abstruse
(adj.) hard to understand; deep; recondite
The topic was so abstruse the student was forced to stop reading.
The concept was too abstruse for the average student to grasp.

accede
(v.) to comply with; to consent to
With defeat imminent, the rebel army acceded to hash out a peace treaty.

adept
(adj.) skilled; practiced
The skilled craftsman was quite adept at creating beautiful vases and candleholders.

adroit
(adj.) expert or skillful
The repair was not difficult for the adroit craftsman.
The driver's adroit driving avoided a serious accident.

adulation
(n.) praise in excess
The adulation was in response to the heroic feat.
The adulation given to the movie star was sickening.

adversary
(n.) an enemy; foe
The peace treaty united two countries that were historically great adversaries.

aesthetic
(adj.) of beauty; pertaining to taste in art and beauty
She found that her aesthetic sense and that of the artist were at odds.
His review made one wonder what kind of aesthetic taste the critic had.

affable
(adj.) friendly; amiable; good-natured
Her affable puppy loved to play with children.

affinity
(n.) a connection; similarity of structure
There is a strong emotional affinity between the two siblings.
It turns out that the elements bear a strong affinity to each other.

aggrandize
(v.) to make more powerful
The king wanted to aggrandize himself and his kingdom.

aghast
(adj.) astonished; amazed; horrified; terrified; appalled
Stockholders were aghast at the company's revelation.
The landlord was aghast at his water bill.

allegory
(n.) a symbolic description
The book contained many allegories on Russian history.

allude
(v.) to refer indirectly to something
The story alludes to part of the author's life.
Without stating that the defendant was an ex-convict, the prosecutor alluded to the fact by mentioning his length of unemployment.

allure
(v.; n.) to attract; entice; attraction; temptation; glamour
The romantic young man allured the beautiful woman by preparing a wonderful dinner.
Singapore's allure is its bustling economy.

altruism
(n.) unselfish devotion to the welfare of others
After the organization aided the catastrophe victims, it was given an award for altruism.
She displayed such altruism by giving up all of her belongings and joining a peace corps in Africa.

ambivalent
(adj.) undecided
The ambivalent jury could not reach a unanimous verdict.

ameliorate
(v.) to improve or make better
A consistent routine of exercise has shown to ameliorate health.
We can ameliorate  the flooding problem by changing the grading.

amendment
(n.) a positive change
The amendment in his ways showed there was still reason for hope.

amiable
(adj.) friendly
The newcomer picked the most amiable person to sit next to during the meeting.

anecdote
(n.) a short account of happenings
The speaker told an anecdote about how he lost his shoes when he was young.

animosity
(n.) a feeling of hatred or ill will
Animosity grew between the two feuding families.

anomaly
(n.) an oddity, inconsistency; a deviation from the norm
An anomaly existed when the report listed one statistic, and the spokeswoman reported another.
In a parking lot full of Buicks, Chevys, and Plymouths, the Jaguar was an anomaly.

antagonism
(n.) hostility; opposition
The antagonism was created by a misunderstanding.
The rebellious clan captured a hostage to display antagonism to the new peace treaty.

antipathy
(n.) a strong dislike or repugnance
Her antipathy for large crowds convinced her to decline the invitation to the city.
The vegetarian had an antipathy toward meat.

apathy
(n.) lack of emotion or interest
He showed apathy when his relative was injured.
The disheartened peasants expressed apathy toward the new law which promised new hope and prosperity for all.

apprehensive
(adj.) fearful; aware; conscious
The nervous child was apprehensive about beginning a new school year.

arcane
(adj.) obscure; secret; mysterious
With an arcane expression, the young boy left the family wondering what sort of mischief he had committed.
The wizard's description of his magic was purposefully arcane so that others would be unable to copy it.

ardent
(adj.) with passionate or intense feelings
The fans' ardent love of the game kept them returning to watch the terrible team.

arduous
(adj.) laborious, difficult; strenuous
Completing the plans for the new building proved to be an arduous affair.
Building a house is arduous work, but the result is well worth the labor.

asperity
(n.) harshness
The man used asperity to frighten the girl out of going.
The asperity of the winter had most everybody yearning for spring.

assiduous
(adj.) carefully attentive; industrious
It is necessary to be assiduous if a person wishes to make the most of his time at work.
He enjoys having assiduous employees because he can explain a procedure once and have it performed correctly every time.

astringent
(n.; adj.) a substance that contracts bodily tissues; causing contraction; tightening; stern, austere
After the operation an astringent was used on his skin so that the stretched area would return to normal.
The downturn in sales caused the CEO to impose astringent measures.
Her astringent remarks at the podium would not soon be forgotten.

astute
(adj.) cunning; sly; crafty
The astute lawyer's questioning convinced the jury of the defendant's guilt.

attenuate
(v.) to thin out; to weaken
Water is commonly used to attenuate strong chemicals.
The chemist attenuated the solution by adding water.

audacious
(adj.) fearless; bold
The audacious soldier went into battle without a shield.

auspicious
(adj.) being of a good omen; successful
It was auspicious that the sun shone on the first day of the trip.
The campaign had an auspicious start, foreshadowing the future.

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

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

