| Question |
Answer |
| abase |
lower; degrade; humiliate; make humble; make (oneself) lose self-respect |
| abash |
embarrass |
| 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 |
| abet |
assist usually in doing something wrong; encourage |
| abeyance |
suspended action |
| abhor |
detest; hate |
| abide |
dwell; abide by: comply with; put up with; tolerate; Ex. abide by the rules; Ex. I can't abide rude people. |
| 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 |
| ablution |
washing |
| abnegation |
renunciation; self-sacrifice; self-abnegation |
| abode |
dwelling place; home |
| abolish |
cancel; put an end to |
| abominable |
detestable; extremely unpleasant |
| abominate |
loathe; hate |
| 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 |
| 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; |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| accord |
agreement |
| accost |
approach and speak first to a person |
| 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 |
| acerbity |
bitterness of speech and temper; ADJ. acerbic: bitter; acrid (in taste, manner, or tone) |
| acetic |
vinegary |
| acidulous |
slightly sour (in taste or manner); sharp; caustic |
| acknowledge |
recognize; admit |
| acme |
peak; pinnacle; highest point |
| acne |
skin disease (on the face) |
| 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 |
| acrid |
bitter (to the taste or smell); sharp; bitterly pungent |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| adage |
wise saying; proverb |
| 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. |
| addendum |
addition; appendix to book; something that is added (as at the end of a speech or book) |
| addiction |
compulsive habitual need |
| 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 |
| adjoin |
be next to |
| adjourn |
suspend until a later time; move from one place to another |
| adjunct |
something attached to but holding an inferior position |
| adjuration |
solemn urging; V. adjure: entreat earnestly; enjoin solemnly |
| adjutant |
staff officer assisting the commander; assistant |
| admonish |
warn or speak to with gentle disapproval; reprove |
| adore |
love deeply and respect highly |
| adorn |
decorate |
| adroit |
skillful (in using mind or hand) |
| adulation |
flattery; admiration that is more than is necessary or deserved |
| adulterate |
make impure or of poorer quality by adding inferior or tainted(contaminated) substances |
| Advent |
arrival |
| adventitious |
accidental; casual; happening by chance |
| adversary |
opponent; enemy |
| adverse |
going against; opposing; unfavorable; hostile |
| adversity |
great hardship or affliction; misfortune; calamitous event |
| advert |
refer |
| advocacy |
support; active pleading on behalf of someone or something |
HHS Shrek
