UDEMY Flashcards
Abase (Verb)
Abase (Verb)
Meaning: To cause to feel shame; hurt the pride of
Example: Russian law says inmates must not be treated in a way that is
“harsh” or “abases human dignity”.
Abate (Verb)
Meaning: To lessen (something) in force or intensity
Example: The sky remained dark around us, but the clouds of dust
abated somewhat.
Abdicate (Verb)
Meaning: To relinquish or renounce a throne, or other high office or
dignity; to renounce sovereignty
Example: “You should know that the king will soon abdicate his throne
in favor of one of his children,” Madoc says, looking at all of us.
Aberrant (Adjective
Meaning: Straying from the right way; deviating from morality or truth.
Example: His lawyer told the court that Mr. Stacy’s heavy drinking and
the psychological effects of his accident accounted for his aberrant
behavior.
Abeyance (Noun)
Meaning: Suspension; temporary suppression; dormant condition.
Example: The Tony Awards, held in abeyance since June 2020, were
bestowed Sunday night, with a splashy effervescence that seemed to
declare: The best of times is now.
Abhor (Verb)
Meaning: To regard (someone or something) as horrifying or detestable;
to feel great repugnance toward.
Example: I abhor the rainbow stripe and would prefer something along
the lines of a simple skull and crossbones.
solemnity
the state or quality of being serious and dignified.
a formal, dignified rite or ceremony.
Abjure (Verb
Meaning: To reject with solemnity; to abandon forever; to repudiate; to
disclaim.
2
Example: His new book, “Bad Faith,” offers a history of episodes in
which fringe groups abjured modern medicine, with deadly
consequences.
disposition
a person’s inherent qualities of mind and character.
the way in which something is placed or arranged, especially in relation to other things.
Abreast (Adverb)
Meaning: Informed, well-informed, familiar, acquainted.
Example: The Journal Club proved to be an ideal way to keep the lab
abreast of the latest advances in physics, but over time the agenda
reflected the lab’s own expanding prominence.
epitomize
be a perfect example of.give a summary of (a written work).
Abridge (Verb)
Meaning: To shorten or contract by using fewer words, yet retaining the
sense; to epitomize; to condense
Example: Baby Kochamma, who had been put in charge of their formal
education, had read them an abridged version of The Tempest by
Charles and Mary Lamb.
repeal
revoke/annul
Abrogate (Verb)
Meaning: To annul by an authoritative act; to abolish by the authority of
the maker or her or his successor; to repeal
Example: He did not hesitate to abrogate Indian treaties, though he
sometimes expressed concern for Indian life.
Abstain (Verb)
Meaning: To refrain from (something or doing something); keep from
doing, especially an indulgence.
Example: Even when Ramadan arrived during the season and I had to
play volleyball and fence while fasting from sunrise to sunset,
abstaining from food and water, I still didn’t want to quit.
Abscission (Noun)
Meaning: The act or process of cutting off.
Example: Students worked with collaborative teams to develop
innovative methods for quantifying leaf color change and abscission in
campus trees.
Abscond (Verb)
Meaning: To flee, often secretly; to steal away, particularly to avoid
arrest or prosecution.
Example: In 1995, the leader of a commercial expedition absconded with
tens of thousands of dollars of his clients’ money before the trip even got
off the ground.
Abyss (Noun)
Meaning: A bottomless or unfathomed depth, gulf, or chasm; hence, any
deep, immeasurable; any void space.
Example: I wonder about the deep, wide abyss between good intentions
and concrete action, and how many of them leapt across it.
Accede (Verb)
Meaning: To agree or assent to a proposal or a view; to give way.
Example: The Physical Review soon acceded to a system by which it
would accept articles on nuclear reactions but keep them in a vault, to
be published after the conclusion of the war.
Accretion (Noun)
Meaning: The act of increasing, or the matter added, by an accession of
parts externally; an extraneous addition
Example: Physicists grappled with the mysteries of subatomic behavior
into the mid-1920s, hoping that the steady accretion of observed results
would lead them to the truth.
Acerbic (Adjective)
Meaning: Sharp, harsh, biting.
Example: He was a captivating lecturer — feisty, acerbic and
challenging.
Acidulous (Adjective)
Meaning: Slightly sour; Sharp; caustic.
Example: “Bosh!” was his acidulous comment “I’ve caught the same fish
in New Zealand in broad daylight.”
Acme (Noun)
Meaning: A high point - the highest point of any range, the most
developed stage of any process, or the culmination of any field or
historical period.
Example: “Even though Donald Trump is no longer president, I believe
the latest round” of attacks are the acme of Trump’s rhetoric, she says.
discernment
ability to judge well