Term
ascendancy
Ex. Leaders of religous cults maintain ascendancy over their followers by methods that can verge on brainwashing. |
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ascetic
Ex. The wealthy, self-indulgent young man felt oddly drawn to the ascetic life led by members of some monastic orders. |
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| practicing self-denial; austere. |
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aspire
Ex. Because he aspired to a career in professional sports, Philip enrolled in graduate program in sports management. |
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assuage
Ex. Jilted by Jane, Dick tried to assuage his heartache by indulging in ice cream. One gallon later, he had assuaged his appetite but not his grief. |
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| ease or lessen (pain); satisfy (hunger); soothe (anger) |
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Term
astute
Ex. Expecting Miss Marple to be a woolly-headed old lady, Inspector Craddock was startled by the astute observations she made. |
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atrophy
Ex. After three months in a cast, Stan's biceps had atrophied somewhat; however, he was sure that if he pumped iron for a while he would soon build them up. |
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attentive
Ex. Thuy is very attentive to her Vietnamese-speaking parents, acting as their interpreter and helping them deal with American society. |
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| considerate; thoughtful; paying attention |
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attribute
Ex. I attribute her success in science to the encouragement she received from her parents. |
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audacious
Ex. Audiences cheered as Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia made their audacious, death-defying leap to freedom, escaping Darth Vader's troops. |
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augment
Ex. Beth augmented her inadequate salary by selling Tupperware at parties at friends' homes. |
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