A2 Key Vocabulary Definitions PDF

1. Aghast adj struck with terror, amazement, or horror : shocked and upset a. Horrified; shocked; alarmed, terrified, afraid b. Brave; unafraid; audacious; fearless c. Of course, there were the aghast social media comments, those are to be expected, but the moment also inspired a...

1. Aghast adj struck with terror, amazement, or horror : shocked and upset a. Horrified; shocked; alarmed, terrified, afraid b. Brave; unafraid; audacious; fearless c. Of course, there were the aghast social media comments, those are to be expected, but the moment also inspired a reasonable question: How much is too much to spend on jeans? 2. Alacrity noun promptness in response : cheerful readiness a. Willingness; swiftness; enthusiasm; rapidity b. Slowness; indifference; hesitation; reluctance c. Every Disney worker I spoke to, from ticket sellers to gardeners sprucing up already-immaculate flower beds, knew the answer to my questions and responded with smiling alacrity. 3. Attrition noun 1. sorrow for one's sins that arises from a motive other than that of the love of God 2. the act of weakening or exhausting by constant harassment, abuse, or attack 3. a reduction in numbers usually as a result of resignation, retirement, or death 4. the act of rubbing together : friction also : the act of wearing or grinding down by friction a. Erosion; disintegration; corrosion; decay; breakdown b. Increase; buildup; gain c. This had led the British to look upon these sieges as an opportunity to deplete the German army by the gradual process of attrition. Because by 1917, they had so many cannon and such immense supplies of ammunition, they believed that their attacks could inflict more manpower losses than they themselves would suffer. 4. Altruistic noun 1. having or showing an unselfish concern for the welfare of others 2. relating to or being behavior by an animal that is not beneficial to or may be harmful to the animal itself but that benefits others of its species a. Philanthropic; charitable; benevolent; humanitarian; generous b. Selfish; self-centered; parsimonious; stingy c. Since Google has been displaying pay-to-play lists at the top of organic search results, some believe their motives aren’t altruistic. d. Altruistically 5. Amalgamate verb to unite in or as if in an amalgam especially : to merge into a single body a. Combine; merge; integrate; blend; incorporate b. Separate; breakdown; divide; dissolve c. One promising way to amalgamate this kind of data is through the establishment of a national Bureau of Cyber Statistics. d. amalgamator 6. Ambivalent adj having or showing simultaneous and contradictory attitudes or feelings toward something or someone : characterized by ambivalence *Ambivalent and ambiguous: both words are in some fashion concerned with dualit- ambivalent relates to multiple and contradictory feelings, whereas ambiguous typically describes something with several possible meanings that create uncertainty. a. Conflicted; equivocal; uncertain; undecided b. Certain; decided; sure; resolute c. Teen Tully is ambivalent about Daemon, reminding the Targaryen that he was dismissed as useless when his grandfather was still alive. d. ambivalently 7. anachronism noun 1. an error in chronology, especially : a chronological misplacing of persons, events, objects, or customs in regard to each other found several anachronisms in the movie 2. a person or a thing that is chronologically out of place, especially : one from a former age that is incongruous in the present 3. the state or condition of being chronologically out of place c. These anachronisms continually disrupt the fictional dream of this novel. d. Anachronistic; anachronistically 8. Anamorphic adj producing, relating to, or marked by intentional distortion (as by unequal magnification along perpendicular axes) of an image c. The director recommended anamorphic lenses, which were a good fit for the American setting and introspective tone, with characters often isolated in empty rooms. 9. Anathema noun 1. someone or something intensely disliked or loathed —usually used as a predicate nominative; one that is cursed by ecclesiastical authority 2. ban or curse solemnly pronounced by ecclesiastical authority and accompanied by excommunication; the denunciation of something as accursed; a vigorous denunciation : curse a. Curse; ban; condemnation; censure; denunciation b. Blessing; benediction; endorsement; commendation c. For all the artistic wonders it has preserved, the Holy Mountain is not a museum, and the idea of playing host to sightseers is anathema to the monks. Male visitors of all faiths are welcome, but they come as pilgrims, not tourists, and only 110 "residence permits" are issued each day by patristic officials in Ouranoupolis. 10. Animosity noun a strong feeling of dislike or hatred : ill will or resentment tending toward active hostility : an antagonistic attitude a. Hostility; hatred; grudge; enmity; animus b. Friendliness; cordiality; amity; friendship c. Few rivalries can match that of the Cards and Cubs in terms of history, color and animosity. Things are tense in an off year, but in 2003 the teams are at the top of the National League  Central division (along with the Houston Astros), separated by a half-game. 11. apathy noun 1. lack of feeling or emotion : impassiveness 2. lack of interest or concern : indifference a. indifference; disregard; nonchalance; detachment; callousness b. interest; concern; awareness; curiosity c. Yet, nowadays, the tendency to quickly move on from these events seems more pronounced than ever, stemming from a combination of apathy, helplessness, and exhaustion. 12. Apostate noun one who commits apostasy (an act of refusing to continue to follow, obey, or recognize a religious faith) a. deserter; traitor; renegade; defector b. disciple; loyalist; follower; adherent c. Many like him feel like these apostates among Tesla’s faithful have been little more than fair-weather friends of Musk. 13. aptitude noun 1. inclination, tendency; a natural ability : talent 2. capacity for learning; general suitability a. inclination; tendency; knack; affinity; predisposition b. aversion; disinclination; inability c. As a woman of many talents, Maye had the aptitude and desire to learn. d. aptitudinal 14. Arbitrary adj 1. existing or coming about seemingly at random or by chance or as a capricious and unreasonable act of will; based on or determined by individual preference or convenience rather than by necessity or the intrinsic nature of something 2. not restrained or limited in the exercise of power : ruling by absolute authoritarian arbitrary government; marked by or resulting from the unrestrained and often tyrannical exercise of power 3. law depending on individual discretion (as of a judge) and not fixed by law a. random; inconsistent; scattered; authoritarian; autocratic b. systematic; fixed; orderly; constant; methodical c. Darwin's emphasis on how populations gradually change gave the notion of species a more arbitrary quality: Species had whatever boundaries taxonomists chose. The idea of a species as a population of individuals that breed mostly with each other comes from 20th-century theorists. d. arbitrarily; arbitrariness; arbiter 15. arduous adj 1. hard to accomplish or achieve : difficult; marked by great labor or effort : strenuous 2. hard to climb : steep a. challenging; difficult; rigorous; demanding b. easy; simple; effortless; facile c. The scientists also found that at least some of the microbes had survived their arduous, atmospheric journey and brought multidrug antibiotic resistance with them. d. arduously; arduousness 1. Abate verb a. : to decrease in force or intensity b. to become defeated or become null or void (as of a writ or appeal) c. Decline; lessen; moderate; decrease; subside; ebb d. Increase; grow; intensify e. With the matcha movement showing no signs of abating, here are five of the best brands to try. 2. Abject adjective a. sunk to or existing in a low state or condition : very bad or severe b. showing hopelessness or resignation c. Abjectly; abjectness d. Humble; servile; meek; menial; servile e. Superior; arrogant; haughty f. The United States’ attempt to manufacture a new order in Iraq was arguably an abject disaster. 3. Abstemious adjective a. marked by restraint especially in the eating of food or drinking of alcohol b. abstemiously adverb; abstemiousness noun c. Abstinent; temperament; d. Greedy; gluttonous; voracious e. People grow more risk-averse, abstemious, religious. 4. Abstruse adjective a. difficult to comprehend : recondite b. abstrusely adverb; abstruseness noun c. Arcane, esoteric; heremetical d. Superficial; shallow; simple e. In contrast to the abstruse beauty of the séance room, the primary bedroom and bath, which the homeowner calls the goddess suite, are all lightness and elegance, a pale-hued sanctuary that casts a spell of serenity tinged with decadence. 5. abysmal adjective a. immeasurably low or wretched : extremely poor or bad  b. having immense or fathomless extension downward, backward, or inward c. Abysmally d. Deep; profound; vast; endless e. Superficial; shallow f. Low unemployment rates aren’t meaningful when too many Americans earn abysmal wages, some working multiple jobs with low security just to get by. 6. Accoutrement noun a. an accessory item of clothing or equipment b. an identifying and often superficial characteristic or device c. Accessory; appendage; furnishings; trappings; equipment; paraphernalia d. Essential; necessity; e. The entirety of the figure is part of a dynamic patchwork that incorporates furniture, pillows, wallpaper and other accoutrements of a homey interior. 7. Acquit verb a. to discharge completely (as from an accusation or obligation) b. Clear; absolve; forgive; exonerate; exculpate; c. Incriminate; accuse; charge; convict d. In June, he was acquitted of fraud by a jury in San Francisco, after prosecutors accused him of trying to inflate Autonomy’s revenue in the latest chapter of the legal saga. 8. Acrimonious adjective a. angry and bitter : caustic, biting, or rancorous especially in feeling, language, or manner b. acrimoniously adverb; acrimoniousness noun c. Rancorous; sore; cynical; bitter; embittered; acrid; resentful d. Warm; sympathetic; kind e. But considering the momentousness of the issue, the original Darwinian debate was far less acrimonious than might have been expected 9. Acumen noun a. keenness and depth of perception, discernment, or discrimination especially in practical matters b. Intelligence; wit; astuteness; insight; shrewdness c. Naïveté; guilelessness; ingenuousness; simplicity d. Your employees likely span many skill levels, so their business acumen and familiarity with corporate lingo will vary. 10. Adamant adjective/noun a. unshakable or insistent especially in maintaining a position or opinion b. an unbreakable or extremely hard substance  c. Stubborn; steadfast; hardened; determined d. Compliant; flexible; agreeable e. While Mahomes was adamant the play was improvisational and spur of the moment, the two-time NFL MVP said that Chiefs head coach Andy Reid told him to try the play occasionally. 11. Admonish verb a. o indicate duties or obligations to b. to express warning or disapproval to especially in a gentle, earnest, or solicitous manner were admonished for being late c. to give friendly earnest advice or encouragement to admonished them to be careful d. : to say (something) as advice or a warning e. admonisher noun; admonishment f. Chide; rebuke; reprimand; scold; criticize g. Approve; endorse; okay; sanction h. He is sympathetic but never condescending, or patronizing, or moralizing. His purpose is not to admonish or deplore but to understand. 12. Adulation noun a. extreme or excessive admiration or flattery b. Adulate; adulated; adulating; adulates; adulator; adulatory c. Adoration; worship; idolatry reverence d. Condemnation; dismissal; disapproval; scorn e. As the show progresses, the games grow more barbaric as the adulation for the savage host drives increasing fury. 13. Aesthetic adjective and noun a. pleasing in appearance b. a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste and with the creation and appreciation of beauty c. aesthetically d. Attractive; beautiful; comely e. Grotesque; ugly; homely f. Fashion challenges for Harris manifest not only in general misogyny and scrutiny that comes from working in the public eye but also in particular pointedness through aesthetic expectations of a certain age. 14. Affable adjective a. characterized by ease and friendliness b. affability  c. Casual; mellow; easygoing; nonchalant, informal d. Rigid; uptight; strict e. The intrigue: Duggan has a way of turning on his affable Midwestern charm with reporters outside the local media. 15. Aggregate adj, verb, noun a. formed by the collection of units or particles into a body, mass, or amount b. to collect or gather into a mass or whole c. the whole sum or amount d. Total; sum; collective e. Individual; particular f. The aggregate loss before taxes and finance costs was £530 million ($673 million based on current exchange rates), according to company filings.