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to reduce in amount, degree, or severity
As the storm's winds abated, planes could start taking off from the airport |
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to leave secretly
My coworker absconded from the large all staff meeting as she wanted to grab a coffee |
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To choose not to do something
The congressman abstained from voting on the controversial issue, as he did not want to risk his re-election. |
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an extremely deep hole
The submarine dove into an abyss to research the path to the ocean floor. |
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to make impure
The gas was cheating people and preserving more gas by adulterating its gasoline with water |
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to speak in favor of
The vegetarian advocated a diet containing no meat |
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concerning the appreciation of beauty
The photographer was most concerned with the aesthetics of his subjects rather than the concept of his art |
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to increase in power, influence, and reputation
My coworker sought to aggrandize herself by claiming all the hard work that I did for her own. |
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to make more bearable
Taking asprin will help to alleviate a headache |
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to combine; to mix together
Giant industries amalgamated with mega products to form giant-mega products |
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doubtful or uncertain; able to be interpreted in different ways
The definition they gave of "development" was so ambiguous that the new students had difficulty following the class concepts |
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to make better; to improve
The doctor suggested that knee surgery would help to ameliorate the stiffness and pain in her joints. |
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something out of place in time
The aged hippie used anachronistic phrases like groovy and far out that had not been popular for years. |
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similar or alike in some way; equivalent to
Many spring time traditions such as the persion holiday norooz and christian easter are analogous in that they traditionally both celebrated the coming of spring and change in harvests. |
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deviation from what is normal
Albino animals may display too great an anomaly in their coloring to attract normally colored mates |
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to annoy or provoke to anger
My brother was antagonizing me by pulling my hair |
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extreme dislike
The antipathy between the minority communities often led to violent gang crimes in the city |
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lack of interest or emotion
the apathy of voters is so great that less than half the people who are eligible to vote actually bother to do so |
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to judge a dispute between two opposing parties.
Since the couple could not come to an agreement, a judge was forced to arbitrate their divorce proceedings. |
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ancient, old-fashioned.
My phone is so archaic that it cannot receive picture text messages |
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intense and passionate feeling
The husband's ardor for his wife was evident in the passionate words and admiring spirit reflected in his poetry. |
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able to speak clearly and expressively
She is such an articulate defender of labor that unions are among her strongest supporters and she could answer any questions from opposition groups. |
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to make something unpleasant less severe
Serena used aspirin to assuage her pounding headache |
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to reduce in force or degree; to weaken
The notion of marriage defined as only between a man and a woman has been attenuated by court appeals and judicial rulings favoring equal marriage rights for same sex couples. |
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fearless and daring
Her audacious nature allowed her to fulfill her dream of skydiving. |
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careful with finances.
One business partner was parsimonious while the other was spendthrift, but they were very successful in working together. |
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in the context of property ownership, derelict refers to buildings that have been intentionally left behind by their former owner.
Owing to the renewed popularity of Victorian style, the derelict houses, abandoned decades earlier, transitioned from being eyesores to cultural landscapes. |
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to fool
Though by no means stupid people, the were beguiled by the speaker's specious reasoning. |
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false but plausible
Though by no means stupid people, the were beguiled by the speaker's specious reasoning |
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courteous respect
Although they did not work together often, the intern showed much deference to the division chief as someone well respected and versed in the field of tropical disease mitigation |
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| sneaky, secretive, furtive |
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| unaffected by.. The prison guard was impervious to the bystander's violent behavior while the rest of the crowd grew anxious |
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| flattery, palaver, cajolery |
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integrity.
similar words: veracity - honesty
although the superintendent of public works had a reputation as a man of integrity throughout the community, his probity was brought into question when his brother was accused of corruption |
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| difficult to discern without specific knowledge |
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| palpable commotion, exciting, revolutionary |
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| gaudy or excessive ornementation |
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