| Word
| Meaning
|
| Abdication
| Giving up control or authority
To relinquish power or responsibility formally
To cast off
Discard
|
| Abdicate
| To give up a high office formally or officially
Especially the throne
|
| Aberration
| A departure from what is normal
A deviation from the proper or expected course
The fact or an instance of being aberrant
|
| Abeyance
| Suspended action
The condition of being temporarily set aside
A lapse in succession during
|
| Abhor
| To hate
To detest
To regard with horror or loathing
|
| Abet
| To assist somebody to do something, especially something illegal
|
| Abide
| Be faithful
To endure
To put up with
Tolerate
|
| Abjure
| Promise or swear to give up
To recant solemnly
Renounce or repudiate
|
| Abject
| Brought low in condition or status
Being of the most miserable kind
|
| Ablution
| Washing
A washing or cleansing of the body, especially as part of a religious rite
|
| Abnegation
| Self-denial
Denial
|
| Abidance
| The act or condition of abiding
Continuance
|
| Abrogate
| Repeal or annul by authority
To abolish
Do away with, or annul
|
| Abscond
| To run away secretly
To leave quickly and secretly and hide oneself, often to avoid arrest or prosecution
|
| Abstemious
| Eating or drinking in moderation
Abstaining from wine
|
| Abstruse
| Difficult to comprehend or understand
Obscure
Recondite
|
| Abut
| To border upon or end at
To touch or end at one end or side
Lie adjacent
|
| Abysmal
| Bottomless
Very profound
Limitless
Resembling an abyss in depth
Unfathomable
|
| Abyss
| The bottomless gulf, pit, or chaos of the old cosmogonies
|
| Acerbity
| Sourness or acid-ness of taste, character, or tone
|
| Acarpous
| Producing no fruit
Sterile
No longer fertile
|
| Acclaimed
| Welcomed with shouts and approval
To praise enthusiastically and often publicly
Applause
|
| Acclaim
| To declare by acclamation
|
| Accouter
| To provide with equipment or furnishings
Outfit furnish
|
| Accusation
| The state or fact of being accused
|
| Accost
| To approach and speak to often in a challenging or aggressive way
|
| Accordion
| A portable wind instrument with a small keyboard that sounds when air is forced past by pleated bellows operated by the player
|
| Acumen
| Keenness and depth of perception
Quickness
Accuracy
|
| Actuary
| A person who calculates insurance and annuity premiums, reserves, and dividends
|
| Accede
| To become a party (as to an agreement)
|
| Acrimony
| Harsh or biting sharpness of words, manner, or disposition
|
| Accolade
| Praise
An expression of approval
|
| Acme
| The highest point or stage
One that represents perfection of the thing expressed summit
|
| Acquiesce
| To accept, comply, or passively — often used with in and sometimes with to assent
|
| Acquittal
| A setting free from the charge of an offense by verdict, sentence, or other legal process
|
| Acquiescence
| The state of being acquiescent
|
| Acreage
| Area of land measured in acres
|
| Accretion
| The growing of separate things into one
Growth or increase in size by gradual external addition
|
| Acrid
| Sharp and harsh or unpleasantly pungent in taste or odor
|
| Adamant
| Inflexible
Impervious to please, appeals, or reason
Stubbornly unyielding
A stone (as a diamond)
|
| Addle
| To become confused
To become rotten
To muddle
|
| Adduce
| To offer something as evidence, a reason, proof or example
|
| Adjudicate
| To hear and settle (a case) by judicial procedure
|
| Adjunct
| Something added on as extra
Added or connected in a subordinate or auxiliary capacity
|
| Adjure
| Urge or request (someone) solemnly or earnestly to do something as under oath
|
| Admonitory
| Warning
Expressing admonition
|
| Adulteration
| Spurious
Adulterous
To make impure or poor in quality by adding extraneous, improper, or inferior ingredients
|
| Abridgment
| To put up with
Tolerate
The state of being abridged
|
| Abridge
| To reduce in scope diminish attempts to
The right of free speech
|
| Adumbrate
| To suggest
Hint
Overshadow
To give a sketchy outline of
|
| Aeronaut
| One who operates or travels in an airship or balloon
|
| Aerostat
| A lighter-than-air aircraft (as a balloon or blimp) compare aerodyne
|
| Adventitious
| Coming from another source and not innate
Not inherent but added extrinsically
|
| Affable
| Being pleasant and at ease in talking to others
|
| Affront
| To insult esp. to the face by behavior or language
|
| Afire
| Being in a state of great excitement or energy
|
| Afoot
| On foot
|
| Affix
| To attach physically
To attach in any way
|
| Affable
| Polite and friendly
Easy and pleasant to speak to
Approachable
|
| Affinity
| Close connection or relationship
A natural attraction, liking, or feeling of kinship
Relationship by marriage
|
| Agglomerate
| To gather into a ball, mass, or cluster
|
| Aggravate
| To irritate or anger somebody
To make worse or more troublesome
|
| Agile
| Active
Quick-moving
Characterized by quickness, lightness, and ease of movement
Nimble
|
| Agnostic
| Non-committal
One who is not committed to believing in either the existence or the nonexistence of God
|
| Agog
| Eager
Excited
Full of keen anticipation or excitement
|
| Aggrieve
| To inflict an injury
To distress
|
| Aghast
| Struck with terror, amazement, or horror
|
| Agrarian
| Of or relating to fields or lands or their tenure
|
| Aggrandize
| To make great or greater increase enlarge an estate
|
| Ail
| To feel ill or have pain
To give physical or emotional pain, discomfort or trouble
|
| Aide-de-camp
| A military aide
A civilian aide to an executive
|
| Alabaster
| A compact fine textured, usually white, opaque or translucent gypsum often carved into vases and ornaments
|
| Albeit
| Conceding the fact that
Even though
Although
|
| Albino
| A human being that is congenitally deficient in pigment and has a milky or translucent skin, white or colorless hair, and eyes with pink or blue iris and deep-red pupil
|
| Alderman
| A person governing a kingdom,
District, or shire as viceroy for an Anglo-Saxon king
|
| Aldermanship
| The condition, position, or office of an alderman
|
| Alienate
| To cause to become unfriendly or hostile
To cause to become withdrawn or unresponsive
|
| Aliment
| Something that nourishes; food
|
| Alacrity
| Cheerful willingness
Eagerness
Speed or quickness
|
| Alcove
| Internal recess
A recess in the wall of a room
A shady or secluded place in a garden
|
| Allegiance
| Faithfulness to obligations
Duties or observances
|
| Alleviate
| To make (pain) more bearable
Easier to bear
Lessen
Relieve
|
| Allay
| To reduce the intensity of
Relieve allay back pains
|
| Allegory
| The representation of abstract ideas or principles by characters figures, or events in narrative, dramatic, or pictorial form
|
| Alley
| A narrow street or passageway between or behind city buildings
|
| Allude
| The candidate alluded to the recent war by saying
“We’ve all made sacrifices”
|
| Altruism
| Unselfish concern for the welfare of others
Selflessness
|
| Alto
| A low female singing voice
A contralto
|
| Alloy
| Mixture of two or more metals
Fineness
To combine or mix
An amalgam
|
| Aloof
| Distant physically or emotionally
Apart
|
| Altercate
| To argue or dispute vehemently
Wrangle
To quarrel with another
|
| Amalgamate
| To combine into a unified or integrated whole
To alloy a metal with mercury
|
| Ambidextrous
| Able to use both hands with equal facility
Unusually skillful
Adroit
Deceptive or hypocritical
|
| Ambiguous
| Open to more than one interpretation
Causing uncertainty or confusion
|
| Ambivalent
| Having mixed, uncertain or conflicting feeling
Exhibiting or feeling ambivalence
|
| Amble
| To walk slowly or leisurely
Stroll
|
| Ameliorate
| To make or become better
Improve
|
| Amorphous
| Without any clear shape, form or structure
Of no particular type
Anomalous
Lacking organization
|
| Amortize
| To liquidate (a debt, such as a mortgage) by installment payments
To write off an expenditure for office equipment
|
| Aborigines
| The original of earliest known inhabitants of a country
|
| Aboveboard
| Without deceit or trickery
Straight forward
|
| Absolution
| The act of absolving
A remission of sins pronounced by a priest (as in the sacrament of reconciliation)
|
| Absolve
| To set free from an obligation or the consequences of guilt
|
| Abstemious
| Marked by restraint especially in the consumption of food or alcohol
|
| Abstruse
| Difficult to comprehend
Recondite the calculations of mathematicians
|
| Abundant
| Marked by great plenty (as of resources) a fair and land
|
| Amalgam
| An alloy of mercury and silver used in dental fillings
|
| Amatory
| Of, relating to, or expressive of love, especially sexual love
An amatory mood; an amatory embrace
|
| Ambrosial
| Suggestive of ambrosia; fragrant or delicious
|
| Ameliorate
| To make or become better
Improve
|
| Amenable
| Responsive to advice, authority, or suggestion; willing
|
| Amicable
| Characterized by or exhibiting friendliness or goodwill; friendly
|
| Amity
| Peaceful relations, as between nations; friendship
|
| Amour
| A love-affair, especially one of an illicit nature
|
| Ampersand
| The character or sign
It represents the word “And”
|
| Amply
| Of large or great size, amount, extent, or capacity
An ample living room
|
| Anachronism
| Anything occurring or existing out of its proper time
|
| Anarchy
| Absence of any form of political authority
|
| Anathema
| A formal ecclesiastical ban, curse, or excommunication
|
| Anemometer
| An instrument for measuring wind force and velocity
|
| Anew
| Once more
|
| Anglophobia
| One who dislikes or fears England, its people, or its culture
|
| Anglo-Saxon
| A member of one of the Germanic peoples,
The Angles, the Saxons, and the Jutes, who settled in Britain in the fifth and sixth centuries
|
| Annalist
| One who writes annals; a chronicler
|
| Antagonism
| Hostility that results in active resistance
Opposition
|
| Ante
| In the game of poker, to put up a stake before the cards are dealt
|
| Antediluvian
| Extremely old and antiquated
|
| Antemundane
| Being or occurring before the creation of the world
|
| Anteroom
| An outer room that opens into another room
Often used as a waiting room
|
| Anthropomorphous
| Having or suggesting human form and appearance
|
| Antilogy
| A contradiction in terms
|
| Antiphon
| A devotional composition sung responsively as part of a liturgy
|
| Antiphony
| Responsive or antiphonal singing or chanting
|
| Antiquary
| One who collects and examines old things, as coins, books, medals, weapons, etc.
|
| Antiquate
| To make obsolete or old-fashioned
|
| Antistrophe
| The second stanza, and those like it
In a poem consisting of alternating stanzas in contrasting metrical form
|
| Antitoxin
| An antibody formed in response to and capable of neutralizing a specific toxin of biological origin
|
| Anguish
| Extreme anxiety
Emotional torment
To cause to feel or suffer anguish
|
| Animosity
| Bitter hostility or open enmity
Dislike
|
| Antebellum
| Belonging or relating to the time before the Civil War
Preceding a war or characteristic of the time preceding a war
|
| Antediluvian
| Extremely old fashion and outdated
|
| Anthropomorphic
| Attribution of human motivation, characteristics or behavior to inanimate objects
Resembling the human form
|
| Annotate
| To furnish (a literary work) with critical commentary or explanatory notes; gloss
|
| Antidote
| A remedy or other agent used to neutralize or counteract the effects of a poison
|
| Antithetical
| Expressing or constituting the complete or exact opposite
Of, relating to, or marked by antithesis
|
| Apartheid
| Brutal racial discrimination
The condition of being separated from others
Segregation
|
| Aphasia
| Lack of language abilities
Partial or total loss of the ability to articulate ideas or comprehend spoken or written language
|
| Aphorism
| A brief statement of a principle, truth or opinion
Maxim
|
| Aplomb
| Self-confidence
Skill
Poise
|
| Apostasy
| Abandonment of one's religious faith, principles, or a cause
Relinquishing of a religious belief
|
| Apiary
| A place where bees and beehives are kept
Especially a place where bees are raised for their honey
|
| Apostle
| Any messenger commissioned by or as by divine authority
|
| Apothecary
| One that prepares and sells drugs and other medicines
A pharmacist
|
| Apotheosis
| Exaltation to divine rank or stature
|
| Appall
| To fill with consternation or dismay
|
| Apparition
| A ghostly figure; a specter
|
| Appellate
| Capable of being appealed to
|
| Approbation
| An expression of warm approval; praise
|
| Aqueduct
| A water-conduit, particularly one for supplying a community from a distance
|
| Aqueous
| Relating to, similar to, containing, or dissolved in water; watery
|
| Arbiter
| One chosen or appointed to judge or decide a disputed issue; an arbitrator
|
| Arbor
| A shady resting place in a garden or park, often made of rustic work or latticework on which plants, such as climbing shrubs or vines, are grown
|
| Arboretum
| A botanical garden or place devoted to the cultivation of trees or shrubs
|
| Arboriculture
| The planting and care of woody plants, especially trees
|
| Archaic
| Archaic of, relating to, or characteristic of a much earlier
Often more primitive period
Especially one that develops into a classical stage of civilization
An archaic bronze statuette; Archaic Greece
|
| Archbishop
| A bishop of the highest rank
Heading an archdiocese or province
|
| Archdeacon
| A church official, as in the Anglican Church
Who is in charge of temporal and other affairs in a diocese
With powers delegated from the bishop
|
| Ardent
| Expressing or characterized by warmth of feeling
Passionate an ardent lover
|
| Armory
| A military location used for the storage of arms and ammunition
|
| Arthurian
| Of or relating to King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table
|
| Ascribe
| To assign as a quality or attribute
|
| Ashen
| Consisting of ashes
|
| Askance
| With a side or indirect glance or meaning
|
| Assailant
| A person who attacks another
|
| Assay
| The chemical analysis or testing of an alloy ore
|
| Assiduous
| Extremely evil or cruel
Monstrous an atrocious crime
|
| Apostate
| Abandonment of one's religious faith, principles, or a cause
|
| Apotheosis
| Highest point of glory, power or importance
Exaltation to divine rank or stature
Deification
|
| Appease
| To bring peace, quiet, or calm
Soothe
To satisfy or relieve
|
| Appellation
| A name, title, or designation by which something or somebody is known
|
| Apprehensive
| Anxious
Fearful about the future
Uneasy
|
| Apprise
| To give notice to
To inform
|
| Approbation
| An expression of warm approval
Praise
A favorable opinion
|
| Apropos
| At an appropriate time
Opportunely
|
| Apt
| Especially suited to the circumstances
Very appropriate
Enthusiastic and quick to learn new things
|
| Arabesque
| Formal pose of ballet dancer
A complex, ornate design of intertwined floral, foliate, and geometric figures
|
| Arboreal
| A species that lives in trees
Relating to or resembling a tree
|
| Ardor
| Great passion
Eagerness
Intensity of emotion
Enthusiasm
|
| Arduous
| Hard work or continuous physical effort
Very difficult to traverse
Industrious
Steep
|
| Argot
| The special language used by a particular group or people
|
| Arrant
| Completely such
Out and out
Rascally
Thoroughgoing
|
| Arrogance
| Pride
Feeling of undue importance, haughtiness
|
| Articulate
| To express thoughts, ideas or feelings
To pronounce something or speak clearly
To utter intelligible speech
|
| Ascend
| To go upward
To rise
To climb up
|
| Ascendancy
| Predominant
Powerful position
Power or domination over others
|
| Ascertain
| To find out precisely
To make certain
To determine
|
| Ascribe
| To attribute
To impute
To assign
|
| Aseptic
| Surgically clean
Free of pathogenic microorganism, which does not purify
|
| Ashen
| Ash colored
Pale, made of ash wood
|
| Asperity
| Roughness
Harshness
Severity
Bitter coldness
|
| Aspersion
| Slander
Calumny
A statement that attacks somebody’s character or reputation
|
| Assiduous
| Very careful
Diligent
Hard-working
Sedulous
Attentive
|
| Assuage
| To appease
Soften
Abate
To provide relief from something distressing or painful
|
| Asterisk
| Star-shaped symbol
In linguistics, an asterisk used to mark a sound, form or structure
|
| Astringent
| Substance that shrinks, contracting, strengthening
|
| Astute
| Clever
Quick at seeing to get an advantage
Shrewd
Craft
|
| Atelier
| A studio or workshop where an artist works
|
| Atonement
| Reconciliation
The making of reparation for a sin or a mistake
Expiation
|
| Attenuate
| To make or become thinner or weaker
To reduce the size, strength or density
|
| Auburn
| Reddish-brown, said usually of the hair
|
| Augur
| One of a group of ancient Roman religious officials who foretold events by observing and interpreting signs and omens
|
| Augustinian
| Of or relating to Saint Augustine of Hippo or his doctrines
|
| Autarchy
| Absolute rule or power; autocracy
|
| Attune
| To bring into a harmonious or responsive relationship
To adjust or accustom something to be receptive
|
| Audacious
| Recklessly bold
Daring
Fearless
Insolvent
|
| Augury
| The art
Activity
Prophecies
Pronouncements of an augur
|
| August
| Inspiring Awe
Admiration
Majestic
Eighth month of English calendar
|
| Augment
| To make bigger
|
| Augur
| To predict
|
| Aura
| Pervasive psychic influence supposed to emanate from persons
|
| Aural
| Of or pertaining to the ear
|
| Auricle
| One of the two chambers of the heart which receives the blood from the veins
|
| Auricular
| Of or pertaining to the ear, its auricle, or
The sense of hearing
|
| Auriferous
| Containing gold
|
| Aurora
| A luminous phenomenon in the upper regions of the atmosphere
|
| Auspice
| Favoring, protecting, or
Propitious influence or guidance
|
| Auspicious
| Marked by lucky signs or good omens
Success
Prosperous
|
| Austere
| Physical hardship
Rigid
Harsh
Stern or severe in attitude or manner
|
| Autarchy
| Unrestricted power
|
| Authentic
| Of undisputed origin
|
| Authenticity
| The state or quality of being genuine, or
Of the origin and authorship claimed
|
| Autobiography
| The story of one's life written by himself
|
| Autocracy
| Absolute government
|
| Autocrat
| Anyone who claims
Wields unrestricted or
Undisputed authority or influence
|
| Automaton
| Any living being whose actions are or appear to be involuntary or mechanical
|
| Autonomous
| Self-governing
|
| Autonomy
| Self-government
|
| Autopsy
| The examination of a dead body by dissection to ascertain the cause of death
|
| Autumnal
| Of or pertaining to autumn
|
| Auxiliary
| Acting to support or supplement a group of people
Helping
Supporting
Secondary
|
| Avalanche
| The fall or sliding of a mass of snow or ice down a mountain-slope, often bearing with it rock
|
| Averse
| Having a feeling of opposition, distaste, or aversion
Strongly disinclined investors who are averse to taking risks
|
| Aviary
| A large enclosure for holding birds in confinement
|
| Avidity
| Ardent desire or craving
Eagerness
|
| Avocation
| An activity taken up in addition to one’s regular work or profession
Usually for enjoyment
A hobby
|
| Aye
| An expression of assent
|
| Avarice
| Passion for getting and keeping riches
|
| Aver
| To affirm with confidence
To assert
To declare true
To justify or prove
|
| Aversion
| Intense dislike, repugnance, reluctance hatred
|
| Avert
| To turn away or aside
|
| Aviary
| A spacious cage or enclosure in which live birds are kept
|
| Avid
| Eager
Greedy
Having an ardent desire or unbounded craving
|
| Avocation
| Diversion
|
| Avow
| To declare openly
To admit
To confess
|
| Awaken
| To arouse, as emotion, interest, or the like
|
| Awry
| Out of the proper form, direction, or position
|
| Aye
| An expression of assent
|
| Azalea
| A flowering shrub
|
| Azure
| The color of the sky
|