Word List 1 Flashcards
Abase (v)
lower; degrade; humiliate
Anna refused to abase herself before the King of Siam
Abash (v)
embarrass
He was not all abashed by her open admiration
Abate (v)
subside or moderate
Rather than leaving immediately, they waited for the storm to abate
Abbreviate (v)
shorten
Because we were running out of time, the lecturer had to abbreviate her speech
Abdicate (v)
renounce, give up
When Edward VIII abdicated the British throne, he surprised the entire world
Aberrant (adj)
abnormal or deviant
Given the aberrant nature of the data, we came to doubt the validity of the entire experiment
Aberration (n)
abnormality; departure from norm; mental irregularity or disorder
It remains the consensus among investors on Wall Street that current low oil prices are a temporary aberration and that we shall soon see a return to expensive oil
Abet (v)
assist; encourage, usually in doing something wrong
She was unwilling to abet him in the swindle he had planned
Abeyance (n)
suspended action
Hostilities between the two rival ethnic groups have been in abeyance since the arrival of the United Nations peacekeeping force last month
Abhor (v)
detest; hate
She abhorred all forms of bigotry (abhorrence n)
Abjure (v)
renounce upon oath; disavow
Pressure from university authorities caused the young scholar to abjure his heretical opinions (abjuration n)
Abolish or (Abrogate) (v)
cancel; put an end to
The president of the college refused to abolish the physical education requirement (abolition n)
Abominable (adj)
detestable; extremely unpleasant; very bad
Mary liked John until she learned he was also dating Susan; then she called him an abominable young man, with abominable taste in women
Abortive (adj)
unsuccessful; fruitless
Attacked by armed troops, the Chinese students had to abandon their abortive attempt to democratise Beijing peacefully
Abrasive (adj)
rubbing away; tending to grind down
Just as abrasive cleaning powders can wear a shiny finish, abrasive remarks can wear away a listener’s patience (abrade v)
Abridge (v)
condense or shorten
Because the publishers felt the public wanted a shorter version of War and Peace, they proceeded to abridge the novel
Abrogate or (Abolish) (v)
abolish
Responding to conservative attacks against an outspoken radical professor, the dean pledged to resist such attempts to abrogate academic freedom
Abscond (v)
depart secretly and hide
The teller who absconded with the with the bonds went uncultured until someone recognised him from his photograph
Absolute (adj)
complete; totally unlimited; certain
Although King of Siam was an absolute monarch, he did not want to behead his unfaithful wife without absolute evidence of her infidelity
Absolve (v)
pardon (an offense)
The father confessor absolved him of his sins (absolution n)
Abstain (v)
refrain; withhold from participation
After considering the effect of alcohol on his athletic performance, he decided to abstain from drinking while he trained for the race
Abstemious (adj)
sparing in eating and drinking; temperate/moderate
Concerned whether her vegetarian son’s abstemious diet provided him with sufficient protein, the worried mother pressed food on him
Abstinence (n)
restraint from eating or drinking
The doctor recommended total abstinence from salted food (abstain v)
Abstract (adj)
theoretical; not concrete; nonrepresentational
To him, hunger was an abstract concept; he had never missed a meal
Abstruse (adj)
obscure; profound; difficult to understand
Baffled by the abstruse philosophical texts assigned in class, Dave asked Lexy to explain Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason
Abysmal (adj)
bottomless
His arrogance is exceeded only by his abysmal ignorance
Academic (adj)
related to school; not practical or directly useful
The dean’s talk about reforming academic policies was only an academic discussion; we knew little, if anything, would change
Accede (v)
agree
If I accede to this demand for blackmail, I am afraid that i will be the victim of future demands
Acclaim (v)
applaud; announce with great approval
The sportscenters acclaimed every American
victory in the Olympics and decried every American defeat (Acclamation n)
Accolade (n)
award of merit
In Hollywood, an Oscar is the highest accolade
Accomodate (v)
oblige or help someone; adjust or bring into harmony; adapt
Mitch always did everything possible to accommodate his elderly relatives, from driving them to medical appointments to helping them with paperwork
Accomplice (n)
partner in crime
Because he had provided the criminal with the lethal weapon, he was arrested as an accomplice in the murder
Accord (n)
agreement
She was in complete accord with the verdict
Accretion (n)
growth; increase
Over the years Bob put on weight and because of this accretion of flesh, he went from size M to size XM (accrete v)
acerbic (adj)
bitter or sour in nature; sharp and cutting
Noted for her acerbic wit and gossiping. Alice Roosevelt Longworth had a pillow in her home embroidered with the legend “If you can’t say something good about someone, sit right here by me”
Acerbity (n)
bitterness of speech and temper
The meeting of the United Nations Assembly was marked with such acerbity that observers held little hope of reaching any useful settlement of the problem
Acknowledge (v)
recognize; admit
Although i acknowledge that the Beatles’ tunes sound pretty dated nowadays, I still prefer them to the gangsta rap songs my brothers play
Acme (n)
peak; pinnacle; highest point
Welles’ success in Citizen Kane marked the acme of his career as an actor; never again did he achieve such popular acclaim
Acquiesce (v)
assent; agree passively
Although she appeared to acquiesce to her employer’s suggestions, I could tell she had reservations about the changes he wanted made (acquiescence n; acquiescent adj)
Acquittal (n)
deliverance from a charge
His acquittal by the jury surprised those who had thought him guilty (acquit v)
Acrid (adj)
sharp; bitterly pungent
The acrid door of burnt gunpowder filled the room after the pistol had been fired
Acrimonious (adj)
bitter in words or manner
The candidate attacked his opponent in highly acrimonious terms (acrimony n)
Acuity (n)
sharpness
In time his youthful acuity of vision failed him and he needed glasses
Acumen (n)
mental keenness
Her business acumen helped her to succeed where others had failed
Acute (adj)
quickly perceptive; keen; brief and severe
The acute young doctor realised immediately that the gradual deterioration of her patient’s once-acute hearing was due to a chronic illness
Adamant (adj)
hard; inflexible
In this movie, Bronson played the part of a revenge-driven man, adamant in his determination to punish the criminals
Adapt (v)
alter, modify
Some species of animals have become extinct because they could not adapt to a changing environment
Address (v)
direct a speech to; deal with or discuss
Due to address the convention in July, Brown planned to address the issue of low-income housing in his speech
Adept (adj)
expert at
She was adept at the fine art of irritating people
Adhere (v)
stick fast; conform
I will adhere to this opinion until proof/proven that I am wrong is presented (adherence n)
Adherent (n)
supporter; follower
In the wake of the scandal, the senator’s one-time adherents quietly deserted him
Adjacent (n)
adjoining; neighbouring; close by
Phillip’s best friend Jason lived only four houses down the block, near but not immediately adjacent
Admonish (v)
warn; reprove
When her courtiers questioned her religious beliefs, Mary Stuart admonished them, declaring that she would worship as she pleased
Adorn (v)
decorate
Wall paintings and carved statues adorned the temple (adornment n)
Adroit (adj)
skilful
Her adroit handling of the delicate situation pleased her employers
Adulation (n)
flattery; admiration
The rock star thrived on the adulation of his groupies and yes-men (adulate v)
Advent (n)
arrival
Most Americans were unaware of the advent of the Nuclear Age until the news of Hiroshima reached them
Adversary (n)
opponent; enemy; rival
Batman struggled to save Gotham City from the machinations of his wicked adversary, the Joker
Adverse (adj)
unfavourable; hostile
The recession had a highly adverse effect on Father’s investment portfolio; he lost so much money that he could no longer afford the butler and the upstairs maid
