appease

(v.) to satisfy; to calm

apposite
(adj.) suitable; apt; relevant

approbatory
(adj.) approving or sanctioning

arbitrary (adj.)
based on one’s preference orjudgment
Rick admitted his decision had been arbitrary, as he claimed noexpertise on the matter.

ardent
(adj.) with passionate or intense feelings

arduous
(adj.) laborious, difficult; strenuous

arrogant
(adj.) acting superior to others; conceited

askance
(adv.) a sideways glance of disapproval
The look askance proved the guard suspected some wrongdoing.

asperity
(n.) harshness

assuage
(v.) to relieve; ease; make less severe
Medication should assuage the pain.

assiduous
(adj.) carefully attentive; industrious

astute
(adj.) cunning; sly; crafty

atrophy
(v.; n.)to waste away, as from lack of use; to wither;

audacious
(adj.) fearless; bold
augment
(v.) to increase or add to; to make larger

august
(adj.) to be imposing or magnificent

austere (adj.)
having a stern look;having strict self-discipline
azure
(adj.) the clear blue color of the sky
The azure sky made the picnic day perfect.

awry (adj; adv.)

crooked(ly); uneven(ly); wrong; askew Hearing the explosion in the laboratory, thescientist
realized the experiment had gone awry.

avarice
(n.) inordinate desire for gaining and possessing wealth The man’s avaricefor money kept him at
work through the evenings and weekends.

aver
(v.) to affirm as true
The witness was able to aver the identity of the defendant.

baleful
(adj.) harmful, malign, detrimental
The strange liquid could be baleful if ingested.

banal
(adj.) trite; without freshness or originality
Attending parties became trite after a few weeks

baroque
(adj.) extravagant; ornate; embellished
The baroque artwork was made up of intricate details which kept the museum-goers enthralled.

beholden
(adj.) indebted to

bellicose
(adj.) quarrelsome; warlike
The bellicose guest would not be invited back again.

benefactor
(n.) one who helps others; a donor
benevolent
(adj.) kind; generous

benign
(adj.) mild; harmless

berate
(v.) scold; reprove; reproach; criticize

bereft (v.; adj.) to be

deprived of; to be in a sad manner
The loss of his jobwill leave the man bereft of many luxuries.

besmirch
(v.) to dirty or discolor
The soot from the chimney will besmirch clean curtains.

blasphemous
(adj.) irreligious; away from acceptable standards; speaking ill ofusing profane language
The upper-class parents thought that it was blasphemousfor their son to marry a waitress.

blatant
(adj.) obvious; unmistakable; crude; vulgar

blithe (adj.)
happy; cheery; merry; a cheerful disposition
The wedding was a blithe celebration.

bode
(v.) to foretell something

bombast
(n.) pompous speech; pretentious words
After he delivered his bombast at the podium, he arrogantly left the meeting.

brindled
(adj.) mixed with a darker color

broach
to introduce into conversation

bumptious
(adj.) arrogant

bungler
a clumsy person
burlesque
(v.; n.)to imitate in anon-serious manner; a comical imitation

burnish
(v.) to polish by rubbing

cabal
(n.) a group of persons joined by a secret