3/26 - 22 Words Flashcards
Abate
Verb
also
Abatement
Noun
Reduce, Diminish
Usage:
Her stress over spending so much money on a house abated when the real estate broker told her about the property’s 15-year tax abatement.
Related words:
Tax abatement is used in the same way as tax relief - that is, a partial discount. Subside is another word for lessening (a storm could abate or subside).
More info:
Abate comes from an Old French word for “beat, cast down” that also gives us batter (beat severely) and abattoir (slaughterhouse).
Abdicate
verb
also
Abdication
noun
Formally give up the throne (or some other power or responsibility)
Usage:
King Edward VIII of England famously abdicated the throne in order to marry an American divorcee. / Parents can be charged with neglect for abdicating their responsibilities towards their children.
Related words:
Don’t confuse abdicate with dethroning and depose, which refers to forcing their leader from power. Abdication is voluntary.
More info:
Abdicate comes from the root “ab” (away) and “dic/dict” (proclaim), the latter of which also appears in dictator, dictionary, dictate, dictum, and indict.
Aberrant
adj
also
Abberation
noun
Abnormal, deviant
Usage:
The teen’s aberrant behavior made his family suspect that he was using drugs. / Losing rather than gaining weight over the holidays is certainly an aberration.
Related words:
Anomaly (deviation from the norm, inconsistency), Outlier (a person on the fringe; a data point that lies outside the main pattern of data)
More info:
The prefix “ab” means “away” - in this case, away from what’s normal.
Abhor
verb
Detest, regard with disgust
Usage:
“Go out with you?” she replied. “I abhor you! I would rather date a fish.”
Related words:
Loathe, Abominate (synonyms), Antipathy (instinctive repugnance or aversion)
More info:
The prefix “ab” means “away” - if you abhor (or abominate) something, you want to get as far away from it as possible.
Abjure
verb
Give up, renounce; repudiate, recant, or shun (especially formally or under oath)
Usage:
To become a citizen of the United States, you must abjure loyalty to the nation of your birth. / Since enrolling in that nutrition class, she has abjured sugar and saturated fats.
Related words:
Forswear (reject or renounce under oath; swear falsely in court), Eschew (shun, avoid, abstain from)
More Info:
Abjure can be used in the same way as renounce. You renounce worldly pleasures, a religion or family member, membership in a group, etc. It can also be used in the same way as repudiate, which is more often used with ideas, as in “Galileo repudiated the belief that the Sun revolves around the Earth.”
Abrasive
adj
also
Abrade
verb
Rough, suitable for grinding or polishing (such as sandpaper); causing irritation or annoyance
Usage:
Could the inside of this mascot costume be any more abrasive? It’s rubbing my skin raw! I have some seriously
abrasive remarks for whoever designed this thing.
Related words:
Caustic (capable of burning or corroding; extremely critical or sarcastic); Excoriate (to run the skin off of; to criticize very harshly)
More info:
Like caustic or excoriate, abrasive can be used literally or metaphorically. You scrub a dirty pan with something abrasive, such as steel wool. Harsh criticism is abrasive, like being scrubbed with steel wool.
Abridge
verb
also
Abridged
adj
Condense or curtail; shorten by omitting parts throughout while retaining the main idea
Usage:
Our romantic vacation was abridged when the babysitter called to say the kids were sick and we should come home. / Audiobooks are almost always abridged since few people want to listen to a 200-hour book.
Related words:
Truncate (shorten by cutting off a part)
Memory trick:
When you abridge a book, you cut off sections from all over (hopefully without being too obvious) - that is, you create a bridge from the last part you kept into the next part you kept in, so people don’t notice the missing bits. An abridged book still tells the whole story; a truncated book is missing the ending!
Acme
noun
Summit, peak, highest point
Usage:
The acme of my vacation was when I finally climbed to the acme of the mountain and enjoyed the gorgeous vista.
Related words:
Summit, Pinnacle, (synonyms); Apex (vertex, tip, point) Apogee (high point, point at which the moon is furthest from the Earth)
More info:
Acme,
Summit, Pinnacle,
and
Apex
are all popular names for businesses: Apex Locksmith, Pinnacle Home Security, etc. (
Acme
is especially popular, since it occurs early in the phone book).
Abstain
verb
also
Abstemious
adj
Hold back, refrain (especially from something bad or unhealthy); decline to vote
Usage:
The church board voted on whether to hold an abstinence rally to encourage young people not to become sexually active; while most members voted in favor, one voted against and two abstained, with one abstainer commenting that as far as she knew, the church’s teens were pretty abstemious already.
Related words:
Temperance (moderation, holding back), Teetotaler ( a person who abstains from alcohol), Forbear (hold back or abstain from)
More Info:
Abstain is usually followed by “from” (vegetarians forbear meat or abstain from meat).
Activism
noun
also
Activist
noun
The practice of pursuing other goals through vigorous action, often including protests and demonstrations.
Usage:
Lindsay’s parents had a hard time accepting that, after incurring $100,000 in student loans, their daughter had decided to enter the low-paying field of environmental activism.
Related Words:
Advocacy (pleading for, recommending), Champion (one who defends or supports, as a cause)
More Info:
Activism is often considered noble, but judicial activism - going beyond interpreting existing laws to actually using court decisions to create new public policies - is often controversial.
Adhere
verb
Stick (to), such as with glue, or to a plan or belief.
Usage:
I have a message board that adheres to my refrigerator with magnets; on it, I’ve written affirmations to help me adhere to my diet plan.
Related Words:
Abide by (follow, conform to), Cohere (become united, hold together as part of the same mass)
More Info:
Use adhere for attaching two different kinds of things together, and cohere for things of the same kind (good cookie dough coheres instead of crumbling).
Admonish
verb
also
Admonition
noun
Mildy scold; caution, advise or remind to do something.
Usage:
She was an exacting boss who castigated an employee for jamming the copier, yet she merely admonished her five-year-old for the same offense.
Related Words:
Reprove, upbraid, reprimand, and rebuke are all harsher forms of criticism than admonish.
More Info:
You can also admonish someone to do something, as in “The GRE instructor admonished her students to study vocabulary every day.”
Adverse
adj
also
Adversity
noun
Opposing, harmful
Usage:
Pioneer women persevered despite adverse circumstances, even when fording a river - baby in one arm, leading a horse with the other - against an adverse current.
Related words:
Antagonistic (hostile, acting in opposition)
More Info:
Adverse appears in “adverse criticism, “although that expression is a bit redundant. Adverse is also related to adversary (an opponent, foe).
Advocate
verb, noun
Speak or argue in facor of (verb); a person who pleads for a cause or on behalf of another person (noun)
Usage:
I cannot possibly vote for a candidate who advocated oil drilling in federally protected nature preserves. / Children often have advocated appointed to represent them in court.
Related words:
Proponents, Exponents, or Champions are all people who advocate for a cause.
More Info:
Advocate contains the root “voc”, meaning “to call.” This root also appears in vocal, invoke, etc.
Aesthetic
(adj, noun)
also
Aesthete
(noun)
Concerning the appreciation of beauty or good taste, pertaining to the science of what is beautiful (adj); a set of principles or tastes guiding an artistic practice (noun)
Usage:
The twins were so different. One possessed a truly baroque aesthetic, preferring golden, gilded decor. The other lived in a world of pure logic. untouched by an aesthetic sense whatsoever; art did not move him, his house was bare, and he married his wife solely because she was a master of calculus.
More info:
The meaning of aesthetic can range from academic study of beauty (aesthetics) to performing manicures, the work of an aesthetician. Don’t confuse aesthetic with ascetic (pertaining to simple, austere life with no luxuries, such as that of a monk; a person who leads such a life).
