A Flashcards
Amber apples always allure adventurous ants. (141 cards)
1
Q
abase
(v.)
A
to humiliate, degrade
(After being overthrown and abased, the deposed leader offered to bow down to his conqueror.)
2
Q
abate
(v.)
A
to reduce, lessen
(The rain poured down for a while, then abated.)
3
Q
abdicate
(v.)
A
to give up a position, usually one of leadership
(When he realized that the revolutionaries would surely win, the kind abdicated his throne.)
4
Q
abduct
(v.)
A
to kidnap, take by force
(The evildoers abducted the fairy princess from her happy home.)
5
Q
aberration
(n.)
A
something that differs from the norm
(In 1918, the Boston Red Sox won the World Series, but the success turned out to be an aberration, and the Red Sox have not won a series since.)
6
Q
abet
(v.)
A
to aid, help, encourage
(The spy succeeded only because he had a friend on the inside to abet him.)
7
Q
abhor
(v.)
A
to hate, detest
(Because he always wound up kicking himself in the head when he tried to play soccer, Oswald began to abhor the sport.)
8
Q
abide
(v.)
A
- to put up with
- to remain
- (Though he did not agree with the decision, Chuck decided to abide by it.)
- (Despte the beating they’ve taken from the weathe throughout the millennia, the mountains abide.)
9
Q
abject
(adj.)
A
wretched, pitiful
(After losing all her money, falling into a puddle, and breaking her ankle, Eloise was abject.)
10
Q
abjure
(v.)
A
to reject, renounce
(To prove his honesty, the President abjured the evil policies of his wicked predecessor.)
11
Q
abnegation
(n.)
A
denial of comfort to oneself
(The holy man slept on the floor, took only cold showers, and generally followed other practices of abnegation.)
12
Q
abort
(v.)
A
to give up on a half-finished project or effort
(After they ran out of food, the men, attempting to jump rope around the world, had to abort and go home.)
13
Q
abridge
1.(v.) 2.(adj.)
A
- to cut down, shorten
- shortened
- (The publisher thought the dictionary was too long and abridged it.)
- (Moby-Dick is such a long book that even the abridged version is longer than most books.)
14
Q
abrogate
(v.)
A
to abolish, usually by authority
(The Bill of Rights assures that the government cannot abrogate our right to a free press.)
15
Q
abscond
(v.)
A
to sneak away and hide
(In the confusion, the super-spy absconded into the night with the secret plans.)
16
Q
absolution
(n.)
A
freedom from blame, guilt, sin
(Once all the facts were known, the jury gave Angela absolutione by giving a verdict of not guilty.)
17
Q
abstain
(v.)
A
to freely choose not to commit to an action
(Everyone demanded that Angus put on the kilt, but he did not want to do it and abstained.)
18
Q
abstruse
(adj.)
A
hard to comprehend
(Everyone else in the class understood geometry easily, but John found the subject abstruse.)
19
Q
accede
(v.)
A
to agree
(When the class asked the teacher whether they could play baseball instead of learn grammar they expected him to refuse, but instead he acceded to
their request.)
20
Q
accentuate
(v.)
A
to stress, highlight
(Psychologists agree that those people who are
happiest accentuate the positive in life.)
21
Q
accessible
(adj.)
A
obtainable, reachable
(After studying with SparkNotes and getting a
great score on the SAT, Marlena happily realized that her goal of getting into an
Ivy-League college was accessible.)
22
Q
acclaim
(n.)
A
high praise
(Greg’s excellent poem won the acclaim of his friends.)
23
Q
accolade
(n.)
A
high praise, special distinction
(Everyone offered accolades to Sam after
he won the Noble Prize.)
24
Q
accommodating
(adj.)
A
helpful, obliging, polite
(Though the apartment was not big
enough for three people, Arnold, Mark, and Zebulon were all friends and were
accommodating to each other.)
25
accord
| (n.)
an agreement
## Footnote
(After much negotiating, England and Iceland finally came to a mutually beneficial **accord** about fishing rights off the cost of Greenland.)
26
accost
| (v.)
to confront verbally
## Footnote
(Though Antoinette was normally quite calm, when the waiter spilled soup on her for the fourth time in 15 minutes she stood up and **accosted** the man.)
27
accretion
| (n.)
slow growth in size or amount
## Footnote
(Stalactites are formed by the **accretion** of minerals from the roofs of caves.)
28
acerbic
| (adj.)
biting, bitter in tone or taste
## Footnote
(Jill became extremely **acerbic** and began to cruelly make fun of all her friends.)
29
acquiesce
| (v.)
to agree without protesting
## Footnote
(Though Mr. Correlli wanted to stay outside and work in his garage, when his wife told him that he had better come in to dinner, he **acquiesced** to her demands.)
30
acrimony
| (n.)
biterness, discord
## Footnote
(Though they vowed that no girl would ever come between them, Biff and Trevor could not keep **acrimony** from overwhelming their friendship after they both fell in love with the lovely Teresa.)
31
acumen
| (n.)
keen insight
## Footnote
(Because of his mathematical **acumen**, Larry was able to figure out in minutes problems that took other students hours.)
32
acute
| (adj.)
1. sharp, severe
2. having keen insight
## Footnote
1. (Arnold could not walk because the pain in his foot was so **acute**.)
2. (Because she was so **acute**, Libby instantly figured out how the magician pulled off his “magic.”)
33
adamant
| (adj.)
impervious, immovable, unyielding
## Footnote
(Though public pressure was intense, the President remained **adamant** about his proposal.)
34
adept
| (adj.)
extremely skilled
## Footnote
(Tarzan was **adept** at jumping from tree to tree like a monkey.)
35
adhere
| (n.)
1. to stick to something
2. to follow devoutly
## Footnote
1. (We **adhered** the poster to the wall with tape.)
2. (He **adhered** to the dictates of his religion without question.)
36
admonish
| (v.)
to caution, criticize, reprove
## Footnote
(Joe’s mother **admonished** him not to ruin his appetite by eating cookies before dinner.)
37
adorn
| (v.)
to decorate
## Footnote
(We **adorned** the tree with ornaments.)
38
adroit
| (adj.)
skillful, dexterous
## Footnote
(The **adroit** thief could pick someone’s pocket without attracting notice.)
39
adulation
| (n.)
extreme praise
## Footnote
(Though the book was pretty good, Marcy did not believe it deserved the **adulation** it received.)
40
adumbrate
| (v.)
to sketch out in a vague way
## Footnote
(The coach **adumbrated** a game plan, but none of the players knew precisely what to do.)
41
adverse
| (adj.)
antagonistic, unfavorable, dangerous
## Footnote
(Because of **adverse** conditions, the hikers decided to give up trying to climb the mountain.)
42
advocate
| 1.(v.) 2.(n.)
1. to argue in favor of something
2. a person who argues in favor of something
## Footnote
1. (Arnold **advocated** turning left at the stop sign, even though everyone else thought we should turn right.)
2. (In addition to wanting to turn left at every stop sign, Arnold was also a great **advocate** of increasing national defense spending.)
43
aerial
| (adj.)
somehow related to the air
## Footnote
(We watched as the fighter planes conducted **aerial** maneuvers.)
44
aesthetic
| (adj.)
artistic, related to the appreciation of beauty
## Footnote
(We hired Susan as our interior decorator because she has such a fine **aesthetic** sense.)
45
affable
| (adj.)
friendly, amiable
## Footnote
(People like to be around George because he is so **affable** and good-natured.)
46
affinity
| (n.)
a spontaneous feeling of closeness
## Footnote
(Jerry didn’t know why, but he felt an incredible **affinity** for Kramer the first time they met.)
47
affluent
| (adj.)
rich, wealthy
## Footnote
(Mrs. Grebelski was **affluent**, owning a huge house, three cars, and an island near Maine.)
48
affront
| (n.)
an insult
## Footnote
(Bernardo was very touchy, and took any slight as an **affront** to his honor.)
49
aggrandize
| (v.)
to increase or make greater
## Footnote
(Joseph always dropped the names of the famous people his father knew as a way to **aggrandize** his personal stature.)
50
aggregate
| 1.(n.) 2.(v.)
1. a whole or total
2. to gather into a mass
## Footnote
1. (The three branches of the U.S. Government form an **aggregate** much more powerful than its individual parts.)
2. (The dictator tried to **aggregate** as many people into his army as he possibly could.)
51
aggrieved
| (adj.)
distressed, wronged, injured
## Footnote
(The foreman mercilessly overworked his **aggrieved** employees.)
52
agile
| (adj.)
quick, nimble
## Footnote
(The dogs were too slow to catch the **agile** rabbit.)
53
agnostic
| (adj.)
believing that the existence of God cannot be proven or disproven
## Footnote
(Joey’s parents are very religious, but he is **agnostic**.)
54
agriculture
| (n.)
farming
## Footnote
(It was a huge step in the progress of civilization when tribes left hunting and gathering and began to develop more sustainable methods of obtaining food, such as **agriculture**.)
55
aisle
| (n.)
a passageway between rows of seats
## Footnote
(Once we got inside the stadium we walked down the **aisle** to our seats.)
56
alacrity
| (n.)
eagerness, speed
## Footnote
(For some reason, Chuck loved to help his mother whenever he could, so when his mother asked him to set the table he did so with **alacrity**.)
57
alias
| (n.)
a false name or identity
## Footnote
(He snuck past the guards by using an **alias** and fake ID.)
58
allay
| (v.)
to soothe, ease
## Footnote
(The chairman of the Federal Reserve gave a speech to try to **allay** investors’ fears about an economic downturn.)
59
allege
| (v.)
to assert, usually without proof
## Footnote
(The policeman had **alleged** that Marshall committed the crime, but after the investigation turned up no evidence, Marshall was set free.)
60
alleviate
| (v.)
to relieve, make more bearable
## Footnote
(This drug will **alleviate** the symptoms of the terrible disease, but only for a while.)
61
allocate
| (v.)
to distribute, set aside
## Footnote
(The Mayor **allocated** 30 percent of the funds for improving the town’s schools.)
62
aloof
| (adj.)
reserved, distant
## Footnote
(The scientist could sometimes seem **aloof**, as if he didn’t care about his friends or family, but really he was just thinking about quantum mechanics.)
63
altercation
| (n.)
a dispute, fight
## Footnote
(Jason and Lionel blamed one another for the car accident, leading to an **altercation**.)
64
amalgamate
| (v.)
to bring together, unite
## Footnote
(Because of his great charisma, the presidential candidate was able to **amalgamate** all democrats and republicans under his banner.)
65
ambiguous
| (adj.)
uncertain, variably interpretable
## Footnote
(Some people think Caesar married Cleopatra for her power, others believe he was charmed by her beauty. His actual reasons are **ambiguous**.)
66
ambivalent
| (adj.)
having opposing feelings
## Footnote
(My feelings about Calvin are **ambivalent** because on one hand he is a loyal friend, but on the other, he is a cruel and vicious thief.)
67
ameliorate
| (v.)
to improve
## Footnote
(The tense situation was **ameliorated** when Sam proposed a solution everyone could agree upon.)
68
amenable
| (adj.)
willing, compliant
## Footnote
(Our father was **amenable** when we asked him to drive us to the farm so we could go apple picking.)
69
amenity
| (n.)
an item that increases comfort
## Footnote
(Bill Gates’s house is stocked with so many **amenities**, he never has to do anything for himself.)
70
amiable
| (adj.)
friendy
## Footnote
(An **amiable** fellow, Harry got along with just about everyone.)
71
amicable
| (adj.)
friendly
## Footnote
(Claudia and Jimmy got divorced, but **amicably** and without hard feelings.)
72
amorous
| (adj.)
showing love, particularly sexual
## Footnote
(Whenever Albert saw Mariah wear her slinky red dress, he began to feel quite **amorous**.)
73
amorphous
| (adj.)
without definite shape or type
## Footnote
(The effort was doomed from the start, because the reasons behind it were so **amorphous** and hard to pin down.)
74
anachronistic
| (adj.)
being out of correct chronological order
## Footnote
(In this book you’re writing, you say that the Pyramids were built after the Titanic sank, which is **anachronistic**.)
75
analgesic
| (n.)
something that reduces pain
## Footnote
(Put this **analgesic** on the wound so that the poor man at least feels a little better.)
76
analogous
| (adj.)
similar to, so that an analogy can be drawn
## Footnote
(Though they are unrelated genetically, the bone structure of whales and fish is quite **analogous**.)
77
anarchist
| (n.)
one who wants to eliminate all government
## Footnote
(An **anarchist**, Carmine wanted to dissolve every government everywhere.)
78
anathema
| (n.)
a cursed, detested person
## Footnote
(I never want to see that murderer. He is an **anathema** to me.)
79
anecdote
| (n.)
a short, humorous account
## Footnote
(After dinner, Marlon told an **anecdote** about the time he got his nose stuck in a toaster.)
80
anesthesia
| (n.)
loss of sensation
## Footnote
(When the nerves in his spine were damaged, Mr. Hollins suffered **anesthesia** in his legs.)
81
anguish
| (n.)
extreme sadness, torment
## Footnote
(Angelos suffered terrible **anguish** when he learned that Buffy had died while combating a strange mystical force of evil.)
82
animated
| (adj.)
lively
## Footnote
(When he begins to talk about drama, which is his true passion, he becomes very **animated**.)
83
annex
| 1.(v.) 2.(n.)
1. to incorporate territory or space
2. a room attached to a larger room or space
## Footnote
1. (After defeating them in battle, the Russians **annexed** Poland.)
2. (He likes to do his studying in a little **annex** attached to the main reading room in the library.)
84
annul
| (v.)
to make void or invalid
## Footnote
(After seeing its unforeseen and catastrophic effects, Congress sought to **annul** the law.)
85
anomaly
| (n.)
something that does not fit into the normal order
## Footnote
(“That rip in the space- time continuum is certainly a spatial **anomaly**,” said Spock to Captain Kirk.)
86
anonymous
| (adj.)
being unknown, unrecognized
## Footnote
(Mary received a love poem from an **anonymous** admirer.)
87
antagonism
| (n.)
hostility
## Footnote
(Superman and Bizarro Superman shared a mutual **antagonism**, and often fought.)
88
antecedent
| (n.)
something that came before
## Footnote
(The great tradition of Western culture had its **antecedent** in the culture of Ancient Greece.)
89
antediluvian
| (adj.)
ancient
## Footnote
(The **antediluvian** man still believed that Eisenhower was president of the United States and that hot dogs cost a nickel.)
90
anthology
| (n.)
a selected collection of writings, songs, etc.
## Footnote
(The new **anthology** of Bob Dylan songs contains all his greatest hits and a few songs that you might never have heard before.)
91
antipathy
| (n.)
a strong disllike, repugnance
## Footnote
(I know you love me, but because you are a liar and a thief, I feel nothing but **antipathy** for you.)
92
antiquated
| (adj.)
old, out of date
## Footnote
(That **antiquated** car has none of the features, like power windows and steering, that make modern cars so great.)
93
antiseptic
| (adj.)
clean, sterile
## Footnote
(The **antiseptic** hospital was very bare, but its cleanliness helped to keep patients healthy.)
94
antithesis
| (n.)
the absolute opposite
## Footnote
(Your values, which hold war and violence in the highest esteem, are the **antithesis** of my pacifist beliefs.)
95
anxiety
| (n.)
intense uneasiness
## Footnote
(When he heard about the car crash, he felt **anxiety** because he knew that his girlfriend had been driving on the road where the accident occurred.)
96
apathetic
| (adj.)
lacking concern, emotion
## Footnote
(Uninterested in politics, Bruno was **apathetic** about whether he lived under a capitalist or communist regime.)
97
apocryphal
| (adj.)
fictitious, false, wrong
## Footnote
(Because I am standing before you, it seems obvious that the stories circulating about my demise were **apocryphal**.)
98
appalling
| (adj.)
inspiring shock, horror, disgust
## Footnote
(The judge found the murderer’s crimes and lack of remorse **appalling**.)
99
appease
| (v.)
to calm, satisfy
## Footnote
(When the child cries, the mother gives him candy to **appease** him.)
100
appraise
| (v.)
to assess the worth or value of
## Footnote
(A realtor will come over tonight to **appraise** our house.)
101
apprehend
| (v.)
1. to seize, arrest
2. to perceive, understand, grasp
## Footnote
1. (The criminal was **apprehended** at the scene.)
2. (The student has trouble **apprehending** concepts in math and science.)
102
approbation
| (n.)
praise
## Footnote
(The crowd welcomed the heroes with **approbation**.)
103
appropriate
| (v.)
to take, make use of
## Footnote
(The government **appropriated** the farmer’s land
without justification.)
104
aquatic
| (adj.)
relating to water
## Footnote
(The marine biologist studies starfish and other **aquatic** creatures.)
105
arable
| (adj.)
suitable for growing crops
## Footnote
(The farmer purchased a plot of **arable** land on which he will grow corn and sprouts.)
106
arbiter
| (n.)
one who cn reslve a dispute, make a decision
## Footnote
(The divorce court judge will serve as the **arbiter** between the estranged husband and wife.)
107
arbitrary
| (adj.)
based on factors that appear random
## Footnote
(The boy’s decision to choose one college over another seems **arbitrary**.)
108
arbitration
| (n.)
to process or act of resolving a dispute
## Footnote
(The employee sought official **arbitration** when he could not resolve a disagreement with his supervisor.)
109
arboreal
| (adj.)
of or relating to trees
## Footnote
(Leaves, roots, and bark are a few **arboreal** traits.)
110
arcane
| (adj.)
obscure, secret, known by only a few
## Footnote
(The professor is an expert in **arcane** Lithuanian literature.)
111
archaic
| (adj.)
of or relating to an earlier period in time, outdated
## Footnote
(In a few select regions of Western Mongolian, an **archaic** Chinese dialect is still spoken.)
112
archetypal
| (adj.)
the most representative or typical example of something
## Footnote
(Some believe George Washington, with his flowing white hair and commanding stature, was the **archetypal** politician.)
113
ardor
| (n.)
extreme vigor, energy, enthusiasm
## Footnote
(The soldiers conveyed their **ardor** with impassioned battle cries.)
114
arid
| (adj.)
excessively dry
## Footnote
(Little other than palm trees and cacti grow successfully in **arid** environments.)
115
arrogate
| (v.)
to take without justification
## Footnote
(The king **arrogated** the right to order executions to himself exclusively.)
116
artifact
| (n.)
a remaining piece from an extinct culture or place
## Footnote
(The scientists spent all day searching the cave for **artifacts** from the ancient Mayan civilization.)
117
artisan
| (n.)
a craftsman
## Footnote
(The **artisan** uses wood to make walking sticks.)
118
ascertain
| (v.)
to perceive, learn
## Footnote
(With a bit of research, the student **ascertained** that some plants can live for weeks without water.)
119
ascetic
| (adj.)
practicing restraint as a means of self-discipline, usually religious
## Footnote
(The priest lives an **ascetic** life devoid of television, savory foods, and other pleasures.)
120
ascribe
| (v.)
to assign, credit, attribute to
## Footnote
(Some **ascribe** the invention of fireworks and dynamite to the Chinese.)
121
aspersion
| (n.)
a curse, expression of ill-will
## Footnote
(The rival politicians repeatedly cast **aspersions** on each others’ integrity.)
122
aspire
| (v.)
to long for, aim toward
## Footnote
(The young poet **aspires** to publish a book of verse someday.)
123
assail
| (v.)
to attack
## Footnote
(At dawn, the war planes **assailed** the boats in the harbor.)
124
assess
| (v.)
to evaluate
## Footnote
(A crew arrived to **assess** the damage after the crash.)
125
assiduous
| (adj.)
hard-working, diligent
## Footnote
(The construction workers erected the skyscraper during two years of **assiduous** labor.)
126
assuage
| (v.)
to ease, pacify
## Footnote
(The mother held the baby to **assuage** its fears.)
127
astute
| (adj.)
very clever, crafty
## Footnote
(Much of Roger’s success in politics results from his ability to provide **astute** answers to reporters’ questions.)
128
asylum
| (n.)
1. a place of refuge, protection, a sanctuary
2. an institution in which the insane are kept
## Footnote
1. (For Thoreau, the forest served as an **asylum** from the pressures of urban life.)
2. (Once diagnosed by a certified psychiatrist, the man was put in an **asylum**.)
129
atone
| (v.)
to repent, make amends
## Footnote
(The man **atoned** for forgetting his wife’s birthday by buying her five dozen roses.)
130
atrophy
| (v.)
to wither away, decay
## Footnote
(If muscles do not receive enough blood, they will soon **atrophy** and die.)
131
attain
| (v.)
to achieve, arrive at
## Footnote
(The athletes strived to **attain** their best times in competition.)
131
attribute
| 1.(v.) 2.(n.)
1. to credit, assign
2. a facet or trait
## Footnote
1. (He **attributes** all of his success to his mother’s undying encouragement.)
2. (Among the beetle’s most peculiar **attributes** is its thorny protruding eyes.)
132
atypical
| (adj.)
not typical, unusual
## Footnote
(Screaming and crying is **atypical** adult behavior.)
133
audacious
| (adj.)
excessively bold
## Footnote
(The security guard was shocked by the fan’s
**audacious** attempt to offer him a bribe.)
134
audible
| (adj.)
able to be heard
## Footnote
(The missing person’s shouts were unfortunately not **audible**.)
135
augment
| (v.)
to add to, expand
## Footnote
(The eager student seeks to **augment** his knowledge of French vocabulary by reading French literature.)
136
auspicious
| (adj.)
favorable, indicative of good things
## Footnote
(The tennis player considered the sunny forecast an **auspicious** sign that she would win her match.)
137
austere
| (adj.)
very bare, bleak
## Footnote
(The **austere** furniture inside the abandoned house made the place feel haunted.)
138
avarice
| (n.)
excessive greed
## Footnote
(The banker’s **avarice** led him to amass a tremendous personal fortune.)
139
avenge
| (v.)
to seek revenge
## Footnote
(The victims will take justice into their own hands and strive to **avenge** themselves against the men who robbed them.)
140
aversion
| (n.)
a particular dislike for something
## Footnote
(Because he’s from Hawaii, Ben has an **aversion** to autumn, winter, and cold climates in general.)
