National Merit Review Word List
Terms
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- aback
- surprised; startled
- abate
- to lessen; to decrease
- abdicate
- to give up
- abduct
- to take away; to kidnap
- aberration
- abnormality
- abet
- to aid; to encourage
- abeyance
- a postponement
- abhor
- to hate
- abide
- to remain or to put up with
- abject
- miserable
- abjure
- to give up (rights); to deny
- ablution
- cleansing
- abolition
- doing away with
- abominate
- to dislike strongly
- aborigine
- original inhabitant
- abortive
- unsuccessful
- abrade
- to wear or scrape away
- abridge
- to shorten or diminish
- abrogate
- to abolish
- abscond
- to leave secretly
- absolve
- to free from responsibilty
- abstemious
- to show moderation in eating or drinking
- abstinence
- self-denial; voluntary restraint
- abstract
- lacking substance; theoretical
- abut
- to border on; adjoin
- abysmal
- extremely bad
- abyss
- a bottomless pitl; vast
- academic
- theoretical or pertaining to school
- accede
- to agree to; accept
- accessible
- easy to approach
- acclaim
- to greet with approval; praise
- acclimate
- to get used to
- acclivity
- an upward slope
- accolade
- honor or award
- accommodate
- to make fit; to help
- accord
- agreement
- accost
- to approach or speak too aggressively
- accoutrements
- equipment or accessories
- accredit
- to certify or endorse
- accretion
- an addition or increase
- accrue
- to accumulate
- acerbic
- sharp; bitter; sour
- acoustic
- dealing with sound
- acquiesce
- to agree; accept
- acquit
- to find not guilty
- acrid
- bitter; irritating
- acrimonious
- harsh speech or action
- acronym
- word formed from initials of other words
- actuate
- to put into action
- acuity
- sharp perception
- acumen
- mental insight
- acute
- sharp; intense
- adage
- a familiar saying
- adamant
- unyielding
- addend
- something added to another
- addled
- confused; muddled
- adduce
- something offered as proof
- adept
- highly skilled
- adhere
- to stick; to support
- adjudicate
- to judge
- adjunct
- an assistant or in addition ot
- admonish
- to warn
- adroit
- skillful; shrewd
- adulation
- praise or flattery
- adulterate
- to make impure
- advent
- a coming or arrival
- adventitious
- accidental; incidental
- adversary
- enemy; an opponent
- advocate
- to support; to defend anpther
- aegis
- protection
- aesthetic
- pertaining to beauty
- affable
- agreeable
- affectation
- phony attitude or behavior
- affiliation
- to associate with
- affinity
- any attraction to
- affirmative
- positive
- affix
- to attach or add
- affluence
- wealth
- agape
- open-mouthed; sighn of surprise
- agenda
- list of things to be done
- aggrandize
- to make greater
- aggraavate
- to irritate
- aggregate
- to collect or gather together
- aghast
- shocked
- agile
- to move quickly
- agitate
- to stir up
- agnostic
- one who doubts the existence of God
- agrarian
- pertaining to farmers and agriculture
- alacrity
- willingness
- alias
- an assumed name
- alientate
- to make others unfriendly to you
- allay
- to calm
- allege
- to charge without proof
- alleviate
- to lessen, lighten, or relieve
- allocate
- to assighn for a specific purpose
- allude
- to hit at
- aloft
- high in the air
- aloof
- cool; indifferent
- altercation
- an argument
- altruism
- concern for others
- amalgamate
- to combine or unite
- amass
- to accumulate
- amazon
- strong, masculine woman
- ambient
- surrounding
- ambiguous
- unclear, vague
- ambivalence
- conflicting feelings toward something
- ambulatory
- able to walk
- ameliorate
- to improve; make better
- amenable
- agreeable
- amend
- to change
- amenity
- courtesy or agreeableness
- amiable
- friendly
- amicable
- agreeable
- amiss
- wrong; improper
- amity
- friendship
- amnesty
- official pardon for an offense
- amoral
- no sense of right and wrong
- amourous
- loving
- amorphous
- shapeless
- amphibious
- able to live on both land and water
- ample
- abundant
- amplify
- to make greater
- amulet
- a charm worn to keep evil away
- anachronism
- something out of place or time
- analgesic
- drug that reduces pain
- anarchy
- absence of government or order
- anathema
- a curse; a person strongly disliked
- ancillary
- subordinate
- anecdote
- a short, entertaining story
- anent
- concerning
- animosity
- hostility
- annals
- historical records
- annihilate
- to totally destroy
- annuity
- income paid at stated intervals
- annul
- to cancel
- anomalous
- abnormal; irregular
- anoxia
- lack of oxygen
- antagonistic
- hostile
- antecedent
- that which goes before something else in time
- anthology
- collection of literary works
- anthropoid
- resembling man
- antic
- playful or silly act
- anticipate
- to prepare for in advance
- anticlimax
- something unimportant coming after something special
- antidote
- remedy
- antipathy
- strongly dislike
- antiquated
- exremely old
- antithesis
- an exact opposite
- apathy
- indifference; lack of interest or emotion
- aperture
- an opening
- apex
- the highest point
- aphasia
- loss of the ability to speak
- aphorism
- brief saying; a short proverb
- aplomb
- self-confidence
- apocryphal
- mythical; doubtful in origin
- apoplexy
- sudden loss of consciousness; paralysis
- apostate
- one who gives up his beliefs
- appall
- to frighten; dismay
- apparition
- a ghost
- appease
- to satisgy
- appellation
- a name
- append
- to add to
- apprehend
- to catch; to understand
- apprehensive
- fearful; anxious
- apprise
- to inform