Gre -- A

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abate

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v. to lessen in intensity or degree

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aberrant

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adj. deviating from the norm

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abjure

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v. to renounce or reject solemnly

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abrogate

Back 4

v. to abolish or annul by authority; put down

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abscission

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n. act of cutting off or removing

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abscond

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v. to depart clandestinely; to steal off and hide

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accolade

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n. an expression of praise; an award

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accretion

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n. growth, increase by successive addition, building up

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acerbic

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adj. having a sour or bitter taste or character

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acumen

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n. quick, keen, or accurate knowledge or insight

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admonish

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v. to reprove; to express warning or disapproval

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adroit
(maladroit)

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adj. adept, dexterous
(clumsy or bungling)

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adulation

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n. excessive praise; intense adoration

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adulterate
(adulteration)
<unadulterated>

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v. to reduce purity by combining with inferior ingredients
(process or effect of adulterating)
<pure>

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adumbrate

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v. to foreshadow vaguely, intimate, suggest, or outline sketchily

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aesthetic

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adj. dealing with, appreciative of, or responsive to art or the beautiful

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aggrandize

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v. to increase in intensity, power, or prestige; to make appear greater

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alacrity

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n. eager and enthusiastic willingness

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alchemy
(alchemist)

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n. a medieval science aimed at the transmission of metals, especially base metals into gold; any magical or wonderful transformation
(practices or studies alchemy)

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alloy
(unalloyed)

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v. to commingle; to debase by mixing with something inferior
(pure)

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amalgamate

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v. to combine several elements into a whole

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ameliorate

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v. to make better or more tolerable

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amenable

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adj. agreeable; responsive to suggestion

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anachronism

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n. something or someone out of place in terms of historical or chronological context

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anathema

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n. a solemn or ecclesiastical (religious) curse; accursed or thoroughly loathed person or thing

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anodyne
*

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adj. soothing
*n. something that assuages or allays pain, or comforts

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anomaly

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n. deviation from the normal order, form, or rule; abnormality

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antipathy
(antipathetic)

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n. aversion, dislike
(showing a strong aversion)

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apogee
(perigee)

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n. farthest or highest point; culmination; zenith
(lowest or closest point, or the nadir)

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apostate

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n. one who abandons long-held religious or political convictions, a betrayer of a cause

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apotheosis

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n. deification, glorification to godliness, the perfect example

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apposite

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adj. appropriate, pertinent, relevant, apropos

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apprise

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v. give notice to, inform

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approbation
(approbate)

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n. an expression of approval or praise
(to approve someting officially)

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appropriate

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v. to take for one's own use, confiscate

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arabesque

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n. complex, ornate design
*also a position in ballet, and sometimes used metaphorically in this sense

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arcane
(arcana)

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adj. mysterious, abstruse, esoteric, knowable only to initiates
(deep secrets)

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archaic

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adj. outdated; associated with an earlier, perhaps more primitive time

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arduous

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adj. strenuous, taxing, requiring significant effort

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arrant

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adj. impudent; in every way, being completely such, barefaced, utter
*dont confuse with errant, which means itinerant

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arrest
(arresting)

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v. to suspend; to engage
(holding ones attention)

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artless
(artful)

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adj. completely without guile; natural, without artificiality
(opposite of artless; cunning)
*these words can also relate to "skill"

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ascetic
(asceticism)

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n. one who practices rigid self-denial, especially as an act of religious devotion
adj. austere stark
(adherence to or belief in ascetic practices)

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asperity

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adj. severity, rigor; roughness, harshness; acrimony, irritability

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aspersion

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n. an act of defamation or maligning

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assiduous

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adj. diligent, hard-working

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assuage

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v. to ease or lessen; to appease or pacify
*used in reference to things that cause pain or distress, NOT to lessen "good things"

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astringent

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adj. having a tightening effect on living tissue; harsh; severe

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attenuate

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v. to rarefy, weaken or make thinner, lessen

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audacious
(audacity)

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adj. daring and fearless; recklessly bold
(quality of being audacious)

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augury
(augur)

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n. omen, portent, the reading of omens
(v. to predict; n. person or thing predicting)

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august

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adj. majestic, venerable

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auspice

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n. protection or support, patronage
*can also mean sign or portent

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auspicious

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adj. favorable, propitious, successful, prosperous

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austere
(austerity)

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adj. without adornment; bare; severely simple; ascetic
(rigid economy...if used this way is often followed by measures)

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avarice
(avaricious)

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n. greed, especially for wealth
(greedy)

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aver

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v. to state as a fact; to confirm or support

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axiom

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n. a universally recognized principle; a generally accepted or common saying

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axiomatic

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adj. taken as given; posessing self-evident truth

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attrition

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1. a reduction or decrease in numbers, size, or strength.
2. a wearing down or weakening of resistance, esp. as a result of continuous pressure or harassment: a war of attrition.
3. a gradual reduction in work force as when workers retire and are not replaced.
4. the act of rubbing against something; friction.
5. a wearing down or away by friction; abrasion.