Adage

(n.) an old saying

1. now accepted as being truthful The adage “do unto others as you wish them to do unto you” is still widely practiced.

(adj.) not yielding, firm

1. After taking an adamant stand to sell the house, the man called the real estate
agency.
2. The girl’s parents were adamant about not allowing her to go on a dangerous
backpacking trip.

(adj.) rotten

1. The egg will become addled if it is left unrefrigerated.

(adj.) skilled; practiced

1. The skilled craftsman was quite adept at creating beautiful vases and
candleholders.

(v.) solemnly ordered

1. The jurors were adjured by the judge to make a fair decision.

(adj.) expert or skillful

1. The repair was not difficult for the adroit craftsman.

2. The driver’s adroit driving avoided a serious accident.

(n.) praise in excess

1. The adulation was in response to the heroic feat.

2. The adulation given to the movie star was sickening.

(v.) to corrupt, debase, or make impure

1. The dumping of chemicals will adulterate the pureness of the lake.

(n.) an enemy; foe;

1. The peace treaty united two countries that were historically great adversaries.

Adverse 

(adj.) negative; hostile; antagonistic; inimical

1. Contrary to the ski resort’s expectations, the warm weather generated adverse conditions for a profitable weekend.

Advocate

(v.; n.) to plead in favor of; supporter;

1. Defender Amnesty International advocates the cause for human rights.  

2. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a great advocate of civil rights.

Aesthetic

(adj.) of beauty; pertaining to taste in art and beauty

1. She found that her aesthetic sense and that of the artist were at odds.  

2. His review made one wonder what kind of aesthetic taste the critic had.

(adj.) friendly; amiable; good-natured

1. Her affable puppy loved to play with children.

 (v.) to connect or associate with; to accept as a member

1. The hiking club affiliated with the bird-watching club.

(n.) a connection; similarity of structure

1. There is a strong emotional affinity between the two siblings.

2. It turns out that the elements bear a strong affinity to each other.

(v.) to make more powerful

1. The king wanted to aggrandize himself and his kingdom.  

 (adj.) astonished; amazed; horrified; terrified; appalled

1. Stockholders were aghast at the company’s revelation.  

2. The landlord was aghast at his water bill.

(adj.) of the land

1. Many agrarian people are poor.

(n.) eager readiness or speed

1. The manager was so impressed by the worker’s alacrity; he suggested a
promotion.

2. On the first day of her new job, the recent college graduate was able to leave early after completing all of her tasks with alacrity.

(n.) a person who studies chemistry

1. The alchemist’s laboratory was full of bottles and tubes of strange looking liquids.

(n.) any mysterious change of substance or nature

1. The magician used alchemy to change the powder into a liquid.

(n.) a symbolic description

1. The book contained many allegories on Russian history.

(v.) to lessen or make easier

1. The airport’s monorail alleviates vehicular traffic.

(v.) set aside; designate; assign

1. There have been front row seats allocated to the performer’s family.

2. The farmer allocated three acres of his fields to corn.

Allude

(v.) to refer indirectly to something

1. The story alludes to part of the author’s life.

2. Without stating that the defendant was an ex-convict, the prosecutor alluded to the fact by mentioning his length of unemployment.

Allure

(v.; n.) to attract; entice; attraction; temptation; glamour

1. The romantic young man allured the beautiful woman by preparing a wonderful dinner.

2. Singapore’s allure is its bustling economy.

Allusion

(n.) an indirect reference (often literary); a hint 

1. The mention of the pet snake was an allusion to the man’s

sneaky ways.  

2. In modern plays allusions are often made to ancient drama.

(adj.) distant in interest; reserved; cool

1. Even though the new coworker was aloof, we attempted to be friendly.  

2. The calm defendant remained aloof when he was wrongly accused of fabricating his story.

(n.) controversy; dispute

1. A serious altercation caused the marriage to end in a bitter divorce.

(n.) unselfish devotion to the welfare of others

1. After the organization aided the catastrophe victims, it was given an award for altruism.

2. She displayed such altruism by giving up all of her belongings and joining a peace corps in Africa.