includes much pain amidst its enjoyments.
a. able to live both on land and in water
E.g. Frogs are classified as amphibian.
v. broaden or clarify by expanding; intensify; make larger or more powerful; increase
E.g. Charlie Brown tried to amplify his remarks, but he was drowned out by jeers from the audience.
v. resolve anything complex into its elements; separate into parts for purpose of examination of each separately
E.g. Don't spend all day calling agents about fees - pick three in your locality and analyse which is the best one.
a. of analysis; resolving into elements or parts
E.g. He is totally lacking in the kind of analytical, logical, thoughtful intelligence needed by a leader, much less a President.
n. forefather; forebear; forerunner or predecessor
E.g. He said it was a very old name in that neighborhood; that the ancestor of the house was wealthy.
n. short account of amusing or interesting event; short narrative; secret story of history or biography
E.g. Of all the millions who are moved by this historic occasion, while I am amongst these, my anecdote is and would be far less remarkable.
v. destroy completely; reduce to nonexistence
E.g. The enemy in its revenge tried to annihilate the entire population.
n. annual payment of allowance or income; periodical payment, amounting to a fixed sum in each year
E.g. The annuity he setup with the insurance company supplements his social security benefits so that he can live very comfortably without working.
n. active resistance; condition of being an opposing principle, force, or factor
E.g. Barry showed his antagonism toward his new stepmother by ignoring her whenever she tried talking to him.
a. opposite to the northern or arctic pole; relating to the southern pole or to the region near it
E.g. The scientist has spent six months in the solitudes of the antarctic.
n. book of literary selections by various authors
E.g. This anthology of science fiction was compiled by the late Isaac Asimov.
n. word of opposite meaning; counter term
E.g. We can find 692 antonym pairs in English where both words have the same length.
a. offering or expressing an apology or excuse; serving as or containing a formal justification or defense
E.g. As they went by, one of their leaders shouted out to me in apologetic explanation.
n. a group of parts that work together to perform given function; appliance or device for particular purpose
E.g. When the apparatus is at work, this gas becomes luminous, giving out a white and continuous light.
v. attach; add as supplement or appendix
E.g. When you append a bibliography to a text, you have just created an supplementary material.
n. durable goods for home or office use; device or instrument for household use
E.g. It has served North Americans with small appliance needs for many years.
n. candidate
E.g. If applicant doesn't pass the first time he can try again and again.
n. assessment; evaluation; the classification of someone or something with respect to its worth
E.g. An auto damage appraisal firm offering assessments for insurance and private purposes throughout the province.
a. considerable; perceptible
E.g. Her office had no appreciable impact on improving global perceptions of the United States, and in some situations made things worse.
n. works for an expert to learn a trade; beginner; learner
E.g. One of the greatest opportunities for the out-of-school unemployed youth will always be found in apprentice programs.
v. approach; come near
E.g. The conclusions of yours both approximate to the truth.
a. likely; exactly suitable; appropriate; quick to learn or understand
E.g. The defeated England coach, Bobby Robson, described it as a miracle, which following 'the Hand-of-God' goal seems supremely apt.
a. consisting of, relating to, or being in water
E.g. Paul enjoyed aquatic sports such as scuba diving and snorkeling.
a. randomly chosen; determined by chance or impulse, and not by reason or principle
E.g. He threw an arbitrary assortment of clothes into his suitcase and headed off, not caring where he went.
a. no longer current or applicable; antiquated
E.g. "Methinks," "thee," and "thou" are archaic words that are no longer part of our normal vocabulary.
a. displaying or by strong enthusiasm or devotion; passionate
E.g. All her fellow demonstrators were busily making posters and handing out flyers, inspired by her ardent enthusiasm for the cause.
a. demanding great effort or labor; difficult
E.g. Her arduous efforts had sapped her energy.
n. defensive covering, as of metal, wood, or leather, worn to protect the body against weapons
E.g. He girded himself with armour for the battle.
v. excite; stimulate; awaken from or as if from sleep
E.g. He suddenly seemed to arouse himself: the conviction of the reality seized him.
v. set out for display or use; place in orderly arrangement
E.g. He requested to array the whole regiment on the parade ground.
v. climb; mount
E.g. Boys ascend through the sky-light on to the roof.
n. upward slope or grade; movement upward
E.g. A 30 minute hike up to the base of the ferrate is followed by an unforgettable 2 hour ascent up the cliff.
v. find out for certain; discover with certainty; make sure of
E.g. Please ascertain her present address.
v. inscribe or dedicate; attribute to a specified cause, source, or origin; assign as a quality
E.g. Other people ascribe his exclusion from the canon to an unsubtle form of racism.
n. ambition; longing
E.g. The basic aspiration is that culture should serve as a rallying point for nation building - in practice neither the finances nor the security conditions seem very favourable.
v. seek to attain; long for; strive toward an end
E.g. If you aspire to a career in professional sports, please enroll in a graduate program in sports management.