| Word |
Definition |
| Amenities | convenient features; courtesies |
| Amiable | friendly; pleasant; likable |
| Amicable | friendly; agreeable |
| Amiss | wrong; faulty |
| Amity | friendship |
| Amnesia | loss of memory |
| Amnesty | pardon |
| Amoral | having no moral standards |
| Amorous | strongly attracted to love; showing love |
| Amorphous | formless; lacking shape or definition |
| Amphibian | able to live both on land and in water |
| Amphitheater | oval building with tiers of seats |
| Ample | Abundant; plentiful |
| Amplify | to intensify; to make stronger |
| Amputate | cut off part of body; prune |
| Amok or Amuck | (ADV) in a state of rage |
| Amulet | charm; talisman |
| Anachronism | something or someone misplace in time; error in chronology |
| Analgesic | causing insensitivity to pain <The analgesic quality of this lotion will provide temporary relief.> |
| Analogous | comparable; similar |
| Analogy | similarity; parallelism |
| Anarchist | person who seeks to overturn the established government; advocate of abolishing authority |
| Anarchy | absence of governing body; state of disorder |
| Anathema | ban, curse; someone or something regarded as a curse |
| Ancestry | family descent |
| Anchor | to secure or to fasten firmly; to be fixed in place |
| Ancillary | accessory; auxiliary |
| Anecdote | short, usually funny account of an event |
| Anemia | condition in which blood lacks red corpuscles |
| Anesthetic | substance that removes sensation with or without loss of consciousness |
| Anguish | acute pain; extreme suffering |
| angular | sharp-cornered |
| Animadversion | critical remark <He resented the animadversions of his critics, particularly because he realized they were true.> |
| Animated | lively; spirited |
| Animosity | a feeling of strong dislike |
| Animus | hostile feeling or intent |
| Annals | records; history |
| Anneal | to strengthen or toughen by heating then cooling (reduce brittleness) |
| Annex | attach; take possession of |
| Annihilate | to destroy |
| Annotate | to comment; to make explanatory notes |
| Annuity | yearly allowance |
| Annul | to make void; to cancel; to nullify |
| Anodyne | drug that relieves pain; opiate |
| Anoint | to consecrate |
| Anomalous | abnormal; irregular |
| Anomaly | irregularity or deviation from the norm |
| Anonymity | state of being nameless; anonymousness |
| Antagonism | Hostility; active resistance |
| antecede | to precede |
| Antecedents | preceding events; coming before in place or time |
| Antediluvian | antiquated; extremely ancient |
| Anthem | song of praise or patriotism |
| Anthology | collection of literary works by different authors |
| Anthropoid | manlike |
| Anthropologist | student of the history and science of humankind |
| Anthropomorphic | having human form or characteristics |
| Anticlimax | a disappointing decline after a previous rise |
| Antidote | remedy to counteract a poison or disease |
| antipathy | aversion; dislike <antipathy to standardized tests> |
| Antiquated | obsolete; outdated |
| Antiseptic | substance that prevents infection |
| Antithesis | exact opposite or direct contrast |
| Anvil | iron block used in hammering out metals |
| Apathy | lack of feeling or emotions; indifference |
| Ape | imitate or mimic |
| Aperture | an opening; hole |
| apex | summit; climax |
| Aphasia | loss of speech due to injury or illness |
| Aphorism | a pithy maxim or a proverbial saying |
| Apiary | a place where bees are kept |
| Aplomb | poise; confidence; assurance <Gwen's aplomb in handling potentially embarrassing moments was legendary around the office.> |
| Apocalyptic | prophetic; pertaining to revelations |
| Apocryphal | untrue; made up <To impress his friends Tom invented apocryphal tales of his adventures in the big city.> |
| Apogee | highest point |
| Apolitical | having an aversion or lack of concern for political affairs |
| Apologist | one who writes in defense of a cause or institution |
| Apostate | one who abandons his religious faith or political beliefs |
| Apothecary | a pharmacy; a pharmacist |
