| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Abate | To reduce in amount, degree, or severity |
| Aberrant | Deviating from what is normal or expected |
| Abscond | To leave secretly |
| Abstain | To choose not to do something |
| Abyss | An extremely deep hole |
| Adulterate | To make impure |
| Advocate | To speak in favor of |
| Advocacy | Active support for |
| Abyssal | Pertaining to great depth |
| Abysmal | Extremely bad |
| Aberration | A deviation from what is normal |
| Aesthetic | Concerning the appreciation of beauty |
| Aesthete | Someone unusually sensitive to beauty |
| Aestheticism | Devoted to beauty |
| Aggrandize | To increase in power, influence and reputation |
| Alacrity | Speed or quickness |
| Amalgamate | To combine, to mix together |
| Amalgam | A mixture, expecially of two metals |
| Ameliorate | To make better; to improve |
| Anachronism | Something out of place in time |
| Ambiguous | Doubtful or uncertain, can be interpreted several ways |
| Ambiguity | The quality of being ambiguous |
| Alleviate | To make more bearable |
| Circumspect | Catious, aware of potential consequences |
| Chauvinist | Someone prejudiced in favor of a group that he or she belongs to |
| Caustic | Biting in wit |
| Castigate | To punish or criticize harshly |
| Coalesce | To grow together to form a single whole |
| Chicanery | Deception by means of craft or guile |
| Chaos | Great disorder or confused situation |
| Chaotic | Jumbled, confused |
| Catalyst | Something that brings about a change in something else |
| Catalyze | To bring about a change in something else |
| Banal | predictable, cliched, boring |
| Banality | something that is banal |
| Bombastic | pompous in speech and manner |
| Bomabast | pompous speech or writing |
| Burnish | to polish |
| Candid | impartial and honest in speech |
| Capricious | changing one's mind quickly and often |
| Caprice | whim, sudden fancy |
| Cacophony | harsh, jarring noise |
| Burgeon | to grow and flourish |
| Bolster | support, prop up |
| Arbitrate | to judge a dispute between two opposing parties |
| Arbitration | a process by which a conflict is resolved |
| Arbitrator | a judge |
| Ardor | intense and passionate feeling |
| Ardent | Expressing ardor; passionate |
| Assuage | to make something unpleasant less severe |
| Audacious | fearless and daring |
| Audacity | the quality of being audacious |
| Archaic | ancient, old-fashioned |
| Archaism | an outdated word or phrase |
| Austere | severe or stern in appearance; understood |
| Austerity | severity, especially poverty |
| Attenuate | reduce in force or degree; weaken |
| Articulate | able to speak clearly and expressively |
| Analogous | similar or alike in some way; equivalent to |
| Analogy | a similarity between things that are otherwise dissimilar |
| Analogue | something that is similar in some way to something else |
| Antagonize | to annoy or provoke to anger |
| Antagonistic | Tending to provoke conflict |
| Antagonist | Someone who fights another |
| Apathy | Lack of interest or emotion |
| Approbation | approval and praise |
| Approbate | to authorize |
| Arbitrary | determined by chance or impulse |
| Apocryphal | of questionable authority or authenticity |
| Anomaly | deviation from what is normal |
| Anomalous | Deviating from what is normal |
| Antipathy | extreme dislike |
| Condone | to overlook, pardon or disregard |
| Concoluted | intricate and complicated |
| Credulous | too trusting; gullible |
| Credulity | The quality of being credulous |
| Decorum | appropriateness of behavior or conduct; propriety |
| Decorous | conforming to acceptable standards |
| Crescendo | steadily increasing in volume or force |
| Corroborate | supporting evidence |
| Connoisseur | a person with expert knowledge or discriminating tastes |
| Cogent | convincing and well-reasoned |
| Cognitive | to do with the powers of reasoning |
| Cognition | knowledge |
| Congitate | to think deeply |
| Deride | to speak of or treat with contempt, to mock |
| Derision | mockery and taunts |
| Derisive | in a mocking manner |
| Desultory | jumping from one thing to another; disconnected |
| Dilatory | intended to delay |
| Diffident | lacking self-confidence |
| Dilate | to make larger, expand |
| Diatribe | an abusive, condemnatory speech |
| Deference | respect, courtesy |
| Defer | either to delay or show someone deference |
| Deferent | courteous and respectful |
| Desiccate | to dry out thoroughly |
| Desiccant | something that removes water from another substance |
| Dirge | a funeral hymn or mournful speech |
| Discern | to perceive or recognize |
| Discernment | taste and cultivation |
| Dissemble | to present a flase appearance, to disguise one's real intentions or charter |
| Dogma | a firmly helf opinion, especcially a religious belief |
| Dielettante | someone with an amateurish and superficial interest in a topic |
| Disabuse | set right, free from error |
| Disparate | fundementally different; entirely unlike |
| Dissonance | a harsh and disagreeable combination, especially of sounds |
| Emulate | to copy; to try to equal or excel |
| Dupe | to deceive or a person who is easily deceived |
| Efficacy | effectiveness |
| Efficacious | effective, productive |
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