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25 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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APPEASE (uh PEEZ) v
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to soothe; to pacify by giving in to
Jaleel appeased his angry mother by promising to make his bed every morning without fail until the end of time. |
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APPRECIATE (uh PREE shee ayt) v
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to increase in value
The Browns bought their house twenty years ago for a hundred dollars, but it has appreciated considerably since then; today it’s worth almost a million dollars. |
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APPREHENSIVE (ap ruh HEN siv) adj
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worried; anxious
The apprehensive child clung to his father’s leg as the two of them walked into the main circus tent to watch the lion tamer. |
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APPROBATION (ap ruh BAY shun) n
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approval; praise
The ambassador’s actions met with the approbation of his commander in chief. |
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APPROPRIATE (uh PROH pree ayt) v
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to take without permission; to set aside for a particular use
The deer and raccoons appropriated the vegetables in our garden last summer. This year we’ll build a better fence. |
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APTITUDE (AP tuh tood) n
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capacity for learning; natural ability
I tried to repair my car, but as I sat on the floor of my garage, surrounded by mysterious parts, I realized that I had no aptitude for automobile repair. |
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ARBITER (AHR buh tur) n
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one who decides; a judge
An arbiter of fashion determines what other people will wear by wearing it herself. |
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ARBITRARY (AHR buh trer ee) adj
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random; capricious
The grades Mr. Simone gave his English students appeared to be arbitrary; they didn’t seem related to anything the students had done in class. |
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ARCANE (ahr KAYN) adj
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mysterious; known only to a select few
The rites of the secret cult were arcane; no one outside the cult knew what they were. |
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ARCHAIC (ahr KAY ik) adj
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extremely old; ancient; outdated
The tribe’s traditions are archaic. They have been in force for thousands of years. |
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ARCHETYPE (AHR kuh type) n
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an original model or pattern
Plato is the archetype of all philosophers. |
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ARDENT (AHR dunt) adj
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passionate; enthusiastic
Larry’s ardent wooing finally got on Cynthia’s nerves, and she told him to get lost. |
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ARDUOUS (AHR joo us) adj
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hard; difficult
Climbing the mountain was arduous. We were so exhausted when we got to the top that we forgot to enjoy the view. |
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ARISTOCRATIC (uh ris tuh KRAT ik) adj
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of noble birth; snobbish
Prince Charles is aristocratic. He is a member of the British aristocracy. |
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ARTFUL (AHRT ful) adj
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crafty; wily; sly
After dinner, the artful counselor told the campers that there was a mad man loose in the woods, thus causing them to lie quietly in the tent. |
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ARTIFICE (AHRT uh fus) n
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a clever trick; cunning
The Trojan Horse was an artifice designed to get the soldiers inside the walls. |
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ASCENDANCY (uh SEN dun see) n
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supremacy; domination
The ascendancy of the new regime had been a great boon for the economy of the tiny tropical kingdom. |
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ASCETIC (uh SET ik) adj
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hermitlike; practicing self-denial
In his effort to save money, Roy led an ascetic existence: He never went out, he never ate anything but soup, and he never had any fun. |
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ASSIDUOUS (uh SIJ oo us) adj
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hardworking; busy; quite diligent
Wendell was the only assiduous student in the entire math class; all the other students had to copy their homework from him. |
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ASSIMILATE (uh SIM uh layt) v
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to take in; to absorb; to learn thoroughly
Margaret didn’t have any friends when she first went to the new school, but she was gradually assimilated—she became part of the new community. When she was chosen for the cheerleading squad, her assimilation was complete. |
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ASSUAGE (uh SWAYJ) v
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to soothe; to pacify; to ease the pain of; to relieve
Beth was extremely angry, but I assuaged her by promising to leave the house and never return. |
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ASTUTE (uh STOOT) adj
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shrewd; keen in judgment
Morris was an astute judge of character; he was very good at seeing what people are really like. |
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ATHEIST (AY thee ist) n
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one who does not believe in the existence of any god or divine being
Hadley had always imagined a big religious wedding, but Emma, a life-long atheist, preferred a Vegas elopement. |
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ATTRITION (uh TRISH un) n
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gradual wearing away, weakening, or loss; a natural or expected decrease in numbers or size
Mr. Gregory did not have the heart to fire his workers even though his company was losing millions each year. He altruistically preferred to lose workers through attrition when they moved away, retired, or decided to change jobs. |
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AUDACITY (aw DAS uh tee) n
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boldness; reckless daring; impertinence
Ivan had the audacity to tell that nice old lady to shut up. |
