-
Abate
V [uh-beyt]
- Subside, moderate, put an end to
- (Intensify, increase, augment)
- To make or become less intense
-
Aberrant
Adj [uh-ber-uhnt]
- Abnormal, deviant
- (Normal, usual)
- departing from the right, normal, or usual course
-
Abeyance
N [uh-bey-uhns]
- Waiting, suspension
- (Ongoing action, continuance)
- Suspended action
-
Abstemious
Adj [ab-stee-mee-uhs]
- Restrained, sober
- (Unrestrained, intemperate, immoderate)
- Restrained behavior or appetite
-
Adulterate
V [uh-duhl-tuh-reyt]
- To debase or make impure.
- (purify)
- Make impure by adding substances
-
Aggregate
N, V [ag-ri-geyt]
- Sum total; gross amount; whole mass.
- (individual unit; isolated element)
- Taken in the aggregate.
-
Alacrity
V [uh-lak-ri-tee]
- Promptness; cheerful willingness.
- (reluctance; apathy; listlessness)
- Accepting with alacrity.
-
Amalgamate
V [uh-mal-guh-meyt]
- Combine; unite; merge.
- (separate; divide)
- Amalgamating several school into one
-
Ameliorate
V [uh-meel-yuh-reyt]
- Improve; make better.
- (worsen; aggravate)
- Ameliorating working conditions
-
Anachronistic
Adj [uh-nak-ruh-nis-tik]
- Chronologically out of place; out of its proper time.
- (historically appropriate)
- An anachronistic throwback.
-
Anomaly
N [uh-nom-uh-lee]
- Deviation from the norm.
- (normal specimen)
- A bird that cannot fly is an anomaly.
-
Antipathy
N [an-tip-uh-thee]
- Intense dislike.
- (sympathy; attraction)
- Natural antipathy of cats and dogs.
-
Apocryphal
Adj [uh-pok-ruh-fuhl]
- Invented rather than true.
- (verified)
- Wildly apocryphal rumors.
-
Apostate
N [uh-pos-teyt]
- One who abandons his religious faith.
- (loyalist)
- Treacherous apostate.
-
Apprise
V [uh-prahyz]
- Inform; notify.
- (withhold information)
- Keep me apprised of the situation.
-
Approbation
N [ap-ruh-bey-shuhn]
- Approval; good opinion.
- (disapprobation; disapproval)
-
Ascetic
N [uh-set-ik]
- One who practices self-denial.
- (one who given to self-indulgence)
- A self-denial ascetic.
-
Asperity
N [uh-sper-i-tee]
- Harshness of manner; roughness of surface.
- (mildness)
- Ill-humored asperity.
-
Aspersion
N [uh-spur-zhuhn]
- Abusive attack; comment.
- (complimentary remark)
-
Assiduous
Adj [uh-sij-oo-uhs]
- Persistent.
- (lazy)
- An assiduous student.
-
Assuage
v [uh-sweyzh]
- easy or lessen pain; satisfy hunger.
- (intensify)
- assuaging grief
-
Astringent
adj, n [uh-strin-juhnt]
- bitter in taste; harshly biting.
- (gentle; mild in taste)
- The astringent quality of the unsweetened lemon juice.
-
Attenuate
v [uh-ten-yoo-it]
- weaken or lessen in density, force, degree; become weak.
- (intensify; strengthen)
- Aspirin attenuating a fever's intensity.
-
Autonomy
n [aw-ton-uh-mee]
- political or personal independence; freedom.
- (dependence)
- Personal autonomy.
-
Aver
v [uh-vur]
- declare; state formally as a fact.
- (deny)
- Avering the truth.
-
Baleful
adj [beyl-fuhl]
- evil; full of menacing; threatening harm.
- (good; helping)
- A baleful glance.
-
Banality
n
- common saying.
- (freshness; originally)
- The banality of cliches.
-
Bane
n [beyn]
- curse.
- (blessing; piece of good fortune)
- The bane of his existence.
-
Beneficent
adj [buh-nef-uh-suhnt]
- producing benefits.
- (baleful)
- A beneficent donor.
-
Blithe
adj [blahyth]
- carefree; happy.
- (uptight; anxious)
- Blithe and carefree.
-
Bolster
v [bohl-ster]
- support; reinforse
- (weaken; undermine)
- Bolstering an argument
-
Bombastic
adj [bom-bas-tik]
- using inflated language; high-sounding.
- (simple and straightforward)
-
Boor
n
- someone who acts in a rude or insensitive way.
- (courteous person)
-
Brook
v
- allow; tolerate; accept
- (refuse to permit)
- The dean would brook no interference with his disciplinary actions.
-
Burgeon
v [bur-juhn]
- develop rapidly.
- (shrink)
- The town burgeoned into a city.
- He burgeoned into a fine actor.
-
Burnish
v [bur-nish]
- to polish a surface by friction; to make smooth and bright.
- (make dull)
-
Cacophonous
adj [kuh-kof-uh-nuhs]
- unpleasant sounding.
- (pleasant-sounding; harmonious)
- As cacophonous as car alarms.
-
Castigation
n [kas-ti-geyt]
- verbal punishment; severe criticism.
- (strong approval)
- Severe public castigation.
-
Catalyst
n [kat-l-ist]
- (inhibitor; anticatalyst)
- A catalyst for change.
-
Caustic
adj [kaw-stik]
- capable of burning; corroding; dissolve.
- (mild; soothing)
- Burned by caustic chemicals.
-
Chicanery
n [shi-key-nuh-ree]
- trickery to deceive someone; fraud.
- (honesty)
- He resorted to the worst flattery and chicanery to win the job.
-
Coagulate
v [koh-ag-yuh-leyt]
- thicken; clot.
- (liquefy; dissolve)
- Blood coagulating.
-
Coda
n [koh-duh]
- concluding section or speech; summarizes or concludes.
- (introduction; prelude)
-
Cogent
adj [koh-juhnt]
- convincing; well-argued.
- (poorly reasoned; unsound)
- Cogent reasons.
-
Commensurate
adj [kuh-men-ser-it]
- abequate; proportionate.
- (inappropriate; disproportionate)
-
Compendium
n [kuhm-pen-dee-uhm]
- summary of a large work; a full list or inventory.
- (none found)
- A useful compendium of information.
-
Complaisant
adj [kom-pluh-zant]
- eager to please; overly polite.
- (unaccommodating)
- A complaisant Supreme Court.
-
Compliant
adj [kuhm-plahy-uhnt]
- obeying; manufactured or produced in accordance with a specified body of rules.
- (resistant; noncompliant)
-
Confound
v [kon-found]
- Confuse; mix; puzzle.
- (clarify; distinguish)
- Confounding the experts.
-
Connoisseur
n [kon-uh-sur]
- person competent to act as a judge of art.
- (philistine)
- A connoisseur of fine wines.
-
Contention
n [kuhn-ten-shuhn]
- Claim or thesis.
- (agreement)
- Data supporting the contention.
-
Contrite
adj [kuhn-trahyt]
- deeply sorry.
- (unremorseful)
- A contrite sinner.
-
Conundrum
n [kuh-nuhn-druhm]
- Riddle; puzzle.
- (explanation; solution)
- A puzzling conundrum.
-
Converge
n [kuhn-vurj]
- Come together; tend to meet.
- (diverge; deviate; branch off)
- Roads converging at an intersection.
-
Convoluted
adj [kon-vuh-loo-tid]
- highly complex; coiled around.
- (straghtforward; uncomplicated)
- Twisted, convoluted logic.
-
Craven
adj, n [krey-vuhn]
- Spineless
- (brave; bold)
- Too craven to fight.
-
Daunt
v [dawnt, dahnt]
- Frighten; intimidate.
- (encourage)
- Nothing can daunt the Fearless Four.
-
Denigrate
v [den-i-greyt]
- Blacken.
- (praise; acclaim)
- Denigrating someone's efforts.
-
Desiccate
v [des-i-keyt]
- dry up; dehydrate.
- (moisten; hydrate)
- Desiccated by the heat.
-
Desultory
adj [des-uhl-tawr-ee]
- aimless; unfocused.
- (methodical; assiduous)
- Random, desultory remarks.
-
Diatribe
n [dahy-uh-trahyb]
- sharply abusive attack or criticism.
- (praise)
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