Adulation-Amend

Front 1

adulation
n

Back 1

flattery; admiration

The rockstar thrived on the adulation of his groupies and yes men.

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adulterate
v

Back 2

to make impure by adding inferior or tainted substances

It is a crime to adulterate foods without informing the buyer; when consumers learned that Beechnut had adulterated its apple juice by adding water; they protested vigorously.

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advent
n

Back 3

arrival

Most Americans were unaware of the advent of the Nuclear Age until the news of Hiroshima reached them.

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adventitious
adj

Back 4

accidental; casual

She found this adventitious meeting with her friend extremely fortunate.

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adversary
n

Back 5

opponent; enemy

Batman struggled to save Gotham City from the machinations of his wicked adversary, the Joker.

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adverse
adj

Back 6

unfavorable; hostile

The recession had a highly adverse effect on Father's investment portfolio; he lost so much money he could no longer afford the butler or upstairs maid.

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adversity
n

Back 7

poverty; misfortune

We must learn to meet adversity with grace.

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advert
v

Back 8

refer

Since you advert to this matter so frequently, you must regard it as important.

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advocacy
n

Back 9

support; active pleading on behalf of someone or something

No threats could dissuade Bishop Desmond Tutu from his advocacy of the human rights of black South Africans.

Front 10

advocate
v

Back 10

urge; plead for

the abolitionist advocated freedom for the slaves.

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aegis
n

Back 11

shield; defense

Under the aegis of the Bill of Rights, we enjoy our most treasured freedoms.

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aerie
n

Back 12

nest of a large bird of prey (eagle, hawk)

The mother eagle swooped down on the rabbit and bore it off to her aerie in the Rocky Mountains.

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aesthetic
adj

Back 13

artistic; dealing with or capable of appreciating the beautiful

The beauty of Tiffany's stained glass appealed to Alice's aesthetic sense.

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affable
adj

Back 14

easily approachable; warmly friendly

Accustomed to cold, aloof, supervisors, Nicholas was amazed at how affable his new employer was.

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affected
adj

Back 15

artificial; pretended; assumed in order to impress

His affected mannerisms- his "Harvard" accent, his air of boredom, his use of obscure foreign words- bugged us; he acted as if he thought he was too good for his old high school friends.

Front 16

affidavit
n

Back 16

written statement made under oath

The court refused to accept her statement unless she presented it in the form of an affidavit.

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affiliation
n

Back 17

joining; associating with

His affiliation with the political party was of short duration for he soon disagreed with his colleagues.

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affinity
n

Back 18

kinship

She felt an affinity with all who suffered; their pains were her pains.

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affirmation
n

Back 19

positive assertion; confirmation; solemn pledge made by one who refuses to take an oath

Despite

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affix
v

Back 20

attach or add on; fasten

First the registrar had to affix his signature to the license; then he had to affix his official seal.

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affliction
n

Back 21

state of distress; cause of suffering

Even in the midst of her affliction, Elizabeth tried to keep up the spirits of those around her.

Front 22

affluence
n

Back 22

abundance; wealth

Foreigners are amazed by the affluence and luxury of the American way of life.

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affront
n

Back 23

insult; offense; intentional act of disrespect.

When Mrs. Proudie was not seated beside the Archdeacon at the head of teh table, she took it as a personal affront and refused to speak to her hosts for a week.

Front 24

agape
adj

Back 24

openmouthed

She stared, agape, at the many strange animals in the zoo.

Front 25

agenda
n

Back 25

items of business at a meeting

We had so much difficulty agreeing upon an agenda that there was very little time for the meeting.

Front 26

agglomeration
n

Back 26

collection; heap

It took weeks to assort the agglomeration of miscellaneous items she had collected on her trip.

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aggrandize
v

Back 27

increase or intensify; raise in power, wealth, rank, or honor.

The history of the past quarter century illustrates how a President may aggrandize ones power to act aggressively in international affairs without considering the wishes of Congress.

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aggregate
v

Back 28

gather; accumulate

Before the Wall Street scandals, dealers in so called junk bonds managed to aggregate great wealth in short periods of time.

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aggressor
n

Back 29

attacker

Before you punish both boys for fighting, see whether you can determine which one was the aggressor.

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aghast
adj

Back 30

horrified; dumbfounded

Miss Manners was aghast at the crude behavior of the fraternity brothers at the annual toga party.

Front 31

agility
n

Back 31

nimbleness

The agility of the acrobat amazed and thrilled the audience.

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agitate
v

Back 32

stir up; disturb

Her fiery remarks agitated the already angry mob.

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agnostic
n

Back 33

one who is skeptical of the existence of a god or any ultimate reality.

Agnostics say we can neither prove nor disprove the existence of God; we simply have no way to know.

Front 34

agog
adj

Back 34

highly excited; intensely curious

We were all agog at the news that the celebrated movie star was giving up his career in order to enter a monastery.

Front 35

agrarian
adj

Back 35

pertaining to the land or its cultivation

As a result of its recent industrialization, the country is gradually losing its agrarian traditions.

Front 36

alacrity
n

Back 36

cheerful promptness; eagerness

Phil and Dave were raring to get off to the mountains; they packed up their ski gear and climbed into the van with alacrity.

Front 37

alchemy
n

Back 37

medieval form of speculative thought that aimed to transform base metals (lead or copper) into silver or gold and discover a means of prolonging life.

Although alchemy anticipated science in its belief that physical reality was determined by an unvarying set of natural laws, the alchemist's experimental method was hardly scientific.

Front 38

alcove
n

Back 38

nook; recess

Though their apartment lacked a full scale dining room, an alcove adjacent to the living room made an adequate breakfast nook for the young couple.

Front 39

alias
n

Back 39

an assumed name

John Smith's alias was Bob Jones

Front 40

alienate
v

Back 40

make hostile; separate

Her attempts to alienate the two friends failed because they had complete faith in each other.

Front 41

alimentary
adj

Back 41

supplying nourishment

The alimentary canal in our bodies is so named because digestion of foods occurs there. When asked for the name of the digestive tract, Sherlock Holmes replied, "Alimentary, my dear Watson."

Front 42

alimony
n

Back 42

payments made to an ex-spouse after divorce

Because Tony had supported Tina through medical school, on their divorce he asked the court to award him 500 a month in alimony.

Front 43

allay
v

Back 43

calm; pacify

The crew tried to allay the fears of the passengers by announcing that the fire had been controlled.

Front 44

allege
v

Back 44

state without proof

Although it is alleged that she has worked for the enemy, she denies the allegation and, legally, we can take no action against her without proof.

Front 45

allegiance
n

Back 45

loyalty

Not even a term in prison could shake Lech Walesa's allegiance to Solidarity, the Polish trade union he had helped to found.

Front 46

allegory
n

Back 46

story in which characters are used as symbols; fable

Pilgrim's Progress is an allegory of the temptation and victories of the human soul.

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alleviate
v

Back 47

relieve

This should alleviate the pain; if it does not, we will have to use stronger medication.

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aliteration
n

Back 48

repetition of beginning sound in poetry

The furrow followed free is an example of an alliteration.

Front 49

allocate
v

Back 49

assign

Even though the Red Cross had allocated a large sum for the relief of the sufferers of the disaster, many people perished.

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alloy
n

Back 50

a mixture of metals

Alloys of gold are used more frequently than the pure metal.

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alloy
v

Back 51

mix; make less pure; lessen or moderate

Our delight at the mets' victory was alloyed by our concern for Al Laites, who injured his pitching arm in the game.

Front 52

allude
v

Back 52

refer indirectly

Try not to mention divorce in Jack's presence because he will think you are alluding to his marital problems with Jill.

Front 53

allure
v

Back 53

entice; attract

Allured by the song of the sirens, the helmsman steered the ship toward the reef.

Front 54

allusion
n

Back 54

indirect reference

When Amanda said to the ticket scalper, "One hundred bucks? What do you want a pound of flesh?" she was making an allusion to Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice.

Front 55

alluvial
adj

Back 55

pertaining to soil deposits left by running water

The farmers found the alluvial deposits at the mouth of the river very fertile.

Front 56

aloof
adj

Back 56

apart;reserved

Shy by nature, she remained aloof while all the rest conversed.

Front 57

altercation
n

Back 57

noisy quarrel; heated dispute

In that hot-tempered household, no meal ever came to a peaceful conclusion; the inevitable altercation sometimes even ended in blows.

Front 58

altruistic
adj

Back 58

unselfishly generous; concerned for others

In providing tutorial assistance and college scholarships for hundreds of economically disadvantaged youths, Eugene Lang performed a truly altruistic deed.

Front 59

amalgamate
v

Back 59

combine; unite in one body

The unions will attempt to amalgamate their groups into one national body.

Front 60

amalgamate
v

Back 60

combine; unite in one body

The unions will attempt to amalgamate their groups into one national body.

Front 61

amass
v

Back 61

collect

The miser's aim is to amass and hoard as much gold as possible.

Front 62

amazon
n

Back 62

female warrior

Ever since the days of Greek mythology we refer to strong and agressive women as amazons.

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ambidextrous
adj

Back 63

capable of using either hand with equal ease.

A switch hitter in baseball should be naturally ambidextrous.

Front 64

ambiance
n

Back 64

environment; atmosphere

She went to the restaurant not for the food but for the ambiance.

Front 65

ambiguous
n

Back 65

the state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes

Torn between loving her parents one minute and hating them the next, she was confused by the ambivalence of her feelings.

Front 66

amble
n

Back 66

moving at an easy pace

When she first mounted the horse, she was afraid to urge the animal to go faster than a gentle amble.

Front 67

ambrosia
n

Back 67

food of the gods.

Ambrosia was supposed to give immortality to any human who ate it.

Front 68

ambulatory
adj

Back 68

able to walk; not bedridden

Calvin was a highly ambulatory patient; not only did he refuse to be confined to bed, but also he insisted on riding his skateboard up and down the halls.

Front 69

ameliorate
v

Back 69

improve

Many social workers have attempted to ameliorate the conditions of people living in the slums.

Front 70

amenable
adj

Back 70

readily managed or willing to be led; answerable or accountable legally

Although the ambassador was usually amenable to friendly suggestions, he balked when we hinted he should pay his parking tickets.

Front 71

amend
v

Back 71

correct; change; generally for the better

Hoping to amend his condition, he left Vietnam for the United States.