Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Vocabulary > A > Flashcards

A Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
Vocab Builder flashcards
1
Q

Abash

A

To make ashamed; to embarass

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Abate

A

To subside; to reduce

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Abdicate

A

To step down from a position of power or responsibility

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Aberration

A

Something not typical; a deviation from the standard

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Abhor

A

To hate very, very much; to detest

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Abject

A

Hopeless; extremely sad and servile; defeated

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Abnegate

A

To deny oneself things; to reject; to renounce

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Abortive

A

Unsuccessful

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Abridge

A

To shorten; to condense

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Absolute

A

Total; unlimited

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Absolve

A

To forgive or free from blame; to free from sin; to free from an obligation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Abstinent

A

Abstaining; voluntarily not doing something, especially something pleasant that is bad for you or has a bad reputation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Abstract

A

Theoretical; impersonal

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Abstruse

A

Hard to understand

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Abysmal

A

Extremely hopeless or wretched; bottomless

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Accolade

A

An award; an honor

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Accost

A

To approach and speak to someone aggressively

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Acerbic

A

Sour; severe; like acid in temper, mood, or tone

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Acquiesce

A

To comply passively; to accept; to assent; to agree

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Acrid

A

Harshly pungent; bitter

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Acrimonious

A

Full of spite; bitter; nasty

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Acumen

A

Keenness of judgement; mental sharpness

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Acute

A

Sharp; shrewd

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

Adamant

A

Stubborn; unyielding; completely inflexible

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

Address

A

To speak to; to direct one’s attention to

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

Adherent

A

Follower; supporter; believer

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

Admonish

A

To scold gently; to warn

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

Adroit

A

Skillful; dexterous; clever; shrewd; socially at ease

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

Adulation

A

Wild or excessive admiration; flarrery

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

Adulterate

A

To contaminate; to make impure

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

Adverse

A

Unfavorable; antagonistic

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

Aesthetic

A

Having to do with artistic beauty; artistic

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

Affable

A

Easy to talk to; friendly

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
34
Q

Affectation

A

Unnatural or artificial behavior, usually intended to impress

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
35
Q

Affinity

A

Sympathy; attraction; kinship; similarity

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
36
Q

Affluent

A

Rich; prosperous

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
37
Q

Agenda

A

Program; the things to be done

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
38
Q

Aggregate

A

Sum total; a collection of separate things mixed together

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
39
Q

Agnostic

A

One who believes that the existence of a god can be neither proven nor disproven

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
40
Q

Agrarian

A

Relating to land; relating to the management or farming of land

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
41
Q

Alacrity

A

Cheerful eagerness or readiness to respond

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
42
Q

Allege

A

To assert without proof

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
43
Q

Alleviate

A

To relieve, usually temporarily or incompletely; to make bearable; to lessen

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
44
Q

Allocate

A

To distribute; to assign; to allot

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
45
Q

Alloy

A

A combination of two or more things, usually metals

46
Q

Allusion

A

An indirect reference (often to a literary work); a hint

47
Q

Aloof

A

Uninvolved; standing off; keeping one’s distance

48
Q

Altruism

A

Selflessness; generosity; devotion to the interests of others

49
Q

Ambience

A

Atmosphere; mood; feeling

50
Q

Ambiguous

A

Unclear in meaning; confusing; capable of being interpreted in different ways

51
Q

Ambivalent

A

Undecided; having opposed feelings simultaneously

52
Q

Ameliorate

A

To make better or more tolerable

53
Q

Amenable

A

Obedient; willing to give in to the wishes of another; agreeable

54
Q

Amenity

A

Pleasantness; an attractive or comfortable feature

55
Q

Amiable

A

Friendly; agreeable

56
Q

Amnesty

A

An official pardon for a group of people who have violated a law or policy

57
Q

Amoral

A

Lacking a sense of right and wrong; neither good nor bad, neither moral nor immoral; without moral feelings

58
Q

Amorous

A

Feeling loving, especially in a sexual sense; in love; relating to love

59
Q

Amorphous

A

Shapeless; without a regular or stable shape; bloblike

60
Q

Anachronism

A

Something out of place in time or history; an incongruity

61
Q

Analogy

A

A comparison of one thing to another; similarity

62
Q

Anarchy

A

Absence of government or control; lawlessness; disorder

63
Q

Anecdote

A

A short account of a humorous or revealing incident

64
Q

Anguish

A

Agonizing physical or mental pain

65
Q

Animosity

A

Resentment; hostility; ill will

66
Q

Anomaly

A

An aberration; an irregularity; a deviation

67
Q

Antecedent

A

Someone or something that went before; something that provides a model for something that came after it

68
Q

Antipathy

A

Firm dislike; a dislike

69
Q

Antithesis

A

The direct opposite

70
Q

Apartheid

A

The former policy of racial segregation and oppression in the Republic of South Africa

71
Q

Apathy

A

Lack of interest; lack of feeling

72
Q

Aphorism

A

A brief, often witty saying; a proverb

73
Q

Apocalypse

A

A prophetic revelation, especially one concerning the end of the world

74
Q

Apocryphal

A

Of dubious authenticity; fictitious; spurious

74
Q

Apotheosis

A

Elevation to divine status; the perfect example of something

75
Q

Appease

A

To soothe; to pacify by giving in to

76
Q

Appreciate

A

To increase in value

77
Q

Apprehensive

A

Worried; anxious

78
Q

Approbation

A

Approval; praise

79
Q

Appropriate

A

To take without permission; to set aside for a particular use

80
Q

Aptitude

A

Capacity for learning; natural ability

81
Q

Arbiter

A

One who decides; a judge

82
Q

Arbitrary

A

Random; capricious

83
Q

Arcane

A

Mysterious; known only to a select few

83
Q

Archaic

A

Extremely old; ancient; outdated

84
Q
A
85
Q

Archetype

A

An original model or pattern

86
Q

Ardent

A

Passionate; enthusiastic

87
Q

Arduous

A

Hard; difficult

88
Q

Aristocratic

A

Of noble birth; snobbish

89
Q

Artful

A

Crafty; wily; sly

90
Q

Artifice

A

A clever trick; cunning

91
Q

Ascendancy

A

Supremacy; domination

92
Q

Ascetic

A

Hermit-like; practicing self-denial

93
Q

Assiduous

A

Hardworking; busy; quite diligent

94
Q

Assimilate

A

To take in; to absorb; to learn thoroughly

95
Q

Assuage

A

To soothe; to pacify; to ease the pain of; to relieve

96
Q

Astute

A

Shrewd; keen in judgement

97
Q

Atheist

A

One who does not believe in the existence of any god or divine being

98
Q

Attrition

A

Gradual wearing away, weakening, or loss; a natural or expected decrease in numbers or size

99
Q

Audacity

A

Boldness; reckless daring; impertinence

100
Q

Augment

A

To make bigger; to add to; to increase

101
Q

Auspicious

A

Favorable; promising; pointing to a good result

102
Q

Austere

A

Unadorned; stern; forbidding; without excess

103
Q

Autocratic

A

Ruling with absolute authority; extremely bossy

104
Q

Autonomous

A

Acting independently

105
Q

Avarice

A

Greed; excessive love of riches

106
Q

Avow

A

To claim; to declare boldly; to admit

107
Q

Avuncular

A

Like an uncle, especially a nice uncle

108
Q

Awry

A

Off course; twisted to one side

109
Q

Axiom

A

A self-evident rule or truth; a widely accepted saying

Vocabulary (16 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions