Abrogate (verb) To officially cancel or do away with a law, agreement, or right through formal authority.
Example: The new council voted to abrogate the outdated zoning rule that had blocked local businesses for decades.
Mnemonic: Think of 'ab-' (away) plus 'rogate' (related to proposing, as in 'prerogative') — to abrogate is to take away something that was formally established, like officially canceling a law.
Abstruse (adjective) Difficult to understand because it is overly complex, technical, or abstract.
Example: The professor's lecture on quantum field theory was so abstruse that half the class stopped taking notes.
Mnemonic: Picture an idea pushed so far into abstract territory that only a specialist could ever construe it; the 'ab-' prefix suggests the meaning has been pulled away from ordinary understanding.
Acrimonious (adjective) Marked by sharp bitterness or ill will, especially in speech or disagreement.
Example: The two business partners ended their acrimonious dispute only after a judge forced them to sell the company.
Mnemonic: 'Acri-' echoes 'acrid,' a harsh, bitter smell — an acrimonious quarrel leaves the same bitter taste in everyone's mouth.
Acumen (noun) The ability to make fast, accurate judgments and decisions in a particular field.
Example: Her sharp business acumen allowed her to spot a profitable opportunity that every other investor had overlooked.
Mnemonic: The word contains 'acu-,' as in 'acute' or 'acupuncture' — sharp acumen is a mind that pierces straight to the right answer like a fine needle.
Adroit (adjective) Skillful and clever in using one's hands or mind, especially under pressure.
Example: The negotiator's adroit handling of the hostile crowd defused what could have become a violent confrontation.
Mnemonic: Adroit comes from a French phrase meaning 'to the right'; being the skilled, 'right-handed' one at a task is exactly what adroit describes.
Alacrity (noun) A cheerful eagerness or brisk readiness to do something.
Example: When the fire alarm sounded, the volunteers grabbed their gear and responded with impressive alacrity.
Mnemonic: Picture someone moving with the brisk energy of a waiter racing to take an order — that eager, cheerful speed is alacrity.
Ameliorate (verb) To make a bad or difficult situation better, often gradually.
Example: The new irrigation system helped ameliorate the drought conditions that had devastated local farms.
Mnemonic: Hidden inside the word is 'melior,' Latin for 'better' — to ameliorate a bad situation is simply to nudge it toward better.
Amorphous (adjective) Lacking a clear, fixed shape or structure.
Example: The committee's amorphous plan for reform never specified who would be responsible for any given task.
Mnemonic: 'A-' means without, and 'morph' means shape (as in 'morphology') — amorphous literally means without a fixed shape.
Anachronism (noun) Something or someone placed in the wrong time period, out of step with the present era.
Example: A soldier checking his wristwatch in a movie about ancient Rome would be a glaring anachronism.
Mnemonic: 'Ana-' (backward) plus 'chron' (time, as in 'chronology') — an anachronism is something that runs backward out of its proper time.
Anodyne (adjective) Deliberately unlikely to cause offense or provoke strong feeling; bland and inoffensive.
Example: Rather than address the scandal directly, the CEO issued an anodyne statement about 'moving forward together.'
Mnemonic: The word once described a medicine that dulls pain; an anodyne comment is designed to numb any conflict rather than confront it.
Antipathy (noun) A strong, deep-seated feeling of dislike or aversion toward someone or something.
Example: The senator's antipathy toward the proposed bill was obvious from the way he refused to even read it aloud.
Mnemonic: 'Anti-' (against) plus 'pathy' (feeling, as in 'sympathy') — antipathy is a feeling turned against someone, the mirror opposite of sympathy.
Apocryphal (adjective) Widely circulated as if true but likely fictional or unverified.
Example: The story of the founder inventing the recipe in his garage is probably apocryphal, but employees repeat it anyway.
Mnemonic: Apocryphal writings were ancient texts of doubtful origin left out of the accepted religious canon; today an apocryphal story is any tale that sounds official but is probably invented.
Arcane (adjective) Understood by only a very small number of people; obscure and secretive in nature.
Example: Only a handful of clerks understood the arcane filing procedure required to process the request.
Mnemonic: Arcane traces back to a Latin word for 'chest' or 'strongbox' — arcane knowledge is knowledge locked away where few can reach it.
Ascetic (adjective) Practicing strict self-discipline and avoidance of physical pleasure, often for spiritual reasons.
Example: The monk led an ascetic life, sleeping on a wooden board and eating only rice and water.
Mnemonic: Read it as 'a-skip-tic': an ascetic skips every comfort, from soft beds to rich food.
Assiduous (adjective) Showing great care, effort, and persistence in one's work or duties.
Example: Through assiduous note-taking and daily review, she mastered the material long before the exam.
Mnemonic: Buried inside the word is a root meaning 'to sit' — an assiduous worker sits down at a task and refuses to get up until it's finished.
Assuage (verb) To make an unpleasant feeling less intense, or to satisfy a need.
Example: The manager's apology and refund helped assuage the customer's anger over the delayed shipment.
Mnemonic: Say it slowly as 'a-sway-age': a gentle, soothing sway, like rocking a crying baby, is exactly what assuages distress.
Audacious (adjective) Showing a bold willingness to take risks, sometimes to the point of recklessness.
Example: The startup's audacious plan to compete with an industry giant seemed crazy until it actually worked.
Mnemonic: Audacious shares its root with 'audacity' — both describe a boldness daring enough to break the rules in plain sight.
Avarice (noun) An extreme, often selfish desire for wealth or material gain.
Example: Pure avarice drove the executive to falsify the accounts and pocket the difference.
Mnemonic: The word looks like 'a vice,' and greed for money has long been counted among the classic vices.
Banal (adjective) So ordinary and overused that it has become dull and unoriginal.
Example: The greeting card's banal message of 'thinking of you' felt like it could have been printed on a million other cards.
Mnemonic: Banal rhymes with 'canal,' and like water gliding down the same worn channel every day, a banal remark just follows the same tired path everyone else has already taken.
Belie (verb) To give a false or misleading impression of something.
Example: His calm expression belied the panic he actually felt about the upcoming presentation.
Mnemonic: The word literally hides 'lie' inside it — to belie something is to tell a silent, visual lie about what's really underneath.
Belligerent (adjective) Openly hostile and eager to fight or argue.
Example: The referee ejected the belligerent coach after he screamed insults at the officials for the third time.
Mnemonic: 'Belli-' comes from the Latin word for war, the same root found in 'antebellum' — a belligerent person is basically spoiling for a fight.
Bolster (verb) To support, strengthen, or reinforce something.
Example: Fresh testimony from an eyewitness helped bolster the prosecution's otherwise shaky case.
Mnemonic: Picture a long bolster pillow propped behind your back for support; to bolster an argument is to prop it up the very same way.
Bombastic (adjective) Using inflated, showy language that sounds impressive but says little.
Example: The politician's bombastic speech was full of grand promises but conspicuously short on actual policy details.
Mnemonic: Think of a dud bomb — bombastic language explodes with big, loud words yet, like a bomb that fails to detonate, leaves little real substance behind.
Boorish (adjective) Rude, clumsy, and unaware of proper social behavior.
Example: His boorish habit of interrupting every speaker at the dinner party embarrassed the whole table.
Mnemonic: A 'boor' was once a rough, uncultured farmer unfamiliar with polite company — boorish behavior is exactly what you'd expect from someone who never learned manners.
Brevity (noun) The quality of expressing something in few words; shortness of duration or expression.
Example: The editor praised the reporter's brevity, noting that the entire story fit into three tight paragraphs.
Mnemonic: Brevity shares its root with 'brief' — both are about keeping things short and to the point.