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55 Cards in this Set
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- Back
- 3rd side (hint)
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abandon
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n. total lack of inhibition
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Because there was no parental supervision at the party, the teens partied with abandon.
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abate
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v. to decrease, to reduce
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His enthusiasm for school abated when he found out that none of his friends were in his classes.
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abet
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v. to aid; to act as an accomplice
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Shawn abetted his brother in his tepee of the neighbor's house by being the lookout.
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abjure
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v. to renounce under oath; to abandon forever; to abstain from
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After being in jail for 10 years, the criminal decided to abjure his bad ways and lead a good life.
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abnegate
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v. to give up; to deny to oneself
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The man abnegated all worldly pleasures in preparation for becoming a priest.
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abortive
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adj. ending without results
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The doctor was still clueless about his patient's mystery illness after several abortive tests.
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abrogate
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v. to annul; to abolish by authoritative action
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The principal abrogated the students' study hall because he felt that the time wasn't being used wisely.
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abscond
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v. to leave quickly in secret
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The man absconded during the night when he found out that the police were on his tail.
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abstemious
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adj. done sparingly; consuming in moderation
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The health-concious girl ate junk food abstemiously.
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accede
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v. to express approval, to agree to
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Carla proposed a reasonable curfew time to her parents who happily acceded.
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acclivity
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n. an incline or upward slope, the ascending side of a hill
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The runners paled as they approached the steep acclivity.
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accretion
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n. a growth in size, an increase in amount
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Her accretion in make up led to an over-cluttered bathroom and an annoyed mom.
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acme
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n. the highest level or degree attainable
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The woman reached the acme of her career when she became the CEO of the company.
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actuate
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v. to put into motion, to activate; to motivate or influence to activity
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The coach's skillful guidance actuated the team to train hard to make it to states.
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acuity
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n. sharp vision or perception characterized by the ability to resolve fine detail
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Both Adrian Monk and Shawn Spencer display great acuity when investigating crime scenes.
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acumen
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n. sharpness of insight, mind, and understanding; shrewd judgment
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The detective's acumen helped him solve even the toughest of cases.
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adamant
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adj. stubbornly unyielding
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The mother was adamant about her daughter's curfew; she was to be home no later than 11:00.
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adept
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adj. extremely skilled
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The adept waiter maneuvered around the tables with ease, even with a tray of heavy dishes.
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adjudicate
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v. to hear and settle a matter; to act as a judge
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Whenver the family had a problem, the father would set up a mock court and adjudicate the issue.
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adjure
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v. to appeal to
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The boy adjured to his mother for a greater allowance.
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admonish
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v. to caution or warn gently in order to correct something
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The mother admonished the little girl for eating cookies right before dinner.
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adroit
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adj. skillful; accomplished; highly competent
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The boy was quite the opposite of adroit; he was always tripping over things.
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adulation
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n. excessive flattery or admiration
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The brown-noser showered her teachers with adulation.
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adumbrate
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v. to give a hint or indication of something to come
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The psychic adumbrated that the man would soon strike it rich.
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aerie
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n. a nest built high in the air; an elevated, often secluded, dwelling
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The bird built an aerie in the tallest tree in the forest.
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affected
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adj. phony, artificial
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Marc wanted people to feel sorry for him, so he walked with an affected limp.
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aggregate
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n. a collective mass, the sum total
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The boys pooled their money to make an aggregate of candy cash.
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algorithm
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n. an established procedure for solving a problem or equation
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The math teacher taught his students an algorithm that could be used to solve any matrix multiplication problem.
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alimentary
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adj. 1. pertaining to food, nutrition, or digestion; 2. providing nourishment
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The guest was delighted by the alimentary meal.
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allay
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v. to lessen, ease, reduce in intensity
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The father allayed his daughter's fear of the dark by scaring the "monsters" away.
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amity
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n. friendship, good will
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There was a good deal of amity between the former competitors.
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amorphous
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adj. having no definite form
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Linda had added to much water to the clay mixture, causing it to become an amorphous blob.
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animus
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n. a feeling of animosity or ill will
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As the two football teams entered the stadium, the feeling of animus heightened exponentially.
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anodyne
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n. a source of comfort; a medicine that relieves pain
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For Carol, chicken soup was her anodyne when she was sick.
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anomaly
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n. a deviation from the common rule, something that is difficult to classify
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Jake was an anomaly in his high school because he was middle class while everyone else was rich.
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anthropomorphic
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adj. suggesting human characteristics for animals and inanimate things
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My favorite story as a child featred an anthropomorphic pig named Wilbur.
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antiquated
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adj. too old to be fashionable or useful
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Marissa eyed her parents' antiquated car with distaste; she wanted a Lexus.
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aphorism
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n. a short statement of a principle
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The country doctor would give aphorisms like "Still waters run deep."
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aplomb
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n. self-confident assurance; poise
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The actress had great aplomb on stage, making her a star.
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apostate
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n. one who renounces a religious faith
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As an act of defiance, the teenage boy became an apostate.
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apposite
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adj. strikingly appropriate or well adapted
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Bree was the perfect hostess; she would always supply apposite anecdotes during dinner parties.
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apprise
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v. to give notice to, inform
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My mother thanked me when I apprised her of a scheduling change.
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appropriate
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v. to assign to a particular purpose, allocate
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The principal appropriated the school's funding to buying new computers.
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arable
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adj. suitable for cultivation
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The family had to find arable land in order to grow their food.
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arcane
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adj. secret, obscure; known only to a few
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The Brotherhood was an arcane group with only a few members.
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archipelago
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n. a large group of islands
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The Hawaiian islands are an example of an archipelago.
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arrears
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n. unpaid, overdue debts or bills; neglected obligations
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The mother was so swamped with arrears that she faced eviction from her home.
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arrogate
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v. to claim without justification; to claim for oneself without right
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The team hated it when Lynn arrogated the credit for its win when she really sat on the bench for most of the game.
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askance
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adv. with disapproval; with a skeptical sideways glance
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She looked askance at her friend who had just announced that she found a date for the prom; it was the first day of school.
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assent
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v. to agree, as to a proposal
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Nina assented to her employee's pitch on Dove shampoo.
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atavistic
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adj. characteristic of a former era, ancient
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George Dawson, having grown up in the early 20th century, acquired what are now atavistic skills: breaking horses, driving mules, and picking cotton.
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autocrat
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n. a dictator
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Adolf Hitler is probably the most infamous autocrat in history.
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aver
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v. to declare to be true; to affirm
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When asked if her friend was telling the truth, Sara averred.
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avuncular
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adj. like an uncle in behavior, especially in kindness and warmth
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The RA's avuncular personality made him the most popular staff member on the CTY campus.
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awry
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adv. crooked, askew, amiss
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She knew that her little sister had been in her room because everything had gone awry.
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