| Term | Definition |
|---|
| abate | to decrease; reduce |
| abdicate | to give up a position, right, or power |
| aberrant | deviating from what is normal |
| abeyance | temporary suppression or suspension |
| abject | miserable; pitiful |
| abjure | to reject; abandon formally |
| abscission | the act of cutting; the natural separation of a leaf or other part of a plant |
| abscond | to depart secretly |
| abstemious | moderate in appetite |
| abstinence | the giving up of certain pleasures |
| abysmal | very bad |
| accretion | growth in size or increase in amount |
| accrue | to accumulate; grow by additions |
| adamant | uncompromising; unyielding |
| adjunct | something added, attached, or joined |
| admonish | to caution or reprimand |
| adulterate | to corrupt or make impure |
| aesthetic | relating to beauty or the arts |
| affected | pretentious; phony |
| affinity | fondness; liking; similarity |
| aggrandize | to make larger or greater |
| aggregate | amounting to a whole; total |
| alacrity | cheerful willingness; eagerness; speed |
| alchemy | medieval chemical philosophy based on changing metal into gold; a seemingly magical power or process of transmutation |
| allay | to lessen; ease; soothe |
| alleviate | to relieve; improve partially |
| alloy | a combination; a mixture of two or more metals |
| allure | the power to entice by charm |
| amalgamate | to combine into a unified whole |
| ambiguous | unclear or doubtful in meaning |
| ambivalence | the state of having conflicting emotional attitudes |
| ambrosia | something delicious; the food of the gods |
| ameliorate | to improve |
| amenable | agreeable; cooperative; suited |
| amenity | something that increases comfort |
| amulet | ornament worn as a charm against evil spirits |
| anachronism | something out of the proper time |
| analgesic | medication that reduces or eliminates pain |
| analogous | comparable |
| anarchy | absence of government; state of disorder |
| anodyne | something that calms or soothes pain |
| anomalous | irregular; deviating from the norm |
| antecedent | something that comes before |
| antediluvian | prehistoric |
| antipathy | dislike; hostility |
| apathy | indifference |
| apex | the highest point |
| apogee | the point in an orbit most distant from the body being orbited; the highest point |
| apothegm | a terse, witty saying |
| appease | to calm, pacify, placate |
| appellation | name |
| apposite | strikingly appropriate and relevant |
| apprise | to inform |
| approbation | praise, approval |
| appropriate | to take possession of for one's own use; confiscate |
| apropos | relevant |
| arabesque | ornate design featuring intertwined curves; a ballet position in which one leg is extended in back while the other supports the weight of the body |
| archeology | the study of material evidence of past human life |
| ardor | great emotion or passion |
| arduous | extremely difficult; laborious |
| argot | a specialized vocabulary used by a group |
| arrest | to stop; to seize |
| artifact | item made by human craft |
| artless | guileless; natural |
| ascetic | one who practices self-denial |
| asperity | severity; harshness; irritability |
| aspersion | slander; false rumor |
| assiduous | diligent; hard-working |
| assuage | to make less severe |
| astringent | harsh; severe |
| asylum | place of refuge or shelter |
| atavism | in biology, the reappearance of a characteristic in an organism after several generations of absence; individual or a part that exhibits atavism; return of a trait after a period of absence |
| attenuate | to weaken |
| audacious | bold; daring |
| austere | stern; unadorned; simple |
| autonomous | self-governing; independent |
| avarice | greed |
| aver | to affirm; declare to be true |
| avocation | secondary occupation |
| avuncular | like an uncle, benevolent and tolerant |
| axiomatic | taken for granted; self-evident truth |
| bacchanalian | pertaining to riotous or drunken festivity; pertaining to revelry |
| banal | commonplace; trite |
| banter | playful conversation |
| bard | poet |
| bawdy | obscene |
| beatify | to sanctify; to bless; to ascribe a virtue to |
| bedizen | to dress in a vulgar, showy manner |
| behemoth | huge creature; anything very large and powerful |
| belie | to contradict; misrepresent; give a false impression |
| beneficent | kindly; doing good |
| bifurcate | to divide into two parts |
| blandishment | flattery |
| blase | bored because of frequent indulgence; unconcerned |
| bolster | to give a boost to; prop up; support |
| bombastic | pompous; using inflated language |
| boorish | rude; insensitive |
| bovine | cowlike |
| brazen | bold; shameless |
| broach | to mention for the first time |
Combine with other sets
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