 | Term | Definition |
| |
Abash |
to make ashamed; to embarass |
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Abject |
hopeless; extremely sad and servile; defeated |
| |
Abnegate |
to deny oneself things; to reject; to renounce |
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Abrogate |
to abolish or repeal formally; to set aside; to nullify |
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Abstemious |
sparing or moderate, esp. in eating and drinking |
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Abstruse |
hard to understand or grasp |
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Accede |
to give in; to yield; to agree |
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Accrete |
to increase by growth or addition |
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Adduce |
to bring forward as an example or as proof; to cite |
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Advent |
arrival; coming; beginning |
| |
Affable |
easy to talk to; friendly |
| |
Affectation |
unnatural or artificial behavior, usually intended to impress |
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Aggregate |
sum total; a collection of separate things mixed together |
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Aghast |
terrified; shocked |
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Allege |
to assert w/o proof |
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Allusion |
an indirect reference to something else; a hint |
| |
Ambience |
atmosphere; mood; feeling |
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Ambivalent |
undecided; having opposing feelings simultaneously |
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Amiable |
friendly agreeable |
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Adroit |
skillful; dexterous; clever; socially at ease |
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Abysmal |
extremely hopeless or wretched; bottomless |
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Amorphous |
shapeless; bloblike |
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Anathema |
something or someone loathed or detested; a formal ecclesiastical curse and excommunication |
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Ancillary |
subordinate, providing assistance |
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Animosity |
resentment; hostility; ill will |
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Antecedent |
something that went before; a preceding cause or event |
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Antipathy |
firm dislike; a strong feeling of aversion |
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Antithesis |
the direct opposite |
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Apex |
highest point |
| |
Aphorism |
a brief, witty saying; a proverb |
| |
Apocryphal |
of dubious authenticity; fictitious |
| |
Apostasy |
abandonment or rejection of faith or loyalty |
| |
Apposite |
distinctly suitable; pertinent |
| |
Appropriate |
to take w/o permission; to set aside for a particular use |
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Arbiter |
one who decides; a judge |
| |
Arcane |
mysterious; known only to a select few |
| |
Archetype |
an original model or pattern |
| |
Arrant |
utter; unmitigated; very bad |
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Astute |
shrewd; keen in judgement |
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Attrition |
a gradual wearing away, weakening, or loss; a natural decrease in numbers or size |
| |
Augment |
to make bigger; to add to; to increase |
| |
Auspicious |
favorable; promising |
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Avow |
to claim; to declare boldly; to admit |
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Banal |
unoriginal; ordinary |
| |
Belabor |
to go over repeatedly or to an absurd extent |
| |
Beleaguerer |
to surround; to besiege; to harass |
| |
Belie |
to give a false impression or; to contradict |
| |
Benign |
gentle; not harmful; kind; mild |
| |
Bereave |
to deprive or leave desolate, esp. through death |
| |
Blithe |
carefree; cheerful |
| |
Broach |
to open up a subject for discussion, often a delicate subject |
| |
Brook |
to bear or tolerate; to put up with something |
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