| Term | Definition |
|
appease |
mollify |
|
appraisal |
judgment |
|
apprehend |
arrest, understand |
|
apprehension |
fear, anxiety |
|
apprehensive |
worried, fearful |
|
approbation |
approval |
|
apt |
suitable |
|
aptitude |
natural ability |
|
arable |
farmable |
|
arbiter |
authority, judge |
|
arbitration |
mediation, judgement |
|
arboreal |
living in trees |
|
arcane |
secret |
|
archaic |
old-fashioned |
|
archetypal |
classical, typical |
|
archetype |
model, prototype |
|
archipelago |
a group of many islands |
|
appraise |
estimate, judge |
|
arduous |
needing much effort or energy |
|
aristocratic |
noble, well bred |
|
aroma |
distinctive smell |
|
articulate |
enunciate |
|
ascetic |
leading a life of severe self-discipline |
|
ascribe |
attribute, apply |
|
assail |
to attack violently |
|
assault |
to attack suddenly and violently |
|
assemblage |
assembly |
|
assiduous |
working hard or paying great attention to details |
|
assimilate |
digest, absorb |
|
assuage |
satisfy, relieve |
|
atheism |
the belief that there is no God |
|
atheist |
a person who believes that there is no God |
|
atrophy |
to waste away |
|
attenuate |
to make thin or slender |
|
attribute |
to regard as the result of |
|
audacity |
behavior which is daring and often disrespectful |
|
audit |
verification, checking |
|
augment |
add, enlarge |
|
augur |
indicate |
|
aura |
atmosphere |
|
auspicious |
favorable |
|
authentic |
genuine |
|
autocrat |
dictator |
|
autocratic |
tyrannical |
|
autonomy |
self-government |
|
avant-garde |
favoring new and progressive ideas |
|
avaricious |
greedy |
|
avocation |
a favorite activity |
|
avuncular |
like an uncle |
|
backlash |
extreme and usually violent reaction to some event |
|
baffle |
difficult for somebody to understand |
|
banality |
quality of being banal or uninteresting |
|
bane |
cause of one's ruin or trouble |
|
baneful |
evil or causing evil |
|
barb |
a hurtful remark |
|
baroque |
elaborate, ornate |