Word List 2 Flashcards
Adversity (n)
poverty; misfortune
We must learn to meet adversity gracefully
Advocacy (n)
support; active pleading on behalf of someone or something
No threats could dissuade Bishop Desmond Tutu from his advocacy of the human rights of black South Africans
Aesthetic (adj)
artistic; dealing with or capable of appreciating the beautiful
The beauty of Tiffany’s stained glass appealed to Alice’s aesthetic sense (aesthete n)
Affable (adj)
easily approachable; warmly friendly
Accustomed to cold, aloof supervisors, Nick was amazed at how affable his new employer was (affability n)
Affected (adj)
artificial; pretended; assumed in order to impress
His affected mannerisms - his “Harvard” accent, his air of boredom - bugged us: he acted as if he thought he was too good for hissed high school friends (affectation n)
Affiliation (n)
joining; associating with
Our hospital’s affiliation with top medical facilities has enabled us to expand the expert care we provide to residents of North Shore
Affinity (n)
kinship
She felt an affinity with all who suffered; their pains were her pains
Affirmation (n)
positive assertion; solemn pledge by one who refuses to take an oath
Despite Tom’s affirmations of innocence, Aunt Polly still suspected he had eaten the pie
Affliction (n)
state of distress; cause of suffering
Even in the midst of her affliction, Elizabeth tried to keep up the spirits of those around her
Affluence (n)
abundance; wealth
Foreigners are amazed by the affluence and luxury of the American way of life
Affront (n)
insult; offense; intentional act of disrespect
When Mrs Proudie was not seated beside the Archdeacon at the head table, she took it as a personal affront and refused to speak to her hosts for a week
Agenda (n)
items of business at a meeting
We had so much difficulty agreeing upon an agenda that there was very little time for the meeting
Agglomeration (n)
collection; heap
It took weeks to assort the agglomeration of miscellaneous items she had collected on her trip
Aggrandise (v)
increase or intensify; raise in power, wealth, rank or honor
The history of the past quarter century illustrates how a President mat aggrandise his power to act aggressively in international affairs without considering the wishes of Congress
Aggregate (v)
gather; accumulate
Before the Wall Street scandals, dealers in so-called junk bonds managed to aggregate great wealth in short periods of time (aggregation n)
Aggressor (n)
attacker
Before you punish both boys for fighting, see whether you can determine which one was the aggressor
Aghast (adj)
horrified; dumbfounded
Miss Manners was aghast at the crude behaviour of the fraternity brothers at the annual toga party
Agility (n)
nimbleness
The agility of the acrobat amazed and thrilled the audience
Agitate (v)
stir up; disturb
Her fiery remarks agitated the already angry mob
Agnostic (n)
one who is skeptical of the existence of a god or an ultimate reality
Agnostics say we can neither prove nor disprove the existence of God; we simply have no way to know
Alacrity (n)
cheerful promptness; eagerness
Phil and Dave was raring to get off to the mountains; they packed up their ski gears and climbed into the van with alacrity
Alienate (v)
make hostile; separate
Her attempts to alienate the two friends failed because they had complete faith in each other
Allay (v)
calm; pacify
The crew tried to allay the fears of the passengers by announcing that the fire had been controlled
Allege (v)
state without proof
Although it is alleged that she worked for the enemy, she denies the allegation and, legally, we take no action against her without proof (allegation n)
Allegiance (n)
loyalty
Not even a term in prison could shake Wales’s allegiance to Solidarity, the Polish trade union he had helped to found
Alleviate (v)
relieve
This should alleviate the pain; if it does not we shall have to use stronger drugs
Allocate (v)
assign
Even though the Red Cross had allocated some sum for the relief of the sufferers of the disaster
Alloy (n)
mixture as of metals
Alloys of gold are used more frequently than the pure metal
Alloy (v)
mix; make less pure; lessen or moderate
Our delight at our baseball team’s victory was alloyed by our concern for our pitcher Tim, who injured his pitching arm in the game
Allude (v)
refer indirectly
Try not to mention divorce in front of him because he will think you are alluding to his marital history with Jill
Allure (v)
entice; attract
Allured by the song of the sirens, the man steered the ship toward the reef
Allusion (n)
indirect reference
When amanda said to the ticket scalper “One hundred bucks? What do you want, a pound of flesh?” she was making an allusion to Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice
Aloof (adj)
apart; reserved
Shy by nature, she remained aloof while all the rest conversed
Altercation (n)
noisy quarrel; heated dispute
In that hot-tempered household, no meal ever came to a peaceful conclusion; the inevitable altercation sometimes even ended in blows
Altruistic (adj)
unselfishly generous concerned for others
In providing tutorial assistance and college scholarships for hundreds of economically disadvantaged youth, Eugene Lang performed a truly altruistic deed (altruism n)
Amalgamate (v)
combine; unite in one body
The unions will attempt to amalgamate their groups into one national body
Amass (v)
collect
The miser’s aim is to amass and hoard as much gold as possible
Ambience (n)
environment; atmosphere
She went to the restaurant not for the food by for the ambience
Ambiguos (adj)
unclear or doubtful in meaning
His ambiguous instructions misled us; we did not know which road to take (ambiguity n)
Ambivalence (n)
the state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes
Torn between loving her parents one minute and hating them the next, she was confused by the ambivalence of her feelings (ambivalent adj)
Ambulatory (adj)
able to walk; not bedridden
Calvin was a highly ambulatory patient; not only did he refuse to be confined to bed, but also he insisted in riding his skateboard up and down the halls
Ameliorate (v)
improve
Many social workers have attempted to ameliorate the condition of people living in the slums
Amenable (adj)
readily managed or willing to be led; answerable or accountable legally
Although the ambassador was usually amenable to friendly suggestions, he balked when he hinted he should pay his parking tickets. As a foreign diplomat, he claimed he was not amenable to minor local laws
Amend (v)
correct; change; generally for the better
Hoping to amend his condition, he left Vietnam for the United States
Amenities (n)
convenient features; courtesies
In addition to the customary amenities for the business traveler - fax machines, modems, a health club - the hotel offers the services of a butler versed in the social amenities
Amiable (adj)
agreeable; lovable; warmly friendly
In Little Women, Beth is the amiable daughter while loving disposition endears her to all who knows her
Amicable (adj)
politely friendly; not quarrelsome
Beth’s sister Jo is the hot-tempered tomboy who has a hard time maintaining amicable relationships with those around her. Jo’s quarrel with her friend Laurie finally reaches an amicable settlement, but not because Jo turns amiable overnight
Amiss (adj)
wrong; faulty
Seeing her frown, he wondered if anything were amiss
Amity (n)
friendship
Student exchange programs such as the Experiment in International Living were established to promote international amity
Amnesty (n)
pardon
When his first child was born, the king granted amnesty to all in prison
Amoral (adj)
non-moral
The amoral individual lacks a code of ethics; he cannot tell right from wrong. The immoral person can tell right from wrong; he chooses to do something he knows is wrong
Amorous (adj)
moved by sexual love; loving
“Love them and leave the” was the motto of the amorous Don Fariq
Amorphous (adj)
formless; lacking shape or definition
As soon we have decided on our itinerary, we shall send you a copy; right now, our plans are still amorphous
Ample (adj)
abundant
Bond had ample opportunity to escape. Why then, did he let us capture him?
Amplify (v)
broaden or clarify by expanding; intensify; make stronger
Charlie Brown tried to amplify his remarks, but he was drowned out by jeers from the audience. Lucy was smarter, she used a loudspeaker to amplify her voice
Amputate (v)
cut off part of body; prune
When the doctors had to amputate Ted Kennedy leg’s to prevent the spread of cancer, he did not let the loss of his leg end his life
Anachronism (n)
something or someone misplaced in time
Shakespeare’s reference to clocks in Julius Caesar is an anachronism, no clocks existed in Caesar’s time (anachronistic adj)
Analogous (adj)
comparable
Actors exploring a classic text often improvise, working through an analogous situation closer to their own experience
Analogy (n)
similarity; parallelism
A well known analogy compares the body’s immune system with an army whose defending troops are the lymphocytes or white blood cells
Anarchy (n)
absence of governing body; state of disorder
The assassination of the leaders led to a period of anarchy
