A words Flashcards
Abate
(v) to decrease; reduce
Aberrant***
(adj) deviating from what is normal
Abeyance***
(n) temporary suppression or suspension
Abject
(adj) miserable; pitiful
Abjure
(v) to reject; abandon formally
Abscission
(n) the act of cutting; the natural separation of a leaf or other part of a plant – “scissors”
Abscond
(v) to depart secretly
Abstemious***
(adj) moderate in appetite
Accretion
(n) growth in size or increase in amount
Adjunct
(n) something added, attached or joined
Admonish
(v) to caution or reprimand
Aesthetic***
(adj) relating to beauty or art
Affected
(adj) pretentious, phony
Aggrandize
(v) to make larger or greater – “make grander / bigger”
Alacrity***
(n) cheerful willingness; eagerness; speed
Alleviate***
(b) to relieve; improve partially
Amalgamate***
(v) to combine into a unified whole
Ambiguous***
(adj) unclear or doubtful in meaning
Ambivalence***
(n) the state of having conflicting emotional attitudes
Ameliorate***
(v) to improve
Anachronism***
(n) something out of the proper time
Analogous***
(adj) comparable
Anarchy***
(n) absence of government; state of disorder
Anodyne
(n) something that calms or soothes pain
Anomalous***
(adj) irregular; deviating from the norm – “anormal”
Antecedent
(n) something that comes before – “ante” = “before”
Antediluvian
(adj) prehistoric
Antipathy***
(n) dislike; hostility
Apathy***
(n) indifference
Apogee
(n) the point in an orbit most distant from the body being orbited; the highest point
Apothegm
(n) a terse, witty saying (pronounced AP-uh-them)
Apposite
(adj) strikingly appropriate and relevant
Apprise***
(v) to inform
Approbation***
(b) praise; approval
Appropriate***
(v) to take possessions for one’s own use; confiscate
Apropos
(adj) relevant
Arabesque
(n) ornate design feature intertwined curves a ballet position in which one leg is extended in back while the other supports the weight of the body
Arduous***
(adj) extremely difficult; laborious
Argot
(n) a specialized vocabulary used by a group
Artless***
(adj) guileless; natural
Acetic***
(n) one who practices self-denial
Asperity
(n) severity; harshness; irritability
Aspersion***
(n) slander; false rumor
Assiduous***
(adj) diligent; hard-working
Asylum
(n) place of refuge or shelter
Atavism
(n) in biology, the reappearance of a characteristic in an organism after several generations of absence; individual or part that exhibits atavism; return of a trait after a period of absence.
Attenuate***
(v) to weaken
Audacious***
(adj) bold; daring
Austere***
(Adj) stern; unadorned
Avarice
(n) greed
Aver***
(v) to affirm; declare to be true
Avocation
(n) secondary occupation – “vocation” = job
Avuncular
(adj) like an uncle, benevolent and tolerant – “uncle” in middle
Axiomatic
(adj) taken for granted
