A words Flashcards by Megan M

Abate

(v) to decrease; reduce

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Aberrant***

(adj) deviating from what is normal

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Abeyance***

(n) temporary suppression or suspension

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Abject

(adj) miserable; pitiful

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Abjure

(v) to reject; abandon formally

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Abscission

(n) the act of cutting; the natural separation of a leaf or other part of a plant – “scissors”

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Abscond

(v) to depart secretly

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Abstemious***

(adj) moderate in appetite

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Accretion

(n) growth in size or increase in amount

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Adjunct

(n) something added, attached or joined

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Admonish

(v) to caution or reprimand

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Aesthetic***

(adj) relating to beauty or art

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Affected

(adj) pretentious, phony

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Aggrandize

(v) to make larger or greater – “make grander / bigger”

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Alacrity***

(n) cheerful willingness; eagerness; speed

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Alleviate***

(b) to relieve; improve partially

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Amalgamate***

(v) to combine into a unified whole

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Ambiguous***

(adj) unclear or doubtful in meaning

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Ambivalence***

(n) the state of having conflicting emotional attitudes

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Ameliorate***

(v) to improve

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Anachronism***

(n) something out of the proper time

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Analogous***

(adj) comparable

Anarchy***

(n) absence of government; state of disorder

Anodyne

(n) something that calms or soothes pain

Anomalous***

(adj) irregular; deviating from the norm -- "anormal"

Antecedent

(n) something that comes before -- "ante" = "before"

Antediluvian

(adj) prehistoric

Antipathy***

(n) dislike; hostility

Apathy***

(n) indifference

Apogee

(n) the point in an orbit most distant from the body being orbited; the highest point

Apothegm

(n) a terse, witty saying (pronounced AP-uh-them)

Apposite

(adj) strikingly appropriate and relevant

Apprise***

(v) to inform

Approbation***

(b) praise; approval

Appropriate***

(v) to take possessions for one's own use; confiscate

Apropos

(adj) relevant

Arabesque

(n) ornate design feature intertwined curves a ballet position in which one leg is extended in back while the other supports the weight of the body

Arduous***

(adj) extremely difficult; laborious

Argot

(n) a specialized vocabulary used by a group

Artless***

(adj) guileless; natural

Acetic***

(n) one who practices self-denial

Asperity

(n) severity; harshness; irritability

Aspersion***

(n) slander; false rumor

Assiduous***

(adj) diligent; hard-working

Asylum

(n) place of refuge or shelter

Atavism

(n) in biology, the reappearance of a characteristic in an organism after several generations of absence; individual or part that exhibits atavism; return of a trait after a period of absence.

Attenuate***

(v) to weaken

Audacious***

(adj) bold; daring

Austere***

(Adj) stern; unadorned

Avarice

(n) greed

Aver***

(v) to affirm; declare to be true

Avocation

(n) secondary occupation -- "vocation" = job

Avuncular

(adj) like an uncle, benevolent and tolerant -- "uncle" in middle

Axiomatic

(adj) taken for granted