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82 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
- 3rd side (hint)
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abase
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v. lower; humiliate.
abasement, n. |
Sentence: Defeated, Queen Zenobia was forced to abase herself before the conquering Romans, who made her march in chains before the emperor in the procession celebrating his triumph.
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abash
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v. embarrass
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Sentence: He was not at all abashed by her open admiration.
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abate
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v. subside; decrease, lessen
abatement, n. |
Sentence: Rather than leaving immediately, they waited for the storm to abate.
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abbreviate
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v. shorten
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Sentence: 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
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Sentence: When Edward VIII abdicated the British throne to marry the woman he loved, he surprised the entire world.
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aberrant
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adj. abnormal or deviant
also n. |
Sentence: Given the aberrant nature of the data, we doubted the validity of the entire experiment.
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abet
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v. aid, usually in doing something wrong; encourage
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Sentence: She was unwilling to abet him in the swindle he had planned.
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abeyance
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n. suspended action
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Sentence: The deal was held in abeyance until her arrival.
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abhor
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v. detest; hate
abhorrence, n. |
Sentence: She abhorred all forms of bigotry.
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abject
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adj. wretched; lacking pride
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Sentence: 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.
abjuration, n. |
Sentence: He abjured his allegiance to the king.
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ablution
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n. washing.
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Sentence: 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. repudiation; self-sacrifice.
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Sentence: No act of abnegation was more pronounced than his refusal of any rewards for his discovery.
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abolish
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v. cancel; put an end to.
abolition, n. |
Sentence: The president of the college refused to abolish the physical education requirement.
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abominable
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adj. detestable; extremely unpleasant.
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Sentence: Mary liked John until she learned he was dating Susan; then she called him an abominable young man, with abominable taste in women.
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aboriginal
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adj., n. being the first of its kind in a region; primitive; native.
aborigines, n. |
Sentence: Her studies of the primitive art forms of the aboriginal Indians were widely reported in the scientific journals.
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abortive
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adj. unsuccessful; fruitless.
abort, v. |
Sentence: Attacked by armed troops, the Chinese students had to abandon their abortive attempt to democratize Beijing peacefully.
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abrade
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v. wear away by friction; scrape; erode.
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Sentence: The sharp rocks abraded the skin on her legs, so she put iodine on her abrasions.
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abrasive
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adj. rubbing away; tending to grind down.
abrade, v. |
Sentence: Just as abrasive cleaning powders can wear away a shiny finish, abrasive remarks can wear away a listener's patience.
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abridge
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v. condense or shorten
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Sentence: 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.
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Sentence: He intended to abrogate the decree issued by his predecessor.
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abscond
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v. depart secretly and hide.
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Sentence: 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.
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Sentence: 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).
absolution, n. |
Sentence: The father confessor absolved him of his sins.
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abstain
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v. refrain; hold oneself back voluntarily from an action or practice.
abstinence, n. |
Sentence: 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.
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Sentence: 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.
abstain, v. |
Sentence: The doctor recommended total abstinence from salted foods.
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abstract
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adj. theoretical; not concrete; nonrepresentational.
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Sentence: 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.
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Sentence: She carries around abstruse works of philosophy, not because she understands them but because she wants her friends to think she does.
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abusive
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adj. coarsely insulting; physically harmful.
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Sentence: An abusive parent damages a child both mentally and physically.
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abut
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v. border upon; adjoin.
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Sentence: Where our estates abut, we must build a fence.
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abysmal
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adj. bottomless.
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Sentence: His arrogance is exceeded only by his abysmal ignorance.
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abyss
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n. enormous chasm; vast bottomless pit.
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Sentence: Darth Vader seized the evil emperor and hurled him down into the abyss.
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academic
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adj. related to a school; not practical or directly useful.
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Sentence: The dean's talk about reforming the college administrations system was only an academic discussion: we knew little, if anything, would change.
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accede
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v. agree.
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Sentence: 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.
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Sentence: In our science class, we learn how falling bodies accelerate.
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accessible
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adj. easy to approach; obtainable.
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Sentence: 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.
also adj. |
Sentence: She bought an attractive handbag as an accessory for her dress.
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acclaim
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v. applaud; announce with great approval.
also n. |
Sentence: The NBC sportscasters acclaimed every American victory in the Olympics and decried every American defeat.
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acclimate
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v. adjust to climate.
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Sentence: One of the difficulties of our 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.
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Sentence: The car would not go up the acclivity in high gear.
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accolade
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n. award of merit.
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Sentence: 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.
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Sentence: Mitch always did everything possible to accommodate his elderly relatives, from driving them to medical appointments to helping them with paperwork.
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accomplice
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n. partner in crime.
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Sentence: 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.
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Sentence: 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.
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Sentence: 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.
accoutrements, n. |
Sentence: The fisherman was accoutred with the best that the sporting goods could supply.
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accretion
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n. growth; increase.
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Sentence: The accretion of wealth marked the family's rise in power.
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accrue
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v. come about by addition. accrual, n.
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Sentence: You must pay the interest that has accrued on your debt as well as the principal sum.
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acerbity
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n. bitterness of speech and temper.
acerbic, adj. |
Sentence: The meeting of the United Nations General Assembly was marked with acerbity that informed sources held out little hope of reaching any useful settlement of the problem.
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acetic
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adj. vinegary.
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Sentence: The salad had an exceedingly acetic flavor.
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acidulous
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adj. slightly sour; sharp, caustic.
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Sentence: James was unpopular because of his sarcastic and acidulous remarks.
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acknowledge
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v. recognize; admit.
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Sentence: Although I acknowledge that the Beatles' tunes sound pretty dated today, I still prefer them to the "gangsta rap" songs my brothers play.
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acme
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n. top; pinnacle.
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Sentence: His success in this role marked the acme of his career as an actor.
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acoustics
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n. science of sound; quality that makes a room easy or hard to hear in.
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Sentence: Carnegie Hall is liked by music lovers because of its fine acoustics.
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acquiesce
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v. assent; agree without protesting.
acquiescence, n.; acquiescent, adj. |
Sentence: Although she appeared to acquiesce to her employer's suggestions, I could tell she had reservations about the changes he wanted made.
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acquire
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v. obtain; get.
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Sentence: Frederick Douglass was determined to acquire an education despite his master's efforts to prevent his doing so.
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acquittal
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n. deliverance from a charge.
acquit, v. |
Sentence: His acquittal by the jury surprised those who had thought him guilty.
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acrid
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adj. sharp; bitterly pungent.
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Sentence: 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.
acrimony, n. |
Sentence: The candidate attacked his opponent in highly acrimonious terms.
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acrophobia
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n. fear of heights.
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Sentence: A born salesman, 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.
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Sentence: According to recent actuarial tables, life expectancy is greater today than it was a century ago.
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actuate
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v. motivate.
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Sentence: 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.
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Sentence: 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.
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Sentence: His business acumen helped him to succeed where others had failed.
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acute
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adj. quickly perceptive; keen; brief and severe.
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Sentence: 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.
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Sentence: 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.
adamancy, n. |
Sentence: Bronson played the art of a revenge-driven man, adamant in his determination to punish the criminals who destroyed his family.
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adapt
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v. alter; modify.
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Sentence: 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. an addition or supplement.
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Sentence: As an addendum to the minutes, let me point out that Susan moved to appoint Kathy and Arthur to the finance committee.
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addiction
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n. compulsive, habitual need.
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Sentence: His addiction to drugs cause his friends much grief.
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addle
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v. muddle; drive crazy; become rotten.
addled, adj. |
Sentence: This idiotic plan is confusing enough to addle anyone.
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address
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v. direct a speech to; deal with or discuss.
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Sentence: 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.
also n. |
Sentence: She was adept at the fine art of irritating people.
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adhere
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v. stick fast.
adhesion, n. |
Sentence: I will adhere to this opinion until proof that I am wrong is presented.
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adherent
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n. supporter; follower.
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Sentence: In the wake of the scandal, the senator's one-time adherents quickly deserted him.
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adjacent
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adj. adjoining; neighboring; close by.
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Sentence: Philip's best friend Jason lived only four houses down the block, close but not immediately adjacent.
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adjunct
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n. something added on or attached (generally nonessential or inferior).
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Sentence: Although I don't absolutely need a second computer, I plan to buy a laptop to serve as an adjunct to my desktop model.
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admonish
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v. warn; reprove.
admonition, n. |
Sentence: He admonished his listeners to change their wicked ways.
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admonition
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n. warning.
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Sentence: After the student protesters repeatedly rejected Chairman Deng's admonitions, the government issued an ultimatum: either the students would end the demonstration at once or the soldiers would fire on the crowd.
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adorn
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v. decorate.
adornment, n. |
Sentence: Wall paintings and carved statues adorned the temple.
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adroit
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adj. skillful.
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Sentence: His adroit handling of the delicate situation pleased his employers.
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