Abundant (adjective) Present in a quantity large enough to be more than enough.
Example: The region's rivers made fresh water abundant, so farmers rarely worried about irrigation.
Mnemonic: Abundant contains the word abound. When something abounds, it exists everywhere in great supply.
Adept (adjective) Very skilled at doing something, usually as a result of practice.
Example: After a semester of practice, she became adept at reading raw statistical data at a glance.
Mnemonic: Adept and 'adapt' share the Latin root 'aptus' (fitted) — someone adept has adapted so well to a task that it now fits them perfectly.
Affluent (adjective) Having a great deal of money or wealth.
Example: The affluent suburb was known for its large houses and private schools.
Mnemonic: Think of affluent as a flow of money. Affluent people always have money flowing toward them.
Align (verb) To arrange things so they are in the correct position with each other, or to bring plans and ideas into agreement.
Example: The manager tried to align the team's goals with the company's new strategy.
Mnemonic: Align contains the word line. To align things is to put them in a straight line together.
Altruistic (adjective) Showing a genuine concern for the well-being of others, often at some cost to oneself.
Example: The volunteer's altruistic decision to donate a kidney to a stranger amazed her coworkers.
Mnemonic: Altruistic contains 'altru,' close to the Latin root for 'other' — altruistic people put others first, not themselves.
Anticipate (verb) To expect something and prepare for it before it actually happens.
Example: The organizers anticipated heavy rain, so they set up a covered area for guests.
Mnemonic: Anticipate begins with anti, close to ahead of time. You anticipate by thinking ahead of the event.
Arduous (adjective) Requiring great physical or mental effort and often taking a long time to complete.
Example: The arduous climb to the summit took eleven hours and left the whole team exhausted.
Mnemonic: 'Ardu-' sounds like 'hard-uous' - an arduous task is simply a hard one stretched out over time.
Astute (adjective) Showing sharp judgment and a quick ability to understand situations or people.
Example: The astute detective noticed the tiny inconsistency that cracked the whole case open.
Mnemonic: Astute rhymes with acute, as in an acute, sharp mind that catches what others miss.
Baffle (verb) To confuse someone so completely that they cannot understand or explain something.
Example: The sudden drop in sales baffled the marketing team for several weeks.
Mnemonic: Baffle sounds like puzzle. A baffling problem is like a puzzle you simply cannot solve.
Belittle (verb) To make someone or something seem smaller or less important than it really is.
Example: He constantly belittled his coworker's ideas during team meetings.
Mnemonic: Break it apart: 'be-little' literally means to make something seem little.
Bleak (adjective) Without hope, comfort, or anything positive, or describing a cold and bare landscape.
Example: Economists painted a bleak picture of the industry's future after the factory closures.
Mnemonic: Bleak rhymes with a bare, gray peak. Picture a cold mountain top with no life on it at all.
Blunt (adjective) Speaking in a very direct way without trying to be gentle or polite, or physically not sharp.
Example: Her blunt feedback shocked the new intern, but it helped him improve very quickly.
Mnemonic: A blunt knife cannot cut around your feelings carefully. A blunt person just says things straight.
Boycott (verb) To refuse to buy, use, or take part in something as a way of protesting against it.
Example: Consumers threatened to boycott the brand after reports of unfair factory conditions emerged.
Mnemonic: The word comes from a real 1880s landlord named Boycott whom an entire community refused to deal with. Today, to boycott means to refuse something the same collective way.
Brisk (adjective) Quick and full of energy, or describing business that is happening fast and in large amounts.
Example: Trade was brisk at the market before the holiday, with vendors selling out by noon.
Mnemonic: Brisk sounds like a brisk breeze. A brisk wind moves fast and full of energy.
Bountiful (adjective) Existing in generous, plentiful amounts.
Example: The harvest was so bountiful that farmers had extra grain left over to sell at market.
Mnemonic: Bountiful contains bounty, a generous reward. Bountiful simply means full of generous rewards.
Candid (adjective) Truthful and straightforward; frank.
Example: He gave a candid answer, even though it wasn't flattering.
Mnemonic: A 'candid' photo is unposed and honest — a candid person speaks the same way.
Captivate (verb) To hold someone's attention completely by being interesting, charming, or attractive.
Example: The storyteller captivated the children with tales of ancient sea voyages.
Mnemonic: Captivate contains captive. A captivating speech takes your attention captive so you cannot look away.
Collaborate (verb) To work together with one or more people to produce or achieve something.
Example: Scientists from five different countries collaborated on the new vaccine research project.
Mnemonic: Co, meaning together, plus labor. To collaborate is simply to labor together on a task.
Compassionate (adjective) Showing deep concern for the suffering of others along with a genuine desire to help.
Example: The compassionate nurse stayed after her shift to comfort the worried family.
Mnemonic: Com, meaning together, plus passion. A compassionate person shares another person's pain as if it were their own.
Comprise (verb) To be made up of a certain number of parts, or to form the whole of something.
Example: The committee comprises ten members who represent different departments of the company.
Mnemonic: Comprise sounds like contains a prize. A box comprises all the smaller prizes stored inside it.
Consensus (noun) A general agreement reached by most or all members of a group.
Example: It took a long meeting, but the faculty eventually reached a consensus on the revised curriculum.
Mnemonic: Shares a root with 'consent' (Latin 'sentire,' to feel) — a consensus is a feeling everyone in the room ends up sharing.
Cultivate (verb) To develop or improve something carefully over time, or to prepare land and grow crops.
Example: The company worked hard to cultivate strong relationships with its long-term clients.
Mnemonic: Farmers cultivate soil to help plants grow steadily. You can cultivate a skill or friendship the same patient way.
Complement (verb) To go well with something else, making it better or more complete.
Example: The soft lighting complemented the restaurant's calm, elegant atmosphere perfectly.
Mnemonic: A complement completes something. Remember that the e in complement matches the e in complete.
Convoluted (adjective) Extremely complicated and difficult to follow, often with unnecessary twists.
Example: The instructions for assembling the shelf were so convoluted that three people gave up.
Mnemonic: Convoluted shares a root with 'volute,' a spiral shape — picture an explanation twisting and coiling like a spiral shell.
Decisive (adjective) Able to make decisions quickly and confidently, or having a strong, clear effect on an outcome.
Example: The coach's decisive substitution in the final minutes changed the outcome of the match.
Mnemonic: Decisive comes from decide. A decisive person decides fast, without wasting any time.