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Definition
(adv.) on or toward the rear of a ship
The passengers moved abaft of the ship so as to escape the fire in the
front of the ship. |
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Definition
(v.; n) to leave behind; to give something up; freedom; enthusiasm;
impetuosity
After failing for several years, he abandoned his dream of starting a
grocery business.
Lucy embarked on her new adventure with abandon. |
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Definition
(v.) to degrade; humiliate; disgrace
The mother's public reprimand abased the girl.
The insecure father, after failing to achieve his own life-long goals,
abased his children whenever they failed. |
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Definition
(v.) to shorten; compress; diminish
His vacation to Japan was abbreviated when he acquired an illness
treatable only in the United States. |
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Definition
(v.) to reject, renounce, or abandon
Due to his poor payment record, it may be necessary to abdicate our
relationship with the client. |
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Term
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Definition
(adj.) harmful, malign, detrimental
After she was fired, she realized it was a baleful move to point the blame
at her superior.
The strange liquid could be baleful if ingested. |
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Term
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Definition
(adj.) trite; without freshness or originality
Attending parties became trite after a few weeks.
It was a banal suggestion to have the annual picnic in the park, since that
was where it had been for the past five years. |
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Term
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Definition
(adj.) deadly or causing distress, death
Not wearing a seat belt could be baneful. |
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Definition
(adj.) extravagant; ornate; embellished
The baroque artwork was made up of intricate details which kept the
museum-goers enthralled.
The baroque furnishings did not fit in the plain, modest home. |
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Definition
(n.) a fortified place or strong defense
The strength of the bastion saved the soldiers inside of it. |
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Definition
(n.) a group of persons joined by a secret
The very idea that there could be a cabal cast suspicion on the whole
operation. |
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Definition
(n.) stockpile; store; heap; hiding place for goods
The town kept a cache of salt on hand to melt winter's snow off the
roads.
Extra food is kept in the cache under the pantry.
The cache for his jewelry was hidden under the bed. |
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Term
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Definition
(adj.) sounding jarring
The cacophonous sound from the bending metal sent shivers up our
spines. |
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Term
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Definition
(n.) a harsh, inharmonious collection of sounds; dissonance
The beautiful harmony of the symphony was well enjoyed after the
cacophony coming from the stage as the orchestra warmed up.
The amateur band created more cacophony than beautiful sound. |
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Term
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Definition
(v.) to coax with insincere talk
To cajole the disgruntled employee, the manager coaxed him with lies
and sweet talk.
The salesman will cajole the couple into buying the stereo. |
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Term
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Definition
(adj.) abnormal; straying from the normal or usual path
The aberrant flight pattern of the airplane alarmed the air traffic
controllers.
His aberrant behavior led his friends to worry the divorce had taken its
toll. |
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Term
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Definition
(n.) a state of temporary suspension or inactivity
Since the power failure, the town has been in abeyance. |
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Term
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Definition
(v.) to hate
By the way her jaw tensed when he walked in, it is easy to see that she
abhors him. |
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Definition
(adj.) of the worst or lowest degree
The Haldemans lived in abject poverty, with barely a roof over their
heads. |
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Definition
(v.) to give up
The losing team may abjure to the team that is winning. |
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Definition
(v.) to gain
The team could only batten by drafting the top player. |
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Definition
(n.) a showy yet useless thing
The woman had many baubles on her bookshelf. |
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Definition
(v.) to bring into being
The king wished to beget a new heir. |
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Definition
(adj.) indebted to
The children were beholden to their parents for the car loan. |
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Definition
(v.) to be advantageous; to be necessary
It will behoove the students to buy their textbooks early. |
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Definition
(n.) disaster
The fire in the apartment building was a great calamity. |
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Definition
(n.) quality
The caliber of talent at the show was excellent. |
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Definition
(adj.) being young or immature
With the callow remark the young man demonstrated his age.
Although the girl could be considered an adult, the action was very
callow. |
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Term
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Definition
(n.) slander
I felt it necessary to speak against the calumny of the man's good
reputation. |
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Definition
(n.) a false statement or rumor
The canard was reported in a scandalous tabloid. |
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Definition
(n.) a denial
The woman's abnegation of her loss was apparent when she began to
laugh. |
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Term
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Definition
(v.) to loathe; to hate
Randall abominated all the traffic he encountered on every morning
commute.
Please do not abominate the guilty person until you hear the complete
explanation. |
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Term
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Definition
(v.) to shorten; to limit
The editor abridged the story to make the book easier to digest. |
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Definition
(v.) to cancel by authority
The judge would not abrogate the law. |
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Definition
(adj.) happening or ending unexpectedly
The abrupt end to their marriage was a shock to everyone. |
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Definition
(v.) to make small; to think lightly of
The unsympathetic friend belittled her friend's problems and spoke of
her own as the most important. |
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Definition
(adj.) quarrelsome; warlike
The bellicose guest would not be invited back again. |
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Term
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Definition
(v.) to preoccupy in thought
The girl was bemused by her troubles. |
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Definition
(n.) one who helps others; a donor
An anonymous benefactor donated $10,000 to the children's hospital. |
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Term
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Definition
(adj.) conferring benefits; kindly; doing good
He is a beneficent person, always taking in stray animals and talking to
people who need someone to listen.
A beneficent donation helped the organization meet its goal. |
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Term
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Definition
(adj.) honest; truthful; sincere
People trust her because she's so candid. |
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Term
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Definition
(n.) insincere or hypocritical statements of high ideals; the jargon of a
particular group or occupations
The theater majors had difficulty understanding the cant of the computer
scientists.
The remarks by the doctor were cant and meant only for his associates. |
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Term
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Definition
(n.) a sudden, unpredictable or whimsical change
The caprice with which the couple approached the change of plans was
evidence to their young age.
The king ruled by caprice as much as law. |
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Term
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Definition
(adj.) changeable; fickle
The capricious bride-to-be has a different church in mind for her
wedding every few days. |
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Definition
(adj.) disposed to find fault
A captious attitude often causes difficulties in a relationship. |
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