barrons 1

abase

to lower or humiliate

abash

to embarrass

abate

to become less strong or intense

abbreviate

to shorten

abdicate

to give up a position or responsibility

abduction

kidnapping

aberrant

abnormal; different from what is normal

abet

to help or encourage someone to do something wrong

abeyance

a temporary pause or suspension

abhor

to hate very strongly

abject

extremely miserable or hopeless

abjure

to formally give up or reject

ablution

washing or cleaning yourself

abnegation

giving up your own wants; self-sacrifice

abolish

to officially end or get rid of

abominable

extremely unpleasant or bad

aboriginal

native to a place; existing there originally

abortive

unsuccessful; failing to achieve its goal

abrade

to scrape or wear away

abrasive

rough or harsh

abridge

to shorten

abrogate

to officially abolish or cancel

abscond

to secretly escape or leave

absolute

complete; total

absolve

to forgive or free from blame

absorb

to take in

abstain

to choose not to do something

abstemious

moderate; not eating or drinking too much

abstinence

avoiding something, especially food or drink

abstract

theoretical; not concrete

abstruse

difficult to understand

abundant

existing in large amounts

abusive

insulting or harmful

abut

to touch or border

abysmal

extremely bad; very deep

abyss

a very deep hole or pit

academic

related to school or theoretical ideas

accede

to agree to a request

accelerate

to speed up

accentuate

to emphasize; make more noticeable

accessible

easy to reach, use, or understand

accessory

an extra item that is useful but not necessary