to reduce in amount, degree, or serverity.

ex: as the hurricaine's force abated, the winds dropped and the sea became calm.

to leave secretly.

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

to choose not to do something.

ex: she abstained from choosing a mouthwatering dessert from the tray.

an extremely deep hole.

ex: the submarine dove into the abyss to chart the previously unseen depths.

to make impure.

ex: the restauranteur made his ketchup last longer by adulterating it with water.

to speak in favor of.

ex: the vegetarian advocated a diet containing no meat.

concerning the appreciation of beauty.

ex: followers of the aesthetic movement regarded the pursuit of beauty as the only true purpose of art.

to increase in power, influence, and reputation.

ex: the supervisor sought to aggrandize herself by claiming that the achievments of her staff were actually her own.

to make more bearable

ex: taking asprin helps to alleviate a headache.

to combine; to mix together

ex: Giant Industries amalgamate with Mega Products to form Giant-Mega Products Incorporated.

doubtful or uncertain; able to be interpreted several ways

ex: The directions she gave were so ambiguous that we disagreed on which way to turn.

to make better; to improve

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

somthing out of place in time

ex: The aged hippie used anachronistic phrases like groovy and far out hat had not been popular for years. 

similar or alike in some way; equivalent to 

ex: In the Newtonian construct for explaining the existence of God, the universe is analogous to a mechanical timepiece, the creation of a divinely intelligent "clockmaker". 

deviation from what is normal

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

to annoy or provoke to anger

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

extreme dislike

ex: The antipathy between the French and the English regularly erupted into open warfare.

lack of interest or emotion

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

to judge a dispute between two opposing parties

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

ancient, old-fashioned

ex: Her archaic Commodore computer could not run the latest software.

intense and passionate feeling

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

able to speak clearly and expressively

ex: She is such an articulate defender of labor that unions are amoung her strongest supporters. 

to make something unpleasant less server

Serena used aspirin to assuage her pounding headache.

to reduce in force or degree; to weaken

ex: The Bill of Rights attenuated the traditional power of governments to change laws at will. 

fearless and daring

ex: her audacious nature allowed her to fulfill her dream of skydiving. 

severe or stern in appearance; undecorated

ex: The lack of decocration makes military barracks seem austere to the civilian eye. 

predictable, clichéd, boring

ex: He used banal phrases like Have a nice day, or Another day, another dollar.

to support; to prop up

ex: The presence of giant footprints bolstered the argument that Sasquatch was in the area.

pompous in speech and manner

ex: the ranting of the radio talk-show host was mostly bombastic; his boasting and outrageous claims had no basis in fact. 

harsh, jarring noise

ex: The junior high orchestra created an amost unbearable cacophony as they tried to tune their instruments.

impartial and honest in speech

ex: The observations of a child can be charming since they are candid and unpretentious.

changing one's mind quickly and often

ex: Queen Elizabeth I was quite capricious; her courtiers could never be sure which of their number would catch her fancy.

to punish or criticize harshly

ex: many american's are amazed at how harshly the authorities in Singapore castigate perpetrators of wat would be considered minor crimes in the United states.

something that brings about a change in something else

ex: The imposition of harsh taxes was the cataylst that finally brought on the revolution.

biting in wit

ex: Dorothy Parker gained her reputation for caustic wit from her cutting, yet, clever, insults.

great disorder or confusion

ex: in many religious traditions, God created an ordered universe from chaos.

someone prejudiced in favor of a group to which he or she belongs

ex: The attitude that men are inherently superior to women and therefore must be obeyed is common among male chauvinists. 

deception by means of craft or guile

ex: Dishonest used car sales people often use chicanery to sell their beat-up old cars.

convincing and well reasoned

ex: swayed by the cogent argument of the defense, the jury had no choice but to acquit the defendant.

to overlook, pardon, or disregard

ex: some theorists believe that failing to prosecute minor crimes is the same as condoning an air of lawlessness.

intricate and complicated

ex: Although many people bought A Brief History of Time, few could follow its convoluted ideas and theories.

to provide supporting evidence

ex: fingerprints corroborated the witness's testimony that he saw the defendant in the victim's apartment.

too trusting; gullible

ex: Although some four-year-olds believe in the Easter Bunny, only the most credulous nine-year-olds also believe in him.

steadily increasing volume or force

ex: the crescendo of tension became unbearable as Evel Knievel prepared to jump his motorcycle over the school buses.

appropriateness of behavior or conduct; propriety

ex: The countness complained that the vulgar peasants lacked the decorum appropriate for a visit to the palace.

respect, courtesy

ex: The respectful young law clerk treated the Supreme court justice with the utmost deference.

to speak of or treat with contempt; to mock

ex: the awkward child was often derided by his "cooler" peers.

to dry out thoroughly

ex: after a few weeks of lying on the deserts baking sands, the cow's carcass became completely desiccated.

jumping from one thing to another; disconnected

ex: Diane had a desultory academic record; she had changed majors 12 times in three years.

an abusive, condemnatory speech

ex: the trucker bellowed a diatribe at the driver who had cut him off.

lacking self-confidence

ex: Steve's diffident manner during the job interview stemmed from his nervous nature and lack of experience in the field.

to make larger; to expand

ex: when you enter a darkened room, the pupils of your eyes dilate to let in more light.

intend to delay

ex: the congressman used dilatory measures to delay the passage of the bill.

someone with an amateurish and superficial interest in a topic

ex: Jerry's friends were such dilettantes that they seemed to have new jobs and hobbies evert week.

a funeral hymn or mournful speech

ex: Melville wrote the poem "A dirge for James McPherson" for the funeral of a Union general who was killed in 1864.

to set right; to free from error

ex: Galileo's observations disabused scholars of the notion that the sun revolved around the earth. 

to perceive; to recognize

ex: it is easy to deicern the difference between butter and butter-flavored topping.

fundamentally different; entirely unlike

ex: although the twins appear to be identical physically, their personalities are disparate.

to present a false appearance; to disguise one's real intentions or character

ex: the villain could dissemble to the police no longer-he admitted thedeed and tore up the floor to reveal the body of the old man.  

a harsh and disagreeable combination, often of sounds

ex: Cognitive dissonance is the inner conflict produced when long-standing beliefs are contradicted by new evidence.

a firmly held opinion, often a religious belief

ex: Linus's central dogma was that children who believed in the Great Pumpin would be rewarded.

dictatorial in one's opinions

ex: the dictator was dogmatic- he, and only he was right.

to deceive; a person who is easily deceived

ex: BUgs Bunny was able to dupe Elmer Fudd by dressing up as a lady rabbit.

selecting from or made up from a variety of sources

ex: Budapest's architecture is an eclectic mix of Eastern and Western styles.

effectiveness

ex: the efficacy of penicillin was unsurpassed when it was first introduced; the drug completely eliminated almost all bacterial infections for which it was administered.

a sorrowful poem or speech

ex: although Thomas Gray's "elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" is about death and loss, it urges its readers to endure this life and to trust in spirituality.

persuassive and moving, especially in speech

ex: the Gettysburg Address is moving not only because of its lofty sentiments but also because of its eloquent words.

to copy; to try to equal or excel

ex: the graduate student sought to emulate his professor in every way, copying not only how she taught but also how she conducted herself outside of class.

to reduce in strength

ex: the guerrillas hoped that a series of surprise attacks would enervate the regular army.

to produce, cause, or bring about

ex: his fear and hatred of clowns was engendered when he witnessed the death of his father at the hands of a clown.

a puzzle; a mystery

ex: speaking in riddles and dressed in old robes, the artist gained a reputation as something of an enigma.

to count, list, or itemize

ex: moses returned from the mountain with tablets on which the commandments were enumerated.

lasting a short time

ex: the lives of mayflies seem ephemeral to us, since the flies' average life span is a matter of hours.

to use experssions of double meaning in order to mislead

ex: when faced with criticism of her policies, the politician equivocate and left all parties thinking she agreed with them.

wandering and unpredictable

ex: the plot seemed predictable until it suddenly took a series of erratic turns that surprised the audience.

learned, scholarly, bookish

ex: the annual meeting of philosophy professors was a gathering of the most erudite, well-published individuals in the field.

known or understood by only a few

ex: only a handful of experts are knowledgeable about the esoteric world of particle physics.

admirable

ex: most people consider if estimable that Mother Teresa spent her life helping the poor of India.

speech in praise of someone

ex: his best friend gave the eulogy,outlining his many achievements and talents.

use of an inoffensive word or phrase in place of a more distasteful one

ex: the funeral director preferred to use the euphemism sleeping instead of the word dead.

to make worse

ex: it is unwise to take aspirin to try to relieve heartburn; instead of providing relief, the drug will only exacerbate the problem.

to clear from blame; prove innocent

ex: the adversarial legal system is intended to convict those who are guilty and to exculpate those who are innocent.

urgent; requiring immediate action

ex: the patient was losing blood so rapidly that it was exigent to stop the source of the bleeding.

to clear of blame

ex: the fugitive was exonerated when another criminal confessed to committing the crime.

clearly stated or shown, forthright in expression

ex: the owners of the house left a list of explicit instructions detailing their house-sitter's duties, including a schedule for watering the house plants.

acting excessively enthusiastic; filled with extreme, unquestioned devotion

ex: the stormtroopers were fanatical in their devotion to the emperor, readily sacrificing their lives for him.

to grovel

ex: the understudy fawned over the director in hopes of being cast in the part on a permanent basis.

intensely emotional, feverish

ex: the fans of Maria Callas were unusually fervid, doing anything to catch a glimpse of the great opera singer.

excessively decorated or embellished

ex: the palace had been decorated in a florid style; every surface had been carved and gilded.

to arouse or incite

ex: the protesters tried to foment feeling against the war through their speeches and demonstrations.

a tendency to be thrifty or cheap

ex: Scrooge McDuck's frugality was so great that he accumulated enough wealth to fill a giant storehouse with money.

tending to talk a lot

ex: the garrulous parakeet distracted its owner with its continuous talking.

outgoing, sociable

ex: she was so gregarious that when she found herself alone, she felt quite sad.

deceit or trickey

ex: since he was not fast enough to catch the roadrunner on foot, the coyote resorted to guile in an effort to trap his enemy.

easily deceived

ex: the con man pretended to be a bank officer so as to fool gullible bank customers into giving him their account information.

of a similar kind

ex: the class was fairly homogenous, since almost all of the students were senior journalism majors.

not capable of being disturbed

ex: the counselor had so much experience dealing with distraught children that she seemed imperturbable, even when faced with the wildest tantrums.

impossible to penetrate; incapable of being affected

ex: a good raincoat will be impervious to moisture.

quick to act without thinking

ex: it is not good for an investment broker to be impetuous, since much thought should be given to all the possible options.

unable to be calmed down or made peaceful

ex: his rage at the betrayal was so great that he remained implacable for weeks.

to fully formed; disorganized

ex: the ideas expressed in Nietzsche's mature work also appear in a inchoate form in his earliest writting.

showing  innocence or childlike simplicity

ex: she was so ingenuous that her friends feared that her innocence and trustfulness would be exploited when she visited the big city.

hostile, unfriendly

ex: even though the children hadn grown up together, they were inimical to each other at school.

harmless

ex: some snakes are poisonous, but most species are innocuous and pose no danger to humans.

lacking interest or flavor

ex: the critic claimed that the painting was insipid, containing no interesting qualities at all.

uncompromising; refusing to be reconciled

ex: the professor was intransigent on the deadline, insisting that everyone turn the assignment in at the same time.

to overwhelm; to cover with water

ex: the tidal wave inundated Atlantis, which was lost beneath the water.

easily made angry

ex: Attila the Hun's irascible and violent nature made all who dealt with him fear for their lives.

using few words

ex: she was a laconic poet who built her reputation on using words as sparingly as possible.

to express sorrow; to grieve

ex: the children continued to lament the death of the goldfish weeks after its demise.

to give praise; to glorify

ex: parades and fireworks were staged to laud the success of the rebels. 

to give unsparingly (v.); extremely generous or extravagant (adj.)

ex: she lavished the pupppy with so many treats that it soon became overweight and spoiled.

acting in an indifferent or slow; sluggish manner

ex: the clerk was so lethargic that, even when the store was slow, he always had a long line in front of him.

talkative

ex: she was naturally loquacious, which was a problem in situations in which listening was more important than talking. 

clear and easily understood

ex: the explanations were written in a simple and lucid manner so that students were immediatly able to apply what they learned.

bright, brillant, glowing

ex: the park was bathed in luminous sunshine, which warmed the bodies and the souls of the visitors. 

to evade reponsibility by pretending to be ill

ex: a common way to avoid the draft was by malingering- pretending to be mentally or physically ill so as to avoid being taken by the Army.

capable of being shaped

ex: gold is the malleable of precious metals; it can easily be formed into almost any shape.

a figure of speech comparing two different things; a symbol

ex: a metaphor "a sea of troubles" suggests a lot of troubles by comparing their number to vastness of the sea. 

extremely careful about details

ex: to find all the clues at the crime scene, the investigators meticulously examined every inch of the area.

a person who dislikes other

ex: the character Scrooge in A Christmas Carol is such a misanthrope that even the sight of children singing makes him angry.

to soften; to lessen

ex: a judge may mitigate a sentence if she decides that a person commited a crime out of need.

to calm or make less severe

ex: their argument was so intense that it was difficult to believe any compromise would mollify them.

lack of variation

ex: the monotony of the sound of the dripping faucet almost drove the research assistant crazy.

lacking sophistication or experience 

ex: having never traveled before, the elmentary school students were more naive than their high school countertops on the field trip.

hardened in feeling; resistant to persuasion

ex: the president was completely obdurate on the issue, and no amount of persuasion would change his mind.

overly submissive and eager to please

ex: the obsequious new associate made sure to compliment her supervisor's tie and agree with him on every issue.

stubborn, unyielding

ex: the obstinate child could not be made to eat any food that he disliked.

to prevent; to make unnecessary

ex: the river was shallow enough to wade across at many points, which obivated the need for a bridge.

to stop up; to prevent the passage of 

ex: a shadow is thrown across th earth's surface during a solar eclipse, when th elight from the sun is occluded by the moon.

troublsome and oppresive; burdensome

ex: the assignment was so extensive and difficult to manage that it proved onerous to the team in change of it. 

impossible to see through; preventing the passage of light

ex: the heavy buildup of dirt and grime on the windows almost made them opaque.

public disgrace

ex: after the scheme to embezzle the elderly was made public, the treasurer resigned in utter opprobrium.

excessive showiness

ex: the ostentation of the Sun King's court is evident in the lavish decoration and luxuriousness of his palace at Versailles.

a contradiction or dilemma

ex: it is a paradox that those most in need of medical attention are often those least able to obtain it.

model of excellence or perfection

ex: she is the paragon of what a judge should be: honest, intelligent, hardworking, and just.

someone who shows off learning

ex: the graduate instructor;s tedious and excessive commentary on the subject soon gained her a reputation as a pedant.

willing to betray one's trust

ex: the actress's perfidious companion revealed all of her intimate secrets to the gossip columnist. 

done in a routine way; indifferent

ex: the machinelike bank teller processed the transaction and gave the waiting customer a perfunctory smile.

to penetrate

ex: this miraculous new cleaning fluid is able to permeate stains and dissolve them in minutes!

charity; a desire or effort to promote goodness

ex: New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art owes much of its collection to the philanthropy  of private collectors who willed their estates to the museum.

to soothe or pacify

ex: the burglar tried to placate the snarling dog by saying "Nice doggy," and offering it a treat. 

able to be molded, altered, or bent

ex: The new material was very plastic and could be formed into products of vastly different shapes. 

excess

ex: assuming that more was better, the defendant offered the judge a plethora of excuses.

practical as opposed to idealistic

ex: while daydreaming gamblers think they can get rich by frequenting casinos, pragmatic gamblers realize that the odds are heavily stacked against them.

to throw violently or bring about abruptly; lacking deliberation

ex: upon learning that the couple married after knowing each other only two months, friends and family members expected such a precipitate to end in divorce.

to lie or deviate from the truth

ex: rather than admit that he had overslept again, the employee prevaricated and claimed that heavy traffic had prevented him from arriving at work on time.

fresh and clean; uncorrupted

ex: since concerted measures had been taken to prevent looting, the archeological site was still pristine when researchers arrived.

lavish, wasteful

ex: the prodigal son quickly wasted all of his inheritance on a lavish lifestyle devoted to pleasure.

to increase in number quickly

ex: Although she only kept two guinea pigs initially, they proliferated to such an extent that she soon had donzens.

to conciliate; to appease

ex: the management propitiated the irate union by agreeing to raise wages for its members. 

correct behavior; obedience to rules and customs

ex: the aristocracy maintained a high level of propriety adhering to even the most minor social rules.

wisdom, caution, or restraint

ex: the college student exhibted prudence by obtaining practical experience along with her studies, which greatly strengthend her resume.

sharp and irritating to the senses

ex: the smoke from the burning tires was extremely pungent. 

motionless

ex: many animals are quiescent over the winter months, minimizing activity in order to conserve energy.

to make thinner or sparser

ex: since the atmosphere rarefires as altitudes increase, the air at the top of ery

to reject the validity of 

ex: the old women's claim that she was Russian royalty was repudiated when DNA tests showed she was of no relation to them. 

silent, reserved

ex: physically small and reticent in her peech, Joan Didion often went unnoticed by those upon whom she was reporting. 

effective writing or speaking

ex: Lincolns talent for rhetoric was evidentin his beautifully expressed Gettysburg Address.

to satisfy fully or overindulge

ex: His desire for power was so great that nothing less than complete control of the counrty could satiate.

causing sleep or lethargy

ex: the movie proved to be so soporific that soon loud snores were heard throughout the theater. 

deceptively attractive; seemingly plausible but fallacious

ex: the students specious excuse for being late sounded legitimate but was proved otherwise when her teacher called her home. 

a mark of shame or discredit

ex: in the Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne was required to wear the letter A on her clothes as a public stigma for her adultery.

unemotional; lacking sesitivity

ex: the prisoner appeared stolid and unaffected by the judge's harsh sentence.

lofty or grand

ex: the music was so sublime that it transformed the rude surroundings into a special place.

done without using words

ex: although not a word had been said everyone, in the room knew that a tacit agreement had been made about which course of action to take. 

silent, not talkative

ex: the clerk's taciturn nature earned him the nickname "Silent Bob."

long, harsh speech or verbal attack

ex: observers were shocked at the manager's tirade over such a minor mistake.

extreme mental and physical sluggishness

ex: after surgery, the patient experienced torpor until th anesthesia wore off.

temporary, lasting a brief time

ex: the reporter lived a transitory life, staying in one place only long enough to cover current story.

to sway physically'; to be indecisive

ex: the customer held up the line as he vacillated their elders, deferring to the elder's wisdom and experience.

to respect deeply

ex: in a traditional Confucian society, the young venerate their elders, deferring to the elder's wisdom and experiecnce.

filled with truth and accuracy

ex: she had a reputation for veracity, so everyone trusted her description of events. 

wordy

ex: the professor's answer was so verbose that his student forgot what the original question had been.

to annoy

ex: the old man who loved his peace and quiet was vexed by his neighbor's loud music.

easily aroused or changeable; lively or explosive

ex: his volatile personality made it difficult to predict his reaction to anything.

to fluctuate between choices

ex: if you waver too long before making a decision about which testing site to register for, you may not get your first choice. 

acting in a fanciful or capricious manner; unpredictable

ex: the ballet was whimsical, delighting the children with its imaginative characters and unpredictable sets.

passion, excitment

ex: she brought her typical zeal to the project, sparking enthusiasm in the other team members.