(adj.) to be imposing or magnificent

1. The palace was august in gold and crystal.

Auspicious

(adj.) being of a good omen; successful

1. It was auspicious that the sun shone on the first day of the trip.  

2. The campaign had an auspicious start, foreshadowing the future.  

Austere

(adj.) having a stern look; having strict self-discipline

1. The old woman always has an austere look about her.  

2. The austere teacher assigned five pages of homework each day.

(adj.) real; genuine; trustworthy

1. An authentic diamond will cut glass.

Authoritarian

(n.; adj.) acting as a dictator; demanding obedience

1. The authoritarian made all of the rules but did none of the work.  

2. Fidel Castro is reluctant to give up his authoritarian rule.

Autocracy

(n.) an absolute monarchy; government where one person holds power

1. The autocracy was headed by a demanding man.  

2. She was extremely power-hungry and therefore wanted her government to be an autocracy.

Autocrat

(n.) an absolute ruler

1. The autocrat in charge of the government was a man of power and prestige.
2. The autocrat made every decision and divided the tasks among his subordinates.

Avarice

(n.) inordinate desire for gaining and possessing wealth

1. The man’s avarice for money kept him at work through the evenings and weekends.

2. The avarice of the president led to his downfall.

Aver

(v.) to affirm as true

1. The witness was able to aver the identity of the defendant.

Awry

(adj; adv.) crooked(ly); uneven(ly); wrong; askew

1. Hearing the explosion in the laboratory, the scientist realized the experiment had gone awry.

(adj.) harmful, malign, detrimental

1. After she was fired, she realized it was a baleful move to point the blame at her superior.
2. The strange liquid could be baleful if ingested.

(adj.) trite; without freshness or originality

1. Attending parties became trite after a few weeks. It was a banal suggestion to have the annual picnic in the park, since that was where it had been for the past five years.

(adj.) deadly or causing distress, death

1. Not wearing a seat belt could be baneful.

(adj.) extravagant; ornate; embellished

1. The baroque artwork was made up of intricate details which kept the museum-goers enthralled.
2. The baroque furnishings did not fit in the plain, modest home.

(n.) a fortified place or strong defense

1. The strength of the bastion saved the soldiers inside of it.

(v.) to gain

1. The team could only batten by drafting the top player.

(n.) a showy yet useless thing

1. The woman had many baubles on her bookshelf.

(v.) to bring into being

1. The king wished to beget a new heir.

(adj.) indebted to

1. The children were beholden to their parents for the car loan.

(v.) to be advantageous; to be necessary

1. It will behoove the students to buy their textbooks early.

(v.) to make small; to think lightly of

1. The unsympathetic friend belittled her friend’s problems and spoke of her own as the most important.

(adj.) quarrelsome; warlike

1. The bellicose guest would not be invited back again.

(v.) to preoccupy in thought

1. The girl was bemused by her troubles.

Benefactor

(n.) one who helps others; a donor

1. An anonymous benefactor donated $10,000 to the children’s hospital. 

Beneficent

(adj.) conferring benefits; kindly; doing good

1. He is a beneficent person, always taking in stray animals and talking to people who need someone to listen.

2. A beneficent donation helped the organization meet its goal.

(adj.) kind; generous

1. The professor proved a tough questioner, but a benevolent grader.

2. The benevolent gentleman volunteered his services.

(adj.) mild; harmless

1. A lamb is a benign animal, especially when compared with a lion.

Berate

(v.) scold; reprove; reproach; criticize

1. The child was berated by her parents for breaking the china.  

Bereft

(v.; adj.) to be deprived of; to be in a sad manner; hurt by someone’s death 

1. The loss of his job will leave the man bereft of many luxuries.  

2. The widower was bereft for many years after his wife’s death.