abridge (v.)The editor abridged the story to make the book easier to digest.
to shorten; to limit
abscond (n.)The newly wed couple will abscond from the reception to leave on the honeymoon.
to go away hastily or secretly; to hide
absolve (v.)The judge will absolve the person of all charges.After feuding for many years, thebrothers absolved each other for the many arguments they had.
to forgive; to acquit
abstruse (adj.)The topic was so abstruse the student was forced to stop reading.The concept was too abstruse for the average student to grasp.
hard to understand; deep; recondite
accent (n.)People from Texas often speak with a distinctive Southern accent.
to emphasize; distinctive manner of pronunciation
accolade (n.)Can you identify whether or not this school deserves the accolade of being called a good school?
an honor; a praise; an award
acerbic (adj.)Scott is having an acerbic school year.
sour or bitter tasting; acid
acquiestcent (adj.)The group acquiesced to the new regulations even though they were opposed to them.After a hard-fought battle, the retailers finally acquiesced to the draft regulations.
agree without protest; accept an agreement silently
acrimony (n.)The acrimony of her response was shocking.
bitterness of speech or manner; ill feeling
adamant (adj.)After taking an adamant stand to sell the house, the man called the real estate agency.The girl�s parents were adamant about not allowing her to go on a dangerous backpacking trip.
not yielding; resistant to change; firm in purpose
adorn (v.)At Christmas the church was adorned in an especially solemn manner.
add beauty or ornament to something
adroit (adj.)The repair was not difficult for the adroit craftsman.The driver�s adroit driving avoided a serious accident.
expert; skillful; clever
adversary (n)The peace treaty united two countries that were historically great adversaries.
an opponent; a foe; an enemy
affable (adj)Her affable puppy loved to play with children.
easy to talk to; kind and polite
aggregate (adj)In a knockout stage the aggregate score will be taken of both teams.
formed into a mass; a college or group
allusion (n)The mention of the pet snake was an allusion to the man�ssneaky ways. In modern plays allusions are often made to ancient drama.
an indirect reference; a hint
aloof (adj)Even though the new coworker was aloof, we attempted to be friendly. The calm defendant remained aloof when he was wrongly accused of fabricating his story.
distant in interest; reserved; cool
altruistic(adj)The altruistic volunteer donated much time and energy in an effort to raise funds for the children�s hospital.
unselfish; concerned with the well being and happiness of others
amass (v)Over the years the sailor has amassed many replicas of boats.The women amassed a huge collection of priceless diamonds and pearls.
accumulate; pile up; collect together
ambidextrous (adj)In later years, his solo playing became truly ambidextrous, with a sense of danger and true improvisation with both hands.
able to use both hands well with equal skill
ambivalence (n)The ambivalent jury could not reach a unanimous verdict.
undecided
ameliorate (v)A consistent routine of exercise has shown to ameliorate health.We can ameliorate the flooding problem by changing the grading.
to improve or become better
amicable (adj)The newcomer picked the most amiable person to sit next to during the meeting.
friendly; characterized by or exhibiting friendliness or goodwill
amity (n)The amity between the two bordering nations put the populations at ease.
peaceful or friendly relations
amorphous (adj)The amorphous gel seeped through the cracks. The amorphous group quickly got lost.
formless and shapeless
anarchy (n)Able to dispense instant sentencing, judges are the one thing preventing total anarchy.
absence of government; disorder
animosity (n)Animosity grew between the two feuding families.(Think of the feelings between Draco & Harry or Snape & Harry.)
hostility; enmity; strong dislike; feeling of hatred
anonymous (adj)Not wishing to be identified by the police, he remained anonymous by returning themoney he had stolen by sending it through the mail.ISR has anonymous reviews disclosing the truth about Al Hekma.
nameless, without a disclosed identity
antagonistic (adj)The antagonism was created by a misunderstanding. The rebellious clan captureda hostage to display antagonism to the new peace treaty. Draco and Harry have an antagonistic relationship.
hostility; acting against each other
antiquated (adj)"Do the needful" is an antiquated expression.Al Hekma offers an antiquated educational experience.
out-of-date; old-fashioned
antithesis (n)Al Hekma is the antithesis of a (good) school.
exact opposite; contrast of ideas
apathy (n)He showed apathy when his relative was injured. The disheartened peasants expressed apathy toward the new law which promised new hope and prosperity for all.The apathetic teacher just had her students read from the textbook every day.
absence of sympathy or interest
apex (n)With Richard Wagner, opera reached the apex of German Romanticism.This represented the apex of his musical endeavors thus far - here was sonic architecture of the highest caliber.
highest point; a high point of achievement; climax
appease (v)Candy usually appeases Sammy.
calm; pacify
apprise (v)You should keep your reader apprised of what you are up to.Does your sales contact keep his or her supervisors apprised of your company's performance record?
to inform; to tell
arcane (adj)With an arcane expression, the young boy left the family wondering what sort of mischief he had committed.The wizard�s description of his magic was purposefully arcane so that others would be unable to copy it.
mysterious; understood by few; obscure; secret
archaic (adj)"Do the needful" is an archaic expression.
of ancient times; old; obselete
ardor (n)Ron's ardor for the Chuddly Cannons can't really be understood by others.
warmth of feeling; passionate or intense feelings
arrogant (adj)After purchasing his new, expensive sports car, the arrogant doctor refused to allow anyone to ride with him to the country club.Draco strutted arrogantly around Hogwarts after his father bought him a place on the Quidditch team.
behaving in a proud, superior manner; overestimating one's importance or ability; conceited
articulate (adj)A salesperson must be articulate when speaking to a customer.Professor Flitwick reminded the students of the importance of articulating their spells so they won't end up with a buffalo on their chest.
speak clearly and effectively
ascendancy (n)Kingsley's ascendancy to Minister of Magic was mentioned by Rowling after book 7 was published.
having power; moving upward
ascetic (n)The monastery is filled with ascetics who have devoted their lives to religion.The nuns lead an ascetic life devoted to the Lord.
a person who practices self-denial, leading a simple life
asperity (adj)The man used asperity to frighten the girl out of going.The asperity of the winter had most everybody yearning for spring.
roughness or unevenness of surface; sharpness of temper; harshness
assail (v)Harry assailed Ron and Hermione when he arrived at 12 Grimmauld Place.
attack violently with force or words
assiduous (adj)Hermione was assiduous in her studies.It is necessary to be assiduous if a person wishes to make the most of his time at work.He enjoys having assiduous employees because he can explain a procedure once and have it performed correctly every time.
persistent; persevering; hard-working
assuage (v)Medication should assuage the pain.Fawkes's tears assuaged the pain from the basilisk's venom.
to lesson suffering or pain
astute (adj)The astute lawyer�s questioning convinced the jury of the defendant�s guilt.
shrew; cunning; crafty; clever
atrophy (v)A few months after he lost his ability to walk, his legs began to atrophy.The atrophy of the muscles was due to the injury.
cause to waste
audacious (adj)Harry's audacious plan to save the Sorcerer's Stone worked.
daring; foolishly bold; impudent
augment (v)Harry's friends helped augment his meager meals with treats and food when Dudley was on a diet.
make large; increase
auspicious (adj)It was auspicious that the sun shone on the first day of the trip.The campaign had an auspicious start, foreshadowing the future.
showing signs or promise of future success
austere (adj)Professor McGonagall always has an austere look about her.The austere teacher assigned five pages of homework each day.
rigidly strict in manner of living or thinking; severely simple; stern
avarice (n)The man�s avarice for money kept him at work through the evenings and weekends.
the passion for hoarding wealth or possessions
averse (adj)Dumbledore was averse to letting anyone know his plans for Harry.Griphook was averse to parting with the Sword of Gryffindor.
unwilling; reluctant; resistant
aversion (adj)Dudley's aversion to eating healthy will probably lead to him dying very young.Snape's aversion to James Potter led to his poor treatment of Harry.
strong dislike
abate (v)Dumbledoor's attempts abate the animosity between Snape and Harry failed miserably.
to decrease; diminish; put an end to
abolish (v)Hermione's crusade to abolish house elf slavery scared the house elves.
to do away with annul