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abase
verb
- to humble; to disgrace
- - my intention was not to abase the comedian
- syn. demean; humiliate
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abate
verb
- to reduce in amt, degree or severity
- -as the hurricane's force abated, the winds dropped and the sea became calm
- syn. ebb; lapse; let up; moderate; relent; slacken; subside; wane
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abdicate
verb
- to give up a position, right or power
- -with the angry mob clamoring outside the palace, the king abdicated his throne and fled
- syn. cede; quit; relinquish; resign; yield
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aberrant
adj
- deviating from what is normal or expected
- -since he had been a steady, cheerful worker for many years, his fellow postal workers did not expect his aberrant burst of outrage.
- syn. abnormal; anomalous; deviant; divergent; errant; irregular
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abeyance
noun
- temp suppression or suspension
- the baseball game was held in abeyance while it continued to rain
- syn. deferral; delay; dormancy; postponement; remission
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abjure
verb
- to reject; to abandon formally
- the spy abjured his allegiance to the US when he defected to Russia
- syn. forswear; recall; recant; retract; take back
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abscond
verb
- to leave secretly
- -the patron absconded from the restaurant w/out paying his bill by sneaking out the back door.
- syn. decamp; escape; flee
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abstain
verb
- to choose not to do something
- -before the medical procedure, you must abstain from eating
- syn. forbear; refrain; withhold
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abstemious
adj
- moderate in appetite
- -bc Alice is a vegetarian, she was able to eat only an abstemious meal at the steakhouse
- syn. abstinent; continent; self-restraining; sober; temperate
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abyss
noun
- an extremely deep hole
- -the submarine dove into the abyss to chart the previously unseen depths
- syn. chasm; void
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accretion
noun
- a gradual growth in size; an increase in amt
- -the committee's strong fundraising efforts resulted in an accretion in scholarship $
- syn. accumulation; buildup
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acidulous
adj
- sour in taste or manner
- -the acidulous taste of the spoiled milk made the young boy's lips pucker
- syn. acerbic; acetous; biting; piquant; pungent; tart
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acme
noun
- the highest point; the summit; the highest level or degree attainable
- -just when he reached the acme of his power, the dictator was overthrown
- syn. apex; peak; summit
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adulterate
verb
- to make impure
- -the restauranteur made his ketchup last longer by adulterating it with water
- syn. debase; doctor; load
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advocate
verb
- to speak in favor of
- -the vegetarian advocated a diet containing no meat
- syn. back; champion; support
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aerie
noun
- a nest built high in the air; an elevated, often secluded, dwelling
- -perched high among the trees, the eagle's aerie was filled with eggs
- syn. perch; stronghold
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aesthetic
adj
- concerning the appreciation of beauty
- -the aesthetic movement regarded the pursuit of beauty as the only true purpose of art
- syn. artistic; tasteful
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affected
adj
- phony; artificial
- -the affected hairdresser spouted French phrases, though she had never been to France
- syn. insincere; pretentious; put-on
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aggrandize
verb
- to increase in power, influence & reputation
- -the supervisor sought to aggrandize himself by claiming that the achievemts of his staff were actually his own
- syn. amplify; apotheosize; augment; dignify; elevate; enlarge; ennoble; exalt; glorify; magnify; swell; uplift
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alacrity
noun
- speed or quickness
- -the restaurant won a reputation for fine service since the wait staff responded to their clients' requests with alacrity
- syn. celerity; dispatch; haste; swiftness
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alleviate
verb
- to make more bearable
- -taking aspirin helps to alleviate a headache
- syn. allay; assuage; comfort; ease; lessen; lighten; mitigate; palliate; relieve
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amalgamate
verb
- to combine; to mix together
- - Giant amalgamated with Mega Pdts to form Giant-Mega Pdts Inc.
- syn. admix; blend; coalesce; combine; commingle; commix; compound; fuse; intermingle intermix; merge; mingle; mix; unite
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ambiguous
adj
- doubtful or uncertain; can be interpreted several ways
- -the directions he gave were so ambiguous that we disagreed on which way to turn
- syn. cloudy; doubtful; dubious; equivocal; indeterminate; nebulous; obscure; unclear; vague
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ameliorate
verb
- to make better; to improve
- - the doc was able to ameliorate the pts suffering using painkillers
- syn. amend; better; improve; pacify; upgrade
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amortize
verb
- to diminish by installmt paymts
- -while college students are notorious for accumulating cc debt, they are not as well known for amortizing it
- syn. decrease; reduce
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amulet
n
- an ornament worn as a charm against evil spirits
- -tho she claimed it wasnt bc of superstition, she always wore an amulet around her neck
- syn. fetish; talisman
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anachronism
n
- something out of place int ime
- -the play was set in 19th century, but was ruined by anachronisms, like the lead actor's digital watch
- syn: archaism; incongruitiy
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analgesia
n
- a lessening of pain w/out loss of consciousness
- -after having her appendix removed, she welcomed the analgesia the painkillers provided
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analogous
adj
- similar or alike in some ways; equivalent
- -his mom argued that not going to college was analogous to throwing his life away
- syn: alike; comparable; corresponding; equivalent; homogeneous; parallel; similar
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anodyne
n
- something that calms or soothes pain
- -the massage was an anodyne that helped remove knots from his tense shoulders
- syn: narcotic; nepenthe; opiate
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anomaly
n
- deviation from what is normal
- -albino animals may display too great an anomaly in their coloring to attract normally colored mates
- syn: aberrancy; abnormality; deviance; deviation; irregularity; preternaturalness
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antagonize
v
- to annoy or provoke to anger
- -the child discovered that he could antagonize the cat by pulling its tail
- syn: clash; conflict; incite; irritate; oppose; pester; provoke; vex
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antipathy
n
- extreme dislike
- -the antipathy between fans of the rival soccer teams made the game even more electrifying to watch
- syn: abhorrence; animosity; antagonism; aversion; dislike; enmity; hatred; hostility; loathing; repellence; repugnance; repulsion; revulsion
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apathy
n
- lack of interest or emotion
- -the apathy of voters is so great that less than half the people who are eligible to vote actually bother to do so
- syn:coolness; disregard; impassivity; indifference; insensibility; lethargy; phlegm; stolidity; unconcern
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apocryphal
adj
- of questionable authority or authenticity
- -there is no hard or authoritative evidence to support he apocryphal tales that link the Roswell, NM incident to a downed UFO.
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