Abase

verb

(uh bays)

to humble; to disgrace

My intention was not to abase the comedian.

Synonyms: demean; humiliate

Abate

verb

(uh bayt)

to reduce in amount, degree, or severity

As the hurricane's force abated, the winds dropped and the sea became calm.

Synonyms:ebb; lapse; let up; moderate; relent; slacken; subside; wane

Abdicate

verb

(aab duh kayt)

to give up a position, right, or power

With the angry mob clamoring outside the palace, the king abdicated his throne and fled.

Synonyms:cede; quit; relinquish; resign; yield

Aberrant

adj

deviating from what is normal or expected

Since he had been a steady, cheerful worker for many years, his fellow postal workers did not expect his aberrant burst of rage.

Synonyms: abnormal, anomalous; deviant; divergent; errant; irregular

Abeyance

noun

temporary suppression or suspension

The baseball game was held in abeyance while it continued to rain.

Synonyms: deferral; delay; dormancy; postponement; remission

Abjure

verb

to reject; to abandon formally

The spy abjured his allegiance to the United States when he defected to Russia.

Synonyms: forswear; recall; recant; retract; take back

Abscond

verb

to leave secretly

The patron absconded from the restaurant without paying his bill by sneaking out the back door.

Synonyms: decamp; escape; flee

Abstain

verb

to choose not to do something

Before the medical procedure, you must abstain from eating.

Synonyms: forbear; refrain; without

Abstemious

adj

moderate in appetite

Because Alyce is a vegetarian, she was able to eat only an abstemious meal at the Texas Steakhouse. Synonyms: abstinent; continent; self-restraining; sober; temperate

Abyss

noun

an extremely deep hole

The submarine dove into the abyss to chart the previously unseen depths.

Synonyms: chasm; void

Accretion

noun

a gradual growth in size; an increase in amount

The committee's strong fund-raising efforts resulted in an accretion in scholarship money.

Synonyms: accumulations; buildup

Acidulous

adj

sour in taste or manner

The acidulous taste of the spoiled milk made the young boy's lips pucker.

Synonyms: acerbic; acetous; biting; piquant; pungent; tart

Acme

noun 

the highest point; the summit; the highest level or degree attainable

Just when he reached the acme of his power, the dictator was overthrown.

Synonyms: apex; peak; summit

Adulterate

verb 

to make impure

The restaurateur made his ketchup last longer by adulterating it with water.

Synonyms: debase; doctor; load

Advocate

verb 

to speak in favor of

The vegetarian advocated a diet containing no meat.

Synonyms: back; champion; support

Aerie

noun

a nest built high in the air; an elevated, often secluded, dwelling

Perched high among the trees, the eagle's aerie was filled with eggs.

Synonyms: perch; stronghold

Aesthetic

abj

concerning the appreciation of beauty

The aesthetic movement regarded the pursuit of beauty as the only true purpose of art.

Synonyms: artistic; tasteful

Affected

adj

phony; artificial

The affected hairdresser spouted French phrases, though she had never been to France.

Synonyms: insincere; pretentious; put-on

Aggrandize

verb

`

to increase in power, influence, and reputation

The supervisor sought to aggrandize himself by claiming that the achievements of his staff were actually his own.

Synonyms: amplify; apotheosize; augment; dignify; elevate; enlarge; ennoble; exalt; glorify; magnify; sweel; uplift

Alacrity

noun

speed or quickness

The restaurant won a reputation for fine service since the wait staff responded to their clients' requests with alacrity.

Synonyms: celerity; dispatch; haste; swiftness

Alleviate

verb

too make more bearable

Taking aspirin helps to alleviate a headache.

Synonyms: allay; assuage; comfort; east; lessen; lighten; mitigate; palliate; relieve

Amalgamate

verb

to combine; to mix together

Giant Inudstries amalgamated with Mega Products to form Giant-Mega Products Incorporated

Synonyms: admix; blend; coalesce; combine; commingle; commix; compound; fuse; intermingle; intermix; merge; mingle; mix; unite

Ambiguous

adj

doubtful or uncertain; can be interpreted several ways

The directions he gave were so ambiguous that we disagreed on which way to turn.

Synonyms: cloudy; doubtful; dubious; equivocal; indeterminate; nebulous; obscure; unclear; vague

Ameliorate

verb

to make better; to improve

The doctor was able to ameliorate the patient's suffering using painkillers.

Synonyms: amend; better; improve; pacify; upgrade

Amortize

verb

to diminish by installment payments

While college students are notorious for accumulating credit card debt, they are not as well known for amortizing it.

Synonyms: decrease; reduce

Amulet

noun

an ornament worn as a charm against evil spirits

Though she claimed it was not because of superstition, Vivian always wore an amulet around her neck.

Synonyms: fetish; talisman

Anachronism

noun

something out of place in time

The play was set in the nineteenth century, but was ruined by anachronisms, like the lead actor's digital watch. 

Synonyms: archaism; incongruity

Analgesia

noun

a lessening of pain without loss of consciousness

After having her appendix removed, Tatiana welcomed the analgesia that the painkillers provided.

Analogous

adj

similar or alike in some way; equivalent

His mother argued that not going to college was analogous to throwing his life away.

Synonyms: alike; comparable; corresonding; equivalent; homogeneous; parallel; similar

Anodyne

noun

something that calms or soothes pain

The massage was an anodyne that helped remove the knots from the lawyer's tense shoulders.

Synonyms: narcotic; nepenthe; opiate

Anomaly

noun

deviation from what is normal

Albino animals may display too great an anomaly in their coloring to attract normally colored mates.

Synonyms: aberrancy; aberration; abnormality; deviance; deviation; irregularity

Antagonize

verb

to annoy or provoke to anger

The child discovered that he could antagonize the cat by pulling its tail.

Synonyms: clash; conflict; incite; irritate; oppose; pester; provoke

Antipathy

noun

extreme dislike

The antipathy between fans of the rival soccer teams made the game even more electrifying to watch.

Synonyms: abhorrence; animosity; animus; antagonism; aversion; dislike; enmity; hatred; hostility; loathing; repellence; repugnance; repulsion; revulsion

Apathy

noun

lack of interest or emotion

The apathy of voters is so great that less than half the people who are eligible to vote actually bother to do so.

Synonyms: coolness; disinterest; disregard; impassivity; indifference; lethargy; listlessness; unresponsiveness

Apocryphal

adj

of questionable authority or authenticity

There is no hard or authoritative evidence to support the apocryphal tales that link the Roswell, New Mexico, incident to a downed UFO.

Synonyms: disputed;doubtful; fictitious; fraudulent

Apostate

noun

one who renounces a religious faith

So that he could divorce his wife, the king scoffed at the church doctines and declared himself an apostate.

Synonyms: defector; deserter; traitor

Approbation

noun

approval and praise

The approbation that Jerry Lewis received in France included a medal from the Ministry of Culture.

Synonyms: acclaim; adulation; applause; commendation; compliments; exaltation; extolment; hail; kudos; praise

Arbitrary

adj

determined by chance or impulse

When you lack the information to judge what to do next, you will be forced to make an arbitrary decision.

Synonyms: changeable; erratic; indiscriminate; random; wayward

Arbitrate

verb

to judge a dispute between two opposing parties

Since the couple could not come to an agreement, a judge was forced to arbitrate their divorce proceedings.

Synonyms: adjudge; adjudicate; determine; intermediate; intervene; judge; moderate; referee; rule

Archaic

adj

ancient; old-fashioned

Her archaic Commodore computer could not run the latest software.

Synonyms: ancient; antediluvian; antique; bygone; dated; dowdy; obsolete; outdated; prehistoric; stale; vintage

Ardor

noun

intense and passionate feeling

Bishop's ardor for landscape was evident when he passionately described the beauty of the scenic Hudson Valley.

Synonyms: devotion; enthusiasm; fervency; fervor; fire; passion; zeal

Arrogate

verb

to claim without justification; to claim for oneself without right

Gretchen watched in astonishment as her boss arrogated the credit for her brilliant work on the project.

Synonyms: appropriate; presume; take

Articulate

adj

able to speak clearly and expressively

She is extremely articulate when it comes to expressing her pro-labor views; as a result, unions are among her strongest supporters.

Synonyms: eloquent; expressive; fluent; lucid; smooth-spoken

Assail

verb

to attack; to assault

The foreign army will try to assail our bases, but they will not be successful in their attack.

Synonyms: beset; storm; strike

Assuage

verb

to make something unpleasant less severe

Like many people, Philip Larkin used alcohol to assuage his sense of meaninglessness and despair.

Synonyms: allay; alleviate; comfort; conciliate; ease; lighten; mitigate; mollify; relieve; soothe

Attenuate

verb

to reduce in force or degree; to weaken

The Bill of Rights attenuated the traditional power of government to change laws at will.

Synonyms: debilitate; devitalize; dilute; rarefy; sap; thin; undermine; undo; unnerve; weaken

Audacious

adj

fearless and daring

The audacious peasant dared to insult the king's mother.

Synonyms: adventuresome; aggressive; assertive; bold; brave; daring; mettlesome; unafraid; venturesome; venturous

Augury

noun

a prophecy; a prediction of events

Troy hoped the rainbow was an augury of good things to come.

Synonyms: auspice; harbinger; omen; portent; presage

August

adj

dignified; grandoise

The august view of the Grand Teton summit took my breath away.

Synonyms: admirable; awesome; grand; majestic

Austere

adj

severe or stern in appearance; undecorated

The lack of decoration makes Zen temples seem austere to the untrained eye.

Synonyms: bleak; dour; grim; hard; harsh; severe

Axiom

noun

premise; postulate; self-evident truth

Halle lived her life based on the axioms her grandmother had passed on to her.

Synonyms:adage; aphorism; apothegm; maxim; rule