Synonyms
aesthetic
Artistic, related to the appreciation of beauty.
When he realized the revolutionaries would surely win, the king gave up his throne.
abscond, abdicate, abort, abase
Abdicate
Abhor
To hate/detest
After hours of relentless downpour that flooded the streets and forced people to take shelter indoors, the rain finally poured down for a while longer and then gradually ____, allowing the sun to break through the clouds once more.
abased, abated, absconded, abdicated
abated
Is there a problem?
Because the negotiating teams from both countries had spent weeks refining the language of the treaty, and had carefully considered the economic and political consequences of every clause, they were finally able to reach a tentative agreement late on Friday evening.
Yes, the comma after treaty.
acerbic
Biting, bitter in tone or taste.
After they ran out of food, the men attempting to jump rope around the world decided to give up on the half-finished project and go home.
adept, accede, abort, adorn
Abort
Abject
Wretched, pitiful.
After years of careful research and observation, psychologists have reached a clear consensus that the people who consistently report the highest levels of happiness are those who deliberately ____ the positive aspects of life rather than dwelling on setbacks.
adorn, accentuate, affront, abstain
accentuate
The director of the laboratory issued a strict and unambiguous rule to all researchers____ under no circumstances were any experimental results to be shared with outside parties until the data had been independently verified by at least two senior scientists.
:
acumen
Keen insight.
In the confusion, the super-spy sneaked away and hid into the night with the secret plans.
abjure, abscond, acclaim, adhere
abscond
abrogate
To abolish, usually by authority.
Although the Boston Red Sox managed to capture the World Series championship in 1918 after a hard-fought season, that unexpected triumph later turned out to be nothing more than a temporary ____, since the team failed to win another World Series title for many decades afterward.
accolade, accretion, aberration, affinity
aberration
The initial prototype of the device failed to meet even the most basic performance standards during the first round of testing; ____, the engineering team spent the following three months redesigning critical components and conducting far more rigorous trials before presenting a revised version.
therefore / consequently / as a result / accordingly
adroit
Extreme praise.
When the class asked the teacher whether they could play baseball instead of learn grammar, they expected him to refuse, but instead he agreed to their request.
accede, abhor, acute, affluent
accede
absolution
Freedom from blame, guilt, or sin.
In a dramatic public address meant to distance himself from the past, the newly elected President stood before the nation and formally ____ every last one of the corrupt and evil policies that had been enacted by his wicked predecessor.
abjured, aggrandized, accentuated, acquiesced
abjured
In the crowded emergency room, where doctors, nurses, and specialists moved constantly between patients, neither the exhausted trauma surgeon nor the junior residents could hide ____ growing frustration when the essential medical supplies failed to arrive on time.
their
adulation
Skillful, dexterous.
Though public pressure was intense, the President remained completely unyielding about his proposal.
adroit, affable, adamant, aesthetic
adamant
abstruse
Hard to comprehend.
Though Antoinette was normally quite calm and polite in every situation, when the clumsy waiter spilled hot soup on her for the fourth time in only fifteen minutes she finally lost her patience, stood up from the table, and ____ the man in front of the entire restaurant.
accosted, abased, absconded, acquiesced
accosted
Scattered across the remote mountain range, the abandoned research stations, together with the damaged satellite equipment and the crumbling observation towers that once monitored seismic activity, ____ now been claimed almost entirely by dense vegetation and nesting birds of prey.
have