| A | B |
|---|
| aberrant | Markedly different from an accepted norm. |
| aberration | Deviation from a right, customary, or prescribed course. |
| abet | To aid, promote, or encourage the commission of (an offense). |
| abeyance | A state of suspension or temporary inaction. |
| Abhor | hate |
| abjure | To recant, renounce, repudiate under oath. |
| ablution | A washing or cleansing, especially of the body. |
| Abrasive | rough, coarse, harsh |
| Abrasiveness | harshness, coarseness |
| Abrogate | cancel, deny, repeal; To abolish, repeal |
| abscond | To depart suddenly and secretly, as for the purpose of escaping arrest. |
| Absolution | forgiveness, pardon, release |
| Abstain | desist, go without, withdraw |
| Abstemious | self denying, refraining from indulging; characterized by self denial or abstinence, as in the use of drink, food |
| abstract | Not applied to actual objects |
| Abstruse | difficult to understand, obscure; Dealing with matters difficult to be understood. |
| abut | To touch at the end or boundary line. |
| Accede | To agree |
| Accolade | tribute, honor, praise |
| Acquiesce | to agree to, give in to |
| acquired | Developed or learned; not naturally occurring |
| Acrid | sharp, pungent (used of smells and tastes) |
| Acrophobia | fear of heights |
| Acuity | sharpness (mental or visual) |
| acumen | Quickness of intellectual insight, or discernment; keenness of discrimination |
| Adage | An old saying |
| Adamant | forceful, inflexible; any substance of exceeding hardness or impenetrability. |
| Admonition | Gentle reproof |
| Adroit | Skillful |
| Adulation | strong admiration, worship |
| adumbrate | To represent beforehand in outline or by emblem. |
| Adversity | hardship |
| Advocate | support |
| Aesthetic | concerning art or beauty |
| Affable | friendly, social, easygoing |
| aggrandize | To cause to appear greatly. |
| aggravate | To make heavier, worse, or more burdensome. |
| agile | Able to move or act quickly, physically, or mentally. |
| Agog | In eager desire. |
| Alacrity | eagerness, enthusiasm, quickness |
| Alchemy | medieval chemistry; attempt to change base metal into gold |
| alcove | A covered recess connected with or at the side of a larger room. |
| Alibi | an excuse that shows someone was not at a crime scene |
| alienated | Removed or disassociated from (friends, family, homeland) |
| Allay | to lessen |
| Alleviate | make less severe; To make less burdensome or less hard to bear. |
| alliance | A union of two or more groups |
| Aloof | distant, detached, cold; Not in sympathy with or desiring to associate with others. |
| Altruism | putting others first, being self-sacrificing |
| amalgamate | To mix or blend together in a homogeneous body. |
| Amass | accumulate |
| ambidextrous | Having the ability of using both hands with equal skill or ease. |
| Ambiguity | uncertainty, vagueness |
| Ambiguous | unclear in meaning, can be interpreted in different ways, having a double meaning |
| Ambivalence | lack of clarity, wavering, being undecided |
| ambivalent | simultaneously having opposing feelings; uncertain |
| Ambulatory | able to walk around (used of hospital patients) |
| Ameliorate | make better; To relieve, as from pain or hardship |
| Amelioration | improvement |
| amenable | responsive, agreeable |
| Amiable | friendly |
| Amity | friendship |
| Amorphous | lacking in shape |
| ample | describing a large amount of something |
| Analgesic | medicine to combat pain |
| Analogous | comparable |
| Anarchy | chaos, lack of government |
| anathema | Anything forbidden, as by social usage. |
| Anecdote | an amusing brief story |
| animadversion | The utterance of criticism or censure. |
| Animosity | hatred, antagonism |
| Annex (noun) | a building which is an addition to an existing building |
| Annex (verb) | take possession of, seize, capture |
| Anomaly | something which does not fit in a pattern, irregularity |
| Antagonism | hostility, strong opposition |
| Antagonistic | opposed, hostile, aggressive |
| antediluvian | Of or pertaining to the times, things, events before the great flood in the days of Noah. |
| Anthology | a book which is a collection of poems or stories |
| Anthropocentrism | putting man at the center of one's philosophy |
| antidote | Anything that will counteract or remove the effects of poison, disease, or the like. |
