Arable

(adj.) suitable (as land) for plowing

1. When the land was deemed arable the farmer decided to plow.

Arbiter

(n.) one who is authorized to judge or decide

1. The decision of who would represent the people was made by the arbiter.

Arbitrary

(adj.) based on one’s preference or judgment

1. Rick admitted his decision had been arbitrary, as he claimed no expertise on the matter.

Arcane

(adj.) obscure; secret; mysterious

1. With an arcane expression, the young boy left the family wondering what sort of mischief he had committed.

2. The wizard’s description of his magic was purposefully arcane so that others would be unable to copy it.

Archetype

(n.) original pattern or model; prototype

1. This man was the archetype for scores of fictional characters.  

2. The scientist was careful with the archetype of her invention so that once manufacturing began, it would be easy to reproduce it.

Ardent

(adj.) with passionate or intense feelings

1. The fans’ ardent love of the game kept them returning to watch the terrible team.

Arduous

(adj.) laborious, difficult; strenuous

1. Completing the plans for the new building proved to be an arduous affair.

2. Building a house is arduous work, but the result is well worth the labor.

Arid

(adj.) extremely dry, parched; barren, unimaginative

1. The terrain was so arid that not one species of plant could survive.

2. Their thirst became worse due to the arid condition of the desert.

Aromatic

(adj.) having a smell which is sweet or spicy

1. The aromatic smell coming from the oven made the man’s mouth water.

Arrogant

(adj.) acting superior to others; conceited

1. After purchasing his new, expensive sports car, the arrogant doctor refused to allow anyone to ride with him to the country club.

Arrogate

(v.) to claim or demand unduly

1. The teenager arrogated that he should be able to use his parent’s car whenever he desired.

Articulate

(v.; adj.) to utter clearly and distinctly; clear, distinct; expressed with clarity; skillful with words 

1. It’s even more important to articulate your words when you’re on the phone.
2. You didn’t have to vote for him to agree that Adlai Stevenson was articulate.
3. A salesperson must be articulate when speaking to a customer.

Artifice

(n.) skill in a craft

1. The artifice of glass-making takes many years of practice.

Ascetic

(n.; adj.) one who leads a simple life of self-denial; rigorously abstinent

1. The monastery is filled with ascetics who have devoted their lives to religion.
2. The nuns lead an ascetic life devoted to the Lord.

(adj.) germ free

1. It is necessary for an operating room to be aseptic.

(adv.) a sideways glance of disapproval

1. The look askance proved the guard suspected some wrongdoing.

2. the reformers looked askance at the mystical tradition.

Asperity

(n.) harshness

1. The man used asperity to frighten the girl out of going.  

2. The asperity of the winter had most everybody yearning for spring.

Aspersion

(n.) slanderous statement; a damaging or derogatory criticism

1. The aspersion damaged the credibility of the organization.

2. He blamed the loss of his job on an aspersion stated by his co-worker to his superior.

Aspirant

(n.) a person who goes after high goals

1. The aspirant would not settle for assistant director—only the top job was good enough.

Assay

(n.) to determine the quality of a substance

1. Have the soil assayed.

(v.) to estimate the value of

1. She assessed the possible rewards to see if the project was worth her time and effort.

(adj.) carefully attentive; industrious

1. It is necessary to be assiduous if a person wishes to make the most of his time at work.
2. He enjoys having assiduous employees because he can explain a procedure once and have it performed correctly every time.

Assuage

(v.) to relieve; ease; make less severe

1. Medication should assuage the pain.
2. The medication helped assuage the pain of the wound.

Astringent

(n.; adj.) a substance that contracts bodily tissues; causing contraction; tightening; stern, austere

1. After the operation an astringent was used on his skin so that the stretched area would return to normal.

2. The downturn in sales caused the CEO to impose astringent measures.
3. Her astringent remarks at the podium would not soon be forgotten.

Astute

(adj.) cunning; sly; crafty

1. The astute lawyer’s questioning convinced the jury of the defendant’s guilt.

Atrophy

(v.; n.) to waste away, as from lack of use; to wither; failure to grow

1. A few months after he lost his ability to walk, his legs began to atrophy.

2. The atrophy of the muscles was due to the injury.

(v.) to thin out; to weaken

1. Water is commonly used to attenuate strong chemicals.
2. The chemist attenuated the solution by adding water.

(adj.) something that is abnormal

1. The atypical behavior of the wild animal alarmed the hunters.

Audacious

(adj.) fearless; bold

1. The audacious soldier went into battle without a shield.

(v.) to increase or add to; to make larger

1. They needed more soup so they augmented the recipe.
2. They were able to augment their savings over a period of time.