List Of Word A Flashcards
Abate
V; to subsidize, to reduce
Abash
V: to make ashamed, embarrassed
Abdicate
V
To step down from a position of power and responsibility
Aberration
N
Something not typical; a deviation from the standard
Abhor
V
To hate very, very much; to detest
Abject
Adj
Hopeless; extremely sad and servile; defeated
Abnegate
V
To deny oneself things ; to reject, to renounce
Abortive
Adj
Unsuccessful
Abridge
V
To shorten ; to condense
Absolute
Adj
Total unlimited
Absolve
V
To forgive or free from blame ; to free from sin ; to free from an obligation
Abstinent
Adj
Abstaining ; voluntarily not doing something
Abstract
Adj
Theoretical ; impersonal
Abstruse
Adj
Hard to understand
Abysmal
Adjective
Extremely hopeless or wretched ; bottomless
Accolade
N
An award ; an honor
Accost
V
To approach or to speak to someone aggressively
Acerbic
Adjective
Sour, severe like acid in temper, mood, or tone
Acquiesce
V
To comply passively ; to accept ; to assent ; to agree
Acrid
Adjective
Harshly pungent; bitter
Acrimonious
Adjective
Full of spite ; bitter ; nasty
Acumen
N
Keenness of judgement ; mental sharpness
Acute
Adjective
Sharp ; shrewd
Adamant
Adjective
Stubborn ; unyielding ; completely inflexible
Address
V
To speak to ; to direct one’s attention to
Adherent
N
Follower ; supporter ; believer
Admonish
V
To scold gently; to warn
Adroit
Adjective
Skillful ; dexterous ; clever ; shrewd ; socially at ease
Adulation
N
Wild or excessive admiration ; flattery
Adulterate
V
To contaminate ; to make impure
Adverse
Adjective
Unfavorable ; antagonistic
Aesthetic
Adjective
Having to do with artistic beauty ; artistic
Affable
Adjective
Easy to talk to ; friendly
Affectation
N
Unnatural or artificial behavior, usually intended to impress
Affinity
N
Sympathy; attraction ; kinship ; similarity
Affluent
Adjective
Rich ; prosperous
Agenda
N
Program, the things to be done
Aggregate
N
Sum total ; a collection of separate things mixed together
Agnostic
N
One who believes that existence of God can be neither proven nor disproven
Agrarian
Adjective
Relating to land ; relating to the management of farming of land
Alacrity
N
Cheerful eagerness or readiness to respond
Allege
V to assert without proof
Alleviate
V
To relieve ; usually temporarily or incompletely ; to make bearable ; to lessen
Allocate
V
To distribute ; to assign ; to allot
Alloy
N
A combination of two or more things, usually metals
Allusion
N
An indirect reference Particularly in literary terms ; a hint
Aloof
Adjective
Uninvolved, standing off
Altruism
Adjective
Selflessness ; devotion to the interests of others ; generosity
Ambience
N
Mood ; atmosphere; feeling
Ambiguous
Adjective
Confusing ; unclear in meaning ; capable of being interpreted in different ways
Ambivalent
Adjective
Undecided ; having opposed feelings simultaneously
Ameliorate
V
To make better or more tolerable
Amenable ( uh MEE nuh bul)
Adjective
Obedient; willing to give in to the wishes of another ; agreeable
Anarchy ( AN ur kee)
Noun
Absence of government or control ; lawlessness ; disorder
Anecdote ( AN ik dhot)
Noun
A short account of a humorous or revealing incident
Anguish
Noun
Agonizing physical or mental pain
Animosity ( an uh MAHS uh tee)
Noun
Resentment ; hostility ; ill will
Anomaly ( uh NAHM uh lee)
Noun
An aberration ; an irregularity ; a deviation
Antecedent ( an tuh SEED unt)
Noun
Someone or something that went before; something that provides a model for something that came after it
Antipathy ( an TIP uh thee)
Noun
Firm dislike ; dislike
My antipathies are the things I don’t like
Antithesis ( an TITH uh sis)
Noun
The direct opposite
Erin is the antithesis of Aaron: Erin is bright and beautiful ; Aaron is dull and plain
Apartheid ( uh PAHRT hyte)
N
The former policy of racial segregation and oppression in the Republic of South Africa
Apathy ( AP uh thee)
Noun
Lack of interest ; lack of feeling
Jill didn’t care one bit about the current events; she was entirely apathetic
Aphorism ( AF uh riz um)
Noun
A brief, often witty saying ; a proverb
Benjamin Franklin was fond of aphorism. He was frequently aphoristic.
Apocalypse ( uh PAHK uh lips)
Noun
A prophetic revelation, especially one concerning the end of the world
Apocryphal ( uh POK ruh full)
Noun
Of dubious authenticity; fictitious; spurious
An apocryphal story is the one who truth is not proven or whose falsehood is strongly suspected.
Apotheosis ( uh pahth ee OH sis)
N
Elevation to divine status; the perfect example of something.
Geoffrey is unbearable to be with. He thinks he is the apotheosis of masculinity.
Appease ( uh PEEZ)
V
To soothe ; to pacify by giving in to
Appreciate
V
To increase in value
The opposite of appreciate is depreciate.
Apprehensive
Adjective
Worried ; anxious
Misapprehension is a misunderstanding
Approbation (ap ruh BAY shun)
Noun
Approval ; praise
Approbation is a fancy word of approval, to which it is closely related. Disapprobation is disapproval!
Appropriate
V
To take without permission ; to set aside for a particular use.
Aptitude ( AP tuh tood)
N
Capacity for learning ; natural ability
Arbiter ( AHR buh tur)
Noun
One who decides ; a judge
An arbiter of fashion determines what other people will wear by wearing it herself!
Arbitrary ( AHR buh trer ee)
Adjective
Random ; capricious
The old judge was arbitrary in sentencing criminals ; there was no sensible pattern to the sentences he handed down.
Arcane ( ahr KAYN)
Adjective
Mysterious, known only to a select few
We could make out only a little of the arcane inscription on the old trunk!
Archaic ( ahr KAY ik)
Adjective
Extremely old ; ancient ; outdated
The tribe’s tradition are archaic. They have been in force for thousand of years.
Archetype ( AHR kuh type)
Noun
An original model or pattern
Plato is the archetype of all philosophers.
Ardent ( AHR dunt)
Adjective
Passionate ; enthusiastic
To be ardent is to have ardor.
Arduous ( AHR joo us)
Adjective
Hard, difficult
Climbing the mountain was arduous.
Aristocratic ( uh ris tuh KRAT ik)
Adjective
Of noble birth ; snobbish
Prince Charles is aristocratic. He is a member of the British aristocracy.
Artful ( AHRT ful)
Adjective
Crafty ; wily ; sly
Someone who is artless , on the other hand, is simple and honest. Young children are charmingly artless.
Artifice ( AHRT uh fus)
Noun
A clever trick ; cunning
The Trojan Horse was an artifice designed to get the soldiers inside the walls.
Ascendency ( uh SEN dun see)
Noun
Supremacy; dominance
When something is in ascendancy, it is ascendant.
Ascetic ( uh SET ik)
Adjective
Hermit like ; practicing self denial
Assiduous ( uh SIJ oo us )
Adjective
Hardworking, busy , quite diligent
Assimilate
V
To take in ; to absorb ; to learn thoroughly
To assimilate knowledge
Assuage (uh SWAYJ)
V
To soothe; to pacify ; to ease from pain of ; to relieve
The thunderstorm made the baby cry, but I assuaged her fears by singing her a lullaby.
Astute (uh STOOT)
Adjective
Shrewd; keen in judgement
Morris was an astute judge of character ; he was very good at seeing what people are really like.
Atheist ( AY thee ist)
Noun
One who does not believe in the existence of any God or divine being.
Attrition (uh TRISH un)
Noun
Gradual wearing away, weakening, or loss, a natural or expected decrease in numbers or size
War of attrition
Audacity ( aw DAS uh tee)
N
Boldness ; reckless daring ; impertinence
Edgar’s soaring leap off the top of the building was an act of great audacity.
Augment ( awg MENT)
Verb
To make bigger; to add to ; to increase
The army augmented its attack by sending in a few thousand more soldiers.
Auspicious ( aw SPISH us)
Adjective
Favorable; promising; pointing to a good result
A clear sky in the morning is an auspicious sign on the day of a picnic.
Austere ( aw STEER)
Adjective
Unadorned ; stern ; forbidding ; without excess
The Smiths’ house was austere; there was no furniture in it, an there was nothing hanging on the walls.
Autocratic ( aw tuh KRAT ik)
Adjective
Ruling with absolute authority; exemplary bossy
Autonomous ( aw TAHN uh mus)
Adjective
Acting independently
Avarice ( AV ur is)
Noun
Greed ; excessive love of richness
The rich man’s avarice was annoying to everyone who wanted to lay hands on some of his money.
Avow ( uh VOW)
Verb
To claim ; to declare boldly; to admit
To avow something is to declare or admit something that most people are reluctant to declare or admit.
Avuncular ( uh VUNG kyuh lur)
Adjective
Like an uncle; especially a nice uncle
Avuncular advice
Awry ( uh RYE)
Adjective
Off course ; twisted to one side
The hunter’s bullet went awry. Instead of hitting the bear, it hit his truck.
Axiom ( AK see um)
Noun
A self evident rule or truth; a widely accepted saying
