abjure:
/æb'dʒʊə(r)/ v.
renounce upon oath; abandon forever
He will abjure his allegiance to the king.
abrogate:
/'æbroʊgeɪt/ a.
abolish, do away with, or annul, especially
by authority
He intended to abrogate the decree
issued by his predecessor.
acumen:
/'ækjʊmɛn, ə'kju:mɛn/ n.
mental keenness; quickness of perception
However, her team's political acumen is
clearly beyond mine, an Ivy League
Medical Science Professor and NOT a
Political "Science" Professor.
adumbrate:
/'ædʌmbreɪt/ v.
give hint or indication of something;
disclose partially or guardedly;
overshadow; shade
Her constant complaining about the job
would adumbrate her intent to leave.
Show
alacrity:
/ə'lækrɪtɪ/ n.
cheerful promptness or willingness;
eagerness; speed or quickness
Phil and Dave were raring to get off to the
mountains; they packed up their ski gear
and climbed into the van with alacrity.
anathema:
/ə'næθəmə/ n.əmə/ n.
solemn curse; someone or something
regarded as a curse
To the Ayatolla, America and the West
were anathema; he loathed the
democratic nations, cursing them in his
dying words.\
antipathy:
/æn'tɪpəθəmə/ n.ɪ/ n.
strong feeling of aversion; dislike
Tom's extreme antipathy for disputes
keeps him from getting into arguments
with his temperamental wife.
approbation:
/æprə'beɪʃ(ə)n/ n.
expression of warm approval; praise
She looked for some sign of approbation
from her parents, hoping her good grades
would please them.
arrogate:
/'æroʊgeɪt/ v.
claim without justification; claim for
oneself without right
Lynn watch in astonishments as her
coworkers arrogate the credit for her
brilliant work in the project.
ascetic:
/ə'sɛtɪk/ a.
leading a life of self-discipline and self-
denial; austere
The wealthy, self-indulgent young man
felt oddly drawn to the strict, ascetic life
led by members of some monastic orders.
assiduous:
/ə'sɪdjʊəs/;/ə'sɪdʒʊəs/ a.
constant in application or attention;
diligent; unceasing or persistent
He was assiduous, working at this task for
weeks before he felt satisfied with his
results.
boon:
/bu:n/ n.
blessing; benefit bestowed, especially in
response to a request
The recent rains that filled our empty
reservoirs were a boon to the whole
community.
brusque:
/brʊsk/;/brʌsk/ a.
abrupt and curt in manner or speech;
