Letter A Flashcards
Abate
To make or become less in degree, intensity, value, or amount.
We waited for the storm to abate before we headed out.
Synonyms: decrease, diminish, reduce, subside
Most commonly used with: storms, pain, or intensity
Abdicate
To give up a right or responsibility, especially formally.
The king chose to abdicate the throne in favor of his younger brother.
Synonyms: relinquish, renounce, resign
Aberrant
Going off the usual, normal, or right way; deviating from the usual or normal type
His aberrant behavior during the meeting left everyone confused and concerned.
Synonyms: abnormal, atypical, deviant, unusual
Abeyance
A temporary state of inactivity.
The construction project was placed in abeyance until the necessary permits were approved.
Synonyms: inactivity, recess, suspension
Abject
Completely hopeless
The family lived in abject poverty, struggling to meet even their basic needs.
Synonyms: downtrodden, miserable, wretched
Abjure
To formally reject, often under oath
Though she had completely changed her ways, she could not abjure her former friends.
Synonyms: forswear, renounce
Abscond
To leave secretly and suddenly
One minute the children were underfoot; the next minute, they absconded with all the
cookies.
Synonyms: disappear, escape, vanish
Abstemious
Restrained, especially with food and alcohol
Since she began to do yoga, she has also been abstemious with both alcohol and junk food.
Synonyms: frugal, moderate, restrained, temperate
Abysmal
Like an abyss: immeasurably great or low; hopelessly bad
He wrote the term paper all in one night, and the results were abysmal.
Synonyms: bottomless, vast, wretched
Accolade
An award or other expression of honor or praise
Given the number of accolades she has received for her work on stage and in film, it is surprising just how humble she is.
Synonyms: award, honor
Acerbic
Sour or harsh in taste, mood, or temperament
He tried to hide his bad mood, but his acerbic reply gave his anger away.
Synonyms: acidic, caustic, harsh, sharp
Accure
To grow through additions
As the years accrue, so does wisdom.
Synonyms: accumulate, collect, increase
Acumen
Insight or shrewdness, especially in practical matters
Due to the combination of her personal warmth and business acumen, her new company was an instant success.
Synonyms: discernment, insight, judgment, perception
Adamant
Insistent, immovable
Though the child protested, his parents were adamant: he had to be in bed by eight o’clock.
Synonyms: determined, inflexible, resolute, stubborn, unyielding
Admonish
To advise against something; to gently scold or warn
The teacher admonished the children for tracking mud down the hallways of the school.
Synonyms: advise, reprimand, warn
Adulation
Excessive admiration, praise, or devotion; flattery
The football star enjoyed the adulation of thousands of fans until it was revealed that he
had cheated.
Synonyms: devotion, fawning, flattery, worship
Adulterate
To make impure by adding foreign or inferior elements, materials, or ingredients
Do not adulterate this cake batter by using flour of such poor quality!
Synonyms: cheapen, corrupt, dilute, weaken
Aesthetic
Having to do with beauty or the arts
Though the morality of the movie is questionable, its aesthetic qualities are admirable: it was beautifully filmed.
Synonym: artistic
Affinity
An attraction, especially one based on a similarity in interests
Countless young women have read and reread Jane Eyre, feeling an affinity for its fierce heroine.
Synonyms: affection, fondness, sympathy
Aggrandize
to make greater in size, power, or honor; to enhance the appearance of greatness
The dictator aggrandized his power by taking control of the press and all other media.
Synonyms: glorify, hype, inflate, strengthe
Aggregate
(adj.) formed by grouping elements into one larger body
The aggregate power of the teammates was far greater than you might imagine based on their individual talents.
Synonyms: accumulated, collective
(v.) to group elements into one larger body
We need to aggregate the survey results in order to have a clear picture of the overall data.
Synonyms: assemble, collect, combine
(n.) a body of associated elements
In the aggregate, her small daily efforts resulted in a gorgeous book of poems.
Synonyms: combination, mass, whole
Alacrity
cheerful readiness
He replied to the invitation with alacrity; he was eager for the opportunity to travel to
Puerto Rico.
Synonyms: liveliness, promptness, willingness
Alchemy
The power or process that can change something ordinary into something valuable; a
medieval pseudoscience with the purpose of changing lead into gold
The alchemy that transformed him into a dashingly handsome man in her eyes was love.
Synonyms: enchantment, magic, sorcery
Allay
To put to rest; to decrease in strength or difficulty
After they heard the coyotes howling, nothing but the dawn could allay their fears.
Synonyms: alleviate, calm, ease, lessen, relieve
Alleviate
to lessen the burden, make easier
Her calm support did much to alleviate his difficulties with the task.
Synonyms: allay, ease, lighten, relieve
Alloy
a mixture of two or more different things; literally, a mixture of two or more metals or of a metal and nonmetal
Even sterling silver is actually an alloy of silver with another metal, usually copper.
Synonyms: blend, combination, composite, compound
Allure
(v.) to attract
Only the possibility that his favorite singer might perform could allure him to attend the concert.
Synonyms: charm, entice, tempt
(n.) that which attracts
Easily nauseated, she could not see the allure of a roller coaster.
Synonyms: appeal, charm
Amalgamate
To mix or combine into one body
The plan to amalgamate the two high schools was not well thought out, and the students did not easily unite into one school.
Synonyms: blend, incorporate, integrate, merge
Ambiguous
ill-defined or uncertain; possible to be understood in different ways
Her habitual sarcasm rendered her statement ambiguous; no one could tell if she really meant what she said.
Synonyms: cryptic, enigmatic, indefinite, indeterminate
Ambivalence
uncertainty; the state of having two or more contradictory feelings about something at the same time
His ambivalence about playing the piano went on for years, and he thought about quitting every day until he enrolled at the conservatory.
Synonyms: doubt, indecision, uncertainty
Ameliorate
To get or make better
Her illness was ameliorated by the fact that it permitted her finally to rest and get enough sleep.
Synonyms: alleviate, improve, relieve
Amenable
agreeable, willing, or submissive; answerable or legally responsible; able to be examined or tested
Even though it would require him to redo much of the work he had done so far, he was amenable to the change in plans.
Synonyms: cooperative, manageable; accountable
Amenity
the quality of being agreeable; a feature that increases value or comfort
He had become so used to the general amenity of the community that the rudeness of the grocery
store clerk shocked him.
Synonyms: charm, pleasantness; advantage,
convenience
Anachronism
A person or thing that is out of place in time
Her floor-length skirts and elaborately done up hair were anachronisms that she nevertheless
pulled off with grace.
Synonym: misplacement
Analogous
Comparable in such a way that an analogy can be drawn
Freud viewed the mind as analogous to a steam engine, whereas today we are more likely to compare it to a computer.
Synonyms: alike, corresponding
Anarchy
Lack of government; complete disorder
When the teacher was called out of the classroom, the children erupted into gleeful anarchy.
Synonyms: chaos, confusion, turmoil
Anathema
someone or something that is cursed or disliked intensely; a curse
Except for carrots, vegetables were anathema to the toddler.
Synonyms: abomination, pariah
Anodyne
Something that comforts; a medicine that relieves pain
The music of Bach was an anodyne to her through the months of mourning.
Synonyms: balm; painkiller
Anomaly
Something different, irregular
His late submission was an anomaly; he was known for meeting his deadlines.
Synonyms: aberration, exception, irregularity, oddity
Antipathy
dislike, feeling against
He could not overcome his antipathy for dogs, even to date a woman who had a poodle as a pet.
Synonyms: aversion, disgust, loathing
Aposate
one who renounces a previous loyalty, such as to a religion, nation, or party
Though she had many disagreements with the party, she had no plans to become an apostate.
Synonyms: defector, dissenter, heretic, nonconformist
Apogee
the highest point; literally, the point at which an orbiting body is farthest from Earth
Finalizing the deal that spring was the apogee of her career thus far.
Synonyms: apex, climax, summit, zenith
Appease
To bring to a state of peace
Only singing her favorite song could appease the distressed child.
Synonyms: calm, pacify, soothe
Aprise
To inform
He kept the radio on at all times, to be sure he was kept apprised of the latest weather report.
Synonyms: advise, enlighten, notify
Aprobation
formal approval
Make art to express yourself, not to win the approbation of others.
Synonyms: approval, commendation, endorsement, recognition
Appropriate
to set apart for a specific use; to take for oneself
The army appropriated all vehicles in the region for military use.
Synonyms: confiscate, seize, steal, usurp
Archaic
of the past; extremely old or out of date
Students think that the language of Shakespeare is archaic until they encounter the work of Chaucer,
who lived about two centuries earlier.
Synonyms: ancient, obsolete, old-fashioned
Arduous
extremely difficult; requiring much energy or effort
Running a marathon is arduous enough in itself; I can’t imagine doing it as the last leg of a triathlon.
Synonyms: exhausting, grueling, strenuous
Artless
natural, simple, and without artificiality; without knowledge or skill
The child artlessly won over even the crankiest adults simply by smiling at them.
Synonyms: genuine, straightforward, unaffected,
uncultured
Ascetic
strictly self-denying, often for spiritual purposes
The ascetic practices of a monk are certainly not for everyone.
Synonyms: austere, disciplined, strict
Asperity
severity of tone, manner, or temper; roughness
The asperity with which she spoke revealed her anger about the situation.
Synonyms: harshness, sharpness
Aspersion
A false accusation intended to do harm
He cast aspersions on his rival, but everyone could see that his wild claims were not true.
Synonyms: defamation, slander
Assiduous
characterized by persistent and careful attention or effort
An assiduous student, she earned the highest grades despite her learning disability.
Synonyms: attentive, constant, persevering
Assuage
to decrease the intensity or severity of
Nothing but time could assuage their grief
after they lost their home.
Synonyms: calm, ease, relieve
Astringent
harsh, caustic, strict
He was the only employee unafraid of the boss’s astringent tongue.
Synonyms: biting, bitter, cutting, sharp
Asylum
a place or state of shelter and protection; a place for the care of the ill or insane
The refugees found asylum at the monastery.
Synonyms: refuge, retreat, sanctuary
Attenuate
to make thin or weak
Her enthusiasm was attenuated by the length of the event; she did not like to be kept awake so late.
Synonyms: debilitate, lessen, weaken
Audacious
daring, recklessly brave; inventive,
unconventional
I am hardly audacious enough to go scuba diving, let alone sky diving!
Synonyms: adventurous, bold, rash
Austere
somber, strict, or stern in manner or appearance
The house was plain and blended into the austere winter landscape.
Synonyms: ascetic, rigorous, serious, solemn
Autonomous
independent
There are many who wish that the city government were more autonomous and did not have
to abide by the decisions made at the distant state capital.
Synonyms: self-governing, self-ruling, sovereign
Avarice
a greed for wealth that cannot be satisfied
His avarice was a source of great discontent; he could not be happy with what he already had.
Synonyms: covetousness, greed, rapacity
Aver
to declare or prove to be true
I can aver that her story is true, because I was there and saw it happen myself.
Synonyms: affirm, assert, claim, verify
Aocation
an occupation pursued for enjoyment
She pursued her avocation of designing jewelry in the evenings after returning home from her
day job.
Synonyms: diversion, hobby, pastime
Axiomatic
taken as an axiom, or self-evident truth
Until Copernicus showed otherwise, it was taken as axiomatic that the Earth was the center of the universe.
Synonyms: accepted, fundamental, given, obvious
