High-Frequency Word List

1. Abate: To Decrease and Reduce

2. Abdicate: To Give Up A Position, Right, Or Power
3. Aberrant: Deviating From What Is Normal
4. Abeyance: Temporary Suppression Or Suspension
5. Abject: Miserable; Pitiful
6. Abjure: To Reject; Abandon Formally
7. Abscission: N. The Act Of Cutting; The Natural Separation Of A Leaf Or Other Part Of
A Plant, V. To Cut Off Or Away (Abscise)
8. Abscond: To Depart Secretly
9. Abstemious: Moderate In Appetite
10. Abstinence: The Giving Up Of Certain Pleasures

11. Abysmal: Very Bad

12. Accretion: Growth In Size Or Increase In Amount
13. Accrue: To Accumulate; Grow By Additions
14. Adamant: Uncompromising; Unyielding
15. Adjunct: Something Added, Attached, Or Joined
16. Admonish: To Caution Or Reprimand
17. Adulterate: To Corrupt Or Make Impure
18. Aesthetic: Adj. Relating To Beauty Or Art, N. A Conception Of What Is
19. Artistically Beautiful
20. Affected: Pretentious, Phony

21. Affinity: Fondness; Liking; Similarity

22. Aggrandize: To Make Larger Or Greater
23. Aggregate: Adj. Amounting To A Whole; Total, V. To Collect Into A Mass, N. Collective
Mass Or Sum
24. Alacrity: Cheerful Willingness; Eagerness; Speed
25. Alchemy: Medieval Chemical Philosophy Based On Changing Metal Into Gold; A
Seemingly Magical Power Or Process Of Transmutation
26. Allay: To Lessen; Ease; Soothe
27. Alleviate: To Relieve; Improve Partially
28. Alloy: A Combination; A Mixture Of Two Or More Metals
29. Allure: The Power To Entice By Charm
30. Amalgamate: To Combine Into A Unified Whole

31. Ambiguous: Unclear Or Doubtful In Meaning

32. Ambivalence: The State Of Having Conflicting Emotional Attitudes
33. Ambrosia: Something Delicious; The Food Of The Gods
34. Ameliorate: To Improve
35. Amenable: Agreeable; Cooperative; Suited
36. Amenity: Something That Increases Comfort
37. Amulet: Ornament Worn As A Charm Against Evil Spirits
38. Anachronism: Something Out Of The Proper Time
39. Analgesic: Medication That Reduces Or Elimates Pain
40. Analogous: Adj. Comparable, N. A Similarity In Some Ways Between Things That Are
Otherwise Dissimilar (Analogy)

41. Anarchy: N. Absence Of Government; State Of Disorder, Adj. Lacking Order Or Control
(Anarchic)
42. Anodyne: N. Something That Calms Or Soothes Pain, Adj. Relaxing, Or Capable Of
Soothing Pain
43. Anomalous:Irregular; Deviating From The Norm
44. Antecedent: Something That Comes Before
45. Antediluvian: Prehistoric
46. Antipathy: Dislike; Hostility
47. Apathy: Indifference
48. Apex: The Highest Point
49. Apogee: The Point In An Orbit Most Distant From The Body Being Orbited; The
Highest Point
50. Apothegm: A Terse, Witty Saying

51. Appease: To Calm; Pacify; Placate

52. Apposite: Strikingly Appropriate And Relevant
53. Apprise: To Inform
54. Approbation: Praise; Approval
55. Appropriate: To Take Possession For One's Own Use; Confiscate
56. Apropos: Relevant
57. Arabesque: Ornate Design Featuring Intertwined Curves; A Ballet Position In Which One
Leg Is
58. Extended In Back While The Other Supports The Weight Of The Body
59. Archaeology: The Study Of Material Evidence Of Past Human Life
60. Ardour: Great Emotion Or Passion

61. Arduous: Extremely Difficult; Laborious

62. Argot: A Specialized Vocabulary Used By A Group
63. Arrest: To Stop; To Seize
64. Artefact: Item Made By Human Craft
65. Artless: Guileless; Natural
66. Ascetic: N. One Who Practices Self-Denial, Adj. Self-Denying Or Austere
67. Asperity:Severity; Harshness; Irritability
68. Aspersion: Slander; False Rumor
69. Assiduous: Diligent; Hard-Working
70. Assuage: To Make Less Severe

71. Astringent: Harsh; Severe

72. Asylum: Place Of Refuge Or Shelter
73. Atavism: In Biology, The Reappearance Of A Characteristic In An Organism After Several
Generations Of Absence; Individual Or A Part That Exhibits Atavism; Return Of A Trait
After A Period Of Absence
74. Attenuate: To Weaken
75. Audacious: Bold; Daring
76. Austere: Stern; Unadorned
77. Autonomous: Self-Governing; Independent
78. Avarice: Greed
79. Aver: To Affirm; Declare To Be True
80. Avocation: Secondary Occupation

81. Avuncular: Like An Uncle, Benevolent And Tolerant

82. Axiomatic: Taken For Granted
83. Bacchanalian: Pertaining To Riotous Or Drunken Festivity; Pertaining To Revelry
84. Banal: Commonplace; Trite
85. Banter: Playful Conversation
86. Bard: Poet
87. Bawdy: Obscene
88. Beatify: To Sanctify; To Bless; To Ascribe A Virtue To
89. Bedizen: To Dress In A Vulgar; Showy Manner
90. Behemoth: Huge Creature; Anything Very Large And Powerful

91. Belie: To Contradict; Misrepresent; Give A False Impression

92. Beneficent: Kindly; Doing Good
93. Bifurcate: To Divide Into Two Parts
94. Blandishment: N. Flattery, V. To Coax With Flattery (Blandish)
95. Blase: Bored Because Of Frequent Indulgence; Unconcerned
96. Bolster: To Give A Boost To; Prop Up; Support
97. Bombastic: Pompous; Using Inflated Language
98. Boorish: Rude; Insensitive
99. Bovine: Cowlike
100. Brazen: Bold; Shameless

101. Broach: To Mention For The First Time

102. Bucolic: Characteristic Of The Countryside; Rustic; Pastoral
103. Burgeon: To Flourish
104. Burnish: To Polish
105. Buttress: To Reinforce; Support