 | Term | Definition |
| |
abate |
subside or moderate |
| |
aberrant |
abnormal or deviant |
| |
abeyance |
suspended action |
| |
abscond |
depart secretly and hide |
| |
abstemious |
sparing in eating and drinking; temperate |
| |
admonish |
warn; reprove |
| |
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 |
| |
amalgamate |
combine; unite in one body |
| |
ambiguous |
unclear or doubtful in meaning |
| |
ambivalence |
the state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes |
| |
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; relieve |
| |
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 |
ease 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 and unornamented |
| |
aver |
assert confidently or declare; as used in law, state formally as a fact |
| |
banal |
hackneyed; commonplace; trite; lacking originality |
| |
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 stimulates or precipitates a reaction, development, or change |
| |
caustic |
burning; sarcastically biting |
| |
chicanery |
trickery; deception |
| |
coagulate |
thicken; congeal; clot |
| |
coda |
concluding section of a musical or literary composition; something that summarizes |
| |
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 |
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