| Term | Definition |
|---|
| ABATE | subside or moderate |
| ABERRANT | abnormal or deviant |
| ABEYANCE | suspended action |
| ABSCOND | depart silently and hide |
| ABSTEMIOUS | sparing in eating and drinking (ADJ) |
| ADMONISH | warn; reprove (V) |
| ADULTERATE | make impure by adding inferior or tainted substances |
| AESTHETIC | artistic; dealing with or capable of appreciating the beautiful; |
| AGGREGATE | gather; accumulate; |
| ALACRITY | cheerful promptness; eagerness; |
| ALLEVIATE | relieve |
| AMBIGUOUS | unclear or doubtful in meaning |
| AMBIVALENCE | the state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes; |
| AMALGAMATE | combine; unite in one body; |
| AMELIORATE | improve |
| ANACHRONISM | something or someone misplaced in time; |
| ANALOGOUS | comparable |
| ANARCHY | absence of governing body; state of disorder; |
| ANOMALOUS | abnormal; irregular; |
| ANTIPATHY | aversion; dislike; |
| APATHY | lack of caring; indifference; |
| APPEASE | pacify or soothe |
| APPRISE | inform |
| APPROBATION | approval; |
| APPROPRIATE | acquire; take possession of for one's own use; |
| ARDUOUS | hard; strenuous; |
| ARTLESS | without guile; open and honest; |
| ASCETIC | practicing self denial; austere; |
| ASSIDUOUS | diligent |
| ASSUAGE | easen or lessen (pain); satisfy (hunger); soothe (anger); |
| ATTENUATE | make thinner; weaken or lessen (in density, force, degree) |
| AUDACIOUS | daring; bold; |
| AUSTERE | forbiddingly stern; severely simple; severely simple and unornamented; |
| AUTONOMOUS | self-governing |
| AVER | assert confidently or declare; as used in law, state formally as a fact; |
| BANAL | hackneyed; commonplace; |
| BELIE | contradict; give a false impression |
| BENEFICENT | kindly; doing good; |
| BOLSTER | support; reinforce; |
| BOMBASTIC | pompous; using inflated language; |
| BOORISH | rude; insensitive |
| BURGEON | grow forth; send out buds; |
| BURNISH | make shiny by rubbing; polish; |
| BUTTRESS | support; prop up; |
| CACOPHONOUS | discordant; inharmonious |
| CAPRICIOUS | unpredictable; fickle; |
| CASTIGATION | punishment; severe criticism; |
| CATALYST | agent that influences the pace of a chemical reaction while it remains unaffected and unchanged; |
| CATALYST | person or thing that causes action; |
| CAUSTIC | burning; sarcastically biting; |
| CHICANERY | trickery; deception; |
| COAGULATE | thicken; congeal; clot; |
| CODA | concluding section of a musical or literary composition; something that rounds out, summarizes or concludes; |
| COGENT | convincing; |
| COMMENSURATE | corresponding in extent, degree, amount, etc.; proportionate; |
| COMPENDIUM | brief, comprehensive summary; |
| COMPLAISANT | trying to please; overly polite; obliging; |
| COMPLIANT | yielding; conforming to requirements; |
| CONCILIATORY | reconciling; soothing; |
| CONDONE | overlook; forgive; give tacit approval; excuse; |
| CONFOUND | confuse; puzzle |
| CONNOISSEUR | person competent to act as a judge of art, etc.; a lover of an art; |
| CONTENTION | claim; thesis; |
| CONTENTIOUS | quarrelsome; |
| CONTRITE | penitent; |
| CONUNDRUM | riddle; difficult problem; |
| CONVERGE | approach; tend to meet; come together; |
| CONVOLUTED | coiled around; involved; intricate; |
| CRAVEN | cowardly; |
| DAUNT | intimidate; frighten; |
| DECORUM | propriety; orderliness and good taste in manners; |
| DEFAULT | failure to act (N) |
| DEFERENCE | courteous regards for another's wish. courteous regard for people's feelings; "in deference to your wishes"; |
| DELINEATE | portray; depict; sketch; |
| DENIGRATE | blacken; |
| DERIDE | ridicule; make fun of; |
| DERIVATIVE | unoriginal; obtained from another source |
| DESICCATE | dry up; |
| DESULTORY | aimless; haphazard; digressing at random; |
| DETERRENT | something that discourages; hindrance; |
| DIATRIBE | bitter scolding; invective; |
| DICHOTOMY | split; branching into two parts; |
| DIFFIDENCE | shyness; |
| DIFFUSE | wordy; rambling; spread out (like a gas); |
| DIGRESSION | wandering away from the subject; |
| DIRGE | lament with music |
| DISABUSE | correct a false impression; undeceive; |
| DISCERNING | mentally quick and observant; having insight; |
| DISCORDANT | not harmonious; conflicting; |
| DISCREDIT | defame; destroy confidence in; disbelieve; |
| DISCREPANCY | lack of consistency; difference; |
| DISCRETE | separate; unconnected; consisting of distinct parts; |
| DISINGENUOUS | lacking genuine candor; insincere; |
| DISINTERESTED | unprejudiced; |
| DISJOINTED | lacking coherence; separated at the joints; |
| DISMISS | eliminate from consideration; reject; |
| DISPARAGE | belittlle |
| DISPARATE | basically different; unrelated; |
| DISSEMBLE | disguise; pretend; |
| DISSEMINATE | distribute; spread; scatter; |
| DISSOLUTION | disintegration; looseness in morals; |
| DISSONANCE | discord; opposite of harmony; |
| DISTEND | expand; swell out; |
| DISTILL | purify; refine; concentrate; |
| DIVERGE | vary |
| DIVEST | strip; deprive; |
| DOCUMENT | provide written evidence; |
| DOGMATIC | opinionated; arbitrary; doctrinal; |
| DORMANT | sleeping; lethargic; latent; |
| DUPE | somebody easily fooled |
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