To decrease; to reduce

To put an end to

We waited for the wind to abate.

To give up a position, right, or power

to relinguish

The king was forced to abdicate.

The king abdicated the throne.

deviating from the normal or usual type

straying from the right or normal way

-a year of aberrant weather

-aberrant behavior can be a sign of rabies in a wild animal

Temporary suppression or suspension

Our weekend plans were held in abeyance until we could get a weather forecast.

miserable or pitiful

She thought he was an abject coward.

They live in abject misery.

to abandon formally; to reject

 to renounce upon oath

abjured some long-held beliefs when she converted to another religion

a strict religious sect that abjures the luxuries, comforts, and conveniences of the modern world

the act of cutting

to depart secretly and hide one's self

The suspect absconded to Canada.

Several prisoners absconded from the jail.

moderate in appetite

 marked by restraint especially in the consumption of food or alcohol

She is known as an abstemious eater and drinker.

being abstemious diners, they avoid restaurants with all-you-can-eat buffets

 immeasurably low or wretched

very bad

They were living in abysmal ignorance.

growth of size or increase in amt by a gradual buildup

rocks formed by the slow accretion of limestone

to accumulate

I'll get back all the money I invested, plus any interest and dividends that have accrued.

something joined or added to another thing but not essentially a part of it

Massage therapy can be used as an adjunct along with the medication.

to caution or to reprimand

<my physician is always admonishing me to eat morehealthy foods>

to make impure or to corrupt

The company is accused of adulterating its products with cheap additives.

realting to beauty

the aesthetics of the gemstones

phony; pretentious

<affected laughter at the boss's jokes>

Fondness or liking towards

There's always been an affinity between us.

to make larger or greater 

<a movie that aggrandizes the bad guys and makes the cops look like dopes>

 formed by the collection of units or particles into a amount

 taking all units as a whole <aggregate sales>

The team with the highest aggregate score wins.

cheerful willingness; eagerness

 promptness in response

  <accepted the invitation with alacrity>

 a power or process of transforming something common into something special

She practiced her alchemy in the kitchen, turning a pile of vegetables into a delicious salad.

to subdue or reduce

To lessen

trying to allay their fears

<expect a breeze to allay the heat>

to relieve

<her sympathy alleviated his distress

to combine in a unified whole

They amalgamated the hospital and the university.

doubtful or uncertain

We were confused by the ambiguous wording of the message.

a state of conflicting emotional attitudes

simultaneous and contradictory attitudes or feelings

to improve; to make better

trying to ameliorate the suffering of people who have lost their jobs

agreeable; cooperative

<whatever you decide to do, I'm amenable—just let me know

something out of the proper time

He's an old-fashioned politician who is seen by many of his colleagues as an anachronism.

medication that reduces or eliminates pain

the doctor prescribed an analgesic and rest for my injured knee

something that calms or soothe pain

the otherwise anodyne comments sounded quite inflammatory when taken out of context

anomalous adj.

anomaly n.

irregular

 inconsistent with or deviating from what is normal

Researchers could not explain the anomalous test results.

terse (smoothly elegant), witty saying

Her mother endlessly repeated the apothegm “cleanliness is next to godliness”

strikingly relevant and appropriate 

enriched his essay on patriotism with some very appositequotations from famous people on the subject

to inform; to tell

<let me apprise you of the current situation>

praise; approval

The company has even received the approbation of its former critics.

 being both relevant and

at an opportune time

The comment, though unexpected, was apropos.

great emotion; extreme vigor and energy

the sudden ardors of youth

extremely difficult; laborious

hard to accomplish or achieve

He went through a long and arduous training program.

specialized vocabulary used by a group

groups communicating in their own secret argots

natural; lacking art; made without skill

<a genuine and artless girl>

Her simple artless charm won us over instantly.

one who practices self denial

an ascetic diet of rice and beans

slander or false rumors

 a false or misleading charge meant to harm someone's reputation <cast aspersions on her integrity>

austere adj.

stern and cold appearance or manner; unadorned

markedly simple

greed; excessive desire

The corporate world is plagued by avarice and a thirst for power.

to affirm;declare to be true; to verify

He averred that he was innocent.

 suggestive of an uncle especially in kindliness

a man known for his avuncular charm

commonplace;  lacking originality or freshness

The writing was banal but the story was good.

to bless; to sanctify

She was beatified by the Pope one hundred years after her death.

to dress in a vulgar, showy manner

to dress guadily

huge creature

anything very large or powerful

to contradict; to misrepresent or give a

false impression to

kindly, doing good

<a beneficent couple who are regular volunteers at a homeless shelter>

to cause to divide into two parts

The stream bifurcated into two narrow winding channels.

blandishment n.

blandish v.

pompous; using inflated language

a bombastic speech intended to impress the voters in her congressional district>

to beg; to sponge

She cadged money from her sister.

false and deliberately misleading story

groundless rumor or belief

Capricious adj.

Caprice n.

Faultfinding; intended to entrap

 marked by an often ill-natured inclination to stress faults and raise objections <captious critics>

foremost importance

the cardinal rule

absolute; without exception

He issued a categorical denial about his involvement in the deal.

CENTRIPETAL

ADJ.

CHAMPION

V.

CHASTEN

V.

TO CORRECT BY PUNISHMENT; TO RESTRAIN

EX:chastened the child with five minutes of sitting in the corner

CHICANERY

N.

CHURLISH

ADJ.

BOORISH; RUDE

It would be churlish not to congratulate him.

CIRCUITOUS

ADJ

ROUNDABOUT

Clairvoyant

noun

Clamor

n

Cloister

v.

Coagulate

v

Coalesce

v

ˌkō-ə-ˈles

Coda

n.

Codify

v

to systematize

1. The convention codified the rules of war.
2. The author tries to codify important ideas about language.

Cognizant

adj.

\ˈkäg-nə-zənt\

Commensurate

adj

proportional; equal in measure

Her new position came with a commensurate level of responsibility.

Complacent

adj

Compendium

n.

com.pen.de.um

Complement

adj

Complaisant

adj

Compliant

adj

Compunction

n.

Concave

adj

Conciliatory

adj.

Concoct

v

concomitant

n

\kən-ˈkä-mə-tənt, kän-\

existing concurrently

disease is all too often one of the concomitants of poverty

Condone

v

Confound

v

Congenial

adj

Conjugal

adj

Connoisseur

n

Conscript

n.

military recruit

as the war continued, the body of enlisted soldiers was supplemented by an increasing number of conscripts

Consecrate

v.

Content

v

Contentious

adj.

quarrelsome; causing quarrel

 likely to cause disagreement or argument <a contentious issue>

After a contentious debate, members of the committee finally voted to approve the funding.

Contiguous

adj.

Continence

n.

Contrite

adj.

very sorrowful for a wrong and remorse for a sin

being contrite is not enough to spare you an arrest if you're caught shoplifting