| Term | Definition |
|---|
| abase | lower; degrade; humiliate; make humble; make (oneself) lose self-respect |
| n abash | embarrass |
| n abate | subside or moderate |
| abbreviate | shorten |
| abdicate | renounce; give up (position, right, or responsibility) |
| aberrant | abnormal or deviant |
| aberration | deviation from the normal; mental disorder |
| n abet | assist usually in doing something wrong; encourage |
| n abeyance | suspended action |
| abhor | detest; hate |
| abject | (of a condition) wretched; as low as possible; lacking pride; very humble; showing lack of self-respect; Ex. abject apology |
| abjure | renounce upon oath; like abdicate |
| ablution | washing |
| abnegation | renounce or rejecting something; renunciation; self-sacrifice; self-abnegation |
| abolish | cancel; put an end to |
| abominate | loathe; hate |
| abominable | detestable; extremely unpleasant |
| aboriginal | being the first of its kind in a region; primitive; native; indigenous; N. aborigine |
| abortive | unsuccessful; fruitless |
| abrasive | rubbing away; tending to grind down |
| abridge | condense or shorten |
| abrogate | abolish |
| n abscission | cutting off; separation |
| abscond | depart secretly and hide |
| absolute | complete; totally unlimited; having complete power; certain; not relative; Ex. absolute honesty/ruler; CF. absolutism |
| absolve | pardon (an offense) |
| abstain | refrain; withhold from participation; intentionally not use one's vote; ±â±ÇÇÏ´Ù |
| abstemious | sparing in eating and drinking; temperate |
| abstinence | restraint from pleasant things, esp. eating or drinking; CF. abstention: act of abstaining from vote |
| abstract | theoretical; not concrete; nonrepresentational |
| abstruse | obscure; profound; difficult to understand |
| abusive | coarsely insulting; physically harmful |
| n abut | border upon; adjoin |
| abysmal | bottomless |
| abyss | enormous chasm; vast bottomless pit |
| academic | related to a school; not practical or directly useful |
| accede | agree |
| accelerate | move faster |
| accessible | easy to approach; obtainable |
| accessory | additional object; useful but not essential thing |
| acclaim | applaud; praise; greet with great approval; announce with great approval; Ex. The new drung has been acclaimed as the most important discoveries for years; N: strong expression of approval and praise |
| acclimate | adjust to climate or environment; adapt |
| n acclivity | sharp upslope of a hill; OP. declivity |
| accolade | award of merit; strong praise and approval |
| accommodate | oblige or help someone; adjust or bring into harmony; adapt; make enough space for; ADJ. accommodative; CF. accomodating: helpful and obliging |
| accomplice | partner in crime; like abet |
| accord | agreement |
| accost | approach and speak first to a person |
| n accoutre | equip; N. accoutrement |
| accretion | growth or increase in size by gradual addition; growth; increase; increase by natural growth; Ex. towers and other accretions of the castle; V. accrete |
| accrue | come to one as a gain; accumulate over time; come about by addition; Ex. benefits that accrue from scientific research; Ex. interest accruing in a bank account; N. accrual; like accretion |
| n acerbity | bitterness of speech and temper; ADJ. acerbic: bitter; acrid (in taste, manner, or tone) |
| n acetic | vinegary |
| n acidulous | slightly sour (in taste or manner); sharp; caustic |
| acknowledge | recognize; admit |
| n acme | peak; pinnacle; highest point |
| acoustics | science of sound; quality that makes a room easy or hard to hear in |
| acquiesce | assent; agree passively; comply without protest |
| acquittal | deliverance from a charge; V. acquit: free from a charge or accusation; discharge from a duty; conduct (oneself) in a specified manner |
| n acrid | bitter (to the taste or smell); sharp; bitterly pungent |
| n acrimonious | stinging; caustic; bitter in words or manner; N. acrimony: bitter ill-natured animosity in speech or behavior |
| acrophobia | fear of heights |
| actuarial | calculating; pertaining to insurance statistics |
| actuary | someone who advises insurance companies |
| n actuate | motivate; activate; cause to act |
| acuity | sharpness (of mind or senses of sight or hearing) |
| acumen | mental keenness; sharpness of judgment; ability to judge quickly and well; Ex. business acumen |
| acute | (of the senses) sharp; quickly perceptive; keen; penetrating; brief and severe; Ex. acute sense of smell/analysis/pain |
| n adage | wise saying; proverb |
| s proverb | adage; someone or something well known for notoriety; ADJ. proverbial: of a proverb; widely known; ADV. proverbially |
| adamant | hard; inflexible |
| adapt | make or become suitable for a specific use; alter; modify; adjust; N. adaptation: act of adapting; composition recast into a new form; Ex. The play is an adaption of a short novel. |
| n addendum | addition; appendix to book; something that is added (as at the end of a speech or book) |
| addiction | compulsive habitual need |
| n addle | make or become confused; muddle; drive crazy; become rotten (egg) |
| address | direct a speech to; speak to; deal with or discuss; direct one's efforts or attention to; make with a destination; N: formal speech |
| adept | expert at; very skilled |
| adhere | stick fast; be a devotd follower; N. adhesion: adhering; devotion; loyality |
| adherent | supporter; follower |
| adjacent | adjoining; neighboring; close by |
| adjunct | something attached to but holding an inferior position |
| adjuration | solemn urging; V. adjure: entreat earnestly; enjoin solemnly |
| n adjutant | staff officer assisting the commander; assistant |
| admonish | warn or speak to with gentle disapproval; reprove |
| adorn | decorate |
| adroit | skillful (in using mind or hand) |
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