Vocabulary 1-72 Flashcards
Abdicate (v)
To give up a position, right, or power
-with the angry mob clamoring outside the palace, the king abdicated his throne and fled.
Abase (v)
Uh bays
To humble; to disgrace
-my intention was not to base the comedian
Abate(v)
To reduce in amount, degree, or severity
-As the hurricanes force abated, the winds dropped and the sea became calm
Aberrant(adj)
Deviating from what is normal or expected
-since he had been a steady, cheerful worker for many years, his fellow postal workers did not expect his aberrant burst of rage.
Abeyance(n)
Temporary suppression or suspension
-the baseball game was held in abeyance while it continued to rain
Abjure(verb)
To reject; to abandon formally
-the spy abjured his allegiance to the us
Abstain(verb)
To choose not to do something
-before the medical procedure, you must abstain from eating
Abscond(verb)
To leave secretly
-the patron absconded from the restaurant without a word
Abstemious(adj)
Moderate in appetite
-because Alice is a vegetarian, she was able to eat only an abstemious meal at the restaurant
Abyss(noun)
An extremely deep hole
-he dove into the abyss to chart unseen depths
Accretion(n)
A gradual growth in size; an increase in amount
-the committees strong funding efforts resulted in an accretion of money
Acidulous(adj)
Sour in taste or manner
-the acidulous taste of the spoiled milk made the young boy’s lips pucker
Acme(n)
Highest point ; the summit; the highest level or degree
-he reached the acme of his power
Adulterate(v)
To make impure
-The restaurant made his ketchup last longer by adulterating it with water
Advocate(v)
To speak in favor of
-the vegetarian advocated a diet with no meat
Aerie(n)
A neat built high in the air; an elevated, often secluded, dwelling
-perched high among the trees, the eagle’s aerie was filled with eggs
Aesthetic(adj)
Concerning the appreciation of beauty
-the aesthetic movement regarded the pursuit of beauty the only true purpose of art
Affected(adj)
Phony; artificial
-the affected hairdresser spouted French phrases, though she had never been in France
Aggrandize(v)
To increase in power, influence, and reputation
-the supervisor sought to aggrandize himself by claiming others achievements
Alacrity(n)
Speed or quickness
-the restaurant won a reputation for fine service since the wait staff responded to their clients with alacrity.
Alleviate(v)
To make more bearable
-taking aspiring helps to alleviate pain
Amalgamate(v)
To combine; to mix together
-McDonalds amalgamated with DD to form Starbucks
Ambiguous(adj)
Doubtful or uncertain; can be interpreted several ways
-the directions he have we’re ambiguous that we disagreed on which way to turn
Ameliorate(v)
To make better; to improve
-the doctor was able to ameliorate the patients suffering
Amortize(v)
To diminish by installment payments
-while college students are notorious for debt, they are not know for amortizing it.
Amulet(n)
Ornament worn against evil spirits
-Vivian wore an amulet against her neck
Anachronism(n)
something out if place or time
-the play was set in the 19th century, but was ruined by anachronisms, like the actors digital watch
Analgesia(n)
A lessening of pain without loss of consciousness
-after the crash, she welcomed the analgesia that the painkillers provided
Analogous(adj)
Similar or alike in some way; equivalent
-his mother argued that not going to college was analogous to throwing his life away
Anodyne(n)
Something that calms or soothes pain
-the massages as an anodyne that helped remove knots from the lawyers back
Anomaly(n)
Deviating from what is normal
-animals display great an a anomaly in their coloring when they have sex
Antagonize(v)
To annoy or provoke to anger
-he could antagonize the cat by pulling his tail
Antipathy(n)
Extreme dislike
-the antipathy between fans made the game more electrifying
Apathy(n)
Lack of interest or emotion
-the apathy of voters is so great that less than half vote
Apocryphal(adj)
Of questionable authority or authenticity
-there is no evidence to support the apocryphal tales that link the Roswell, New Mexico, incident to a downed UFO
Apostate(n)
One who renounces a religious faith
-so that he could divorce, the king scoffed at the church doctrines and declared himself an apostate
Approbation(n)
Approval or praise
-the approbation that he received in France included a medal from the governor
Arbitrary(adj)
Determined by chance or impulse
-when you lack information you will be forced to make an arbitrary decision
Arbitrate(v)
To judge a dispute between two opposing parties
-a judge was forced to arbitrate their divorce proceedings
Archaic(adj)
Ancient; old-fashioned
-her archaic computer could not run the latest software
Ardor(n)
Intense and passionate feeling
-her ardor for landscape was evident when she described the beauty of the scenery
Arrogate(v)
To claim without justification; to claim oneself without right
-she watched as her boss arrogated the credit for the sale
Articulate(adj)
Able to speak clearly and expressively
-she is articulate when it comes to her pro-labor views
Assail(v)
To attack; to assault
-the army will try to assail our bases but they will not succeed in the attack
Attenuate(v)
To reduce in force or degree; to weaken
-the bill of rights attenuated the traditional power of government to change laws at will
Assuage(v)
To make something unpleasant less severe
-Philip uses alcohol to assuage his sense of meaninglessness
Audacious(adj)
Fearless and daring
-the audacious peasant dared to insult the king
Augury(n)
A prophecy; a prediction of events
-he hoped the rainbow was an augury of good things to come
August(adj)
Dignified; grandiose
-the August view if the summit took my breath away
Austere(adj)
Severe or stern in appearance; un decorated
-the lack of decoration of the temple made it seem austere to the untrained eye
Axiom(n)
Premise; postulate; self-evident truth
-she lived her life based on the axioms her mother passed to her
Banal(adj)
Predictable; cliched; boring
-his discovery consisted of banal phrases have a nice day
Belfry(n)
A bell tower; the room in which a bell is hung
-it was found in the belfry if the church
Bevy(n)
A group
-as predicted, a bevy of teenaged ruined the movie
Bifurcate(v)
To divide into parts
-mcdonalds announced it’s plans to bifurcate
Bilk(v)
To cheat; to defraud
-he bilked the tourist out of $5
Blight(v)
To afflict ; to destroy
-the farmer feared the frost would Blight the crops
Blithe(adj)
Joyful, cheerful, or without appropriate thought
-the blithe students spent their days that the beach
Bolster(v)
To support; to prop up
- the presence of footprints bolstered the argument that Bigfoot was in the area
Bombastic(adj)
Pompous in speech and manner
-mussolinis speeches were mostly bombastic; his boasting and outrages claims had no basis in fact
Bonhomie(n)
Good-natured geniality; an atmosphere of good cheer
-she loved the pleasant bonhomie in the office
Boor(n)
A crude person; one lacking manners or taste
-the boor ruined my recital with his constant cursing
Burgeon(v)
To grow and flourish
-he allowed rumor to burgeon without any word
Burnish(v)
To polish
-he burnished the pot until it shone brightly
Cabal(n)
A secret group seeking to overturn something
-the boys on the street formed a cabal to keep girls out
Cacophony(n)
A harsh; jarring noise
-they created a cacophony as they tried to tune the mic
Calumny(n)
A false and malicious accusations; misrepresentation
- the politician used calumny to bring down his opponent
Canard(n)
A lie
-the story about a pig laying an egg was a canard
Candid(adj)
Impartial and honest in speech
-observations by a child can be charming since they are candid and unpretentious
Capricious(adj)
Changing ones mind quickly and often
-she was so capricious; her boyfriends could never be sure which one would catch her fancy
Cartography(n)
The science or art of making maps
-her interest in cartography stems from the traveling she did as a child
Castigate(v)
To punish or criticize harshly
-she castigated her boyfriend for not remember her name
