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affected
artificial; pretended
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affidavit
written statement made under oath (for use as proof in a court of law)
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affiliation
joining; associating with
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affinity
feeling of kinship; similarity; Ex. strong affinity for her; Ex. many affinities between two languages
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affirmation
positive assertion; confirmation; solemn pledge by one who refuses to take an oath; V. affirm; ADJ. affirmative; CF. affirmative action: positive discrimination
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affliction
state of distress; trial; cause of distress or suffering; V. afflict: inflict grievous suffering on
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affluence
abundance; wealth
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affront
insult; offense; intentional act of disrespect; V: insult or hurt the feelings of intentionally
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agenda
items of business at a meeting
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agglomeration
collection; heap; V. agglomerate: gather into a rounded mass; N. aggolmeate: jumbled mass; heap
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aggrandize
make greater; increase in power, wealth, rank, or honor; N. aggrandizement
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aggregate
sum; total; ADJ. V: gather into a mass or whole; accumulate; add up to; Ex. aggregate 100 dollars
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aghast
filled with great surprise or fear; horrified
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agility
nimbleness; ability to move quickly
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agnostic
one who is skeptical of the existence or knowability of a god or any ultimate reality
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agog
highly excited; intensely curious
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agrarian
pertaining to land or its cultivation; Ex. agrarian reform
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alacrity
cheerful promptness without reluctance
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alchemy
medieval chemistry
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alias
an assumed name esp. by a criminal (usually to mislead people); ADV. alias
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alienate
make unfriendly or hostile; estrange; separate; change the ownership of
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alimentary
supplying nourishment
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alimony
payments made regularly to an ex-spouse after divorce
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allege
state without proof
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allegory
story, play, or picture in which characters are used as symbols; fable
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alliteration
repetition of beginning sound in poetry
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allocate
assign; set apart for a particular purpose
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alloy
mixture as of metals; something added that lowers in value or purity; V: mix; make less pure; lower in value or quality; spoil; CF. unalloyed: not in mixture with other maetals; pure; complete; unqualified; Ex. unalloyed happiness
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allude
refer indirectly; N. allusion: indirect reference
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allure
entice; attract; tempt
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siren
apparatus for making sounds; womanlike creature
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alluvial
pertaining to soil deposits left by running water
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aloof
apart; not open in one's relationship with other people; reserved; ADV.
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aloft
upward; high up in the air
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altercation
noisy quarrel
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altruistic
unselfishly generous; concerned for others; N. altiruism: unselfish concern for the welfare of others; unselfishness; OP. egoism
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amalgamate
(of societies or groups) combine; unite in one body
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amalgam
combination of different things; mixture of metals (containing mercury) used for filling holes in teeth
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amass
collect (gradually, in a very large amount)
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ambidextrous
capable of using either hand with equal ease
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ambience
environment; atmosphere; Ex. restraurant with a pleasant ambience; ADJ. ambient: completely surrounding; Ex. ambient temperature
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ambiguous
unclear or doubtful in meaning; having more than one possible interpretation
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ambivalence
the state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes or opinions
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amble
walking at an easy unhurried pace; V: walk slowly and aimlessly
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ambrosia
food of the gods
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nectar
drink of the gods; sweet liquid collected by bees
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amenable
obedient; compliant; readily managed; responsive; willing to be led; answerable or accountable legally; responsible; able to be tested by; Ex. amenable to sensible suggestions; Ex. He is very amenable; Ex. amenable to the usual tests
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amend
correct; change ; generally for the better
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amenities
convenient features that helps to make life pleasant; social courtesies
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amiable
agreeable; lovable; warmly friendly
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amicable
peaceful; politely friendly; not quarrelsome; Ex. amicable settlement
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amiss
wrong; faulty; Ex. something amiss; ADV.
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amity
friendship; peaceful relationship as between nations
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amnesty
pardon (allowed by government to political criminals)
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amoral
nonmoral; having no understanding of right and wrong
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amorous
moved by sexual love; loving; of sexual love; Ex. amorous advances
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amorphous
formless; lacking shape or definition
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amphibian
able to live both on land and in water; N.
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amphitheater
oval building with tiers of seats; CF. arena
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ample
enough; abundant; spacious; large in size; Ex. ample opportunity/garden; N. amplitude: quality of being ample; abundance; largeness of space
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amplify
increase in size or effect; expand; broaden or clarify by expanding; intensify; make stronger; Ex. amplify one's remarks with a graph
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amputate
cut off part of body; prune (a limb)
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amok(amuck)
in a state of rage; Ex. run amok
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amulet
charm; talisman; an object worn believed to protect against evil, bad luck
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anachronism
an error involving time in a story; something or someone misplaced in time; ADJ. anachronistic
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analgesic
causing insensitivity to pain; N.
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analgesia
condition of being unable to feel pain
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analogous
comparable; similar
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analogy
similarity; parallelism; comparing two similar things
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anarchist
person who seeks to overturn the established government; advocate of abolishing authority
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anarchy
absence of governing body; state of disorder
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anathema
solemn curse; someone or something regarded as a curse; V. anathematize
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ancestry
family descent; ADJ. ancestral
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anchor
secure or fasten firmly; be fixed in place; N. anchorage
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ancillary
serving as an aid or accessory; auxiliary; N.
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anecdote
short story of an amusing or interesting event
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anemia
condition in which blood lacks red corpuscles; ADJ. anemic
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anesthetic
substance that removes sensation with or without loss of consciousness; N. anesthesia
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anguish
acute pain; extreme suffering
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angular
sharp-cornered; having an angle; not rounded (body); bony; lean; gaunt; stiff in manner
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animadversion
critical remark; V. animadvert: comment critically with disapproval
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animated
lively; spirited
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animus
hostile feeling or intent; animosity; hostility; disposition
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annals
records arranged in yearly parts; history
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anneal
reduce brittleness and improve toughness by heating and cooling (metal or glass)
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annex
attach; add to a large thing; take possession of; incorporate (territory) into a larger existing political unit (by force); N: building added to a large one
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annotate
comment; make explanatory notes
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