01 Flashcards
abase
verb [with object] (usually abase oneself)
behave in a way that belittles or degrades (someone): I watched my colleagues abasing themselves before the board of trustees.
abash
verb [with object] (usually as adjective abashed)
make (someone) feel embarrassed, disconcerted, or ashamed: she was not abashed at being caught.
abate
verb [no object]
(of something perceived as hostile, threatening, or negative) become less intense or widespread: the storm suddenly abated.
• [with object] cause to become smaller or less intense: nothing abated his crusading zeal.
• [with object] Law lessen, reduce, or remove (especially a nuisance): this action would not have been sufficient to abate the odor nuisance.
aberrant
adjective
departing from an accepted standard.
abet
verb (abets, abetting, abetted) [with object]
encourage or assist (someone) to do something wrong, in particular, to commit a crime or other offense: he was not guilty of murder but was guilty of aiding and abetting others.
• encourage or assist someone to commit (a crime): we are aiding and abetting this illegal traffic.
abeyance
noun
a state of temporary disuse or suspension: matters were held in abeyance pending further inquiries.
• Law the position of being without, or of waiting for, an owner or claimant.
abhor
verb (abhors, abhorring, abhorred) [with object]
regard with disgust and hatred: professional tax preparers abhor a flat tax because it would dry up their business.
abiding
adjective [attributive]
(of a feeling or memory) lasting a long time; enduring: he had an abiding respect for her.
abject
adjective
1 (of something bad) experienced or present to the maximum degree: his letter plunged her into abject misery | abject poverty.
2 (of a person or their behavior) completely without pride or dignity; self-abasing: an abject apology.
abjure
verb [with object] formal solemnly renounce (a belief, cause, or claim): his refusal to abjure the Catholic faith.
abnegate
verb [with object] formal
renounce or reject (something desired or valuable): he attempts to abnegate personal responsibility.
abominate
verb [with object] formal
detest; loathe: they abominated the very idea of monarchy.
aboveboard
adjective & adverb
legitimate, honest, and open: [as adjective] : certain transactions were not totally aboveboard | [as adverb] : the accountants acted completely above board.
abrade
verb [with object]
scrape or wear away by friction or erosion: a landscape slowly abraded by a fine, stinging dust.
abrogate
verb [with object] formal 1 repeal or do away with (a law, right, or formal agreement): a proposal to abrogate temporarily the right to strike. 2 evade (a responsibility or duty): we believe the board is abrogating its responsibilities to its shareholders.
abscond
verb [no object]
leave hurriedly and secretly, typically to avoid detection of or arrest for an unlawful action such as theft: she absconded with the remaining thousand dollars.
• (of a person on bail) fail to surrender oneself for custody at the appointed time.
• (of a person kept in detention or under supervision) escape: 176 detainees absconded.
• (of a colony of honeybees, especially Africanized ones) entirely abandon a hive or nest.
absolve
verb [with object]
set or declare (someone) free from blame, guilt, or responsibility: the pardon absolved them of any crimes.
• give absolution for (a sin).
abstain
verb [no object]
2 formally decline to vote either for or against a proposal or motion: forty-one voted with the Opposition, and some sixty more abstained.
abstemious
adjective
not self-indulgent, especially when eating and drinking: “We only had a bottle.” “Very abstemious of you.”.
abstract
verb | abˈstrakt | [with object]
1 consider (something) theoretically or separately from something else: to abstract science and religion from their historical context can lead to anachronism | [no object] : he cannot form a general notion by abstracting from particulars.
2 extract or remove (something): applications to abstract more water from streams.
• used euphemistically to say that someone has stolen something: his pockets contained all he had been able to abstract from the apartment.
• (abstract oneself) withdraw: as our relationship deepened you seemed to abstract yourself.
abstruse
adjective
difficult to understand; obscure: an abstruse philosophical inquiry.
abysmal
adjective
1 extremely bad; appalling: the quality of her work is abysmal.
2 literary very deep.
accede
verb [no object] formal
1 assent or agree to a demand, request, or treaty: the authorities did not accede to the strikers’ demands.
2 assume an office or position: he acceded to the post of director in September.
• become a member of a community or organization: Albania acceded to the IMF in 1990.
ad hoc
adjective & adverb
formed, arranged, or done for a particular purpose only: the discussions were on an ad hoc basis | [as adverb] : the group was constituted ad hoc | [as adjective] : an ad hoc committee.
accessory
noun (plural accessories)
2 Law someone who gives assistance to the perpetrator of a crime, without directly committing it, sometimes without being present: she was charged as an accessory to murder.
adjective [attributive] chiefly technical
acclimate
verb [no object] (usually be acclimated) chiefly North American
become accustomed to a new climate or to new conditions: it will take a few days to get acclimated to the altitude.
accolade
noun
1 an award or privilege granted as a special honor or as an acknowledgment of merit: the ultimate official accolade of a visit by the president.
• an expression of praise or admiration.
2 a touch on a person’s shoulders with a sword at the bestowing of a knighthood.
accentuate
verb [with object]
make more noticeable or prominent: his jacket unfortunately accentuated his paunch.
accrete
verb [no object]
grow by accumulation or coalescence: ice that had accreted grotesquely into stalactites.
• [with object] form (a composite whole or a collection of things) by gradual accumulation: the collection of art he had accreted was to be sold.
acerbic
adjective
1 (especially of a comment or style of speaking) sharp and forthright: his acerbic wit.
acme
noun [in singular]
the point at which someone or something is best, perfect, or most successful: physics is the acme of scientific knowledge.
acquiesce
verb [no object]
accept something reluctantly but without protest: Sara acquiesced in his decision.
acrid
adjective
having an irritatingly strong and unpleasant taste or smell: acrid fumes.
• angry and bitter: an acrid farewell.
acrimonious
adjective
(typically of speech or a debate) angry and bitter: an acrimonious dispute about wages.
acumen
noun
the ability to make good judgments and quick decisions, typically in a particular domain: business acumen.
acute
adjective
1 (of a bad, difficult, or unwelcome situation or phenomenon) present or experienced to a severe or intense degree: an acute housing shortage | the problem is acute and getting worse.
• (of a disease or its symptoms) of short duration but typically severe: acute appendicitis. Often contrasted with chronic.
• denoting or designed for patients with acute conditions: acute patients | acute hospital services.
2 having or showing a perceptive understanding or insight; shrewd: an acute awareness of changing fashions.
• (of a physical sense or faculty) highly developed; keen: an acute sense of smell.
3 (of an angle) less than 90°.
• having a sharp end; pointed.
4 (of a sound) high; shrill.
adjourn
verb [with object]
break off (a meeting, legal case, or game) with the intention of resuming it later: the meeting was adjourned until December 4 | [no object] : let’s adjourn and reconvene at 2 o’clock.
• [no object, with adverbial] (of people who are together) go somewhere else, typically for refreshment: they adjourned to a local bar.
• put off or postpone (a resolution or sentence): the sentence was adjourned.
ad lib
verb (ad libs, ad libbing, ad libbed) [no object]
speak or perform in public without previously preparing one’s words: Charles had to ad lib because he’d forgotten his script | [with object] : she ad libbed half the speech.
noun
an ad lib remark or speech: he came up with an apt ad lib.
adverb & adjective
1 spoken or performed without previous preparation: an ad lib commentary | [as adverb] : speaking ad lib.
2 as much and as often as desired: [as adverb] : the price includes meals and drinks ad lib | [as adjective] : the pigs are fed on an ad lib system.
3 Music (in directions) in an improvised manner with freedom to vary tempo and instrumentation.
admonish
verb [with object]
warn or reprimand someone firmly: she admonished me for appearing at breakfast unshaven | “You mustn’t say that, Shiona,” Ruth admonished her.
• [with object and infinitive] advise or urge (someone) earnestly: she admonished him to drink no more than one glass of wine.
adore
verb [with object]
1 love and respect (someone) deeply: he adored his mother.
• informal like (something or someone) very much: she adores Mexican cuisine | (as adjective adoring) : blowing a farewell kiss to an adoring crowd.
2 worship; venerate: he adored the Sacred Host.
adulate
verb [with object]
praise (someone) excessively or obsequiously.
adulterate
verb [with object]
render (something) poorer in quality by adding another substance, typically an inferior one: the meat was ground fine and adulterated with potato flour.
adumbrate
verb [with object] formal
report or represent in outline: James Madison adumbrated the necessity that the Senate be somewhat insulated from public passions.
• indicate faintly: the walls were not more than adumbrated by the meager light.
• foreshadow or symbolize: what qualities in Christ are adumbrated by the vine?
• overshadow: her happy reminiscences were adumbrated by consciousness of something else.
adventitious
adjective
happening or carried on according to chance rather than design or inherent nature: my adventures were always adventitious, always thrust on me.
• coming from outside; not native: the adventitious population.
advert
verb [no object] (advert to) formal
refer to in speaking or writing: he had failed to advert to the consequences that his conduct was having.
affable
adjective
friendly, good-natured, or easy to talk to: an affable and agreeable companion.
affinity
noun (plural affinities) (often affinity between/for/with)
a spontaneous or natural liking or sympathy for someone or something: he has an affinity for the music of Berlioz.
• a similarity of characteristics suggesting a relationship, especially a resemblance in structure between animals, plants, or languages: a building with no affinity to contemporary architectural styles.
• relationship, especially by marriage as opposed to blood ties.
aggrandize
verb [with object]
increase the power, status, or wealth of: an action intended to aggrandize the Frankish dynasty.
• enhance the reputation of (someone) beyond what is justified by the facts: he hoped to aggrandize himself by dying a hero’s death.
aggravate
verb [with object]
1 make (a problem, injury, or offense) worse or more serious: military action would only aggravate the situation.
2 informal annoy or exasperate (someone), especially persistently: (as adjective aggravating) : she found him thoroughly aggravating and unprofessional | the gesture aggravated me even more.a
aggrieve/aggrieved
adjective
feeling resentment at having been unfairly treated: they were aggrieved at the outcome | she did not see herself as the aggrieved party.
agitate
verb [with object]
make (someone) troubled or nervous: the thought of questioning Toby agitated him extremely.
• [no object] campaign to arouse public concern about an issue in the hope of prompting action: they agitated for a reversal of the decision.
• stir or disturb (something, especially a liquid) briskly: agitate the water to disperse the oil.a
agog
adjective [predicative]
very eager or curious to hear or see something: I’m all agog to see London | New York is agog at the gossip.
airtight
adjective
not allowing air to escape or pass through.
• having no weaknesses; unassailable: Scamp had an airtight alibi.
alacrity
noun
brisk and cheerful readiness: she accepted the invitation with alacrity.
allay
verb [with object]
diminish or put at rest (fear, suspicion, or worry): the report attempted to educate the public and allay fears.
• relieve or alleviate (pain or hunger): some stale figs partly allayed our hunger.
allude
verb [no object] (allude to)
suggest or call attention to indirectly; hint at: she had a way of alluding to Jean but never saying her name.
• mention without discussing at length: we will allude briefly to the main points.
• (of an artist or a work of art) recall (an earlier work or style) in such a way as to suggest a relationship with it: the photographs allude to Italian Baroque painting.
allure
noun
the quality of being powerfully and mysteriously attractive or fascinating: people for whom gold holds no allure.
verb [with object]
powerfully attract or charm; tempt.
aloft
adverb
up in or into the air; overhead: the congregation sways, hands aloft | she held her glass aloft.
• up the mast or into the rigging of a sailing vessel: Tom went aloft with the bosun.
amalgamate
verb
combine or unite to form one organization or structure: [with object] : he amalgamated his company with another | [no object] : numerous small railroad companies amalgamated | (as adjective amalgamated) : his true genius lies in synthesis, in an amalgamated vision.
amble
verb [no object, with adverbial of direction]
walk or move at a slow, relaxed pace: they ambled along the riverbank | he ambled into the foyer.
noun
a walk at a slow, relaxed pace, especially for pleasure: a peaceful riverside amble.
ambrosial/ambrosia
noun Greek & Roman Mythology
the food of the gods.
• something very pleasing to taste or smell: the tea was ambrosia after the slop I’d been drinking.
• a fungal product used as food by ambrosia beetles.
• another term for bee bread.
• a dessert made with oranges and shredded coconut.
amenable
adjective
(of a person) open and responsive to suggestion; easily persuaded or controlled: parents who have had easy babies and amenable children.
• [predicative] (amenable to) (of a thing) capable of being acted upon in a particular way; susceptible to: the patients had cardiac failure not amenable to medical treatment.
amenity
noun (plural amenities) (usually amenities)
a desirable or useful feature or facility of a building or place: heating is regarded as a basic amenity.
• the pleasantness of a place or a person: the exertion of amenity toward the boss.
amiable
adjective
having or displaying a friendly and pleasant manner: an amiable, unassuming fellow.
amicable
adjective
(of relations between people) having a spirit of friendliness; without serious disagreement or rancor: there will be an amicable settlement of the dispute.
amity
noun formal
a friendly relationship: international amity and goodwill.
