A Flashcards
Abash
To make ashamed; to embarass
Abate
To subside; to reduce
Abdicate
To step down from a position of power or responsibility
Aberration
Something not typical; a deviation from the standard
Abhor
To hate very, very much; to detest
Abject
Hopeless; extremely sad and servile; defeated
Abnegate
To deny oneself things; to reject; to renounce
Abortive
Unsuccessful
Abridge
To shorten; to condense
Absolute
Total; unlimited
Absolve
To forgive or free from blame; to free from sin; to free from an obligation
Abstinent
Abstaining; voluntarily not doing something, especially something pleasant that is bad for you or has a bad reputation
Abstract
Theoretical; impersonal
Abstruse
Hard to understand
Abysmal
Extremely hopeless or wretched; bottomless
Accolade
An award; an honor
Accost
To approach and speak to someone aggressively
Acerbic
Sour; severe; like acid in temper, mood, or tone
Acquiesce
To comply passively; to accept; to assent; to agree
Acrid
Harshly pungent; bitter
Acrimonious
Full of spite; bitter; nasty
Acumen
Keenness of judgement; mental sharpness
Acute
Sharp; shrewd
Adamant
Stubborn; unyielding; completely inflexible
Address
To speak to; to direct one’s attention to
Adherent
Follower; supporter; believer
Admonish
To scold gently; to warn
Adroit
Skillful; dexterous; clever; shrewd; socially at ease
Adulation
Wild or excessive admiration; flarrery
Adulterate
To contaminate; to make impure
Adverse
Unfavorable; antagonistic
Aesthetic
Having to do with artistic beauty; artistic
Affable
Easy to talk to; friendly
Affectation
Unnatural or artificial behavior, usually intended to impress
Affinity
Sympathy; attraction; kinship; similarity
Affluent
Rich; prosperous
Agenda
Program; the things to be done
Aggregate
Sum total; a collection of separate things mixed together
Agnostic
One who believes that the existence of a god can be neither proven nor disproven
Agrarian
Relating to land; relating to the management or farming of land
Alacrity
Cheerful eagerness or readiness to respond
Allege
To assert without proof
Alleviate
To relieve, usually temporarily or incompletely; to make bearable; to lessen
Allocate
To distribute; to assign; to allot
Alloy
A combination of two or more things, usually metals
Allusion
An indirect reference (often to a literary work); a hint
Aloof
Uninvolved; standing off; keeping one’s distance
Altruism
Selflessness; generosity; devotion to the interests of others
Ambience
Atmosphere; mood; feeling
Ambiguous
Unclear in meaning; confusing; capable of being interpreted in different ways
Ambivalent
Undecided; having opposed feelings simultaneously
Ameliorate
To make better or more tolerable
Amenable
Obedient; willing to give in to the wishes of another; agreeable
Amenity
Pleasantness; an attractive or comfortable feature
Amiable
Friendly; agreeable
Amnesty
An official pardon for a group of people who have violated a law or policy
Amoral
Lacking a sense of right and wrong; neither good nor bad, neither moral nor immoral; without moral feelings
Amorous
Feeling loving, especially in a sexual sense; in love; relating to love
Amorphous
Shapeless; without a regular or stable shape; bloblike
Anachronism
Something out of place in time or history; an incongruity
Analogy
A comparison of one thing to another; similarity
Anarchy
Absence of government or control; lawlessness; disorder
Anecdote
A short account of a humorous or revealing incident
Anguish
Agonizing physical or mental pain
Animosity
Resentment; hostility; ill will
Anomaly
An aberration; an irregularity; a deviation
Antecedent
Someone or something that went before; something that provides a model for something that came after it
Antipathy
Firm dislike; a dislike
Antithesis
The direct opposite
Apartheid
The former policy of racial segregation and oppression in the Republic of South Africa
Apathy
Lack of interest; lack of feeling
Aphorism
A brief, often witty saying; a proverb
Apocalypse
A prophetic revelation, especially one concerning the end of the world
Apocryphal
Of dubious authenticity; fictitious; spurious
Apotheosis
Elevation to divine status; the perfect example of something
Appease
To soothe; to pacify by giving in to
Appreciate
To increase in value
Apprehensive
Worried; anxious
Approbation
Approval; praise
Appropriate
To take without permission; to set aside for a particular use
Aptitude
Capacity for learning; natural ability
Arbiter
One who decides; a judge
Arbitrary
Random; capricious
Arcane
Mysterious; known only to a select few
Archaic
Extremely old; ancient; outdated
Archetype
An original model or pattern
Ardent
Passionate; enthusiastic
Arduous
Hard; difficult
Aristocratic
Of noble birth; snobbish
Artful
Crafty; wily; sly
Artifice
A clever trick; cunning
Ascendancy
Supremacy; domination
Ascetic
Hermit-like; practicing self-denial
Assiduous
Hardworking; busy; quite diligent
Assimilate
To take in; to absorb; to learn thoroughly
Assuage
To soothe; to pacify; to ease the pain of; to relieve
Astute
Shrewd; keen in judgement
Atheist
One who does not believe in the existence of any god or divine being
Attrition
Gradual wearing away, weakening, or loss; a natural or expected decrease in numbers or size
Audacity
Boldness; reckless daring; impertinence
Augment
To make bigger; to add to; to increase
Auspicious
Favorable; promising; pointing to a good result
Austere
Unadorned; stern; forbidding; without excess
Autocratic
Ruling with absolute authority; extremely bossy
Autonomous
Acting independently
Avarice
Greed; excessive love of riches
Avow
To claim; to declare boldly; to admit
Avuncular
Like an uncle, especially a nice uncle
Awry
Off course; twisted to one side
Axiom
A self-evident rule or truth; a widely accepted saying
Amalgamate
To unite (two or more things) into one thing
Amalgamate
To unite (two or more things) into one thing
Ambigram
An image of a written word or phrase that is intended to be oriented in either of two ways for viewing or reading
Apprehension
Fear that something bad or unpleasant is going to happen
