| Question |
Answer |
| animus |
hostile feeling or intent; animosity; hostility; disposition |
| annals |
records arranged in yearly parts; history |
| anneal |
reduce brittleness and improve toughness by heating and cooling (metal or glass) |
| annex |
attach; add to a large thing; take possession of; incorporate (territory) into a larger existing political unit (by force); N: building added to a large one |
| annihilate |
destroy |
| annotate |
comment; make explanatory notes |
| annuity |
yearly allowance |
| annul |
make void |
| anodyne |
drug that relieves pain or trouble;opiate; ADJ. Ex. anodyne statement |
| anoint |
consecrate; put oil on (in a religious ceremony) |
| anomalous |
abnormal; irregular |
| anomaly |
irregularity |
| anonymity |
state of being nameless; anonymousness; ADJ. anonymous |
| antagonism |
hostility; active opposition; V. antagonize: cause to become an enemy; N. antagonist: person who is opposed to another; opponent; adversary; principal character in oppostion to the protagonist |
| antecede |
precede |
| antecedents |
preceding events that influence what comes later; ancestors or early background |
| antediluvian |
antiquated; extremely ancient |
| anthem |
song of praise or patriotism; Ex. national anthem |
| anthology |
book of literary selections by various authors; CF. omnibus |
| anthropoid |
manlike; resembling a human being; N. |
| anthropologist |
student of the history and science of humankind |
| anthropomorphic |
having human form or characteristics |
| anticlimax |
letdown in thought or emotion; something unexciting, ordinary, or disappointing coming after something important or exciting |
| antidote |
remedy to counteract a poison or disease; Ex. antidote to the economic troubles |
| antipathy |
aversion; dislike or opposition |
| antiquated |
obsolete; old-fashioned; outdated |
| antique |
made in an earlier period and usu. valuable; N: object that was made in an earlier period and that is rare or valuable |
| antiquity |
quality of being very old; ancient times; |
| antiseptic |
substance that prevents infection in a wound; ADJ. |
| antithesis |
contrast; direct opposite of or to; ADJ. antithetic or antithetical |
| antler |
bony growth on the head of a deer |
| anvil |
iron block used in hammering out metals |
| apathy |
lack of caring; indifference; lack of concern or interest in important matters; Ex. He was sunk in apathy after his failure; ADJ. apathetic |
| ape |
imitate or mimic (a person's behavior or manner) |
| aperture |
opening; hole; adjustable opening in a camera that limits the amount of light |
| apex |
tip; summit; climax; highest point |
| aphasia |
loss of speech due to injury or illness |
| aphorism |
pithy maxim or saying; ADJ. aphoristic |
| apiarist |
person who keeps bees |
| apiary |
a place where bees are kept |
| apiculture |
bee-keeping |
| aplomb |
poise; composure in difficult situations; assurance; self-confidence |
| apocalyptic |
prophetic; pertaining to revelations especially of disaster; N. apocalypse |
| apocryphal |
(of a story) widely believed but untrue |
| apogee |
highest point; the point farthest from the earth; OP. perigee |
| apolitical |
having an aversion or lack of concern for political affairs |
| apologist |
one who writes in defense of a cause or institution; N. apologia |
| apoplexy |
stroke; loss of consciousness caused by too much blood in the brain |
| apostate |
one who abandons his religious faith or political beliefs; N. apostasy |
| apothecary |
druggist; pharmacist |
| apothegm(apophthegm) |
pithy, compact saying |
| apotheosis |
elevation to godhood; an ideal example of something |
| appall |
dismay; shock deeply |
| apparent |
evident; easily seen or understood; appearing as such; Ex. apparent improvement |
| apparition |
ghost; phantom |
| appease |
pacify or soothe; Ex. appease a crying baby; N. appeasement |
| appellation |
name; title |
| append |
attach |
| application |
diligent attention; diligence; V. apply oneself |
| apposite |
appropriate; fitting |
| appraise |
estimate value of; N. appraisal |
| appreciate |
be thankful for; increase in worth; be thoroughly conscious of; ADJ. appreciable: enough to be felt; Ex. appreciable difference |
| apprehend |
arrest (a criminal); dread; perceive; N. apprehension |
| apprehensive |
fearful; discerning |
| apprise |
inform |
| approbation |
approval |
| appropriate |
acquire; take possession of for one's own use without permission; set aside for a particular purpose; allocate; CF. misappropriate |
| appurtenances |
subordinate possessions; something added to a more important thing |
| apropos |
with reference to; regarding; Ex. remarks apropos (of) the present situation; ADJ. ADV. |
| aptitude |
fitness; talent |
| aquiline |
curved; hooked; of or like an eagle; Ex. aquiline nose |
| arable |
fit for growing crops; Ex. arable land |
| arbiter |
person with power to decide a matter in dispute; judge who is in a position ot make influential judgments; Ex. supreme arbiter of fashion in beachware |
| arbitrary |
unreasonable or capricious; random; tyrannical; Ex. arbitrary ruler |
| arbitrate |
act as judge (at the request of both sides) |
| arboreal |
of or living in trees |
| arboretum |
place where different trees and shrubs are studied and exhibited |
| arcade |
a covered passageway usually lined with shops |
| arcane |
esoteric; secret; mysterious; known only to the initiated; Ex. arcane ritual; Ex. arcane process closed to the uninitiated listener |
| arch- |
chief; first; Ex. archbishop |
| archaeology |
study of artifacts and relics of early mankind |
| archaic |
antiquated; no longer used; belonging to the past; N. |
| archetype |
prototype; primitive pattern |
| archipelago |
group of closely located islands |
| archives |
public records; place where public records are kept |
| ardor |
heat; passion; zeal; ADJ. ardent |
| arduous |
hard; strenuous; Ex. arduous work |
| argot |
slang; speech spoken by only a small group of people |
| aria |
operatic solo; a song sung by one person in an opera or oratorio |
| arid |
(of land) dry; barren; unproductive |
| aristocracy |
hereditary nobility; privileged class; government by nobility; N. aristocrat |
| armada |
fleet of warships |
| aromatic |
fragrant; having a sweet smell; N. aroma: strong pleasant smell |
| arraign |
charge in court; indict |
| array |
marshal; draw up in order; arrange in order; clothe splendidly; adorn; N: fine clothes; ordered group; Ex. in battle array |
| arrears |
being in debt; money that should have been paid; work that should have been done |
| arrhythmic |
lacking rhythm or regularity; N. arrhythmia |
| arrogance |
pride; haughtiness; ADJ. arrogant: unpleasantly self-important (with a strong confidence in one's own importance and a lack of respect for other people) |
| arroyo |
gully; narrow channel formed by rainwater |
| arsenal |
storage place for military equipment |
HHS Shrek
