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

Debase: to reduce the quality or value of something
Deflate: to make someone lose confidence or feel less important
Demean: degrade; humiliate
Abash: embarrass
Awkward: causing problems, worry or embarrassment
Mortifying: very embarrassing
Abate: to become less strong
Attenuate: to make something smaller, thinner or weaker
Attrition: gradually making something weaker and destroying it
Crumble: to become weaker in strength or influence; to break
Debilitate: to make someone or something physically weak
Abbess: a woman who is in charge of a convent
Abbot: a man who is in charge of a monastery
Abbey: a building where monks or nuns live or used to live
Cathedral: a very large, usually stone, building for Christian worship, which is the largest
and most important church of a diocese
!ermitage: a place where a religious person lives on their own, apart from the rest of
society
"hrine: a place for worship which is holy because of a connection with a holy
person#ob$ect
"ynagogue: a building in which %ewish people worship and study their religion
Abdicate: to give up
&meritus: no longer having a position, especially in a college or university, but keeping
the title of the position
Abduction: a carrying away of a person against his will, or illegally
Molest: to touch or attack someone in a se'ual way against their wishes
Aberration: a temporary change from the typical or usual way of behaving
Discrepancy: difference between two things that should be the same
(affe: a remark or action that is a social mistake and not considered polite
Malapropism: the wrong use of one word instead of another word because they sound
similar to each other, and which is funny as a result
Abet: to help or encourage someone to do something wrong or illegal
Au'iliary: giving help or support, especially to a more important person or thing
Avail: to help or be useful to someone or something
)ecourse: using something or someone as a way of getting help, especially in a difficult
or dangerous situation
"uccor: help given to someone, especially someone who is suffering or in need
Abeyance: a state of not happening or being used at present
!iatus: a short pause in which nothing happens or is said, or a space where something is
missing
*apse: a period of time passing between two things happening; to end legally or officially
by not being continued or made effective for a longer period
Moratorium: a stopping of an activity for an agreed amount of time
+lateau: a period during which there are no large changes
Abhorrence: a feeling of hating something or someone
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Abomination: something that you dislike and disapprove of
Animosity: strong dislike, opposition, or anger
Antagonism: hate, e'treme unfriendliness or actively opposing someone
Antipathy: strong dislike, opposition or anger
Contempt: a strong feeling of disliking and having no respect for someone or something;
behavior that is illegal because it does not obey or respect the rules of a law court
Disdain: when you dislike someone or something and think that they do not deserve your
interest or respect
&nmity: a feeling of hate
Misandry: hatred of men
Misogynist: a man who hates women or believes that men are much better than women
,dium: hate and strong disapproval
)ancour: a feeling of hate and continuing anger about something in the past
-enom: a poisonous liquid which some snakes, insects, etc produce when biting or
stinging; the e'pression of feelings of hatred or e'treme anger
Abject: when someone is e'tremely unhappy, poor, frightened, etc; showing no pride or respect
for yourself
.ereft: not having something or feeling great loss
Desolate: describes a place that is empty and not attractive, with no people or nothing
pleasant in it; e'tremely sad and feeling alone
Despondent: unhappy and with no hope or enthusiasm because you feel you are in a
difficult situation
Destitute: without money, food, a home or possessions
/mpecunious: having very little money; poor
/mpoverished: very poor; made weaker or worse in quality
/ndigent: very poor
+enury: the state of being e'tremely poor
"kint: having no money
0istful: sad and thinking about something that is impossible or in the past
0retched: unhappy, unpleasant or of low quality; very ill or very unhappy
Abjure: to state publicly that you no longer agree with a belief or way of behaving
Defy: to refuse to obey a person, decision, law, situation, etc
Demur: to e'press disagreement or refuse to do something;
Disavow: to say that you know nothing about something, or that you have no
responsibility for or connection with something
(ainsay: to refuse to accept something as the truth
)enounce: to say formally or publicly that you no longer own, support, believe in or have
a connection with something
)epudiate: to refuse to accept something or someone as true, good or reasonable
"hun: to avoid something; to ignore someone and not speak to them because you cannot
accept their behavior, beliefs, etc
"purn: to refuse to accept something or someone because you feel that they are not worth
having
Ablution: washing
Abnegation: the act of not allowing yourself to have sth that you want; the act of re$ecting sth
Aboriginal: describes a person or living thing that has e'isted in a country or continent since the
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earliest time known to people;
Abortive: describes an attempt or plan that you have to give up because it has failed
Arid: dry, barren; unsuccessful; not interesting and showing no imagination
1utile: having no effect or achieving nothing; unsuccessful
2navailing: when an attempt to do something is unavailing, it is unsuccessful or has no
positive effect
Above board: legal and honest; in a legal and honest way
Abrasion: the process of rubbing away the surface of something
.uff: to rub an ob$ect made of metal, wood or leather in order to make it shine, using a
soft, dry cloth a person who knows a lot about and is very interested in a particular
sub$ect
Chafe: to make or become damaged or sore by rubbing
Abridge: to make a book, play or piece of writing shorter by removing details and information
that is not important
.owdleri3e: to remove words or parts from a book, play or film that are considered to be
unsuitable or offensive
Abrogate: to end a law, agreement or custom formally
Abolish: to end a law, agreement or custom formally
)epeal: if a government repeals a law, it causes that law no longer to have any legal
force
)escind: to make a law, agreement, order or decision no longer have any 4legal5 power
Abscess: a painful swollen area on or in the body, which contains pus 46 thick, yellow liquid5
Abscission: removal by cutting off; separation
Abscond: to go away suddenly and secretly in order to escape from somewhere
Decamp: to leave suddenly and une'pectedly, usually without telling anyone
Absolve: 4especially in religion or law5 to free someone from guilt, blame or responsibility for
something
/mpunity: freedom from punishment or from the unpleasant results of something that has
been done
)emission: a reduction of the time that a person has to stay in prison; forgiveness for
breaking religious laws or rules; a period of time when an illness is less severe
)eprieve: an official order that stops or delays the punishment, especially by death, of a
prisoner; an escape from a bad situation or e'perience
Abstain: to not do something, especially something en$oyable that you think might be bad
Abstemious: not doing things which give you pleasure, especially not eating good food or
drinking alcohol
Abstinence: not doing something, such as drinking alcohol or having se'
Desist: to stop doing something, especially something that someone else does not want
you to do
)efrain: to avoid doing or stop yourself from doing something
Abstruse: difficult to understand
Ambiguity: 4an e'ample of5 when something has more than one possible meaning and
may therefore cause confusion
Convolution: a twist; something that makes an e'planation, story, etc complicated and
difficult to understand
Cryptic: mysterious and difficult to understand
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&quivocal: not clear and seeming to have two opposing meanings, or confusing and able
to be understood in two different ways
&soteric: very unusual; understood or liked by only a small number of people, especially
those with special knowledge
1athomless: impossible to understand
/mpalpable: difficult to feel or understand
/mpenetrable: impossible to see through or go through; impossible to understand
,bscure: not known to many people; not clear and difficult to understand or see
,racular: mysterious and difficult to understand, but probably wise
+roli': using too many words and therefore boring or difficult to read or listen to; verbose
)econdite: not known about by many people and difficult to understand; secret
"erpentine: curving and twisting like a snake; complicated and difficult to understand
Abusive: using rude and offensive words
Affront: a remark or action intended to insult or offend someone
.rickbat: a spoken attack; an insult
Abut: border upon; $oin
Affi': to fi' one thing to another
Aggregate: to combine into a single group or total
Conflate: to combine two or more separate things, especially pieces of te't, to form a
whole
"plice: to $oin two pieces of rope, film, etc together at their ends in order to form one
long piece
Absurd: stupid or unreasonable; silly in a humorous way
Asinine: e'tremely stupid
.ovine: slow or stupid in a way that a cow is thought to be
Abundant: more than enough
Ample: more than enough
.ountiful: large in amount; generous in giving to others
Copious: in large amounts; more than enough
(alore: in great amounts or numbers
*avish: more than enough, especially if e'pensive; very generous; wasteful
+rofuse: produced or given in large amounts
+rolific: producing a great number or amount of something
Abysmal: bottomless; very bad
Abyss: enormous chasm; vast; bottomless pit
Accede: agree
Acquiesce: to accept or agree to something, often unwillingly
Capitulate: to accept something or agree to do something unwillingly; surrenders
Acclaim: public approval and praise
Accolade: praise and approval; award of merit
Adulation: very great admiration or praise for someone, especially when it is more than is
deserved
&ulogi3e: to praise someone or something in a speech or piece of writing
+anegyric: a speech or piece of writing that praises someone very much and does not
mention anything bad about them
+laudit: praise
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)ave: to praise something very much; to speak in an uncontrolled way, usually because
you are upset or angry, or because you are ill
)hapsody: a piece of music which has no formal structure and which e'presses powerful
feelings; a speech or piece of writing that contains powerful feelings and enthusiasm
-aunted: praised often in a way that is considered to be more than acceptable or
reasonable
Acclimate: ad$ust to climate or environment; adapt
Acclivity: sharp upside of a hill
Accommodate: to provide with a place to live or to be stored in
.illet: a place for especially soldiers to stay in for a short time
Accomplice: a person who helps someone else to commit a crime or to do something morally
wrong
Accord: agreement; to treat someone specially, usually by showing respect
Assent: agree; accept
Compact: a formal agreement between two or more people
Concur: to agree with someone or have the same opinion as someone else
Consensus: a generally accepted opinion or decision among a group of people
Consent: permission or agreement
Countenance: to find acceptable; to approve of or give support to; face
&mbrace: to accept something enthusiastically; to hold someone tightly with both arms to
e'press love, liking or sympathy, or when greeting or leaving someone; to include
something, often as one of a number of things
)atify: 4especially of governments or organi3ations5 to make an agreement official
Accost: to go up to or stop and speak to someone in a threatening way
Accoutre: equip
Accursed: very annoying; doomed to evil, misery or misfortune
Aggravating: annoying
Damnable: very annoying
&'asperating: e'tremely annoying
/rksome: annoying
Accretion: growth; increase
Accrue: to increase in number or amount over a period of time
+roliferate: to increase a lot and suddenly in number
Acerbic: describes something that is spoken or written in a way that is direct, clever and cruel;
bitter or sour in nature
Acetic: vinegary
Acidulous: slightly sour
Acknowledge: to accept, admit or recogni3e something, or the truth or e'istence of something
Avow: to state or admit something
Concede: to admit, often unwillingly, that something is true
Acme: peak; highest point
Ape': the highest point or most successful part of something
Apogee: the most successful, popular or powerful point
!eyday: the most successful or popular period of someone or something
+innacle: the most successful or admired part of a system or achievement
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7enith: the best or most successful point or time
Acquittal: the decision of a court that someone is not guilty
&'culpate: to remove blame from someone
&'onerate: to show or state that someone or something is not guilty of something
Acrid: describes a smell or taste that is strong and bitter and causes a burning feeling in the
throat
Aromatic: having a pleasant smell
1etid: smelling e'tremely bad and stale
Malodorous: having an unpleasant smell
+ungent: describes a very strong smell or taste, sometimes one that is unpleasantly
strong; describes speech or writing that is very strongly felt
+utrid: decayed and having an unpleasant smell; very unpleasant or ugly
)edolent: smelling strongly of something or having qualities 4especially smells5 that
make you think of something else
Acrimonious: full of anger, arguments and bad feeling
Disgruntled: unhappy, annoyed and disappointed about something
Actuarial: calculating; pertaining to insurance statistics
Actuate: motivate
Acuity: the ability to hear, see or think accurately and clearly
Acumen: skill in making correct decisions and $udgments in a particular sub$ect, such as
business or politics
Acute: 4of the senses, intelligence, etc5 very good, accurate and able to notice very small
differences
Adage: a wise saying; proverb
Aphorism: a short clever saying which is intended to e'press a general truth
Apothegm: pithy; compact saying
Dictum: a short statement, especially one e'pressing advice or a general truth
Adamant: impossible to persuade, or unwilling to change an opinion or decision
/ntransigent: refusing to be persuaded, especially refusing to change opinions that are
strongly believed in
)esolute: determined in character, action or ideas
8enacious: holding tightly onto something, or keeping an opinion in a determined way
2nrelenting: e'tremely determined; never becoming weaker or admitting defeat
Adapt: alter; modify
Addendum: something that has been added to a book, speech or document
Addiction: habitual need
Compulsive: doing something a lot and unable to stop doing it
Addle: to make someone feel confused and unable to think clearly
.ewilder: to confuse someone
Confound: to confuse and very much surprise someone, so that they are unable to e'plain
or deal with a situation
Disorientate: to make someone confused about where they are and where they are going
1lummo': to confuse someone so much that they do not know what to do
+erple': to confuse and worry someone slightly by being difficult to understand or solve
Address: direct speech to; deal or discuss
Adept: e'pert at
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Adroit: very skilful and quick in the way you think or move
Artisan: a person who does skilled work with his or her hands
De'terous: skillful
Deft: skilful, clever or quick
/ntimate: e'pert, detailed and obtained from a lot of studying or e'perience; having, or
being likely to cause, a very close friendship or personal or se'ual relationship
-irtuoso: a person who is e'tremely skilled at something, especially at playing an
instrument or performing
Adhere: stick fast
Adherent: sticky; a person who strongly supports a particular person, principle or set
ideas
(lutinous: sticky
Adieu: good9by
Adjacent: very near, ne't to, or touching
Contiguous: ne't to or touching another, usually similar, thing
Adjunct: something added or connected to a larger or more important thing
Adjuration: solemn urging
Admonish: to tell someone that they have done something wrong; warn
.erate: to critici3e or speak in an angry manner to someone
Castigate: to critici3e someone or something severely
Chasten: to make someone understand that they have failed or done something wrong and
make them want to improve
Ado: without wasting more time
Adorn: decorate
.edeck: to decorate or cover
&mbellish: to make something more beautiful or interesting by adding something to it
Adulation: very great admiration or praise for someone, especially when it is more than is
deserved
&ulogi3e: to praise someone or something in a speech or piece of writing
&'tol: to praise something or someone very much
1elicitations: an e'pression used to wish someone happiness, or to praise or show
approval
*audatory: e'pressing praise
Adulterate: to make food or drink weaker or to lower its quality, by adding something else
Alloy: to spoil or reduce in value
.lemish: a mark on something that spoils its appearance; to spoil something
.light: a disease that damages and kills plants; to spoil something
Deface: to damage and spoil the appearance of something by writing or drawing on it
Desecrate: to damage or show no respect towards something holy or very much respected
Detriment: harm or damage
8aint: to spoil something, especially food or blood, by adding a harmful substance, or to
spoil people:s opinion of someone
Adumbrate: to give only the main facts and not the details about something, especially
something that will happen in the future
Advent: the arrival of an event, invention or person
Adventitious: not e'pected or planned
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Abrupt: describes something that is sudden and une'pected, and often unpleasant
&'temporaneous: done or said without any preparation or thought
Adversary: an enemy
Antagonist: a person who is strongly opposed to something or someone
Adverse: having a negative or harmful effect on something
Adversity: a difficult or unlucky situation or event; poverty
Advert: an advertisement
Advocacy: support; active pleading on behalf of someone or something
.uttress: to make support for an idea or argument stronger by providing a good reason for
it; a structure made of stone or brick, which sticks out from and supports a wall of a
building
Aegis: with the protection or support of someone or something, especially an organi3ation
Asylum: protection or safety, especially that given by a government to foreigners who
have been forced to leave their own countries for political reasons
.ulwark: something that protects you from dangerous or unpleasant situations
Aesthetic: relating to the en$oyment or study of beauty; describes an ob$ect or a work of art that
shows great beauty
Alluring: attractive or e'citing
Affable: friendly and easy to talk to
Amiable: describes a person or their behavior that is pleasant and friendly
Amicable: relating to behavior between people that is pleasant and friendly often despite
a difficult situation
Amity: friendship; a good relationship
Convivial: friendly and making you feel happy and welcome
(regarious: 4of people5 liking to be with other people, or 4especially of animals5 living in
groups
%ovial: 4of a person5 friendly and in a good mood, or 4of a situation5 en$oyable because of
being friendly and pleasant
+ally: friendly
Affected: artificial and not sincere; to have an influence on someone or something, or to cause
them to change
1actitious: false or artificial
Affiliation: a connection with a political party or religion, or with a larger organi3ation
Affinity: a liking or sympathy for someone or something, especially because of shared
characteristics
Affliction: something that makes you suffer
Affluence: abundance; wealth
Afoot: in progress
Agape: with the mouth open, especially showing surprise or shock
Aghast: suddenly filled with strong feelings of shock and worry
Agglomeration: a large group of many different things collected or brought together
Conglomeration: a large group or mass of different things all collected together in an
untidy or unusual way
Aggrandize: increase in power or importance; increase or intensify
Aggressor: a person or country that starts an argument, fight or war by attacking first
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.esiege: to surround a place, especially with an army, to prevent people or supplies
getting in or out
Agility: able to move your body quickly and easily
Agitate: to make someone feel an'ious or angry; to shake a liquid; to argue forcefully, especially
in public, in order to achieve a particular type of change
Agnostic: someone who does not know, or believes that it is impossible to know, whether a god
e'ists
Apostate: a person who has given up their religion or left a political party
Atheist: someone who believes that (od or gods do not e'ist
Agog: e'cited; eager to know or see more
Avid: e'tremely eager or interested
Delirious: e'tremely happy or e'cited; unable to think or speak clearly because of fever
or mental confusion
&'hilarate: very e'cited and happy; to give someone strong feelings of happiness and
e'citement
Agrarian: related to the land, especially farms, and its ownership
Arable: describes farming and farm land that is used for, or is suitable for, growing crops
Ailment: an illness
Alacrity: speed and eagerness
Alcove: nook; recess
;iche: a hollow in a wall, especially one made to put a statue in so that it can be seen
Alderman: in the 2", Australia and Canada, an elected member of a city government
Alias: used when giving the name that a person is generally known by, after giving their real
name
Appellation: a name or title
&pithet: an ad$ective added to a person:s name or a phrase used instead of it, usually to
critici3e or praise them
Misnomer: a name that does not suit what it refers to, or the use of such a name
Alienate: to cause someone or a group of people to stop supporting and agreeing with you; to
make someone feel that they are different and do not belong to a group
Alimony: a regular amount of money that a court of law orders a person, usually a man, to pay
to their partner after a divorce
Allay: calm; pacify
Allege: sate without proof
Alleviate: to make something bad such as pain or problems less severe
Ameliorate: to make a bad or unpleasant situation better
Assuage: to make unpleasant feelings less strong
Mollify: to make someone less angry or upset
)edeem: to make something or someone seem less bad
Alliteration: the use, especially in poetry, of the same sound or sounds, especially consonants, at
the beginning of several words that are close together
Diphthong: a vowel sound in which the tongue changes position to produce the sound of
two vowels
Allude: refer indirectly
Alluvial: earth and sand that has been left by rivers, floods, etc
Aloof: describes an unfriendly person who refuses to take part in things; apart; reserved
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Aloft: upward
Altar: a type of table used in ceremonies in a Christian church or in other religious buildings
Altercation: a loud argument or disagreement
Cleavage: division or disagreement
Altruistic: showing a wish to help or bring advantages to other people, even if it results in
disadvantage for yourself
Munificent: very generous with money
+hilanthropist: a person who helps the poor, especially by giving them money
Amalgamate: to $oin or unite to form a larger organi3ation or group, or to make separate
organi3ations do this
Coalesce: /f two or more things coalesce, they come or grow together to form one thing
or system
Concatenation: a series of events, ideas or things that are connected
Amass: collect
Collate: to bring together different pieces of written information so that the similarities
and differences can be seen; to collect and arrange the sheets of a report, book, etc, in
the correct order
(arner: to collect something, usually after much work or with difficulty
Amatory: relating to se'ual love
.awdy: containing humorous remarks about se'
Carnal: relating to the physical feelings and wants of the body; se'ual
&arthy: like or relating to earth; referring to se' and the human body in a direct way
/ndecent: morally offensive, especially in a se'ual way
*ascivious: e'pressing a strong desire for se'ual activity
*ewd: 4of behavior, speech, dress, etc5 se'ual in an obvious and rude way
*ibidinous: having or showing strong se'ual desires
*icentious: 4especially of a person or their behavior5 se'ual in an uncontrolled and
socially unacceptable way
*urid: 4especially of a description5 shocking because involving violence, se' or immoral
activity; too brightly colored
+rurient: too interested in the details of another person:s se'ual behavior
8itillate: to make someone e'cited intentionally but only a little, usually with se'ual
images or descriptions
0anton: 4of a woman5 behaving or appearing in a very se'ual way; e'treme and showing
no care at all
Ambidextrous: able to use both hands equally well
Ambience: 4especially of environmental conditions5 e'isting in the surrounding area
Ambivalence: having two opposing feelings at the same time, or being uncertain about
Dubious: thought not to be completely true or not able to be trusted
/rresolute: not able or willing to take decisions or actions
<uandary: a state of not being able to decide what to do about a situation in which you
are involved
"traddle: to be unable to decide which of two opinions about a sub$ect is better and so
partly support both opinions; to combine different styles or sub$ects
-acillate: to be uncertain what to do, or to change often between two opinions
Amble: to walk in a slow and rela'ed way
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Meander: to walk slowly without any clear direction; a curve of a river or stream; if a
te't, process or activity meanders, it has no clear direction
Mincing: describes a way of speaking that is too delicate and not direct enough; to cut
meat, or other food, into very small pieces, sometimes using a special machine
+romenade: a path for walking on, especially one built ne't to the sea
"aunter: to walk in a slow and rela'ed way, often in no particular direction
"troll: to walk in a slow rela'ed manner, especially for pleasure
Ambulatory: able to walk; not bedridden
Amenable: willing to accept or be influenced by a suggestion
Amend: to change the words of a te't, especially a law or a legal document
Amenities: convenient features; courtesies
Amiss:wrong; not suitable or not as e'pected
Delusive: false
&rroneous: wrong or false
1allacious: not correct
1lawed: not perfect, or containing mistakes
/niquitous: very wrong and unfair
"purious: false and not what it appears to be, or 4of reasons and $udgments5 based on
something that has not been correctly understood and therefore
Amnesty: a decision by a government that allows political prisoners to be free
Clemency: kindness when giving a punishment; 4of weather5 the quality of being pleasant
Amoral: without moral principles
Degenerate: someone with low standards of behavior; to become worse in quality
Demonic: wild and evil
Devilish: evil or morally bad
Diabolical: evil, or caused by the Devil
;efarious: 4especially of activities5 evil or immoral
"ordid: immoral and shocking
"qualid: not moral; involving se' and drugs, etc in an unpleasant way; 4of places5
e'tremely dirty and unpleasant, often because of lack of money
8urpitude: evil
-ile: unpleasant, immoral and unacceptable
Amorous: of or e'pressing se'ual desire
Amorphous: having no fi'ed form or shape
Amphitheatre: oval building with tiers of seats
Amplify: to increase the si3e or effect of something
&scalate: to make or become greater or more serious
Amputate: to cut off a part of the body
Circumcise: to cut the protecting loose skin off a boy:s penis, or to cut away a girl:s
clitoris and the skin around it, for medical, traditional or religious reasons
&viscerate: to remove one or all of the organs from the inside of a body
&'cise: to remove, especially by cutting; a ta' made by a government on some types of
goods produced and used within their own country
Amok: to be out of control and act in a wild or dangerous manner
1ren3ied: uncontrolled and e'cited, sometimes violent
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)ampant: getting worse quickly and in an uncontrolled way
)iotous: very loud and uncontrolled, full of energy
Amulet: an ob$ect worn because it is believed to protect against evil, disease or unhappiness
8alisman: an ob$ect believed to bring good luck or to keep its owner safe from harm
Anachronism: a person, thing or idea which e'ists out of its time in history, especially one
happened or e'isted later than the period being shown, discussed, etc
Analgesic: a type of drug which stops you from feeling pain
Anesthetic: a substance that makes you unable to feel pain
Astringent: a drug or cream that causes the skin or other tissue to tighten so that the flow
of blood or other liquids stops; describes remarks which are clever but unkind or critici3e
someone
&mollient: a cream or liquid which makes dry or sore skin softer or less painful
;arcotic: a drug which makes you want to sleep and prevents you feeling pain
Analogous: comparable
Anarchy: a situation in which there is no organi3ation and control; no governing body
Anathema: something which is strongly disliked or disapproved of
Aversion: 4a person or thing which causes5 a feeling of strong dislike or of not wishing to
do something
Ancestry: ancestors who lived a long time ago, or the origin of your family
Descendant: a person who is related to someone and who lives after them, such as their
child or grandchild
Anchor: to make something or someone stay in one position by fastening them firmly
Ancillary: providing support or help; additional; e'tra
Anecdote: a short often funny story, especially about something someone has done
Anemia: a medical condition in which there are not enough red blood cells in the blood
Anguish: e'treme unhappiness caused by physical or mental suffering
Ardent: showing strong feelings
Animadversion: critical remark
Animus: hostile feeling
Annals: historical records of the activities of a country or organi3ation
Archives: a collection of historical records relating to a place, organi3ation or family
Chronicle: a written record of historical events
Docket: a list of cases to be dealt with in a law court, or an agenda in business
Annex: to take possession of an area of land or a country, usually by force; attach
Annihilate: to destroy completely so that nothing is left; to defeat completely
Apocalypse: a very serious event resulting in great destruction and change
Depredation: 4an act causing5 damage or destruction
Devour: to destroy something completely
Disfigure: to spoil the appearance of something or someone, especially their face,
completely
&'tirpate: to remove or destroy something completely
,bliterate: to remove all signs of something, either by destroying it or by covering it so
that it cannot be seen; to make an idea or feeling disappear completely
-itiate: to destroy or damage something
Annotate: to add a short e'planation or opinion to a te't or drawing
Annuity: yearly allowance
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Covenant: a formal agreement to pay a fi'ed sum of money regularly, especially to a
charity; a formal agreement between two or more people
Annul: to officially announce that something 4a law, agreement, marriage5 no longer e'ists
Anodyne: drug that relieves pain
Anoint: to make someone holy in a religious ceremony by putting holy water or oil on them
Anomalous: abnormal; irregular
Anonymity: when someone:s name is not given or known
Antecede: precede
Antediluvian: e'tremely old9fashioned
Antiquated: old9fashioned or unsuitable for modern society
Archaic: from an ancient period in history
Anthem: song of praise or patriotism
Dirge: a slow sad song or piece of music, sometimes played because someone has died
&legy: a sad poem or song, especially remembering someone who has died or something
in the past
Madrigal: a song performed without musical instruments in which several singers sing
different notes at the same time
Anthology: a collection of artistic works which have a similar form or sub$ect, often those
considered to be the best
Antic: e'travagantly odd
Anticlimax: letdown in thought or emotion
Chagrin: disappointment or anger, especially when caused by a failure or mistake
Antithesis: the e'act opposite
Dichotomy: a difference between two completely opposite ideas or things
Apathy: when someone shows no interest or energy and is unwilling to take action, especially
over something important
/ndifference: lack of interest in someone or something
Ape: imitate or mimic
Aperture: a small and often narrow opening
Aphasia: a medical condition in which a person is not able to speak or write or understand
speech or writing because of damage to the brain
Apiary: a place where people keep bees, especially a collection of hives
Aviary: a large cage or closed space in which birds are kept as pets
Aplomb: confidence and style
Apocryphal: describes a story that is probably not true although often told and believed by some
people to have happened
Apolitical: not interested in or connected with politics
Apologist: a person who supports a particular belief or political system, especially an unpopular
one, and speaks or writes in defense of it
&'ponent: a person who supports an idea or belief or performs an activity
+roponent: a person who speaks publicly in support of a particular idea or plan of action
Apothecary: a person who in the past made and sold medicines
Apotheosis: the best or most e'treme e'ample of something; the act of making someone into a
(od
Appall: to make someone have strong feelings of shock or of disapproval
Dismay: a feeling of unhappiness and disappointment
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%olt: to shock someone in order to change their behavior or way of thinking; to 4cause
something or someone to5 move suddenly and violently
)uffle: to annoy or upset someone, or to make them very nervous; to touch or move
something smooth so that it is not even
Apparition: the spirit of a dead person appearing in a form which can be seen
Appease: pacify or soothe; relieve
Append: to add something to the end of a piece of writing
Augment: to increase the si3e or value of something by adding something to it
Apposite: suitable and right for the occasion
Apropos: suitable in a particular situation or at a particular time; used to introduce
something which is related to or connected with something that has $ust been said
1elicitous: suitable or right and e'pressing well the intended thought or feeling
1elicity: when words or remarks are suitable and e'press what was intended; happiness,
luck, or a condition which produces positive results
Appraise: to e'amine someone or something in order to $udge their qualities, success or needs
Apprehend: to catch and arrest someone who has not obeyed the law; to understand something
Apprehensive: feeling worried about something that you are going to do
Distracted: nervous, worried or confused because you are worried about something
1raught: causing or having e'treme worry or an'iety; full of unpleasant things such as
problems or dangers
1rayed: describes someone:s mood when they are feeling worried, upset or annoyed
1ret: to be nervous or worried
(rim: worrying, without hope
+erturb: to worry someone
Apprise: to tell someone about something
Disseminate: to spread or give out something, especially news, information, ideas, etc, to
a lot of people
&nunciate: to state and e'plain a plan or principle clearly or formally; to pronounce
words or parts of words clearly
+romulgate: to announce something publicly, especially a new law; to spread beliefs or
ideas among a lot of people
Approbation: approval or agreement, often given by an official group; praise
Countenance: approval; the appearance or e'pression of someone:s face
Appurtenances: a possession or piece of property that is considered to be a typical feature of a
particular way of living
Aptitude: a natural ability or skill
Aquiline: of or like an eagle 46 large bird5; curved; hooked
Arabesque: a type of decoration based on flowers, leaves and branches which are often twisted
together, found especially in /slamic art
Dappled: covered with spots of color that are lighter or darker than the main color, or
covered with areas of light and darkness
1iligree: delicate $ewellery made from twisted, especially silver, wire; decorative open
patterns
Motif: a pattern or design; an idea that is used many times in a piece of writing or music
"triated: having long thin lines, marks or strips of color
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8essellate: 4of shapes5 to fit together in a pattern with no spaces in between
-ariegated: having a pattern of different colors or marks
Arbiter: someone who makes a $udgment
Arbitrary: based on chance rather than being planned or based on reason; using unlimited
personal power without considering other people:s wishes
Arboretum: place where different varieties of trees and shrubs are studied = e'hibited
Arcade: a covered area or passage
-estibule: a small closed area on the front of a house; a porch
Arcane: mysterious and known only by a few people
Archetype: a typical e'ample of something
+aradigm: a model of something, or a very clear and typical e'ample of something
&'emplar: a typical or good e'ample of something
<uintessence: the most typical e'ample
Archipelago: a group of small islands or an area of sea in which there are many small islands
Ardor: great enthusiasm or love
Arduous: difficult, needing a lot of effort and energy
(rueling: e'tremely tiring and difficult, and demanding great effort and determination
/ntractable: very difficult and seeming to be impossible to control, manage or solve
,bstinate: describes a problem, situation or thing that is difficult to deal with, remove or
defeat; unreasonably determined, especially to act in a particular way and not to change
at all, despite what anyone else says
,nerous: difficult to do or needing a lot of effort
Argot: slang
Cant: special words used by a particular group of people such as thieves, lawyers or
priests, often in order to keep things secret
%argon: special words and phrases which are used by particular groups of people,
especially in their work
Aria: a song sung by one person in an opera
.allad: a song or poem that tells a story
Armada: a large group of war ships
Arraign: charge in court
/ndict: charge
Array: to arrange a group of things in a particular way; adorn
Arrears: money that is owed and should already have been paid
Arrest: to stop or interrupt the development of something
Ad$ourn: to have a pause or rest during a formal meeting or trial
Curtail: to stop something before it is finished, or to reduce or limit something
Arrhythmic: lacking rhythm or regularity
Arrogance: pride; haughtiness
Arroyo: gully
Arsenal: a building where weapons and military equipment are stored
Artful: clever and skilful, especially in getting what you want
Crafty: clever, especially in a dishonest or secret way
Devious: describes people or plans and methods that are dishonest, often in a complicated
way, but often also clever and successful
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Disingenuous: 4of a person5 slightly dishonest; not speaking the complete truth
Machiavellian: using clever but often dishonest methods which deceive people so that
you can win power or control
Articulate: able to e'press thoughts and feelings easily and clearly
&loquent: giving a clear, strong message
Artifact: an ob$ect that is made by a person
Artifice: a clever trick or something intended to deceive
Canard: a false report or piece of information which is intended to deceive people
Charade: an act or event which is clearly false
Concoct: to invent an e'cuse, e'planation or story in order to deceive someone
Delude: to make someone believe something that is not true; to deceive
1abricate: to invent or produce something false in order to deceive
Artless: simple and honest; not wanting to deceive
Candid: honest and telling the truth, especially about something difficult or painful
Candor: the quality of being honest and telling the truth
)ectitude: honesty and correct moral behavior
"crupulous: e'tremely honest; doing everything correctly = e'actly as it should be done
Ascendancy: a position of power, strength or success
!egemony: 4especially of countries5 the position of being the strongest and most
powerful and therefore able to control others
Ascertain: to discover; to make certain
Ascetic: avoiding physical pleasures and living a simple life, often for religious reasons
Ascribe: refer; attribute; assign
Aseptic: medically clean or without infection
/mmaculate: perfectly clean or tidy
"alubrious: describes a place that is pleasant, clean, and healthy to live in
Askance: to look at or think about someone or something with doubt, disapproval or no trust
Askew: not straight or level
Asperity: the quality of being severe in the way that you speak and behave
Aspersion: slanderous remark
Assail: to attack someone violently or critici3e someone strongly
Censure: strong criticism or disapproval
Condemn: to critici3e something or someone strongly, usually for moral reasons
Denounce: to critici3e something or someone strongly and publicly
Disparage: to critici3e someone or something in a way that shows you do not respect or
value them
&'coriate: to state the opinion that a play, a book, a political action, etc is very bad
1ulminate: to critici3e strongly
/conoclast: a person who strongly opposes generally accepted beliefs and traditions
Malign: to say false and unpleasant things about someone or to unfairly critici3e them
Maul: to critici3e something or someone severely
;ag: to critici3e or complain often in an annoying way
;iggle: to critici3e someone about small details or give too much attention to details
,pprobrium: severe criticism and blame
+illory: to severely critici3e someone, especially in a public way
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"tricture: a statement of severe criticism or disapproval
8raduce: to strongly critici3e someone, especially in a way that harms their reputation
-itriol: violent hate and anger e'pressed through severe criticism
Assay: to perform an e'amination on a chemical in order to test how pure it is
Assert: to behave in a way which e'presses your confidence
Aver: to state the truth of something strongly
&mphatic: done or said in a strong way and without any doubt
Assessment: estimation; appraisal
Assiduous: showing hard work, care and attention to detail
Conscientious: putting a lot of effort into your work
&'ertion: when you make a lot of mental or physical effort
+ainstaking: e'tremely careful and correct, and using a lot of effort
+erseverance: continued effort and determination
"trenuous: needing or using a lot of physical or mental effort or energy
Assimilate: to take in, fit into, or become similar 4to5
"ubsume: to include something or someone as part of a larger group
Assurance: promise or pledge; certainty; self9confidence
-ow: to make a determined decision or promise to do something
Astigmatism: a fault in the lens of the eye which reduces the quality of sight
Cataract: a disease in which an area of the eye becomes cloudy so that a person cannot
see correctly
Astral: relating to the stars or outer space; relating to forces which are not known or understood;
supernatural
Celestial: of or from the sky or outside this world
Astronomical: describes an amount which is e'tremely large
.ehemoth: something that is e'tremely large and often e'tremely powerful
Colossal: e'tremely large
&normity: very great si3e or importance; an e'tremely evil act
(argantuan: very large
(inormous: e'tremely large
!umungous: e'tremely large
/mmense: e'tremely large in si3e or degree; e'tremely good
Mammoth: e'tremely large
+rodigious: e'tremely great in ability, amount or strength
8humping: very big or important
Astute: clever and quick to see how to take advantage of a situation
Donnish: intelligent, often in a way that is too serious
/ngenious: very clever and skilful
Asunder: into forcefully separated pieces; apart
Dismantle: to take a machine apart or to come apart into separate pieces
"hatter: break suddenly into very small pieces; to end or severely damage something
Atavism: resemblance to remote ancestors rather than to parents; throwback
Atone: to do something that shows that you are sorry for something bad that you did
&'piate: to show that you are sorry for bad behavior by doing something or accepting
punishment
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+enance: an act which shows that you feel sorry about something that you have done,
sometimes for religious reasons
+enitent: showing that you are sorry for something you have done because you feel it was
wrong
)epentant: feeling sorry for something that you have done
Atrocity: when someone does something e'tremely violent and shocking
.ellicose: wishing to fight or start a war
.elligerent: wishing to fight or argue
1ierce: physically violent and frightening
*outishness: rude, offensive behavior
Marauding: going from one place to another killing or using violence, stealing and
destroying
,utrage: a feeling of anger and shock
+ugnacious: wanting to start an argument or fight, or e'pressing an argument or opinion
very forcefully
)ampage: violent and usually wild behavior
"avage: e'tremely violent, wild or frightening
Atrophy: to be reduced in si3e and therefore strength, or, more generally, to become weaker
Attentive: alert = watchful; considerate
Circumspect: careful not to take risks
Diligent: careful and using a lot of effort
Meticulous: very careful and with great attention to every detail
+rudent: avoiding risks and uncertainties; careful
+unctilious: very careful to behave correctly or to give attention to details
)igorous: careful to look at or consider every part of something to make certain it is
correct or safe; severe or strict
-igilance: more careful attention, especially in order to notice possible danger
Attest: to show something or to say or prove that something is true
Attribute: a quality or characteristic that someone or something has
Atypical: not typical; different from all the others of its type
Chasm: a very large difference between two opinions or groups of people; a very deep
narrow opening in rock, ice or the ground
Discrepancy: difference between two things that should be the same
Disparate: different in every way
;uance: a very slight difference in appearance, meaning, sound, etc
>awning: describes a difference or amount that is e'tremely large and difficult to reduce
Audacious: showing a willingness to take risks or offend people
.allsy: brave and determined
(allant: showing no fear of dangerous or difficult things
(ritty: brave and determined
/ndomitable: describes someone strong, brave, determined and difficult to defeat or
frighten
/ntrepid: e'tremely brave and showing no fear of dangerous situations
Manfully: with determination and bravery, despite great problems
-aliant: very brave or bravely determined, especially when things are difficult or the
situation gives no cause for hope
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Augury: a sign of what might happen in the future
.ode: to be a sign of something that will happen in the future
Divination: the skill or act of saying or discovering what will happen in the future
&nvisage: to imagine or e'pect something in the future, especially something good
1oreboding: a feeling that something very bad is going to happen soon
1oresee: to know about something before it happens
1oreshadow: to act as a warning or sign of a future event
/ntuitive: based on feelings rather than facts or proof
,minous: suggesting that something unpleasant is likely to happen
+ortend: to be a sign that something bad is likely to happen in the future
+resage: to show or suggest that something, often something unpleasant, will happen
+rescient: knowing or suggesting correctly what will happen in the future
"inister: making you feel that something bad or evil might happen
August: having great importance and especially of the highest social class
&minent: famous, respected or important
Auspicious: suggesting a positive and successful future
Austere: plain and without decoration; very strict and unfriendly in manner
Chaste: describes decoration or style that is very simple and smooth; only having a se'ual
relationship with the person you are married to
!omespun: 4of beliefs, theories, etc5 simple and ordinary
!umdrum: having no e'citement, interest or new and different events; ordinary
Mundane: very ordinary and therefore not interesting
Authenticate: to prove that something is real
Confute: to prove a person or an argument to be wrong
Corroborate: to add proof to an account, statement, idea, etc with new information
Dispel: to remove fears, doubts and false ideas, usually by proving them wrong or
unnecessary
"ubstantiate: to show something to be true, or to support a claim with facts
-indicate: to prove that someone is not guilty or is free from blame, after other people
blamed them
Authoritarian: demanding that people totally obey and refusing to allow them freedom to act as
they wish
Autocratic: having absolute, unchecked power; dictatorial
Despot: a person, especially a ruler, who has unlimited power over other people, and
often uses it unfairly and cruelly
8yrant: a ruler who has unlimited power over other people, and uses it unfairly and
cruelly
Autonomous: independent and having the power to make your own decisions
Autopsy: the cutting open = e'amination of a dead body in order to discover the cause of death
Avail: to help or be useful to someone or something
"uccor: help given to someone, especially someone who is suffering or in need
Avalanche: a large amount of ice, snow and rock falling quickly down the side of a mountain;
the sudden arrival of too many things
1lurry: a sudden light fall of snow, blown in different directions by the wind; a sudden,
short period of activity, e'citement or interest
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Avarice: an e'tremely strong want to get or keep money or possessions; greed
Mercenary: interested only in the amount of money that you can get from a situation; a
soldier who fights for any country or group that pays them
)apacious: having or showing a strong wish to take things for yourself, usually using
unfair methods or force
Avenge: take vengeance for something
)eprisal: 4an e'ample of5 activity against another person, especially as a punishment by
military forces or a political group
)etaliate: to hurt someone or do something harmful to them because they have done or
said something harmful to you
-indictive: having or showing a wish to harm someone because you think that they have
harmed you; unwilling to forgive
Averse: strongly disliking or opposed to
Abominate: to hate something very much
Despise: to feel a strong dislike for someone or something because you think they are bad
Detest: to hate someone or something very much
Disdain: view with scorn or contempt
*oathe: to hate someone or something
Avert: to turn away your eyes or thoughts; to prevent something bad from happening
Avocation: secondary or minor occupation
Avuncular: friendly, kind or helpful, like the e'pected behavior of an uncle
Awe: a feeling of great respect sometimes mi'ed with fear or surprise
Deference: respect and politeness
Deify: to consider someone or something to be more important than anything else; to
make someone or something into a god
&steem: respect for or a good opinion of someone
!omage: deep respect and often praise shown for a person or god
)everent: showing great respect and admiration
-enerate: to honor or very much respect a person or thing
Awl: pointed tool used for piercing
Awry: not in the intended way; in the wrong position
Axiom: a statement or principle which is generally accepted to be true, but need not be so
Azure: 4having5 the bright blue color of the sky on a sunny day
GRE Word List | Author: M.
Faisal Riyad