A-1 Flashcards
1
Q
abbreviate
A
shorten (Eg: Because we were running out of time- the lecturer had to abbreviate her speech. )
2
Q
abate
A
subside or moderate (Eg: Rather than leaving immediately- they waited for the storm to abate. )
3
Q
abortive
A
unsuccessful; fruitless (Eg: We had to abandon our abortive attempts. )
4
Q
absolute
A
complete; totally unlimited; certain (Eg: Although the King of Siam was an absolute monarch- he did not want to behead his unfaithful wife )
5
Q
abstract
A
theoretical; not concrete; non-representational (Eg: To him- hunger was an abstract concept; he had never missed a meal. )
6
Q
abusive
A
coarsely insulting; physically harmful (Eg: An abusive parent damages a child both mentally and physically. )
7
Q
accelerate
A
move faster (Eg: In our science class- we learn how falling bodies accelerate. )
8
Q
accessible
A
easy to approach; obtainable (Eg: We asked our guide whether the ruins were accessible on foot. )
9
Q
accessory
A
additional object; useful but not essential thing (Eg: She bought an attractive handbag as an accessory for her dress. )
10
Q
abscond
A
depart secretly and hide (Eg: The teller absconded with the bonds and was not found. )
11
Q
aberrant
A
abnormal or deviant (Eg: Given the aberrant nature of the data- we came to doubt the validity of the entire experiment. )
12
Q
abeyance
A
suspended action (Eg: The deal was held in abeyance until her arrival. )
13
Q
adamant
A
hard- inflexible (Eg: He was adamant in his determination to punish the wrongdoer. )
14
Q
adulterate
A
make impure by mixing with baser substances (Eg: )
15
Q
adversity
A
poverty- misfortune (Eg: We must learn to meet adversity gracefully. )
16
Q
abase
A
lower; degrade; humiliate (Eg: Anna expected to have to curtsy to the King of Siam; when told to cast herself down on the ground before )
17
Q
abash
A
embarrass (Eg: He was not at all abashed by her open admiration. )
18
Q
abdicate
A
renounce; give up (Eg: When Edward VII abdicated the British throne- he surprised the entire world. )
19
Q
abet
A
assist- usually in doing something wrong (Eg: She was unwilling to abet him in the swindle he had planned. )
20
Q
abject
A
wretched; lacking pride (Eg: On the streets of New York the homeless live in abject poverty- huddling in doorways to find shelter from )
21
Q
abjure
A
renounce upon oath (Eg: He abjured his allegiance to the king. )
22
Q
ablution
A
washing (Eg: His daily ablutions were accompanied by loud noises that he humorously labeled ‘‘Opera in the Bath.’’ )
23
Q
abnegation
A
renunciation; self-sacrifice (Eg: Though Rudolph and Duchess Flavia loved one another- their love was doomed- for she had to wed the )
24
Q
abominate
A
loathe; hate (Eg: Moses scolded the idol worshippers in the tribe because he abominated the custom. )
25
abrasive
rubbing away; tending to grind down (Eg: Just as abrasive cleaning powders can wear away a shiny finish- abrasive remarks can wear away a listener's )
26
abrogate
abolish (Eg: He intended to abrogate the decree issued by his predecessor. )
27
absolve
pardon (an offense) (Eg: The father confessor absolved him of his sins. )
28
abstain
refrain; withhold from participation (Eg: After considering the effect of alcohol on his athletic performance- he decided to abstain from drinking )
29
abut
border upon; adjoin (Eg: Where our estates abut- we must build a fence. )
30
abysmal
bottomless (Eg: His arrogance is exceeded only by his abysmal ignorance. )
31
accede
agree (Eg: If I accede to this demand for blackmail- I am afraid that I will be the victim of future demands. )
32
acclimate
adjust to climate or environment (Eg: One of the difficulties of our present air age is the need of travellers to acclimate themselves to their new )
33
acclivity
sharp upslope of a hill (Eg: The car could not go up the acclivity in high gear. )
34
accolade
award of merit (Eg: In Hollywood- an ''Oscar'' is the highest accolade. )
35
accord
agreement (Eg: She was in complete accord with the verdict. )
36
accost
approach and speak first to a person (Eg: When the two young men accosted me- I was frightened because I thought they were going to attack me. )
37
accoutre
equip (Eg: The fisherman was accoutred with the best that the sporting goods store could supply )
38
accretion
growth; increase (Eg: The accretion of wealth marked the family's rise in power. )
39
accrue
come about by addition (Eg: You must pay the interest that has accrued on your debt as well as the principal sum. )
40
acidulous
slightly sour; sharp; caustic (Eg: James was unpopular because of his sarcastic and acidulous remarks. )
41
acme
peak; pinnacle; highest point (Eg: Welles's success in Citizen Kane marked the acme of his career as an actor; never again did he achieve such )
42
acquiesce
assent; agree passively (Eg: Although she appeared to acquiesce to her employer's suggestions- I could tell she had reservations about )
43
acquittal
deliverance from a charge (Eg: His acquittal by the jury surprised those who had thought him guilty. )
44
acrid
sharp; bitterly pungent (Eg: )
45
acrimonious
stinging- caustic (Eg: His tendency to utter acrimonious remarks alienated his audience. )
46
actuarial
calculating; pertaining to insurance statistics (Eg: According to recent actuarial tables- life expectancy is greater today than it was a century ago. )
47
actuate
motivate (Eg: I fail to understand what actuated you to reply to this letter so nastily. )
48
acuity
sharpness (Eg: In time his youthful acuity of vision failed him- and he needed glasses. )
49
acumen
mental keenness (Eg: His business acumen helped him to succeed where others had failed. )
50
adage
wise saying; proverb (Eg: There is much truth in the old adage about fools and their money. )
51
addendum
addition; appendix to book (Eg: Jane's editor approved her new comparative literature text but thought it would be even better with an )
52
addle
muddle; drive crazy (Eg: This idiotic plan is confusing enough to addle anyone. )
53
adherent
supporter; follower (Eg: In the wake of the scandal- the senator's one-time adherent quietly deserted him. )
54
adjunct
something attached to but holding an inferior position (Eg: I will entertain this concept as an adjunct to the main proposal. )
55
adjuration
solemn urging (Eg: Her adjuration to tell the truth did not change the witnesses' testimony. )
56
adjutant
staff officer assisting the commander; assistant (Eg: Though Wellington delegated many tasks to his chief adjutant- Lord Fitzroy Somerset- Somerset was in no )
57
admonish
warn; reprove (Eg: He admonished his listeners to change their wicked ways. )
58
adorn
decorate (Eg: Wall paintings and carved statues adorned the temple. )
59
adroit
skillful (Eg: His adroit handling of the delicate situation pleased his employers. )
60
adulation
flattery; admiration (Eg: The rock star thrived on the adulation of his groupies and yes-men. )
61
advent
arrival (Eg: Most Americans were unaware of the advent of the Nuclear Age until the news of Hiroshima reached )
62
adventitious
accidental; casual (Eg: He found this adventitious meeting with his friend extremely fortunate. )
63
adversary
opponent; enemy (Eg: Batman struggled to save Gotham City from the machinations of his wicked adversary- the Joker. )
64
adverse
unfavorable; hostile (Eg: adverse circumstances compelled him to close his business. )
65
advert
refer to (Eg: Since you advert to this matter so frequently- you must regard it as important. )
66
advocate
urge; plead for (Eg: The abolitionists advocated freedom for the slaves. )
67
aegis
shield; defense (Eg: Under the aegis of the Bill of Rights- we enjoy our most treasured freedoms. )
68
affable
courteous (Eg: Although he held a position of responsibility- he was an affable individual and could be reached by anyone )
69
affected
artificial; pretended (Eg: His affected mannerisms irritated may of us who had known him before his promotion. )
70
affidavit
written statement made under oath (Eg: The court refused to accept his statement unless he presented it in the form of an affidavit. )
71
affiliation
joining; associating with (Eg: His affiliation with the political party was of short duration for he soon disagreed with his colleagues. )
72
affinity
kinship (Eg: She felt an affinity with all who suffered; their pains were her pains. )
73
affirmation
positive assertion; confirmation; solemn pledge by one who refuses to take an oath (Eg: Despite Tom's affirmation of innocence- Aunt Polly still suspected he had eaten the pie. )
74
affix
attach or add on; fasten (Eg: First the registrar had to affix his signature to the license; then he had to affix his official seal. )
75
affluence
abundance; wealth (Eg: Foreigners are amazed by the affluence and luxury of the American way of life. )
76
affront
insult; offend (Eg: Accustomed to being treated with respect- Miss Challoner was affronted by Vidal's offensive behavior. )
77
agape
openmouthed (Eg: She stared- agape- at the many strange animals in the zoo. )
78
agenda
items of business at a meeting (Eg: We had so much difficulty agreeing upon an agenda that there was very little time for the meeting. )
79
agglomeration
collection; heap (Eg: It took weeks to assort the agglomeration of miscellaneous items she had collected on her trip. )
80
aggrandize
increase or intensify; raise in power- wealth- rank or honor (Eg: The history of the past quarter century illustrates how a President may aggrandize his power to act )
81
aggregate
sum; total (Eg: The aggregate wealth of this country is staggering to the imagination. )
82
aghast
horrified (Eg: He was aghast at the nerve of the speaker who had insulted his host. )
83
agility
nimbleness (Eg: The agility of the acrobat amazed and thrilled the audience. )
84
agitate
stir up; disturb (Eg: Her fiery remarks agitated the already angry mob. )
85
agnostic
one who is skeptical of the existence of knowability of a god or any ultimate reality (Eg: The agnostic demanded proof before she would accept the statement of the minister. )
86
agog
highly excited; intensely curious (Eg: We were all agog at the news that the celebrated movie star was giving up his career in order to enter a )
87
agrarian
pertaining to land or its cultivation (Eg: As a result of its recent industrialization- the country is gradually losing its agrarian traditions. )
88
alacrity
cheerful promptness (Eg: He demonstrated his eagerness to serve by his alacrity in executing the orders of his master. )
89
alchemy
medieval chemistry (Eg: The changing of baser metals into gold was the goal of the students of alchemy. )
90
alcove
nook; recess (Eg: Though their apartment lacked a full-scale dining room- an alcove adjacent to the living room made an )
91
alias
an assumed name (Eg: John Smith's alias was Bob Jones. )
92
alienate
make hostile; separate (Eg: Her attempts to alienate the two friends failed because they had complete faith in each other. )
93
alimentary
supplying nourishment (Eg: The alimentary canal in our bodies is so named because digestion of foods occurs there. )
94
alimony
payments make to an ex-spouse after divorce (Eg: Because Tony had supported Tina through medical school- on their divorce he asked the court to award )
95
allay
calm; pacify (Eg: The crew tried to allay the fears of the passengers by announcing that the fire had been controlled. )
96
allege
state without proof (Eg: It is alleged that she had worked for the enemy. )
97
allegory
story in which characters are used as symbols; fable (Eg: Pilgrim's Progress is an allegory of the temptations and victories of the human soul. )
98
alleviate
relieve (Eg: This should alleviate the pain; if it does not- we shall have to use stronger drugs. )
99
alliteration
repetition of beginning sound in poetry (Eg: ''The furrow followed free'' is an example of alliteration. )
100
alloy
mixture as of metals (Eg: alloy of gold are used more frequently than the pure metal. )
101
allude
refer indirectly (Eg: Try not to allude to this matter in his presence because the topic annoys him. )
102
allure
entice; attract (Eg: allured by the song of the sirens- the helmsman steered the ship toward the reef. )
103
allusion
indirect reference (Eg: the allusions to mythological characters in Milton's poems bewilder the reader who has not studied Latin. )
104
alluvial
pertaining to soil deposits left by running water (Eg: The farmers found the alluvial deposits at the mouth of the river very fertile. )
105
aloof
apart; reserved (Eg: Shy by nature- she remained aloof while all the rest conversed. )
106
aloft
upward (Eg: The sailor climbed aloft into the rigging. )
107
altercation
noisy quarrel (Eg: Throughout the altercation- not one sensible word was uttered. )
108
altruistic
unselfishly generous; concerned for others (Eg: In providing tutorial assistance and college scholarships to hundreds of economically disadvantaged )
109
amalgamate
combine; unite in one body (Eg: The unions will attempt to amalgamate their groups into one national body. )
110
amass
collect (Eg: The miser's aim is to amass and hoard as much gold as possible. )
111
amazon
female warrior (Eg: Ever since the days of Greek mythology we refer to strong and aggressive women as amazons. )
112
ambidextrous
capable of using either hand with equal ease (Eg: A switch-hitter in baseball should be naturally ambidextrous. )
113
ambience
environment; atmosphere (Eg: She went to the restaurant not for the food but for the ambience. )
114
ambiguous
unclear or doubtful in meaning (Eg: His ambiguous instructions misled us; we did not know which road to take. )
115
ambivalence
the state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes (Eg: Torn between loving her parents one minute and hating them the next- she was confused by the )
116
amble
moving at an easy pace (Eg: When she first mounted the horse- she was afraid to urge the animal to go faster than a gentle amble. )
117
ambrosia
food of the gods (Eg: ambrosia was supposed to give immortality to any human who ate it. )
118
ambulatory
able to walk (Eg: He was described as an ambulatory patient because he was not confined to his bed. )
119
ameliorate
improve (Eg: Many social workers have attempted to ameliorate the conditions of people living in the slums. )
120
amenable
readily managed; willing to be led (Eg: He was amenable to any suggestions that came from those he looked up to; he resented advice from his )
121
amend
correct; change- generally for the better (Eg: Hoping to amend his condition- he left Vietnam for the United States. )
122
amenities
convenient features; courtesies (Eg: )
123
amiable
agreeable; lovable (Eg: His amiable disposition pleased all who had dealings with him. )
124
amicable
friendly (Eg: The dispute was settled in an amicable manner with no harsh words. )
125
amiss
wrong; faulty (Eg: Seeing her frown- he wondered if anything were amiss. )
126
amity
friendship (Eg: Student exchange programs such as the Experiment in International Living were established to promote )
127
amnesia
loss of memory (Eg: Because she was suffering from amnesia- the police could not get the young girl to identify herself. )
128
amnesty
pardon (Eg: When his first child was born- the king granted amnesty to all in prison. )
129
amoral
non-moral (Eg: The amoral individual lacks a code of ethics; he should not be classified as immoral. )
130
amorous
moved by sexual love; loving (Eg: Don Juan was known for his amorous adventures. )
131
amorphous
shapeless; vague; indeterminate (Eg: John was subject to panic attacks that left him prey to vague- amorphous fears: he knew he was terrified- )
132
amphibian
able to live both on land and in water (Eg: Frogs are classified as amphibian. )
133
amphitheater
oval building with tiers of seats (Eg: The spectators in the amphitheater cheered the gladiators. )
134
ample
abundant (Eg: He had ample opportunity to dispose of his loot before his police caught up with him. )
135
amplify
enlarge (Eg: Her attempts to amplify her remarks were drowned out by the jeers of the audience. )
136
amputate
cut off part of body; prune (Eg: When the doctors had to amputate Ted Kennedy's leg to prevent the spread of cancer- he did not let the )
137
amok
in a state of rage (Eg: )
138
amulet
charm; talisman (Eg: Around her neck she wore the amulet that the witch doctor had given her. )
139
anachronism
something or someone misplaced in time (Eg: Shakespeare's reference to clocks in Julius Caesar is an anachronism; no clocks existed in Caesar's time. )
140
analgesic
causing insensitivity to pain (Eg: The analgesic qualities of his lotion will provide temporary relief. )
141
analogous
comparable (Eg: She called our attention to the things that had been done in an analogous situation and recommended that )
142
analogy
similarity; parallelism (Eg: Your analogy is not a good one because the two situations are not similar. )
143
anarchist
person who rebels against the established order (Eg: Only the total overthrow of all governmental regulations would satisfy the anarchist. )
144
anarchy
absence of governing body; state of disorder (Eg: The assassination of the leaders led to a period of anarchy. )
145
anathema
solemn curse; someone or something that is despised (Eg: He heaped anathema upon his foe. )
146
anathematize
curse (Eg: The high priest anathematized the heretic. )
147
anchor
secure or fasten firmly; be fixed in place (Eg: We set the post in concrete to anchor it in place. )
148
ancillary
serving as an aid or accessory; auxiliary (Eg: In an ancillary capacity Doctor Watson was helpful; however- Holmes could not trust the good doctor to )
149
anecdote
short account of an amusing or interesting event (Eg: Rather than make concrete proposals for welfare reform- President Raegan told anecdotes about poor )
150
anemia
condition in which blood lacks red corpuscles (Eg: The doctor ascribes her tiredness to anemia. )
151
anesthetic
substance that removes sensation with or without loss of consciousness (Eg: His monotonous voice acted like an anesthetic; his audience was soon asleep. )
152
anguish
acute pain; extreme suffering (Eg: Visiting the site of explosion- Premier Gorbachev wept to see the anguish of the victims and their families. )
153
angular
sharp-cornered; stiff in manner (Eg: His features- though angular- were curiously attractive. )
154
animadversion
critical remark (Eg: He resented the animadversions of his critics- particularly because he realized they were true. )
155
animated
lively (Eg: Her animated expression indicated a keenness of intellect. )
156
animosity
active enmity (Eg: He incurred the animosity of the ruling class because he advocated limitations of their power. )
157
animus
hostile feeling or intent (Eg: The animus of the speaker became obvious to all when he began to indulge in sarcastic and insulting )
158
annals
records; history (Eg: In the annals of this period- we find no mention of democratic movements. )
159
anneal
reduce brittleness and improve toughness by heating and cooling (Eg: After the glass is annealed- it will be less subject to chipping and cracking. )
160
annihilate
destroy (Eg: The enemy in its revenge tried to annihilate the entire population. )
161
annotate
comment; make explanatory notes (Eg: In the appendix to the novel- the critic sought to annotate many of the more esoteric references. )
162
Acrimony
Bitter feeling
