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95 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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abase
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v. lower; degrade; humiliate. Anna expected ot have to curtsy to the King of Siam; when told to cast herself down on the ground before him, however, she refused to abase herself. abasement, n.
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abash
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v. embarrass. He was not at all abashed by her open admiration.
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abate
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v. subside or moderate. Rather than leaving immediately, they waited for the storm to abate.
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abbreviate
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v. shorten. Because we were running out of time, the lecturer had to abbreviate her speech.
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abdicate
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v. renounce; give up. When Edward VII abdicated the British throne, he surprised the entire world.
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aberrant
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adj. abnormal or deviant. Given the aberrant nature of the data, we came to doubt the validity of the entire experiment.
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aberration
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n. abnormality; departure from the norm; mental irregularity or disorder. It remains the consensus among investors on Wall Street that current high oil prices are a temporary aberration and that we shall soon see a return to cheap oil.
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abet
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v. assist, usually in doing something wrong; encourage. She was unwilling to abet him in the swindle he had planned.
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abeyance
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n. suspended action. The deal was held in abeyance until her arrival.
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abhor
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v. detest; hate. She abhorred all forms of bigotry. abhorrence, n.
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abject
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adj. wretched; laking pride. On the streets of New York the homeless live in abject poverty, huddling in doorways to find shelter from the wind.
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abjure
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v. renounce upon oath; disavow. Pressure from university authorities caused the young scholar to abjurehis heretical opinions. abjuration, n.
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ablution
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n. washing. His daily ablutions were accompanied by loud noises that he humorously labeled "Opera in the Bath."
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abnegation
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n. renunciation; self-sacrifice. Though Rudolph and Duchess Flavia loved one another, thier love was doomed, for she had to wed the king; their act of abnegation was necessary to preserve the kingdom.
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abolish
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v. cancel; put an end to. The president of the college refused to abolish the physical education requirement. abolition n.
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abominable
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adj. detestable; extremely unpleasant; very bad. Mary liked John until she learned he was also dating Susan; hten she called hin an abominable young man, with abominable taste in women.
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abominate
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v. loathe; hate. Moses scolded the idol worshippers in the tribe because he abominated the custom.
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aboriginal
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adj. n. being the first of its kind in a region; primitive; native. Her studies of the primitive art forms of the aboriginal Indians were widely reported in the scientific journals. aborigine, n.
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abortive
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adj. unsuccessful; fruitless. Attacked by armed troops, the Chinese students had to abandon their abortive attempt to democratize Beijing peacefully. abort, v.
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abrasive
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adj. rubbing away; tending to grind down. Just as abrasive cleaning powders can wear away a shiny finish, abrasive remarks can wear away a listener`s patience. abrade, v.
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abridge
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v. condense or shorten. Because the publishers felt the public wanted a shorter version of War and Peace, they proceeded to abridge the novel.
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abrogate
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v. abolish. The king intended to abrogate the decree inssued by his predecessor.
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abscission
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n. removal by cutting off, as in surgery; seperation. Gas gangrene spreads so swiftly and is so potentially deadly that doctors advise absicission of the gangrenous tissue. When a flower of leaf separates naturally from the parent plant, this process is called abscission or leaf fall.
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abscond
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v. depart secretly and hide. The teller who absconded with the bonds went uncaptured until someone recognized him from his photograph on America`s Most Wanted.
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absolute
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adj. complete; totally unlimited; certain. Although the King of Siam was an absolute monarch, he did not want to behead his unfaithful wife without absolute evidence of her infidelity.
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absolve
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v. pardon (an offense). The father confessor absolved him of his sins. absolution, n.
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abstain
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v. refrain; withhold from participation. After considering the effect of alcohol on his athletic performance, he decided to abstain from drinking while he trained for the race.
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abstemious
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adj. sparing in eating and drinking; temperate. Concerned whether her vegetarian son`s abstemious diet provided him with sufficient protein, the worried mother pressed food on him.
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abstinence
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n. restraint from eating or drinking. The doctor recommended total abstinence from salted foods. abstain, v.
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abstract
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adj. theoretical; not concrete; nonrepresentational. To him, hunger was an abstract concept; he had never missed a meal.
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abstruse
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adj. obscure; profound; difficult to understand. Baffled by the abstruse philosophical texts assigned in class, Dave asked Lexy to explain Kant`s Critique of Pure Reason.
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abusive
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adj. coarsely insulting; physically harmful. An abusive parent damages a child both mentally and physically.
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abut
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v. border upon; adjoin. Where our estates abut, we must build a fence.
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abysmal
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adj. bottomless. His arrogance is exceeded only by his abysmal ignorance.
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abyss
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n. enormous chasm; vast, bottomless pit. Darth Vadar seized the evil emperor and hurled him into the abyss.
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academic
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adj. related to a school; not practical or directly useful. The dean`s talk about reforming academic policies was only an academic discussion: we knew little, if anything, would change.
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accede
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v. agree. If I accede to this demand for blackmail, I am afraid that I will be the victim of future demands.
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accelerate
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v. move faster. In our science class, we learn how falling bodies accelerate.
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accessible
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adj. easy to approach; obtainable. We asked our guide whether the ruins were accessible on foot.
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accessory
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n. additional object; useful but not essential thing. She bought an attractive handbag as an accessory for her dress. also adj.
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acclaim
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v. applaud; announce with great approval. The sportscasters acclaimed every American victory in the Olympics and decried every American defeat. acclamation, n.
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acclimate
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v. adjust to climate or environment; adapt. One of the difficulties o four present air age is the need of travelers to acclimate themselves to their new and often strange environments.
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acclivity
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n. sharp upslope of a hill. The car could not go up the acclivity in high gear.
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accolade
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n. award of merit. In Hollywood, an "Oscar" is the highest accolade
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accommodate
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v. oblige or help someone; adjust or bring into harmony; adapt. Mitch always did everything possible to accommodate his elderly relatives, from driving them to medical appointments to helping them with paperwork. (secondary meaning)
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accomplice
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n. partner in crime. Because he had provided the criminal with the lethal weapon,he was arrested as an accomplice in the murder.
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accord
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n. agreement. She was in complete accord with the verdict.
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accost
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v. approach and speak first to a person. When the two young men accosted me, I was frightened because I thought they were going to attack me.
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accoutre
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v. equip. The fisherman was accoutred with the best that the sporting goods store could supply. accoutrement, n.
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accretion
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n. growth; increase. Over the years Bob put on weight; because of this accretion of flesh, he went from size M to size XL. accrete, v.
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accrue
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v. come about by addition. you must pay the interest that has accrued on your debt as well as the principal sum. accrual, n.
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acerbic
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adj. bitter or sour in nature; sharp and cutting. Noted for her acerbic wit and gossiping. Alice Roosevelt Longworth had a pillow in her home embroidered with the legend "If you can`t say something good about someone, sit right here by me."
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acerbity
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n. bitterness of speech and temper. The meeting of the United Nations Assembley was marked with such acerbity that observers held little hope of reaching any useful settlement of the problem.
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acetic
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adj. vinegary. The salad had an exceddingly acetic flavor.
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acidulous
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adj. slightly sour; sharp; caustic. James was unpopular because of his sarcastic and acidulous remarks.
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acknowledge
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v. recognize; admit. Although I acknowledge that the Beatles` tunes sound pretty dated nowadays, I still prefer them to the gangsta rap songs my brothers play.
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acme
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n. peak; pinnacle; highest point. Welles`s success in Citizen Kane marked the acme of his career as an actor; never again did he achieve such popular acclaim.
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acoustics
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n. science of sound; quality thatmakes a room easy or hard to hear in. Carnegie Hall is liked by music lovers because of its fine acoustics.
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acquiesce
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v. asset; agree passively. Although she appeared to acquiesce to her employer`s suggestions, I could tell she had reservations about the changes he wanted made. acquiescence, n.; acquiescent, adj.
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acquittal
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n. deliverance from a charge. His acquittal by the jury surprised those who had thought him guilty. acquit, v.
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acrid
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adj. sharp; bitterly pungent. The acrid odor of burnt gunpowder filled the room after the pistol had been fired.
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acrimonious
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adj. bitter in words or manner. The candidateattacked his opponent in highly acrimonious terms. acrimony, n.
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acrophobia
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n. fear of heights. A born salesmand, he could convince someone with a bad case of acrophobia to sign up for a life membership in a sky-diving club.
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actuarial
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adj. calculating; pertaining to insurance statistics. According to recent actuarial tables, life expectancy is greater today than is was a century ago.
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actuate
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v. motivate. I fail to understand what actuated you to reply to this letter so nastily.
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acknowledge
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v. recognize; admit. Although I acknowledge that the Beatles` tunes sound pretty dated nowadays, I still prefer them to the gangsta rap songs my brothers play.
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acme
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n. peak; pinnacle; highest point. Welles`s success in Citizen Kane marked the acme of his career as an actor; never again did he achieve such popular acclaim.
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acoustics
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n. science of sound; quality thatmakes a room easy or hard to hear in. Carnegie Hall is liked by music lovers because of its fine acoustics.
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acquiesce
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v. asset; agree passively. Although she appeared to acquiesce to her employer`s suggestions, I could tell she had reservations about the changes he wanted made. acquiescence, n.; acquiescent, adj.
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acquittal
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n. deliverance from a charge. His acquittal by the jury surprised those who had thought him guilty. acquit, v.
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acrid
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adj. sharp; bitterly pungent. The acrid odor of burnt gunpowder filled the room after the pistol had been fired.
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acrimonious
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adj. bitter in words or manner. The candidate attacked his opponent in highly acrimonious terms. acrimony, n.
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acrophobia
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n. fear of heights. A born salesmand, he could convince someone with a bad case of acrophobia to sign up for a life membership in a sky-diving club.
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actuarial
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adj. calculating; pertaining to insurance statistics. According to recent actuarial tables, life expectancy is greater today than is was a century ago.
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actuate
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v. motivate. I fail to understand what actuated you to reply to this letter so nastily.
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acuity
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n. sharpness. In time his youthful acuity of vision failed him, and he needed glasses.
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acumen
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n. mental keenness. Her business acumen helped her to succeed where others had failed.
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acute
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adj. quickly perceptive; keen; brief and severe. The acute young doctor realized immediately that the gradual deterioration of her patient`s once-acute hearing was due to a chronic illness, not an acute one.
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adage
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n. wise saying; proverb. There is much truth in the old adage about fools and their money.
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adamant
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adj. hard; inflexible. In this movie Bronson played the part of a revenge-driven man, adamant in his determination to punish the criminals who destroyed his family. adamancy, n.
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adapt
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v. alter; modify. Some species of animals have become extinct because they could not adapt to a changing environment.
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addendum
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n. addition; appendix to book. Jane`s editor approved her new comparative literature text but thought it would be even better with an addendum on recent developments in literary criticism.
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addiction
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n. compulsive, habitual need. His addiction to drugs caused his friends much grief.
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addle
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v. muddle; drive crazy; become rotten. This idiotic plan is confusing enough to addle anyone. addled, adj.
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address
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v. direct a speech to; deal with or discuss. Due to address the convention in July, Brown planned to address the issue of low-income housing in his speech.
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adept
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adj. expert at. She was adept at the fine art of irritating people. also n.
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adhere
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v. stick fast. I will adhere to this opinion until proof that I am wrong is presented. adhesion, n.; adherence, n.
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adherent
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n. supporter; follower. In the wake of the scandal, the senator`s one-time adherents quietly deserted him.
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adjacent
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adj. adjoining; neighboring; close by. Philip`s best friend Jason lived only four houses down the block, near but not immediately adjacent.
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adjunct
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n. something (generally nonessential or inferior) added on or attached. Although I don`t absolutely need a second computer, I plan to buy a laptop to serve as an adjunct to my desktop model. also adj.
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adjuration
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n. solemn urging. Her adjuration to tell the truth did not change the witnesses testimony. adjure, v.
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adjutant
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n. staff officer assisting the commander; assistant. Though Wellington delegated many tasks to his chief adjutant, Lord Fitzroy Somerset, Somerset was in no doubt as to who made all major decisions.
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admonish
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v. warn; reprove. When her courtiers questioned her religious beliefs, Mary Stuart admonished them, declaring that she would worship as she pleased.
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adorn
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v. decorate. Wall paintings and carved statues adorned the temple. adornment, n.
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adroit
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adj. skillful. Her adroit handling of the delicate situation pleased her employers.
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