aloof adj. (uh LOOF) distant; remote; withdrawn. Shawn was unusually aloof and barely said three words to us all night.
alter ego n. another side of one's personality. (Also, a close companion.) Sociopaths may be quite charming; many of us would be hard-pressed at first to discern their cold-blooded alter egos.
altruism n. (AL troo iz um) unselfish concern for others; assistance to others without desire for gain. He practiced altruism often by making anonymous donations.
ambiguous adj. (am BIG yoo us) that which can be understood in more than one way and is therefore unclear. The politician's statements were so ambiguous, we couldn't tell if she wanted to raise taxes or lower them.
ambivalent adj. (am BIV uh lent) having mixed feelings. We often feel ambivalent about city taxes; on one hand, we want better schools and services, yet on the other, we don't want to have to pay for them.
amenable adj. (uh MEEN uh bul) receptive to; agreeable and willing. I would be amenable to paying higher taxes, as long as that extra money isn't wasted.
amiable adj. (AYM ee uh bul) friendly and agreeable. At the party, everyone was in an amiable mood.
amicable adj. (AM i kuh bul) friendly, with goodwill. The two parties came to an amicable agreement and shook hands.
amnesty n. (AM nest ee) an official pardon. The political prisoners were given amnesty and released.
amorphous adj. (uh MOR fus) shapeless; undefined. An amorphous cloud drifted over our heads.
anachronism n. (uh NAK ruh niz um) someone or something that does not fit into its time period; a historical inaccuracy. A helicopter flown in Victorian times would be a glaring anachronism.
anarchy n. (AN ark ee) the complete absence of law and order; chaos. A world without government would be a world filled with anarchy.
androgynous adj. (an DROJ uh nus) having characteristics of both sexes. We couldn't tell if the androgynous rock star was a man or a woman.
angst n. (ANGST) anxious unhappiness. I'm anticipating my 50th birthday with great angst.
animated adj. (AN uh MAYT id) lively and uninhibited. It is difficult to become animated with someone until you first break the ice with small talk.
animosity n. (AN uh MOS uh tee) hatred; ill will. The divorcing couple had too much animosity to solve their differences.
annotate vb. (AN uh tayt) to add notes. The editor asked the author to annotate his book to make it easier for students to understand.
annul vb. (uh NUL) to nullify or cancel. The city council voted to annul several outmoded laws.
anomalous adj. (uh NOM uh lus) out of the norm; unusual. Santa Claus arriving on the fourth of July instead of Christmas would be quite anomalous.
anomaly n. (uh NOM uh lee) an abnormality; a deviation from the norm. A blizzard in Florida would be considered an anomaly.
antecedent n. (AN ti SEED unt) that which came before. The antecedent of the compact disk was the eight-track tape.
antediluvian adj. (an ti duh LOO ve un) coming before the biblical flood and therefore very old or antiquated. The politician's philosophy of "might makes right" was absolutely antediluvian.
antipathy n. (an TIP uh thee) a strong dislike. Many people feel a certain antipathy toward telephone solicitors.
antiquated adj. (ANT i kwat id) old-fashioned; outmoded or out of date. The crank style telephone was considered antiquated decades ago.
opposite. The antith-
anti-Semitism n. (AN ti SEM i tiz um) hatred or prejudice toward Jew or Judaism. Adolf Hitler was history's strongest proponent of anti-Semitism.
antithesis n. (an TITH uh sis) esis of love is hate.
apartheid n. (uh PART hite) originally, the policy of racial segregation in South Africa; now, any form of segregation. A cultural apartheid is dividing inner-city blacks from suburban whites.
apathy n. (AP uh thee) complete lack of interest; indifference. If we are to defeat political corruption, we must first conquer voter apathy.
aplomb n. (uh PLOM) great poise and confidence. She hosted the gala with exceptional aplomb.
apocalypse n. (uh POK uh lips) mass destruction or devastation, as a holocaust. Some seers predict that an apocalypse will occur in the 21st century.
apocryphal adj. (uh POK ruh ful) questionable or strongly suspected to be inauthentic or erroneous. The celebrity's so-called lost diary turned out to be apocryphal.
appease vb. (uh PEEZ) to pacify or calm. We bought a doughnut in order to appease the screaming toddler.
apprehensive adj. (AP ri HEN siv) filled with anxiety, especially about the future. I'm apprehensive about that speech I have to give tomorrow.
apropos adv. (AP ruh POH) appropriate or fitting; timely. With Arbor Day right around the corner, his speech on tree conservation was apropos.
arbiter n. (ARB i tur) a mediator, negotiator, or judge. The warring parties needed an outside arbiter to help them settle their differences.
arbitrary adj. (ARB i trair ee) random; by chance or whim. All of the apple pies were equally delicious, so the judge's decision to award a blue ribbon to Mrs. Feeney was completely arbitrary.
arbitrate vb. (ARB i trayt) to mediate, negotiate, or act as judge. A disinterested third party was brought in to arbitrate the dispute.
arcane adj. (ar KAYN) mysterious or unknowable to all but a few. The famous astrophysicist's theories were rather arcane.
archaic adj. (ar KAY ik) outdated, ancient; antiquated. Hangings and beheadings are an archaic form of criminal punishment.