Abstain (verb) To deliberately choose not to do something, especially something enjoyable or something you have a right to do, such as voting.
Example: Two committee members chose to abstain rather than vote for or against the new policy.
Mnemonic: 'Ab-' means away, so think of staying away from something so it can't stain or affect you.
Accolade (noun) An award or expression of praise given in recognition of an achievement.
Example: The young violinist received an accolade from the city's music council.
Mnemonic: Hear 'a cool aid' inside accolade — a nice boost of praise that helps your reputation.
Acrimony (noun) Sharp bitterness or anger expressed in speech or manner, especially between people in conflict.
Example: The divorce proceedings were marked by acrimony that lasted for years.
Mnemonic: The 'acri-' root sounds like 'acid' — acrimony is speech that burns like acid between rivals.
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.
Alleviate (verb) To make a problem, pain, or difficulty less severe or easier to bear.
Example: The government introduced subsidies to alleviate the financial burden on low-income families.
Mnemonic: Imagine using a lever, hidden inside the word, to lift a heavy weight off someone's shoulders.
Amenable (adjective) Willing to cooperate or agree, open to guidance or suggestion from others.
Example: My manager is usually amenable to flexible work schedules.
Mnemonic: Break it into 'amen-able' — able to say 'amen' (yes) easily to most requests.
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.
Apprehensive (adjective) Feeling worried or fearful about something that might happen in the near future.
Example: Many first-year students feel apprehensive about giving their first academic presentation.
Mnemonic: Related to 'apprehend,' meaning to catch — feeling apprehensive is as if worry has caught hold of you early.
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.
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.
Bravado (noun) A bold, swaggering display of courage meant to impress or intimidate, often overstated.
Example: His bravado faded quickly once the real danger appeared.
Mnemonic: Starts like 'brave' but adds a showy '-ado' flourish — bravery performed for an audience.
Brusque (adjective) Blunt and abrupt in manner or speech, to the point of seeming rude.
Example: The busy doctor gave a brusque reply and rushed off to the next patient.
Mnemonic: Brusque rhymes with 'brisk' — a brisk, no-time-for-niceties way of talking.
Cajole (verb) To persuade someone to do something through flattery or gentle, persistent coaxing.
Example: The salesman cajoled the couple into upgrading to the premium package with free samples and compliments.
Mnemonic: Cajole sounds like 'ca-jewel' — showering someone with jewel-like compliments until they cave in.
Callous (adjective) Showing an insensitive and cruel disregard for others' feelings or suffering.
Example: His callous remark about the layoffs revealed how little he thought about the families affected.
Mnemonic: Callous looks like 'callus' — hardened skin that has lost feeling, just like a callous heart.
Capitulate (verb) To surrender or give in to a demand, typically after resistance.
Example: After weeks of picketing, management finally capitulated and agreed to the workers' pay increase.
Mnemonic: Capitulate contains 'capital' — a general hands over the capital city, surrendering when he can no longer defend it.
Castigate (verb) To criticize or punish someone harshly.
Example: The coach castigated the team in the locker room after their careless mistakes cost them the game.
Mnemonic: Castigate shares a root with 'chastise' — both come from a Latin word meaning to correct someone through harsh punishment.
Circumspect (adjective) Careful and cautious, especially about weighing possible consequences before acting.
Example: Being circumspect about the merger, the board demanded three independent audits before signing anything.
Mnemonic: 'Circum-' means around, and 'spect' means to look (as in 'spectacle') — to be circumspect is to look all around a situation before ever taking a step.
Cogent (adjective) Clear, logical, and convincing.
Example: She presented a cogent argument that changed the jury's mind.
Mnemonic: Shares a root with 'cognition' (thinking) — a cogent argument makes you think 'yes, that's correct.'
Conundrum (noun) A confusing and difficult problem or question that has no easy answer.
Example: Choosing between the two job offers was a real conundrum for her.
Mnemonic: Picture a puzzled 'nun' trying to solve a riddle about a 'drum' — thoroughly puzzling.
Cordial (adjective) Warm, friendly, and polite in manner, especially in a formal or social setting.
Example: Despite their rivalry, the two coaches remained cordial after the game.
Mnemonic: Cordial contains 'cord,' like a warm cord of connection linking two friendly people.
Debacle (noun) A sudden, complete failure or disastrous collapse of something.
Example: The product launch turned into a total debacle when the app crashed in front of every reporter in the room.
Mnemonic: The word comes from a French term for ice breaking apart on a river in springtime; picture a situation breaking apart into total chaos.
Decorum (noun) Behavior that is socially proper and in good taste.
Example: Despite the tense negotiations, both delegations maintained perfect decorum throughout the meeting.
Mnemonic: Decorum shares a root with 'decorate' — proper decorum is behavior dressed up to fit politely into a formal occasion.
Deplete (verb) To reduce the amount of a resource, usually through continued or careless use.
Example: Decades of overfishing had depleted the region's cod population to a fraction of its former size.
Mnemonic: 'De-' (down/away) plus Latin 'plere' (to fill) — the opposite of filling up, deplete drains a supply toward empty.