Created by Sarah Egan
about 9 years ago
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Question | Answer |
Abasement | humiliation; degradation |
Abate | reduce in amount or intensity |
Abhor | hate |
Abjure | renounce; forswear; give up |
Abrasive | coarse; harsh; rough |
Abrogate | cancel; deny; abolish |
Absolution | forgiveness; pardon; release |
Abstain | desist; go without; hold back |
Abstemious | self denying; moderate |
Abstruse | difficult to understand; obscure |
Accolade | award; honor; praise |
Acquiesce to | agree to; consent |
Acrid | sharp; bitter (smells and tastes) |
Acrophobia | fear of heights |
Acuity | sharpness (mental or visual) |
Adamant | forceful; unyielding |
Adroit | skillful; expert |
Adulation | strong admiration; worship |
Adversity | hardship |
Advocate | support; speak (or write) in favor of |
Aesthetic | concerning art or beauty |
Affable | friendly; easygoing |
Alacrity | readiness; willingness |
Alchemy | medieval chemistry; changing base metal into gold |
Alibi | an excuse; in law that one was elsewhere when a crime was committed |
Allay | to lessen; mitigate |
Alleviate | make less severe; mitigate |
Aloof | distant; detached; cold |
Altruism | unselfish concern for others |
Amalgamate | join; consolidate |
Amass | accumulate |
Ambidextrous | able to use both hands equally well |
Ambiguity | uncertainty; vagueness |
Ambiguous | unclear in meaning |
Ambivalence | uncertainty; indecision |
Ambulatory | capable of walking, not stationary |
Ameliorate | make better; improve |
Amelioration | improvement |
Amiable | friendly; pleasant |
Amity | friendship |
Amorphous | lacking definite form or shape |
Anachronistic | not correct in terms of history/chronology |
Analgesic | medicine to relieve pain |
Analogous | comparable; corresponding |
Anarchy | absence of government |
Anecdote | short interesting or amusing story |
Annex (n) | a building which is an addition to the main building |
Annex (v) | attach; seize; capture |
Anodized | coated with thin layer of protective film/metal |
Anomaly | deviation from a pattern; irregularity |
Antagonism | hostility; strong opposition |
Antediluvian | outdated; very old-fashioned (Before the Flood) |
Anthology | collection of poems or stories |
Anthropocentrism | assuming the universe revolves around humans |
Antiquated | outdated; old fashioned |
Apathetic | indifferent; uninterested; lethargic |
Apathy | lack of interest or emotion |
Aphoristic | expressed tersely |
Apocryphal | of doubtful origin or authorship |
Appease | pacify; calm down |
Apprehensive | worried; fearful |
Arable | capable of producing crops |
Arbitrary | random; for no definite reason |
Arcane | obscure; known only to a few people |
Archaic | ancient; outdated; old fashioned |
Archetype | original pattern or model; classic example |
Archives | collections of old records; place where such records are kept |
Articulate | spoken clearly; eloquent |
Artifice | cunning; trickery |
Artisan | craftsman |
Ascetic | without luxury; austere; person who lives such a life (n) |
Assiduous | thorough; diligent |
Assuage | to calm |
Astute | perceptive; sharp-witted |
Asylum | place of refuge or safety |
Atheist | person who does not believe in a supreme being/ god |
Atrophy | waste away from lack of use |
Attenuate | weaken; reduce in force |
Augment | increase; make bigger |
Augury | prediction, looking for omens |
Auspicious | favorable; promising success; propitious |
Austere | severely plain; somber |
Avaricious | greedy for money |
Aversion | dislike of |
Baleful | evil; menacing |
Balk | hinder; stop at an obstacle |
Banal | common; dull |
Banality | ordinariness; dullness |
Bane | troublesome influence; something that ruins |
Bard | poet |
Bastion | fortress; stronghold |
Befuddle | confuse |
Begrudge | resent; envy |
Beguile | mislead; lure; charm |
Belabor | explain more than is necessary |
Beleaguer | besiege; attack |
Belie | contradict; show to be false |
Belittle | to demean; disparage |
Bellicose | war-like; aggressive |
Belligerent | aggressive; ready to fight |
Bemoan | lament; complain about |
Benign | kindly; harmless |
Bequeath | leave property to someone in a will |
Berate | scold; criticize |
Beret | soft cap |
Bestial | beastlike; brutal |
Bigot | prejudiced person; someone intolerant of difference |
Bilk | cheat; defraud |
Billowing | swelling; waving |
Blandishment | words or actions used to coax or flatter |
Blasphemy | speech which offends religious sentiments |
Blatant | obvious |
Blighted | damaged; destroyed; ruined |
Blithe | free-spirited; carefree |
Bolster | support; prop up |
Bombast | arrogant, pompous language |
Boor | rude person |
Boorish | ill-mannered |
Bourgeois | middle class |
Boycott | refuse to deal with someone; abstain from buying |
Braggart | someone who boasts |
Brawny | muscular; strong |
Brevity | being brief; shortness |
Bristle | to show irritation |
Broach | mention a subject; approach |
Brusque | blunt; abrupt |
Bulwark | fortification; barricade; wall |
Bureaucracy | officialdom; administrative red tape and routine |
Burgeon | grow; flourish |
Burnish | polish; brighten |
Buttress | strengthen; support |
Byline | line of text with author's name |
Cacophony | dissonance; discordant sounds |
Cajole | coax |
Caldron | large kettle; cooking pot |
Callow | immature; inexperienced |
Candid | frank; honest |
Candor | frankness; openness |
Canonical | orthodox (canon=set of accepted works) |
Cantankerous | bad-tempered; quarrelsome |
Capacious | spacious; roomy |
Capitulate | surrender; give in to |
Cardinal | high ranking church official; important |
Caret | Punctuation mark that shows where something should be inserted (‸) |
Caricature | ridicule (v); ridiculing portrayal (n) |
Carping | constant criticism; finding fault |
Cartographer | person who makes maps |
Castigate | criticize severely |
Catharsis | relief of emotional tension |
Caucus | political group, meeting, or faction |
Caustic | burning; corrosive |
Cavalcade | procession of vehicles |
Celerity | speed; swiftness |
Censorious | disapproving; critical |
Censure | blame; reprimand |
Cerebral | relating to brain; intellectual |
Certitude | certainty |
Charlatan | person who claims knowledge he or she doesn't have; quack |
Chary | wary |
Chastises | punishes; disciplines; criticizes severely |
Chicanery | trickery |
Chimerical | imaginary; unrealistic |
Choleric | easily angered |
Chronic | long lasting; constant |
Chronicler | person who records historical information |
Churlishness | rudeness; ill-mannered behavior |
Circuitous | indirect; roundabout |
Circumlocution | indirect way of speaking; long-windedness |
Circumscribe | limit; encircle |
Circumspect | cautious; discreet; considering all sides |
Circumvent | avoid |
Clairvoyant | psychic; mystic |
Clamor | uproar; outcry |
Clandestine | secret; covert; stealthy |
Clemency | mercy |
Cliché | overused expression; something unoriginal |
Clientele | customers |
Coalesce | unite; come together |
Coddle | pamper; fuss over; indulge |
Coerce | force |
Cogent | well argued; to the point |
Cogitate | think over something; ponder |
Colander | container with perforated bottom for draining foods |
Collage | artwork made from fragments of other pictures |
Collate | arrange in order |
Colloquial | local and informal |
Collusion | plotting in secret |
Commandeer | take possession of |
Commensurate | corresponding in amount; proportionate |
Complacent | self-satisfied; pleased but unaware of dangers |
Compliant | easy to control; submissive |
Concatenate | link together; join in chain |
Conciliate | reconcile; end a dispute |
Concise | succinct; stated briefly but comprehensively |
Condescend | talk down to; assume equality with supposed inferior |
Condone | tacitly support; overlook |
Condoning | overlooking; disregarding; ignoring |
Conflagration | large destructive fire |
Confound | confuse; perplex |
Congeal | to solidify |
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