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Definition
v. embarrass.
He was not at all abashed by her open admiration. |
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v. subside or moderate.
Rather than leaving immdediately, they waited for the storm to abate. |
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v. lower; degrade; humiliate.
Anna expected to have to curtsy to the King of Siam; when told to cast herself down on the ground before him, however, she refused to abase herself. abasement, N. |
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| v. shorten. Because we were running out of time, the lecturer had to abbreviate her speech. |
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v. renounce; give up.
When Edward VIII abdicated the British throne, he surprised the entire world. |
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Adj. Abnormal or deviant.
Given the aberrant nature of the data, we came to doubt the validity of the entire experiment. |
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N. deviation from the expected or the normal; mental irregularity or disorder.
Survivors of a major catastrophe are likely to exhibit aberrations of behavior because of the trauma they have experienced. |
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v. assist usually in doing something wrong; encourage.
She was unwilling to abet him in the swindle he had planned. |
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n. suspended action.
The deal was held in abeyance until her arrival. |
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v. detest; hate.
She abhorred all forms of bigotry. abhorrence, N. |
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adj. wretched; lacking pride.
On the streets of New York the homeless live in abject poverty, huddling in doorways to find shelter from the wind. |
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v. renounce upon oath.
He abjured his allegiance to the king. abjuration, N. |
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n. washing.
His daily ablutions were accompanied by loud noises that he humorously labeled "Opera in the Bath". |
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n. renunciation; self-sacrifice.
Though Rudolph and Duchess Flavia loved one another, their love was doomed, for she had to wed the king; their act of abnegation was necessary to preserve the kingdom. |
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v. cancel; put an end to.
The president of the college refused to abolish the physical eduation requirement. abolition, N. |
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adj. detestable; extremely unpleasant; very bad.
Mary liked John until she learned he was also dating Susan; then she called him an abominable young man, with abominable taste in women. |
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v. loathe; hate.
Moses scolded the idol worshippers in the tribe because he abominated the custom. |
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adj, n. being the first of its kind in a region; primitive; native.
Her studies of the primitive art forms of the aboriginal Indians were widely reportedin the scientific journals. aborigine, N. |
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adj. unsuccessful; fruitless.
Attacked by armed troops, the Chinese students had to abandon their abortive attempt to democratize Beijing peacefully. abort, v. |
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adj. rubbing away; tending to grind down.
Just as abrasive cleaning poweders can wear away a shiny finish, abrasive remarks can wear away a listener's patience. abrade, v. |
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v. condense or shorten.
Because the publishers felt the public wanted a shorter version of War and Peace, they proceeded to abridge the novel. |
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v. abolish.
THe king intended to abrogate the decree issued by his predecessor. |
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n. cutting off; separation.
When a flower or leaf separates naturally from the parent plant,this process is called abscission. |
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v. depart secretly and hide.
The teller who absconded with the bonds went uncaptured until someone recognized him from his photograph on America's Most Wanted. |
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adj. complete; totally unlimited; certain.
Although the king of Spain was an absolute monarch, he did not want to behead his unfaithful wife without absolute evidence of her infidelity. |
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v. pardon (an offense).
The father confessor absolved him of his sins. absolution, N. |
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v. refrain; withhold from participation.
After considering the effect of alcohol on his athletic performance, he decided to abstain from drinking while he trained for the race. |
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adj. sparing in eating and drinking; temperate.
Concerned with whether her vegetarian son's abstemious diet provided him with sufficient protein, the worried mother pressed food on him. |
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n. restraint from eating or drinking.
The doctor reccommended total abstinence from salted foods. abstain, v. |
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adj. theoretical; not concrete; nonrepresentational.
To him, hunger was an abstract concept; he had never missed a meal. |
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adj. obscure; profoundp; difficult to understand.
Baffled by the abstruse philosophical texts assigned in class, Dave asked Lexy to explain Kant's Critique of Pure Reason. |
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Definition
adj. coarsely insulting; physically harmful.
An abusive parent damages a child both metally and physically. |
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v. border upon; adjoin.
Where our estates abut, we must build a fence. |
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adj. bottomless.
His arrogance is exceeded only by his abysmal ignorance. |
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n. enormous chasm; vast, bottomless pit.
Darth Vader seized the evil emperor and hurled him into the abyss. |
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adj. related to a school; not practical or directly useful.
The dean's talk about reforming academic policies was only an academic discussion; we knew little, if anything, would change. |
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v. agree.
If I accede to this demand for blackmail, I am afraid that I will be the victim of future demands. |
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v. move faster.
In our science class, we learn how falling bodies accelerate. |
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adj. easy to approach, obtainable.
We asked our guide whether the ruins were accessible on foot. |
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n. additional object; useful but not essential thing.
She bought an attractive handbag as an accessory for her dress. also adj. |
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v. applaud; announce with great approval.
The sportscasters acclaimed every American victory in the Olympics and decried every American defeat. acclamation, n. |
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v. adjust to climate our environment; adapt.
One of the difficulties of our present air age is the need of travelers to acclimate themselves to their new and often strange environments. |
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n. sharp upslope of a hill.
The car could not go up the acclivity in high gear. |
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n. award of merit.
In Hollywood, an "Oscar" is the highest accolade. |
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v. oblige or help someone; adjust or bring into harmony; adapt.
Mitch always did everything possible to accommodate his elderly relatives, from driving them to medical appointments to helping them with paperwork. (secondary meaning). |
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n. partner in crime.
Because he had provided the criminal with the lethal weapon, he was arrested as an accomplice in the murder. |
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n. agreement.
She was in complete accord with the verdict. |
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v. approach and speak first to a person.
When the two young men accosted me, I was frightened because I thought they were going to attack me. |
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v. equip.
The fisherman was accoutred with the best that the sporting goods store could supply. accoutremet, n. |
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n. growth; increase.
Over the years Bob put on weight; because of this accretion of flesh, he went from size M to size XL. accrete, v. |
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v. come about by addition.
You must pay the interest that has accrued on your debt as well as the principal sum. accrual, n. |
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n. bitterness of speech and temper.
The meeting of the United Nations Assembly was marked with such acerbity that observers held little hope of reaching any useful settlement of the problem. acerbic, adj. |
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adj. vinegary.
The salad had an exceedingly acetic flavor. |
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adj. slightly sour; sharp; caustic.
James was unpopular because of his sarcastic and acidulous remarks. |
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v. recognize; admit.
Although I acknowledge that the Beatles' tunes sound pretty dated nowadays, I still prefer them tothe gangsta rap songs that my brothers play. |
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n. peak; pinnacle; highest point.
Welles's success in Citizen Kane marked the acme of his career as an actor; never again did he achieve such popular acclaim. |
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n. science of sound; quality that makes a room easy or hard to hear in.
Carnegie Hall is liked by music lovers because of its fine acoustics. |
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| v. assent; agree passively. Although she appeared to acquiesce to her employer's suggestions, I could tell she had reservations about the changes he wanted made. acquiescence, n.; acquiescent, adj. |
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n. deliverance from a charge.
His acquittal by the jury surprised those who had thought him guilty. acquit, v. |
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adj. sharp; bitterly pungent.
The acrid odor of burnt gunpowder filled the room after the pistol had been fired. |
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adj. bitter in words or manner.
The candidate attacked his opponent in highly acrimonious terms. |
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n. fear of heights.
A born salesman, he could convince someone wiht a bad case of acrophobia to sign up for a membership in a sky-diving club. |
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adj. calculating; pertaining to insurance statistics.
According to recent actuarial tables, life expectancy is greater today than it was a century ago. |
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v. motivate.
I fail to understand what actuated you to reply to this letter so nastily. |
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n. sharpness.
In time his youthful acuity of vision failed him, and he needed glasses. |
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n. mental keenness.
Her business acumen helped her to succeed where others had failed. |
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adj. quickly perceptive; keen; brief and severe.
The acute young doctor realized immediately that the gradual deterioration of her patient's once-acute hearing was due to a chronic illness, not an acute one. |
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n. wise saying; proverb.
There is much truth in the old adage about fools and their money. |
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adj. hard; inflexible.
In this movie Bronson played the part of a revenge-driven man, adamant in his determination to punish the criminals who destroyed his family. adamancy, n. |
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Definition
v. alter; modify.
Some species of animals have become extinct because they could not adapt to a changing environment. |
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Definition
n. addition; appendix to a book.
Jane's editor approved her new comparative literature text but thought it would be even better with an addendum on recent developments in literary criticism. |
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Definition
n. compulsive, habitual need.
His addiction to drugs caused his friends much grief. |
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v. muddle; drive crazy; become rotten.
This idiotic plan is confusing enough to addle anyone. addled, adj. |
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Definition
v. direct a speech to; deal with or discuss.
Due to address the convention in July, Brown planned to address the issue of low-income housing in his speech. |
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adj. expert at.
She was adept at the fine art of irritating people. also n. |
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| v. stick fast. I will adhere to this opinion until proff that I am wrong is presented. adhesion, n; adherence, n. |
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n. supporter; follower.
In the wake of the scandal, the senator's one-time adherents quietly deserted him. |
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adj. adjoining; neighboring; close by.
Philip's best friend Jason lived only four houses down the block near but not immediately adjacent. |
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n. something (generally nonessential or inferior) added on or attached.
Although I don't absolutely need a second computer, I plan to buy a laptop to serve as an adjunct to my desktop model. also adj. |
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Definition
n. solem urging.
Her ajuration to tell the truth did not change the witnesses' testimony. adjure, v. |
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Definition
n. staff officer assisting the commander; assistant.
Though Wellington delegated many tasks to his chief adjutant, Lord Fitzroy Somerset, Somerset was in no doubt as to who made all major decisions. |
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Definition
v. warn; reprove.
He admonished his listeners to chane their wicked ways. admonition, n. |
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Definition
| v. decorate. Wall paintings and carved statues adorned teh temple. adornment, n. |
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| adj. skillful. Her adroit handling of the delicate situation pleased her employers. |
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| n. flattery; admiration. The rock star thrived on the adulation of his groupies and yes-men. adulate, v. |
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Term
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Definition
| v. make impure by adding inferior or tainted substances.It is a crime to adulterate foods without informing the buyer; when consumers learned that Beechnut had adulterated its apple juice by mixing the juice with water, they protested vigorously. adulteration, n. |
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Term
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Definition
| n. arrival. Most Americans were unaware of the advent of the Nuclear Age until the news of Hiroshima reached them. |
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| adj. accidental; casual. Shefound this adventitious meeting with her friend extremely fortunate. |
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| n. opponent; enemy. Batman struggled to save Gotham City from the machinations of his wicked adversary, the Joker. |
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| adj. unfavorable; hostile. The recession had a highly adverse effecton Father's investment porfolio: he had lost so much money that he could not longer afford the butler and the upstairs maid. |
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Definition
| n. poverty; misfortune. We must learn to meet adversity gracefully. |
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| v. refer (to). Since you advert to this matter so frequently, you must regard it as important. |
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Definition
| n.support; active pleading on behalf of someone or something. No threats could dissuade Bishop Desmond Tutu from his advocacy of the human rights of black South Africans. |
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Definition
| v. urge; plead for. The abolitionists advocated freedom for the slaves. also, n. |
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Definition
| n. shield; defense. Under the aegis of the Bill of Rights,we enjoy most of our treasured freedoms. |
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Definition
| n. nest of a large bird of prey (eagle, hawk). The mother eagle swooped down on the rabbit and bore it off to her aerie high in the Rocky Mountains. |
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Definition
| adj. artistic, dealing with or capable of appreciating the beautiful. The beauty of Tiffany's stainedglass appealed to Alice's aesthetic sense. aesthete, n. |
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Definition
| adj. easily approachable; warmly friendly. Accustomed to cold, aloof supervisors, Nicholas was amazed at how affable his new employer was. affability, n. |
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Definition
| adj. artificial; pretended; assumed in order to impress. His affected mannerisms- his "Harvard" accent, his air of boredom, his use of obscure foreign words- bugged us: he acted as if he thought he was too good for his old high school friends. affectation, n. |
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Definition
| n. written statement made under oath. The court refused to accept her statement unles she presented it in the form of an affidavit. |
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Definition
| n. joining; association with. His affiliation with the political party was of shorty duration for he soon disagreed with his colleagues. |
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Definition
| n. kinship. She felt an affinity with all who suffered; their pains were her pains. |
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Definition
| n. positive assertion; confirmation; solemn pledge by one who refuses to take an oath. Despite Tom;s affirmations of innocence, Aunt Polly still suspected he had eaten the pie. |
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Definition
| v. attach or add on; fasten. First the registrar had to affix his signature to the license; then he had to affix his official seal. |
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Definition
| n. state of distress; cause of suffering. Even in the midst of her affliction, Elizabeth tried to keep up the spirits of those around her. |
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Definition
| n. abundance; wealth. Foreigners are amazed by the affluence and luxury of the American way of life. |
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Definition
| n. insult; offense; intentional act of direspect. When Mrs. Proudie was not seated beside the Archdeacon at the head table, she took it as a personal affront and refused to speak to her hosts for a week. |
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Term
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Definition
| adj. openmouthed. She stared, agape, at the many strange animals in the zoo. |
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Definition
| n. items of business at a meeting. We had so much difficulty agreeing upon an agenda that there was very little time for the meeting. |
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Definition
| n. collection; heap. It took weeks to assort the agglomeration of miscellaneous items she had collected on her trip. |
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Definition
| v. increase or intensify; raise in power, wealth, rank, or honor. The history of the past quarter century illustrates how a President may aggrandize his power to act aggressively in internation affairs without considering the wishes of Congress. |
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Term
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Definition
| v. gather; accumulate. Before the Wall Street scandals, dealers in so-called junk bonds managed to aggregate great wealth in short period of time. also, adj; aggregation,n. |
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Definition
| n. attacker. Before you punish both boys for fighting, see whether you can determine which one was the aggressor. |
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Definition
| adj. horrified; dumbfounded. Miss Manners was aghast at the crude behavior of the fraternity brothers at the annual toga party. |
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Definition
| n. nimbleness. The agility of the acrobat amazed and thrilled the audience. |
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Definition
| v. stir up; disturb. Her fiery remarks agitated the already angry mob. |
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Definition
| n. one who is skeptical of the existences of a god or any ultimate reality. Agnostics say we can neither prove nor disprove the existence of God; we simply have no way to know. also, adj. |
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Term
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Definition
| adj. highly excited; intensely curious. We were all agog at thenews that the celebratedmovie star wasgiving up his career in order to enter a monastery. |
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Definition
| adj. pertaining to land or its cultivation. As a result of its recent industrialization, the country is gradually losing its agrarian traditions. |
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Term
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Definition
| n. cheerful promptness; eagerness. Phil and Dave were raring to get off to the mountains; they packed their ski gear and climbed into the van with alacrity. |
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Term
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Definition
| n. medieval chemistry. The changing of baser metals into gold was the goal of the students of alchemy. alchemist, n. |
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Term
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Definition
| n. nook; recess. Though their apartment lacked a full-scale dining room, an alcove adjacent to the living room made an adequate breakfast nook for the young couple. |
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Term
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Definition
| n. an assumed name. John Smith's alias was Bob Jones. also, adv. |
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Term
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Definition
| v. make hostile; separate. Her attempts to alienate the two friends failed because they had complete faith in each other. |
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Definition
| adj. supplying nourishment. The alimentary canal in our bodies is so named because digestion occurs there. When asked for the name of the digestive tract, Sherlock Holmes replied, "Alimentary, my dear Watson." |
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Term
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Definition
| n. payments made to an ex-spouse after divorce. Because Tony had supported Tina through medical school, on their divorce he asked the court to award him $500 a month in alimony. |
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Term
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Definition
| v. calm; pacify. The crew tried to allay the fears of the passengers by announcing that the fire had been controlled. |
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Term
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Definition
| v. state without proof. Although it is alleged that she has worked for the enemy, she denies the allegations and, legally, we can take no action against her without proof. allegation, n. |
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Definition
| n. loyalty. Not even a term in prison could shake Lech Walesa's allegiance to Solidarity, the Polish trade union he had helped to found. |
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Definition
| n. story in which characters are used as symbols; fable. Pilgrim's Progress is an allegory of the temptations and victories of the human soul. allegorical, adj. |
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Term
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Definition
| v. relieve. this should alleviate the pain; if it does not, we shall have to use stronger drugs. |
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Term
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Definition
| n. repetition of beginning sound in poetry. "The furrow followed free" is an example of alliteration. |
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Term
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Definition
| v. assign. Even though the Red Cross had allocated a large sum for the relief of the sufferers of the disaster, many people perished. |
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Term
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Definition
| n. a mixture as of metals. Alloys of gold are used more frequently than the pure metal. |
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Definition
| v. mix; make less pure; lessen or moderate. Our delight at the Mets' victory was alloyed by our concern for Al Laites, who injured his pitching arm in the game. |
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Term
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Definition
| v. refer indirectly. Try not to mention divorce in Jack's presence because he will think you are alluding to his marital problems with Jill. |
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Term
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Definition
| v. entice; attract. Allured by the song of the sirens, the helmsman steered the ship toward the reef. also, n. |
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Term
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Definition
| n. indirect references. When Amanda said to the ticket scalper, "One hundred bucks? What do you want, a pound of flesh?" she was making an allusion to Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice. |
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Term
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Definition
| adj. pertaining to soil deposits left by running water. The farmers foudn thealluvial deposits at the mouth of the river very fertile. |
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Term
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Definition
| adj. apart; reserved. Shy by nature, she remained aloof while all the rest conversed. |
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Definition
| adv. upward. The sailor climbed aloft into the rigging. |
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Term
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Definition
| n. noisy quarrel; heated dispute. In that hot-tempered household, no meal ever came to a peaceful conclusion; the inevitable altercation sometimes even ended in blows. |
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Term
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Definition
| adj. unselfishly generous; concerned for others. In providing tutorial assistance and college scholarships for hundreds of economically disadvantaged youths, Eugene Lang performed a truly altruistic deed. altruism, N. |
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Term
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Definition
| v. combine; unite in one body. The unions will attempt to amalgamate their groups into one national body. |
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Term
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Definition
| v. collect. The miser's aim is to amass and hoard as much gold as possible. |
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Term
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Definition
| n. female warrior. Ever since the days of Greek mythology we refer to strong and aggressive women as amazons. |
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Term
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Definition
| adj. capable of using either hand with equal ease. A switch-hitter in baseball should be naturally ambidextrous. |
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Term
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Definition
| n. environment; atmosphere. SHe went to the restaurant not for the food but for the ambience. |
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Term
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Definition
| adj. unclear or doubtful in meaning. His ambiguous instructions misled us; we did not know which road to take. ambiguity. N. |
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Term
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Definition
| n. the state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes. Torn between loving her parents one minute and hating them the next, she was confused by the ambivalence of her feelings. ambivalent, adj. |
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Term
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Definition
| n. moving at an easy pace. When she first mounted the horse, she was afraid to urge the animal to go faster than a gentle amble. also v. |
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Term
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Definition
| n. food of the gods. Ambrosia was supposed to give immortality to any human who ate it. |
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Term
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Definition
| adj. able to walk; not bedridden. Calvin was a highly ambulatory patient; not only did he refuse to be confined to bed, but also he resisted on riding his skateboard up and down the halls. |
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Term
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Definition
| v. improve. Many social workers have attempted to ameliorate the conditions of people living in the slums. |
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Term
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Definition
| adj. readily managed or willing to be led; answerable or accountable legally. Although the ambassador was usually amenable to friendly suggestions, he balked when we hinted he should pay his parking tickets. As a foregin diplomat, he claimed he was not amenable to minor local laws. |
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Term
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Definition
| v. correct; change, generally for the better. Hoping to amend his condition, he left Vietnam for the United States. |
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Term
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Definition
| n. convenient features; courtesies. In addition to the customary amenities for the business traveler- fax machines, modems, a health club- the hotel offers the serices of a butler versed in the social amenities. |
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Term
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Definition
| adj. agreeable; lovable; warmly friendly. In Little Women, Beth is the amiable daughter whose loving disposition endears her to all who know her. |
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Term
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Definition
| adj. politely friendly; not quarrelsome. Beth's sister Jo is the hot-tempered tomboy who has a hard time mantaining amicable relationships with those around her. Jo's quarrel with her friend Laurie finally reaches an amicable settlement, but not becuase Jo turns amiable overnight. |
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Term
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Definition
| adj. wrong; faulty. Seeing her frown, he wondered if anything were amiss. also adv. |
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Term
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Definition
| n. friendship. Student exchange programs such as the Experiment in International Living were established to promote international amity. |
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Term
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Definition
| n. loss of memory. Because she was suffering from amnesia, the police could not get the young girl to identify herself. |
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Term
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Definition
| n. pardon. When his first child was born, the king granted amnesty to all in prison. |
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Term
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Definition
| adj. nonmoral. The amoral individual lacks a code of ethics; he cannot tell right from wrong. The immoral person can tell right from wrong; he chooses to do something he knows is wrong. |
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| adj. moved by sexual love; loving. "love them and leave them" was the motto of the amorous Don Juan. |
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| adj. formless; lacking shape or definition. As soon as we have decided on our itinerary, we shall send you a copy; right now, our plans are still amorphous. |
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| adj. able to live both on land and in water. Frogs are classified as amphibian. also n. |
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| n. oval building with tiers of seats. The spectators in the amphitheater cheered the gladiators. |
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| adj. abundant. Bond had ample opportunity to escape. Why, then, did he let us capture him? |
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| v. broaden or clarify by expanding; intensify; make stronger. Charlie Brown tried to amplify his remarks, but he was drowned out by jeers from the audience. Lucy was smarter: she used a loudspeaker to amplify her voice. |
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| v. cut off part of body; prune. When the doctors had to amputate Ted Kennedy's leg to prevent the spread of cancer, he did let the loss of his leg keep him from participating in sports. |
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| adv. in a state of rage. The police had to be called in to restrain him after he ran amok in the department store. |
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| n. charm; talisman. Around her neck she wore the amulet that the witch doctor had given her. |
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| n. something or someone misplaced in time. Shakespeare's reference to clocks in Julius Caesar is an anachronism; no clocks existed in Caesar's time. anachronistic, adj. |
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| adj. causing insensitivity to pain. The analgesic qualities of this lotion will provide temporary relief. |
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| adj. comparable. She called our attention to the things that had been done in an analogous situation and recommended that we do the same. |
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| n. similarity; parallelism. A well-known analogy compares the body's immune system with an army whose defending troops are the lymphocytes of white blood cells. |
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| n. person who seeks to overturn the established government; advocate of abolishing authority. Denying she was an anarchist, Katya maintained she wished only to make changes in our government, not to destroy it entirely. |
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| n. absence of governing body; state of disorder. The assassination of the leaders led to a period of anarchy. |
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| n. solemn curse; someone or something regarded as a curse. The Ayatolla Khomeini heaped anathema upon "the Great Satan," that is, the United States. To the Ayatolla, America and the West were anathema; he loathed the democratic nations, cursing them in his dying words. anathematize, v. |
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| n. family descent. David can trace his ancestry as far back as the seventeenth century, when one of his ancestors was a court trumpeter somewhere in Germany. ancestral, adj. |
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| v. secure or fasten firmly; be fixed in place. We set the post in concrete to anchor it in place. anchorage, n. |
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| adj. serving as an aid or accessory; auxiliary. In an auxilary capacity Doctor Watson was helpful; however Holmes could not trust the good doctor to solve a perplexing case on his own. also, n. |
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| n. short account of an amusing or interesting event. Rather than make concrete proposals for welfare reform, President Reagan told anecdotes about poor people who became wealthy despite their impoverished backgrounds. |
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| n. condition in which blood lacks red corpuscles. The doctor ascribes her tiredness to anemia. anemic, adj. |
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