Abate (verb) To decrease gradually in force or intensity.
Example: The storm began to abate just as the streets were starting to flood.
Mnemonic: Picture a fire losing its heat bit by bit — abate sounds like 'a-bait,' a flame that no longer takes the bait to keep burning and slowly dies down.
Aberration (noun) Something that deviates noticeably from what is normal or expected.
Example: The teacher assured the class that one poor test score was just an aberration in an otherwise strong record.
Mnemonic: Think of someone who has 'erred' badly just once — an aberration is a single stray step away from the usual path.
Abridge (verb) To shorten a text or piece of writing while keeping its main content.
Example: The publisher released an abridged version of the nine-hundred-page novel for younger readers.
Mnemonic: An abridged book builds a bridge straight across the story, skipping the long way around.
Acquiesce (verb) To accept or agree to something without arguing, often reluctantly.
Example: After hours of debate, the committee members finally acquiesced to the new proposal.
Mnemonic: Acquiesce hides the word 'quie' inside it (acQUIEsce) — when you acquiesce, you go quiet and stop objecting.
Aesthetic (adjective) Relating to beauty or the appreciation of what is pleasing to the senses.
Example: The architect chose curved glass walls purely for their aesthetic appeal, not for function.
Mnemonic: Aesthetic looks like 'esthetic,' as in an esthetician whose whole job is making things look beautiful.
Affable (adjective) Easy to talk to and pleasant in a friendly, approachable way.
Example: The affable host greeted every guest by name and made strangers feel instantly welcome.
Mnemonic: Affable starts like 'a friend is capable' of putting anyone at ease.
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.
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.
Ambiguous (adjective) Open to more than one interpretation because the meaning is unclear.
Example: The witness gave such an ambiguous answer that both lawyers claimed it supported their side.
Mnemonic: Ambi- means both, as in ambidextrous using both hands — an ambiguous statement points in more than one direction at once.
Ambivalent (adjective) Having two conflicting feelings or attitudes about someone or something at the same time.
Example: He felt ambivalent about the promotion, excited for the title but anxious about the added stress.
Mnemonic: Ambi- (both) plus a root meaning strength or worth — an ambivalent person is pulled with equal strength in two directions.
Amiable (adjective) Having a friendly and good-natured manner that others find easy to like.
Example: The amiable new neighbor brought cookies to every door on the street.
Mnemonic: Amiable shares a root with 'amigo' — someone amiable acts like a built-in friend.
Anomaly (noun) Something that stands out because it does not fit the usual pattern.
Example: Scientists flagged the strange reading as an anomaly and rechecked the equipment.
Mnemonic: Break it into 'a-no-normal-ly' — an anomaly is the thing that is not occurring normally.
Antagonize (verb) To provoke hostility or anger in someone through one's words or actions.
Example: The comedian's opening joke antagonized half the audience before the show even began.
Mnemonic: An 'antagonist' in a story is the character who antagonizes the hero and stirs up conflict.
Apathy (noun) A lack of interest, energy, or concern about things that would normally motivate people.
Example: Voter apathy was so widespread that turnout dropped to a record low.
Mnemonic: The prefix a- means without, and the root relates to feeling, as in empathy — apathy is a state without feeling.
Appease (verb) To calm or satisfy someone, often by giving them what they are demanding.
Example: The airline offered free vouchers to appease the passengers stranded overnight.
Mnemonic: Appease sounds like 'a peace' — you offer something to make a peace and quiet the anger down.
Arbitrary (adjective) Based on random choice or personal whim rather than any clear reason or system.
Example: The coach's arbitrary decision to bench the star player left the whole team confused.
Mnemonic: Think of an arbiter who just flips a coin instead of weighing the evidence — a purely arbitrary call.
Ardent (adjective) Full of passionate enthusiasm or intense devotion to something.
Example: An ardent supporter of the team, she never missed a single home game in ten years.
Mnemonic: Ardent comes from a root meaning to burn, the same one behind 'arson' — an ardent fan burns with enthusiasm.
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.
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.
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.
Augment (verb) To make something greater in size, amount, or degree by adding to it.
Example: The company augmented its staff with twenty new engineers before the product launch.
Mnemonic: Augment is the same root behind 'augmented reality,' which adds extra digital layers onto the real world.
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.
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.
Benevolent (adjective) Kind, generous, and genuinely wishing good things for others.
Example: The benevolent donor funded the entire new wing of the children's hospital.
Mnemonic: Bene- means good, as in benefit, and -volent relates to wishing, as in volition — a benevolent person wishes others well.