"reduce in severity"

as the hurricanes force abated, the winds dropped

"to leave secretly"

the patron absconded from the restuarant by sneakily leaving without paying the bill.

to make impure.

the man adulterated the substance by adding water.

"concerning the appreciation of beauty"

"to increase in power, influence, and reputation"

I aggrandized myself by taking all the credit.

"to combine and mix together"

The rec center amalgated with the summit to form a super gym.

"doubtful or uncertain, able to be interpreted several ways"

"To make better to improve"

-the doctor ameliorated her pain by giving her medicine.

"something out of place with time"

-The hippie used anachronistic terms like groovy that had not been popular for years.

"similar or alike in some way"

-The universe is analogous to a mechanical timepiece

"deviation form what is normal"

-Albino animals may display to great an anomaly in their color to attract normally colored mates. 

antipathy  

"extreme dislike"

the antipathy between the managers at work regularly turned into fights.

"lack of interest or emotion"

The apathy of voters diminished when obama ran but is now back because nobody cares.

ardor 

archaic

intense passion and feeling,

extremely old fashioned

"to make something unpleasant less severe"

John assauged his headache with lots of medicine.

"to reduce in force or degree, weaken"

the bill of rights attenuated the powers of the government to do unjust things.

"fearless or daring"

her audacious nature led her to go into the dark room alone.

"severe or stern" in terms of appearance, "undecorated"

Wearing no make up, the woman looked completely austere.

"predictable, boring, cliche"

The terms of the freshmans paper were banal and put me to sleep.

"pompous in speech and manner"

the dictators speeches were mostly bombastic, his boasting and claims had no basis.

"harsh jarring noise"

The camp kids erupted in a cacophony of noise at lunch time.

"impartial and honest in speech"

The actions of children are often candid.

"changing ones mind quickly and often"

Paris hilton is quite capricious in that she can never make up her mind in terms of men.

"biting in wit"

John insulted me so i served him some of my caustic wit to settle the score.

"deception by means of craft or guile"

Used car salesmen often resort to chicanery to sell their cars.

"convincing and well reasoned"

The lawyer's cogent argument swayed the jury.

"intricate and complicated"

Although many people bought Ropers book, few students could understand its convoluted ideas and theories.

"too trusting, gullable"

Most 5 year olds believe in santa, but only credulous teens would.

"steadily increasing in volume or force"

the crescendo of suspence increased in with every scene in the movie until the climax.

Decorum

Deride

"appropriatness of behavior or conduct"

The queen complaned that hobos lacked the decorum to visit the palace.

"To speak of or treat with contempt"

"Respect, courtesy"

The young clerk treated the supreme court justice with the utmost deference.

"to dry out thoroughly"

After lying on the desert floor for a month the camels carcass had become completely deseccated.

"jumping from one thing to another, disconnected"

Beth had a desultory academic record as a result of changing majors 12 times.

"An abusive condemnatory speech."

The teacher bellowed a diatribe at the student who had interupted her.

"lacking self confidence"

Steves diffident nature during the interview stemmed from his nervous nature and lack of experience.

"Intended to delay"

The congressman used dilatory measures to delay passage of the bill.

"someone with an amateurish and superficial interest in a topic."

Ian Davis was such a dilettante that heseemed to have a new job every week.

"to set right, to free from error"

Galieleo's observations disabused the old idea that the sun went around the earth.

"fundamentally different, utterly unalike"

Although the twins appeared identical their personalities are disparate.

"to present a false appearance, to disguise ones real intentions or character"

The girl could dissemble herself to her bf no longer, she admitted her lies.

"a harsh and disagreeable combination, often of sounds"

"dictatorial in ones opinions"

The dictator was dogmatic what he and only he said was right.

"effectiveness"

The efficacy of penicillin was unsurpassed when it was first introduced"