To lower in position, estimation, or the like; degrade.

Anna refused to abase herself in front of the king.

Abash

To embarrass

He was not at all abashed by her open admiration.

Shorten

Because we were running out of time, the lecturer had to abbreviate her speech

Renounce; give up

When Edward VIII abdicated the British throne, he surprised the entire world.

Abnormal or deviant

Given the abherrant nature of the data, we came to doubt the validity of the entire experiment.

Abnormality; departure from the norm; mental irregularity or disorder

Cuurent oil prices are a temporary abberation and we shall soon see a return to cheap oil.

Assist, usually in doing something wrong; encourage.

She was unwilling to abet him in the swindle he had planned.

Suspended action.

The deal was held in abeyance until her arrival.

Detest; hate

She abhored all forms of bigotry.

Wretched; lacking pride

The homeless live in abject poverty, huddling in doorways to find shelter from the wind.

Renounce upon oath.

Pressure from university authorities caused the young scholar to abjure his heretical opinions.

Washing

His daily ablutions were accompanied by loud noises that he humorously labeled "Opera in the Bath."

Renunciation; self-sacrifice.

The king and queen's act of abnegation was necessary to preserve the kingdom.

Cancel; put an end to.

The president of the college refused to abolish the the physical education requirement.

Detestable; extremely unpleasant; very bad.

John had abominable taste in women.

Loathe; hate

Moses scolded the idol worshippers in the tribe because he abominated the custom.

Being the first of its kind in a region; primitive; native.

Her studies of the primitive art forms of the aboriginal Indians were widely reported in the scientific journals.

Unsuccessful; fruitless

Attacked by armed troups, the Chinese students had to abandon their abortive attempt to democraticize Beijing peacefully.

Rubbing away; tending to grind down.

Abrasive cleaning powders can wear away a shiny finish.

Condense or shorten

Because the publishers wanted a shorter version of the novel, they decided to abridge it

Abolish

The king intended to abrogate the decree issued by his predecessor.

Removal by cutting off, especially surgery.

Gas gangrene spreads so swiftly and is so potentially deadly that doctors advise abcission of the gangrenous tissue.

Depart secretly and hide.

The teller who absconded with the bonds went uncaptured for more than ten years.

Pardon (an offense).

The father confessor absolved him of all his sins.

Completely; totally unlimited; certain.

The king did not want to behead his unfaithful wife without absolute evidence of her infidelity.

Refrain; withhold from participation.

The athlete decided to abstain from drinking while he trained for the race.

Sparing in eating and drinking; temperate.

Concerned whether her vegetarian son's abstemious diet provided him with sufficient protein, the worried mother pressed food on him.

Restraint from eating or drinking.

The doctor reccommended total abstinence from eating salty foods.

Theoretical; not concrete

To him, hunger was an abstract concept; he never missed a meal.

Obscure; profound; difficult to understand.

Baffled by the abstruse philisophical texts assigned to class, Dave asked Lexy for help.

Coarsely insulting; physically harmful.

An abusive parent damages a child both mentally and physically.

Border upon; adjoin

Where our estates abut, we must build a fence.

Bottomless

His arrogance is exceeded only by his abysmal ignorance.

Enormous chasm; vast, bottomless pit.

Darth Vador seized the evil emperor and hurled him into the abyss.

Related to school; not practical or directly useful.

The dean's talk about reforming academic policies was only an academic discussion: we knew little, if anything, would change.

Agree

If I accede to this demand for blackmail, I am afraid that I will be the victim of future demands.

Move faster

In our science class, we learned how falling bodies accelerate.

Additional object; useful but not an essential thing

She bought an attractive handbag as an accessory for her dress.

Easy to approach; attainable

We asked our guide whether the the ruins were accessible by foot.

Applaud; announce with great approval.

The sportscasters acclaimed every American victory in the Olympics.

Adjust to climate or environment; adapt.

One of the difficulties of our present air age is the need of travelors to acclimate themselves to their new and often strange environments.

Sharp upslope of a hill.

The car could not go up the acclivity in high gear.

Award of merit

In Hollywood, an Oscar is the highest accolade.

Oblige or help someone; adjust or bring into harmony; adapt.

Mitch always did everything possible to accomodate his ederly relatives.

Partner in crime.

Because he had provided the criminal with the criminal weapon, he was arrested as an accomplice in the murder.

Agreement

She was in complete accord with the agreement.

Equip

The fisherman was accoutred with the best that the sporting good store could supply.

Growth; increase

Over the years Bob put on weight; because of this accretion of flesh, he went from a small to a large in size.

Come about by addition

You must pay the interest that has accrued  on your debt as well as the principal sum.

Bitter or sour in nature; sharp and cutting.

Noted for her acerbic wit and gossip, Alice had a pillow that read "If you can't say something good about me, sit here next to me."

Bitterness of speech and temper.

The meeting was marked with such acerbity that observers had little hope of reaching any useful settlement of the problem.

Vinegary

The salad had an exceedingly acetic flavor.

Slightly sour; sharp; caustic.

Janes was unpopular because of his sarcastic and acidulous remarks.

Recognize; admit

Although I acknowledge that the Beatles music is very outdated, I still prefer them to the rock music my brother plays.

Peak; pinnacle; highest point.

Al Pacino's portrayal of Tony Montana in Scarface marked the acme of his career as an actor.

Science of sound; quality that makes a room easy or hard to heart in.

Carnegie Hall is liked by music lovers because of its fine acoustics.

Assent; agree passively.

Although she appeared to acquiesce to her employer's suggestions, she still had some reservations.

Deliverance froma charge.

His acquittal by the jury surprised those who had thought him guilty.

Sharp; bitterrly pungent.

The acrid odor of burnt gunpowder filled the room after the pistol had been fired.

Bitter in words or manner

The candidate attacked his opponent  in highly acrimonious terms.

Fear of heights

Helen's acrophobia prevented her from riding an airplane.

Calculating; pertaining to insurance statistics.

According to recent actuarial tables, life expectancy is greater today than it was a century ago.

Motivate

I fail to understand what actuated you to respond to this letter so nastily.

Sharpness

In time his youthful acuity of vision failed him, and he needed glasses.

Mental keeness

Her business acumen helped her to succeed where others had failed.

Quickly perceptive; keen; brief and severe.

The acute young doctor realized that the patient's loss of hearing was due to a chronic illness, not an acute one.

Wise saying; proverb

There is much truth in the old adage about fools and their money.

Hard; inflexible

MLK Jr. was adamant in his fight to end segregation.

Alter; modify

Some species of animals have become extinct because they could not adapt to the changing environment.

Appendix to a book

Jane's editior thought it would be useful for Jane to add an addedum.

Compulsive, habitual need.

His addiction to drugs caused his family much grief.

Addle

Muddle; drive crazy; become rooten.

This idiotic plan was enough to addle anyone.

Direct a speech to; deal with or discuss

 Brwon planned to address the economy during his next speech.

Expert at.

She was adept at the fine art of irritating people.

Stick fast

I will adhere to this opinion until proof that I am wrong is presented.

Supporter; follower.

In the wake of the scandal, the senator's one time adherents quietly deserted him.

Adjoining; neighboring; close by

The neighborhood playground was adjacent to the elementary school.

Something (generally nonessential or inferior) added on or attached.

I plan on buying a laptop to serve as an adjunct to my desktop computer.

Solemn urging

Her adjuration to tell the truth did not change the witnesses' testimony.

Staff officer assisting the commander; assistant.

Though Smith delegated many tasks to his chief adjuctant, Williams, it was no doubt that Smith was the one who made all of the major decisions.

Warn; reprove

When her courtiers questioned her religious beliefs, the queen admonished them, declaring that she would worship as she pleased.

Adorn

Decorate

Wall paintings adorned the temple.

Skillful

Her adroit handling of the delicate situation pleased her employers.

Flattery; admiration

The rock star thrived on the adulation of his groupies.

Make impure by adding inferior or tainted substances.

It is a crime to adulterate foods without informing the buyer.

Arrival

Most Americans were unaware of the advent of the Nuclear Age until the news of Hiroshima reached them.

Accidental; causal

She found this adventitious meeting with her friend extremely fortunate.

Opponent; enemy

Batman struggled to save gotman

Unfavorable; hostile.

The adverse weather caused me to delay my trip.

poverty; misfortune.

We must learn to meet adversity gracefully.

Kinship

She felt an affinity with all who suffered; their plans were her plans.

Positive assertion; confirmation; solemn pledge by one who refuses to take an oath.

Despite Tom's affirmations of innocence; Aunt Polly still suspected he had eaten the pie.

  refer to

Since  you advert to this matter so frequently you must regard it as important.

Attach or add on; fasten

First the registrar had to affix his signature to the license; then he had to affix his official seal.

State of distress; cause of suffering.

Even in the midst of her affliction, Elizabeth tried to keep up the spirits of those around her.

support; active pleading on behalf of someone or something.

No threats could dissuade Bishop Desmond Tutu from his advocacy of the human rights of black South Africans.

Abundance; wealth

Foreigners are amazed by the affluence and luxary of the American way of life.

Insult; offense; intentional act of disrespect.

When Mrs. Proudie was not seated beside the Archdeacon at the head table, she took it as a personal affront and refused to speak to her hosts for a week.

urge; plead for.

The abolitionists advocated freedom for the slaves.

shield; defense.

Under the aegis of the Bill Of Rights we enjoy are most treasured freedoms.

Openmouthed.

She stared, agape, at the many strange animals at the zoo.

Nest of a large bird of prey (eagle, hawk).

The mother eagle swooped down on the rabbit and bore it off to her aerie high in the Rocky Mountains.

Artistic; dealing with or appreciating the beautiful.

The beauty of Tiffany's stained glass appealed to Alice's aesthetic sense,

Easily approachable; warmly, friendly.

Accustomed to cold, aloof supervisors, Nick was amazed at how affable his new employer was.

Artificial; pretended; assumed in order to impress.

His affected mannerisms- his "Harvard" attitude- made him impossibe to deal with.

Written statement made under oath.

The court refused to accept her statement unless she prsented it in the form of an affidavit.

Joining; associating with.

His affliation with the political party was of short duration for he soon diagreed with his colleagues.

Items of business at a meeting.

We had so much difficulty agreeing upon an agenda that there was very little time for the meeting.

Collection; heap

It took weeks to assort the the agglomeration of miscellaneous items she had collected on her trip

Increase or intensify; raise in power, wealth, rank or honor.

The history of the past quarter century illustrates how a President may aggrandize his power to act aggresively in international affairs without considering the wishes of Congress.

Gather; accumulate.

Before the Wall Street scandals, dealers in so-called junk bonds managed to aggregate great wealth in short periods of time.

Attacker.

Before you punish both boys for fighting, see whether you can determine which one was the aggressor.

Horrified; dumbfounded.

Miss Manners was aghast at the crude behavior of the fraternity brothers annual toga party.

Nimbleness.

The agility of the acrobat amazed and thrilled the audience.

Stir up; disturb.

Her fiery remarks agitated the already angry mob.

One who is skeptical of the existence of a god or any ultimate reality.

Agonostics say we can neither prove nor disprove the existence of God; we simply have no way to know.

Highly excited; intensely curious.

We were all agog at the news that the celebrated movie star was giving up his career in order to enter a monastery.

Pertaining to land or its cultivation.

As a result of its recent industrialization, the country is gradually losing its agrarian traditions.

Cheerful promptness; eagerness.

Phil and Dave were raring to get off to the mountains; they packed up their ski gear and climed into the van with alacrity.

Medieval form of speculative thought that aimed to transform base metals (lead or copper) into silver or gold and to discover a means of prolonging life.

Although alchemy anticipated science in its belief that physical reality was determined by an unvarying set of natural laws, the alchemist's experimental method was hardly scientific.

Nook; recess.

Though their apartment lacked a full-scale dining room, an alcove adjacent to the living room made an adequate breakfast nook for the young couple.

An assumed name.

John Smith's alias was Bob Jones.

Make hostile; separate.

Her attempts to alienate the two friends failed because they had complete faith in each other.

Supplying nourishment.

The alimentary canal in our bodies is so named because digestion of foods occur there.

Payments made to an ex-spouse after divorce.

Because Tony had supported Tina through medical school, on their divorce he asked the court to award him $500 a month in alimony.

Calm, pacify.

The crew tried to allay the fears of the passengers by announcing that the fire had been controlled.

Allege

State without proof.

Although it is alleged that she has worked for the enemy, she denies the allegation and, legally, we can take no action against her without proof.

Loyalty

Not even a term in prison could shake Lech Walesa's allegiance to Solidarity, the Polish trade union he had helped to found.

Story in which characters are used as symbols; fable.

Pilgrim's Progress is an allegory of the temptations and victories of the human soul.

Relieve.

This should alleviate the pain; if it does not, we shall have to use stronger drugs.

Repetition of beginning sound in poetry.

"The furrowed followed free" is an example of alliteration.

Assign.

Even though the Red Cross had allocated a large sum for the relief of the sufferers  of the disaster, many people perished.

Mixture as of metals.

Alloys of gold are used more frequently than the pure metal.

Mix; make less pure; lessen or moderate.

Our delight at the Mets' victory was alloyed by our concern for Al Laites, who injured his pitching arm in the game.

Refer indirectly.

Try not to mention divorce in Jack's presence because he will think you are alluding to his marital problems with Jill.

Entice; attract.

Allured by the song of the sirens, the heisman steered the ship toward the reef.

Indirect reference.

When Amanda said to the ticket scalper, "One hundred bucks? What do you want, a pound of flesh?" she was making an allusion to Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice.

Pertaining to soil deposits left by running water.

The farmers found the alluvial deposits at the mouth of the river very fertile.

Apart; reserved.

Shy by nature, she remained aloof while all the rest conversed.

Upward.

The sailor climbed aloft into the rigging.

Noisy quarrel; heated dispute.

In that tempered household, no meal ever came to a peaceful conclusion; the inevitable altercation sometimes even ended in blows.

Unselfishly generous; concerned for others.

In providing tutorial assistance and college scholarships for hundreds for hundreds of economically disadvantaged youths, Jim performed a truly altruistic deed.

Combine; unite in one body.

The unions will attempt to amalgamate their groups into one national body.

Collect.

The miser's aim is to amass and hoard as much gold as possible.

Female warrior.

Ever since the days of Greek mythology we refer to strong and aggressive women as amazons.

Capable of using either hand with equal ease.

A switch-hitter in baseball should be naturally ambidextrous.

Environment; atmosphere.

She went into the restaurant not for the food, but the ambience.

Unclear or doubtful in meaning.

His ambiguous instructions missed us; we did not know which road to take.

The state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes.

Torn between loving her parents one minute and hating them the next, she was confused by the ambivalence of her feelings.

Moving at an easy pace.

When she first mounted the horse, she was afraid to urge the animal to go faster than a gentle amble.

Food of the gods.

Ambrosia was supposed to give immortality to any human who ate it.

Able to walk; not bedridden.

Calvin was a highly ambulatory patient; not only did he refuse to be confined to bed, but also he insisted on riding his skateboard up and down the halls.

improve

Many social workers have attempted to ameliorate the conditions of people living in the slums.

Readily managed or willing to be led; answerable or accountable legally.

Although the ambassador was usually amenable to friendly suggestions, he balked when he should pay his parking tickets.

Correct; change, generally for the better.

Hoping to amend his condition, he left Vietnam for the United States.

Convenient features; courtesies.

In addition to the customary amenities for the business traveler-the hotel also offers social amenities.

Agreeble; lovable; warmly friendly.

In Little Women, Beth is the amiable daughter whose loving disposition endears her to all who knew her.

Politely friendly; not quarlesome.

Jo is a hot-tempered who has a hard time maintaining amicable relationships with those around her.

Wrong; faulty.

Seeing her frown, he wondered if anything were amiss.

Amity

Friendship.

Student exchange programs such as the Experiment in International Living were established to promote international amity.

Loss of memory.

Because she was suffering from amnesia, the police could not get the young girl to identify herself.

Pardon.

When his first child was born, the king granted amnesty to all in prison.

Amoral

Nonmoral.

The amoral individual lacks a code of ethics; he cannot tell right from wrong.

Loved by sexual love; loving.

"Love them and leave them" was the motto of the amorous Don Juan.

Formless; lacking shape or definition.

As soon as we have decided our itenirary, we shall send you a copy; right now, our plans are still amorphous.

Able to live in both land and in water.

Frogs are classified as amphibians.

Oval building with tiers of seats.

The spectators in the amphitheater cheered the gladiators.

Abundant

Both had ample opprtunity to escape.

Broaden or clarify by expanding.

Lucy was smarter: she used an loudspeaker to amplify her voice.

Cut off part of body; prune.

The doctors amputated Ted's leg to prevent the spread of cancer.

In a state of rage.

The police had to be called in to restrain him after he ran amok in the department store.

Charm; talisman.

Around her neck she wore the amulet that the witch doctor had gave her.

Something or someone misplaced in time.

Shakespeare's reference to clocks in Julius Caesar is an anachronism; no clocks existed in Caesar's time.

Causing insensitivity to pain.

The analgesic qualities of this lotion will provide temporary relief.

Comparable.

She called our attention to the things that had been done in an analogous situation and recommended that we do the same.

Similarity; parallelism.

A well known analogy compares the body's immune system with an army whose defending troops are the white blood cells.

Person who seeks to overturn the established government; advocate of abolishing authority.

Denying she was an anarchist, Kathy maintained she only wanted to make changes in our government, not to destroy it entirely.

Absence of governing body; state of disorder.

The assassination of the leaders led to a period of anarchy.

Solemn curse; someone or something regarded as a curse.

The king heaped anathema upon "the Great Satan" that is the United States.

Family descent.

David can trace his ancestry as far back as the seventeenth century.

Secure or fasten firmly; be fixed in place.

We set the post in concrete to anchor it in place.

Serving as an aid or accessory; auxilary.

In an ancillary capacity Dr. Watson was helpful, however, David could not trust the good doctor to solve an perplexing problem on his own.

Short account of an amusing or interesting event.

President Reagan told ancedotes about poor people who became wealthy on their own.

Condition in which blood lacks red corpuscles.

The doctor ascribes her tiredness to anemia.

Substance that removes sensation with or without loss of consiousness.

His monotonous voice acted like an anesthetic; his audience was soon asleep.

Acute pain; extreme suffering.

Visiting the site of the explosion, the president wept to see the anguish of the victims and their families.

Sharp-cornered; stiff in manner.

Mr. Spock's features, though angular, were curiously attractive, in a Vulcan way.

Critical remark.

He resented the animadversions of his critics, particulary because he realized they were true.

Lively; spirited.

Jim Carrey's facial expressions are highly animated: when he played Ace Ventura he was practically rubber-faced.

Active enmity.

He incurred the animosity of the ruling class because he advocated limitations of their power.

Hostile feeling or intent.

The animus of the speaker became obvious to all when he began to indulge in sarcastic and insulting remarks.

Records; history.

In the annals of this period, we find no mention of democratic movements.

Reduce bitterness and improve toughness by heating and cooling.

After the glass is annealed, it will be less subject to chipping and cracking.

Attach; take possession of.

Mexico objected to the United States' attempts to annex the territory that later became the state of Texas.

Destroy.

The enemy in its revenge tried to annihilate the entire population.

Comment; make explanatory notes.

In the appendix to the novel, the critic sought to annotate many of the more esoteric references.

Yearly allowance.

The annuity she set up with the insurance company supplements her social security check.

Make void.

The parents of the eloped couple tried to annul the marriage.

Drug that relieves pain; opiate.

His pain was so great that no anodyne could relieve it.

Consecrate.

The prophet Samuel anointed David with oil, crowning him the king of Israel.

Abnormal; irregular.

She was placed in the anomalous position of seeming to approve prcedures that she despised.

Irregularity.

A bird that cannot fly is an anomaly.

State of being nameless; anonymousnes.

The donor of the gift asked for anonymity and asked the college not to mention her name.

Hostility; active resistance.

Barry showed his antagonism toward his new stepmother by ignoring her whenever she tried to speak to him.

Precede

The invention of the radiotelegraph anteceded the development of television by a century.

Preceding events or circumstances that influence waht comes later; ancestors or early background.

Katy knew nothing of her birth and antecedents  until she was reunited with her Jewish family in 1989.

Antiquated; extremely ancient.

Looking at his great-aunt's antique furniture, Noah exclaimed, "How antediluvian!"

Song of praise or patriotism.

Let us now all join in and sing the national anthem.

Book of literary selections by various authors.

This anthology of science fiction was compiled by the late Issac Asimov.

Manlike

The gorilla is the strongest of the anthropoid animals.

Student of the history and science of humankind.

Anthropologists have discovered several relics of prehistoric humans in the area.

Having human form or characteristics.

Primitive religions often have deities with anthropomorphic characteristics.

Antic

Extravagantly odd.

Putting on an antic disposition, Hamlet acts so odd that the Danish court thinks him mad.

Letdown in thought or emotion.

After the fine performance in the first act, the rest of the play was an anticlimax.

Remedy to counteract a poison or disease.

When Margo's child accidentally swallowed some cleaning fluid, the paramedics administered an antidote.

Adversion; dislike.

Tom's extreme antipathy for disputes keeps him from getting into arguments with his temperamental wife.

Obsolete; outdated.

Accustomed to editing his papers on word processsors, Phillip thought typewriters were too antiquated for him to use.

Substance that prevents infection. It is advisable to apply an antiseptic to any wound, no matter how slight or insignificant.

Contrast; direct opposite of or to.

This tyranny was the antithesis of all that he had hoped for, and he fought it with all his strength.

Iron block used in hammering out metals.

After heating the iron horseshoe in the forge, the blacksmith picked it up with his tongs and set it on the anvil.

Lack of caring; indifference.

A firm believer in democratic government, she could not understand the apathy of people who never bothered to vote.

Imitate or mimic.

In the comedy, the hero apes him, hobbling after him in an imitation of his walk.

Opening; hole.

She discovered a small aperture in the wall, through which the insects had entered the room.

Tip; summit; climax

At the apex of his career, the star recieved offers of leading roles daily.

Loss of speech due to injury or illness.

After the car accident, the victim had periods of aphasia when he could not speak at all.

Pithy maxim or saying.

An aphorism is usually philosophic or scientific. For example," Absolute power corrupts absolutely."

A place where bees are kept.

Although he spent many hours in the apiary, he was very seldom stung by a bee.

Poise; assurance.

Gwen's aplomb in handeling potentially embarrassing moments was legendary around the office.

Prophetic; pertaining to revelations.

The crowd jeered at the street preacher's apocalyptic  predictions of doom.

Spurious; not authentic; invented rather than true.

Although many versions exist of the famous story of Emerson's visit to Thoreau in jail, in his writings Thoreau never mentioned any such visit by Emerson, and so the tale is most likely apopcrypal

Highest point.

When the moon in its orbit is furthest away from the earth, it is at its apogee.

Having an aversion or a lack of concern for political affairs.

It was hard to remain apolitical during the Vietnam War; even people who generally ignored public issues felt they had to take political stands.

One who writes in defense of a cause or institution.

Rather than act as an apologist for the current regime in Beijing and defend its brutal actions, the young diplomat decided to defect to the West.

One who abandons his religious faith or his political beliefs.

Because he switched from one party to another, his former friends shunned him as an apostate.

druggist.

In Holland, apothecaries still sell spices as well as ointmints and pills.

pithy, compact saying.

Proverbs are apothegms that have become familiar sayings.

elevation to godhood; an ideal example of something.

The Roman empress Livia envied the late emperor Augustus his apotheosis; she hoped that on her death she, too, would be exalted to the ranks of the gods. 

dismay; shock.

We were appalled by the horrifying conditions in the city's jails. 

Apparition

ghost; phantom.

On the castle battlegrounds, an apparition materialized and spoke to Hamlet, warning him of his uncle's treachery.

pacify or soothe; relieve.

Tom and Jody tried to appease the crying baby by offering him one toy after another.

name; title.

Macbeth was startled when the witches greeted him with an incorrect appellation.

attach.

When you append a bibliography to a text, you have created an appendix.

Application

diligent attention.

Pleased with how well Tom had whitewashed the fence, Aunt Polly praised him for his application.

Apposite

appropriate; fitting.

She was always able to find the apposite phrase, the correct expression for every occasion.

estimate value of.

It is difficult to appraise old paintings; it is easier to call them priceless, appraisal

Appreciate

be thankful for; increase in worth, be thoroughly conscious of.

Little Orphan Annie truly appreciated the stocks Daddy Warbucks gave her, whose value appreciated considerably.

Apprehend

arrest; dread; percieve.

The police will apprehend the culprit  and convict him before long.

fearful; discerning.

His apprehensive glances at the people who were walking in the street revealed his nervousness.

Inform.

When NASA was apprised of the dangerous weather conditions, the head of the space agency decided to postpone the shuttle launch.

Approbation

approval

Wanting her parents' regard, she looked for some sign of their approbation.

acquire; take possession of for one's own use.

The ranch owners appropriated the lands that had originally been set aside for the Indians' use

subordinate possessions.

He bought the estate and all its appurtenances.

to the point and timely.

When Bob spoke out against drunk driving, some of our crowd called him a spoilspot, but the rest of us found his comments extremely apropos

Apropos prep.

with reference to; regarding.

Apropos the waltz, the dance has its faults

Aptitude

fitness; talent

The American aviator Bessie Coleman grew up in Waxahatchie, Texas, where her mathematical aptitude freed her from working in the cotton fields with her twelve brothers and sisters.

Aquiline

curved, hooked.

He can be recognized by his aquiline nose, curved like the beak of the eagle