Wordlist 1

Question 1

abase (v)

(n): abasement

abase yourself: make yourself seem to be less important or to not deserve respect

Answer 1

act in a way that shows that you accept sb’s power over you

Question 2

abash (v)

(adj): abashed

Her elder cousins abashed her by commenting on her shyness.

Answer 2

embarrass sb or make them feel uncomfortable

Question 3

abate (v)

(n): abatement

They waited for the crowd’s fury to abate.

Answer 3

become less strong

Question 4

abdicate (v)

abdication

She was forced to abdicate the throne of Spain.

Answer 4

give up the position of being king, queen, or emperor; renounce

Question 5

abduct (v)

(n): abduction; abductee (person who is abducted); abductor

He had attempted to abduct the two children.

Answer 5

kidnap

Question 6

aberrant (adj)

The aim is to find the cause of the child’s aberrant behaviour.

(n): aberration: a fact, an action or a way of behaving that is not usual, may be unacceptable

Answer 6

not usual or not socially acceptable; abnormal, deviant

Question 7

abet

She was unwilling to abet him in the swindle he had planned.

Answer 7

help or encourage sb to do sth wrong

Question 8

aid and abet

She stands accused of aiding and abetting the crime.

Answer 8

help sb to do sth illegal or wrong

Question 9

abeyance

Any proposed abeyance of the bylaws must be approved by the entire commi

Any proposed abeyance of the bylaws must be approved by the entire committee.

Answer 9

a state of not happening or being used at present

Question 10

abject (adj)

On the streets of New York the homeless live in abject poverty, huddling in doorways to find shelfter from the wind.

Answer 10

terrible and without hope, wretched; lacking pride

Question 11

abjure (v)

syn: renounce, forswear

Answer 11

promise publicly that you will give up or reject a belief or a way of behaving

Question 12

ablution (n)

His daily ablutions were accompanied by loud noises that he humourously labeled “Opera in the Bath”.

Answer 12

the act of washing yourself

Question 13

abnegation (n)

syn: self-sacrifice, repudiation

They believe it is the duty of women to life for others in complete abnegation of themselves

Answer 13

the act of not allowing yourself to have sth that you want

Question 14

abolish (v)

abolition (n)

Answer 14

cancel; put an end to

Question 15

abominable (adj)

/əˈbɒmɪnəbl/ syn: appalling, disgusting, detestable

I think you are utterly selfish and your behaviour has been abominable

Answer 15

extremely unpleasant and causing horror

(n): abomination: a thing that is hated and considered offensive.

(v): abominate

Question 16

aboriginal (adj/n)

syn: indigenous

aborigine (person)

Answer 16

relating to the original animals, etc.

Question 17

abortive (adj)

He made two abortive attempts on the French throne.

syn: stillborn

Answer 17

unsuccessful, fruitless

Question 18

abrade (v)

abrasive (n, adj)

The sharp rocks abraded the skin on her legs, so she put iodine on her abrasions.

Answer 18

rub the surface of sth and damge it or make it rough

Question 19

abrogate (v)

syn: abolish, repeal; (n): abrogation

He intended to abrogate the decree issued by his predecessor.

Answer 19

officially end a law, an agreement; fail to carry out a responsibility or duty

Question 20

abscond (v)

He absconded with the company funds.

She absconded from every children’s home they placed her in.

Answer 20

depart secretly and hide

Question 21

absolve (v)

The court absolved him of all responsibility for the accident.

(n): absolution (for) sth

Answer 21

state formally that sb is not guilty or responsible for sth

Question 22

abstain (v)

(n): abstention (from sth) / abstinence; abstinent

Answer 22

refrain; hold oneself back voluntarily from an action or practice

Question 23

abstemious (adj)

He was a hard-working man with abstemious habits.

Answer 23

not allowing yourself to have much food or alcohol, or to do things that are fun

Question 24

abstract (adj)

The research shows that pre-school children are capable of thinking in abstract terms.

Answer 24

theoretical; not concrete; nonrepresentational

Question 25

**abstruse (adj)** ## Footnote She carries around abstruse works of philosophy, not because she understands them but because she wants her friends to think she does.

Answer 25

difficult to understand; obscure; profound

Question 26

**abut (v)** | His land abuts onto a road. ## Footnote (n): abutment: a structure built to support the ends of a bridge or an arch

Answer 26

(of land or a building) be next to sth or to have one side touching the side of sth

Question 27

**abysmal (adj)** | His arrogance is exceeded only by his abysmal ignorance.

Answer 27

extremely bad or of a very slow standard; bottomless

Question 28

**abyss (n)** | Dart Vader seized the evil emperor and hurled him down into the abyss. ## Footnote (adj): abyssal

Answer 28

a very deep wide space or hole that seems to have no bottom; enormous charm

Question 29

**accede (v)** ## Footnote If I accede to this demand for blackmail, I am afraid that I will be the victim of future demands.

Answer 29

agree

Question 30

**accentuate (v)** | (n): accentuation ## Footnote If you accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative, you may wind up with an overoptimistic view of the world.

Answer 30

emphasise; stress

Question 31

**acclivity (n)** ## Footnote The car would not go up the acclivity in high gear.

Answer 31

sharp upslope of a hill

Question 32

**accolade (n)** | In Hollywood, an "Oscar" is the highest accolade.

Answer 32

praise or an award for an achievement that people admire

Question 33

**accommodate (v)** ## Footnote I have accommodated the press a great deal, giving numerous interviews.

Answer 33

oblige or help sb; adjust or bring into harmony; adapt

Question 34

**accord (n)** | She was in complete accord with the verdict.

Answer 34

agreement

Question 35

**accost (v)** | She was accosted in the street by a complete stranger.

Answer 35

go up to sb and speak to them, especially in a way that is rude or frightening

Question 36

**accoutre (v)** | (adj): accoutred (in/with sth)|accountrements (n) ## Footnote The fisherman was accoutred with the best that the sporting goods store could supply.

Answer 36

equip

Question 37

**accretion (n)** | The accretion of wealth marked the family's rise in power.

Answer 37

growth, increase

Question 38

**accrue (v)** | Interest will accure if you keep your money in a savings acccount. ## Footnote The firm had accrued debts of over 6 millions.

Answer 38

increase over a period of time; allow a sum of money or debts to grow over a period of time. | (n): accrual

Question 39

**acerbity (n)** | (adj): acerbic: critical in a direct and rather cruel way.

Answer 39

bitterness of speech and temper

Question 40

**acetic (adj)** | The salad had an exceedingly acetic flavor.

Answer 40

vinegary

Question 41

**acidulous (adj)** ## Footnote James was unpopular because of his sarcastic and acidulous remarks.

Answer 41

slightly sour; sharp; caustic

Question 42

**acme (n)** | His success in the role marked the acme of his career as an actor.

Answer 42

top; pinnacle

Question 43

**acquiesce (v)** | She explained her plan and reluctantly he acquiesced. ## Footnote (adj): acquiescent; (n): acquiescence

Answer 43

agree without protesting; assent

Question 44

**acrid (adj)** ## Footnote The acrid odor of burnt gunpowder filled the room after the pistol had been fired.

Answer 44

having a strong,bitter smell or taste that is unpleasant; pungent

Question 45

**acrimonious (adj)** | (n): acrimony: angry bitter feelings or words ## Footnote The candidate attacked his opponent in highly acrimonious terms.

Answer 45

bitter in words or manner

Question 46

**acrophobia (n)**

Answer 46

fear of heights

Question 47

**actuarial (adj)** | (n): actuary

Answer 47

calculating; pertaining to insurance statistics.

Question 48

**actuate (v)** | The timer must have been actuated by radio control. ## Footnote He was actuateed entirely by malice.

Answer 48

make a machine or device start to work (activate); make sb behave in a particular way (motivate)

Question 49

**acuity (n)** ## Footnote In time his youthful acuity of vision failed him, and he needed glasses.

Answer 49

sharpness; the ability to think, see or hear clearly

Question 50

**acumen (n)** | His business acumen helped him to succeed where others had failed.

Answer 50

mental keeness; the ability to understand and decide things quickly and well

Question 51

**acute (adj)** ## Footnote The acute yound doctor realisied immediately that the gradual deterioration of her patient's once acute hearing was due to a chronic illness, not an acute one.

Answer 51

quickly perceptive; keen; brief and severe

Question 52

**adage (n)** | There is much truth in the old adage about fools and their money.

Answer 52

wise saying; proverb

Question 53

**adamant (adj)** | (n): adamancy ## Footnote The government remained adamant that there was no more money available.

Answer 53

hard; inflexible; determined not to change your mind or to be persuaded baout sth

Question 54

**addendum (n)**

Answer 54

an addition or supplement

Question 55

**addle (v)** | This idiotic plan is confusing enough to addle anyone. ## Footnote (adj): addled

Answer 55

muddle; drive crazy; become rotten; make sb unable to think clearly

Question 56

**adept (adj)** | She was adept at the fine art of irritating people ## Footnote (n): adept

Answer 56

expert at

Question 57

**adjunct (n)** ## Footnote Although I don't absolutely need a second computer, I plan to buy a laptop to serve as an adjunct to my desktop model.

Answer 57

sth added on or attached (generally nonessential or inferior)

Question 58

**admonish (v)** | (n): admonition ## Footnote He admonished his listeners to change their wicked ways.

Answer 58

warn; reprove

Question 59

**adorn (v)** | (n): adornment ## Footnote Wall paintings and carved statues adorned the temple.

Answer 59

decorate

Question 60

**adroit (adj)** | His adroit handling of the delicate situation pleased his employers. ## Footnote (n): adroitness

Answer 60

skillful