4030568
Description
Flashcards by Sarah Egan, updated more than 1 year ago
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Created by Sarah Egan
over 6 years ago
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| Question | Answer |
| Abasement | humiliation; degradation |
| Abate | reduce in amount or intensity |
| Abhor | hate |
| Abjure | renounce; forswear; give up |
| Abrasive | coarse; harsh; rough |
| Abrogate | cancel; deny; abolish |
| Absolution | forgiveness; pardon; release |
| Abstain | desist; go without; hold back |
| Abstemious | self denying; moderate |
| Abstruse | difficult to understand; obscure |
| Accolade | award; honor; praise |
| Acquiesce to | agree to; consent |
| Acrid | sharp; bitter (smells and tastes) |
| Acrophobia | fear of heights |
| Acuity | sharpness (mental or visual) |
| Adamant | forceful; unyielding |
| Adroit | skillful; expert |
| Adulation | strong admiration; worship |
| Adversity | hardship |
| Advocate | support; speak (or write) in favor of |
| Aesthetic | concerning art or beauty |
| Affable | friendly; easygoing |
| Alacrity | readiness; willingness |
| Alchemy | medieval chemistry; changing base metal into gold |
| Alibi | an excuse; in law that one was elsewhere when a crime was committed |
| Allay | to lessen; mitigate |
| Alleviate | make less severe; mitigate |
| Aloof | distant; detached; cold |
| Altruism | unselfish concern for others |
| Amalgamate | join; consolidate |
| Amass | accumulate |
| Ambidextrous | able to use both hands equally well |
| Ambiguity | uncertainty; vagueness |
| Ambiguous | unclear in meaning |
| Ambivalence | uncertainty; indecision |
| Ambulatory | capable of walking, not stationary |
| Ameliorate | make better; improve |
| Amelioration | improvement |
| Amiable | friendly; pleasant |
| Amity | friendship |
| Amorphous | lacking definite form or shape |
| Anachronistic | not correct in terms of history/chronology |
| Analgesic | medicine to relieve pain |
| Analogous | comparable; corresponding |
| Anarchy | absence of government |
| Anecdote | short interesting or amusing story |
| Annex (n) | a building which is an addition to the main building |
| Annex (v) | attach; seize; capture |
| Anodized | coated with thin layer of protective film/metal |
| Anomaly | deviation from a pattern; irregularity |
| Antagonism | hostility; strong opposition |
| Antediluvian | outdated; very old-fashioned (Before the Flood) |
| Anthology | collection of poems or stories |
| Anthropocentrism | assuming the universe revolves around humans |
| Antiquated | outdated; old fashioned |
| Apathetic | indifferent; uninterested; lethargic |
| Apathy | lack of interest or emotion |
| Aphoristic | expressed tersely |
| Apocryphal | of doubtful origin or authorship |
| Appease | pacify; calm down |
| Apprehensive | worried; fearful |
| Arable | capable of producing crops |
| Arbitrary | random; for no definite reason |
| Arcane | obscure; known only to a few people |
| Archaic | ancient; outdated; old fashioned |
| Archetype | original pattern or model; classic example |
| Archives | collections of old records; place where such records are kept |
| Articulate | spoken clearly; eloquent |
| Artifice | cunning; trickery |
| Artisan | craftsman |
| Ascetic | without luxury; austere; person who lives such a life (n) |
| Assiduous | thorough; diligent |
| Assuage | to calm |
| Astute | perceptive; sharp-witted |
| Asylum | place of refuge or safety |
| Atheist | person who does not believe in a supreme being/ god |
| Atrophy | waste away from lack of use |
| Attenuate | weaken; reduce in force |
| Augment | increase; make bigger |
| Augury | prediction, looking for omens |
| Auspicious | favorable; promising success; propitious |
| Austere | severely plain; somber |
| Avaricious | greedy for money |
| Aversion | dislike of |
| Baleful | evil; menacing |
| Balk | hinder; stop at an obstacle |
| Banal | common; dull |
| Banality | ordinariness; dullness |
| Bane | troublesome influence; something that ruins |
| Bard | poet |
| Bastion | fortress; stronghold |
| Befuddle | confuse |
| Begrudge | resent; envy |
| Beguile | mislead; lure; charm |
| Belabor | explain more than is necessary |
| Beleaguer | besiege; attack |
| Belie | contradict; show to be false |
| Belittle | to demean; disparage |
| Bellicose | war-like; aggressive |
| Belligerent | aggressive; ready to fight |
| Bemoan | lament; complain about |
| Benign | kindly; harmless |
| Bequeath | leave property to someone in a will |
| Berate | scold; criticize |
| Beret | soft cap |
| Bestial | beastlike; brutal |
| Bigot | prejudiced person; someone intolerant of difference |
| Bilk | cheat; defraud |
| Billowing | swelling; waving |
| Blandishment | words or actions used to coax or flatter |
| Blasphemy | speech which offends religious sentiments |
| Blatant | obvious |
| Blighted | damaged; destroyed; ruined |
| Blithe | free-spirited; carefree |
| Bolster | support; prop up |
| Bombast | arrogant, pompous language |
| Boor | rude person |
| Boorish | ill-mannered |
| Bourgeois | middle class |
| Boycott | refuse to deal with someone; abstain from buying |
| Braggart | someone who boasts |
| Brawny | muscular; strong |
| Brevity | being brief; shortness |
| Bristle | to show irritation |
| Broach | mention a subject; approach |
| Brusque | blunt; abrupt |
| Bulwark | fortification; barricade; wall |
| Bureaucracy | officialdom; administrative red tape and routine |
| Burgeon | grow; flourish |
| Burnish | polish; brighten |
| Buttress | strengthen; support |
| Byline | line of text with author's name |
| Cacophony | dissonance; discordant sounds |
| Cajole | coax |
| Caldron | large kettle; cooking pot |
| Callow | immature; inexperienced |
| Candid | frank; honest |
| Candor | frankness; openness |
| Canonical | orthodox (canon=set of accepted works) |
| Cantankerous | bad-tempered; quarrelsome |
| Capacious | spacious; roomy |
| Capitulate | surrender; give in to |
| Cardinal | high ranking church official; important |
| Caret | Punctuation mark that shows where something should be inserted (‸) |
| Caricature | ridicule (v); ridiculing portrayal (n) |
| Carping | constant criticism; finding fault |
| Cartographer | person who makes maps |
| Castigate | criticize severely |
| Catharsis | relief of emotional tension |
| Caucus | political group, meeting, or faction |
| Caustic | burning; corrosive |
| Cavalcade | procession of vehicles |
| Celerity | speed; swiftness |
| Censorious | disapproving; critical |
| Censure | blame; reprimand |
| Cerebral | relating to brain; intellectual |
| Certitude | certainty |
| Charlatan | person who claims knowledge he or she doesn't have; quack |
| Chary | wary |
| Chastises | punishes; disciplines; criticizes severely |
| Chicanery | trickery |
| Chimerical | imaginary; unrealistic |
| Choleric | easily angered |
| Chronic | long lasting; constant |
| Chronicler | person who records historical information |
| Churlishness | rudeness; ill-mannered behavior |
| Circuitous | indirect; roundabout |
| Circumlocution | indirect way of speaking; long-windedness |
| Circumscribe | limit; encircle |
| Circumspect | cautious; discreet; considering all sides |
| Circumvent | avoid |
| Clairvoyant | psychic; mystic |
| Clamor | uproar; outcry |
| Clandestine | secret; covert; stealthy |
| Clemency | mercy |
| Cliché | overused expression; something unoriginal |
| Clientele | customers |
| Coalesce | unite; come together |
| Coddle | pamper; fuss over; indulge |
| Coerce | force |
| Cogent | well argued; to the point |
| Cogitate | think over something; ponder |
| Colander | container with perforated bottom for draining foods |
| Collage | artwork made from fragments of other pictures |
| Collate | arrange in order |
| Colloquial | local and informal |
| Collusion | plotting in secret |
| Commandeer | take possession of |
| Commensurate | corresponding in amount; proportionate |
| Complacent | self-satisfied; pleased but unaware of dangers |
| Compliant | easy to control; submissive |
| Concatenate | link together; join in chain |
| Conciliate | reconcile; end a dispute |
| Concise | succinct; stated briefly but comprehensively |
| Condescend | talk down to; assume equality with supposed inferior |
| Condone | tacitly support; overlook |
| Condoning | overlooking; disregarding; ignoring |
| Conflagration | large destructive fire |
| Confound | confuse; perplex |
| Congeal | to solidify |