Studied by 25 peopleAbstract
theoretical; not concrete
Abstruse
hard to understand
Accolade
an award, or praise
Acclaim
praise; applaud
Acquiescent
reluctantly agreeable; compliant
Acrimony
words or behavior filled with harshness or anger
Adament
refusing to change; stubborn, unyielding
Adroit
skillful in physical activity, or in handling difficult situations
Advocate
support; plead for; speak on behalf of
Affable
riendly; easygoing
Affirmation
positive statement; assertion; agreement
Alienate
to push someone away, or cause him to separate from people
Aloof
detached; apart; indifferent
Altruistic
unselfish; caring
Ambidextrous
able to use both hands with equal skill
Ambiguous
unclear; vague; having several possible interpretations
Ambivalence
feeling of being pulled in two directions
Ameliorate
to make an unpleasant situation better; to improve
Amity
friendship
Amorphous
without form or shape
Analogous
similar
Anarchy
a lack of order; chaos
Anathema
a religious curse, or the thing or person being cursed
Antagonistic
in hostile competition; opposing
Antiquated
too old to be useful; outdated; obsolete
Antithesis
opposite
Apathy
lack of interest or concern
Apex
top; highest point; summit
Appease
calm; pacify
Arbitrary
selected by random choice and without solid reason
Arcane
secret; mysterious
Archaic
old; antiquated
Arrogant
acting superior, obnoxious, smug, or rude
Articulate
able to speak clearly and effectively
Ascendance
domination; controlling power
Ascetic
person who rejects physical comfort and luxury for self-discipline
Asperity
roughness; harshness; irritability
Assail
attack with words or force
Assiduous
persistent; hard-working; diligent; attentive to detail
Assuage
relieve; ease; pacify
Astute
wise; insightfully clever; shrewd
Atrophy
waste away; wither
Audacious
brazen; brash; nervy
Augment
make larger; increase
Auspicious
taking place under promising conditions; likely to succeed
Austere
stern; plain;
Avarice
greed
Averse
feeling repelled; wanting to avoid
Baleful
harmful; menacing
Banal
boring; trite; insipid
Beguile
to cheat or deceive, usually through charm; to amuse
Belie
to give an impression that is the opposite of the way things really are; to misrepresent
Belligerent
having a strong tendency to argue and fight
Benediction
good wishes; a blessing
Benevolent
kind-hearted; good-natured; generous
Benign
gentle; kind-hearted; mild
Bequeath
to leave behind or hand down through a will; transmit
Blight
decay; disease; widespread death
Bolster
to support; to reinforce
Bombast
speech or writing intended to impress the audience; pompous
Brevity
briefness; conciseness
Bumptious
pushy; obnoxiously self-assertive
Cacophony
harshness of sound; opposite of harmony
Cajole
to fool with flattery or false promises; coax; deceive
Candor
honesty; frankness
Capacious
large; roomy; spacious
Capitulate
surrender; yield
Capricious
unpredictable
Castigate
scold; punish
Caustic
burning, either with chemicals or sarcasm
Celerity
speed
Censure
to criticize
Chasten
punish; discipline; castigate
Chastise
scold; punish; castigate
Choler
anger
Circumscribe
draw a line around; define limits; confine; restrict
Circumspect
cautious
Clemency
mercy
Coalesce
unite; grow together
Coerce
to force someone by threatening or physically overpowering him
Cloister
secluded or isolated from the outside world; also, a place of seclusion
Complacent
self-satisfied; unconcerned
Compliant
following someone else's demands; conforming; obeying
Composure
calmness; equanimity
Concede
admit reluctantly; yield
Concise
short and to the point; terse
Condone
to overlook, excuse, or pardon
Concur
agree
Confound
to mix up (in your own mind); or, to confuse someone else
Consonance
a blending of sounds or opinions; harmony; agreement
Consummate
to complete or make whole
Contend
to argue a point or position; or, to struggle for
Contingent
dependent upon other circumstances; conditional
Contract
squeeze together; shrink
Contrite
sorry; penitent
Conundrum
riddle; mystery
Converge
move together to meet at a common point
Conviction
an opinion that is strongly held
Convivial
fond of parties; sociable
Copious
in large quantity; abundant
Note
Flashcard