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25 words with meanings and examples. Tick each one you know; cover the meaning column to test yourself.
Paginepagineapp.com| ✓ | Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| abate verb | to become less intense or widespread | By evening the storm had abated, and the ferries ran again. | |
| aberrant adjective | departing from what is normal or expected | The lab flagged the aberrant reading and repeated the test. | |
| abstain verb | to choose not to do something | Three council members abstained from the vote. | |
| acumen noun | sharp skill in judging and deciding, especially in business | Her financial acumen turned the tiny bakery into a chain. | |
| admonish verb | to warn or scold firmly but gently | The librarian admonished the boys for shouting in the reading room. | |
| aesthetic adjective | relating to beauty or artistic taste | The building’s aesthetic appeal mattered as much as its cost. | |
| alacrity noun | cheerful readiness or eagerness | He accepted the invitation with alacrity. | |
| ameliorate verb | to make a bad situation better | New wells helped ameliorate the village’s water shortage. | |
| anachronism noun | something placed in the wrong historical period | A wristwatch on a Roman soldier is an obvious anachronism. | |
| anomaly noun | something that deviates from the usual pattern | A warm week in January was an anomaly in the records. | |
| antipathy noun | a strong, settled dislike | His antipathy toward long meetings was well known. | |
| apathy noun | lack of interest or concern | Voter apathy kept turnout below thirty percent. | |
| appease verb | to calm someone by giving them what they want | The manager appeased the customer with a refund. | |
| arcane adjective | known or understood by very few people | The contract was full of arcane legal phrases. | |
| arduous adjective | needing great effort; difficult and tiring | The arduous climb took nine hours. | |
| articulate adjective | able to express ideas clearly | The articulate student explained the proof in two minutes. | |
| ascetic adjective | avoiding comfort and pleasure, often for spiritual reasons | The monk lived an ascetic life with few possessions. | |
| assuage verb | to ease or soothe a feeling or need | A cool drink assuaged her thirst. | |
| audacious adjective | boldly daring, sometimes recklessly | It was an audacious plan to sail around the world alone. | |
| austere adjective | severe and plain, without decoration or comfort | The austere office held only a desk and a chair. | |
| banal adjective | so ordinary that it is dull | The speech was full of banal phrases about “the future.” | |
| belie verb | to give a false impression of; to contradict | Her calm voice belied her nervousness. | |
| bolster verb | to support or strengthen | New evidence bolstered the detective’s theory. | |
| bombastic adjective | pompous and inflated in language | The bombastic ad promised a “revolution in toothpaste.” | |
| burgeon verb | to grow or develop quickly | Interest in electric bikes has burgeoned in the city. |