ABATE
to cease, subside; to reduce
VERB
S: mellow, slacken, fade
A: increase, grow, heighten
ABASH
to shame, to embarrass
VERB
S: chagrin, humiliate, confuse
A: put at ease, reassure, compose
ABDICATE
giving up a position of power
VERB
S: retire, bow out, resign
A: accept, take up
ABIDING
continuing, lasting
ADJECTIVE
S: long standing, prolonged, stayed, endured
A: short lived, fleeting, temporary
ABORTIVE
not able to be completed
ADJECTIVE
S: futile, fruitless, bootless
A: completed, concluded, finished
ABSCOND
to secretly run away with and hide
VERB
S: flee, decamped, fly
ABSOLVE
to free from blame, sin, or responsibility
VERB
S: exempted, excuse, pardon
A: oblige, convict, condemn
ABSTAIN
to voluntarily hold back, to refrain from doing something
VERB
S: to hold back
A: partake
ABSTRUSE
difficult to understand
ADJECTIVE
S: mysterious, perplexing
A: understandable
ABYSMAL
utterly hopeless, totally and profoundly terrible
ADJECTIVE
S: bottomless
A: shallow
ACCOST
to approach boldly
VERB
S: address, salute
A: ignore, overlook
ACQUIESCE
to give in, surrender, to go quietly
VERB
S: assent, grant
A: differ, veto
ACRID
harsh, sharpe, offensive; pungent
ADJECTIVE
S: tangy, tart
A: bland, flat
ACROPHOBIA
intense fear of heights
NOUN
ACUMEN
sharpe insight, keenness of mind
NOUN
S: wisdom
A: blindness
ACUTE
sharpe, keen; pointed, severe
ADJECTIVE
S: pointy
A: blunt
ADHERENT
follower; believer; disciple
NOUN
S: fanatic, enthusiastic
A: disbeliever, skeptic
ADJUDICATE
to decide by judicial procedure; to decide a case in court
VERB
S: judge, deem
ADMONISH
to reprimand; to scold gently; to warn strongly
VERB
S: warn, alarm, rebuke
A: applaud, praise
ADROIT
adept (often under pressing conditions)
ADJECTIVE
S: dexterous, clever
A: dense, unskilled