Word Smart #3

Front 1

Agnostic

Back 1

N. One who believes that the existance of a god can neither be proven nor disproven

Hint 1

An athesit himself, John concluded from George's spiritual skepticism that they shared similar beliefs. In fact, George's reluctance to affirm or discredit a god's existiance reflects his agnosticism.

Front 2

Agrarian

Back 2

Adj. Relating to land; relating to the management or farming of land

Hint 2

Politics in this century often pit the rural, agarian intrests against the urban intrests.

Front 3

Alacrity

Back 3

N. Cheerful eagerness or readiness to respond

Hint 3

David could hardly wait for his parents to leave; he carried their luggage out to the car with great alacrity.

Front 4

Allege

Back 4

V. To assert without proof

Hint 4

The police have alleged that he or she committed the crime, but a jury hasn't made a decision yet.

Front 5

Alleviate

Back 5

V. To distribute; to assign; to allot

Hint 5

Aspirin alleviates headache pain. When your headache comes back, takse some more aspirnin.

Front 6

Allocate

Back 6

V. To relieve, usually temporarily or incompletely; to make bearable; to lessen

Hint 6

The office manager had allocated just seven paper clips for our entire office.

Front 7

Alloy

Back 7

N. A combination of two or more things, usually metals

Hint 7

Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc.

Front 8

Allusion

Back 8

N. An indirect reference (often a literary work); a hint

Hint 8

If Andrea says, "I enjoyed your birthday party," she isn't alluding to the birthday party; she's mentioning it.

Front 9

Aloof

Back 9

Adj. Uninvolved; standing off; keeping one's distance

Hint 9

Al, on the roof, felt very aloof.

Front 10

Altruism

Back 10

N. Selflessness; generocity; devotion to the intrests of others

Hint 10

The private foundation depended on the altruism of the extremely rich old man. When he decided to start spending his money on his new twenty-year-old girlfriend, the foundation went out of buisness.

Front 11

Ambience

Back 11

N. Atmosphere; mood; feeling

Hint 11

By decorating their house with plastic beach balls and Popsicle sticks, the Cramers created a playful ambience that delighted young children.

Front 12

Ambiguous

Back 12

Adj. Unclear in meaning; confusing; capable of being interpreted in different ways

Hint 12

The poem we read in English class was ambiguous; no one had any idea what the poet was trying to say.

Front 13

Ambivalent

Back 13

Adj. Undecided; having opposed feelings simultaneously

Hint 13

Susan felt ambivalent about George as a boyfriend. Her frequent desire to break up with him reflected this ambivalence

Front 14

Ameliorate

Back 14

V.To make better or more tolerable

Hint 14

My grandpa's gift of several million dollars considerably ameliorated my financial condition.

Front 15

Amendable

Back 15

Adj. Obedient; willing to give in to the wishes of another; agreeable

Hint 15

I suggested that Bert pay for my lunch as well as for his own; to my surprise, he was amendable.

Front 16

Amenity

Back 16

N. Pleasantness; attractive or comforable feature

Hint 16

The amenities at the local club include a swimming pool, a golf course, and a fallout shelter.

Front 17

Amiable

Back 17

Adj. Freindly; agreeable

Hint 17

Our amiable guide made us feel right at home in what would otherwise have been a cold and forbidding museum.

Front 18

Amnesty

Back 18

N. an official pardon for a group of people who have violated a law or policy

Front 19

Amoral

Back 19

Adj. Lacking a sense of right and wrong; neither good nor bad, neither moral nor immoral; without moral feelings

Hint 19

Very young children were amoral; when they cry, they arn't being bad or good-- they're meerly doing what they have to do.