English Vocab List A-B

Word Definition Sentence
Argot (n) Slang The men used an unfamiliar type of argot.
Aroma (n) Scent; smell The flower released a pleasant aroma through the air.
Arrogance (n) Proud and offensive self-esteem His cocky arrogance appals me.
Artless (adj) Frank; without cunning They way she said it was very artless and to the point.
Ascetic Practicing strict self-denial as a measure of personal and especially spiritual discipline For three days the man stayed completely ascetic.
Ascribe (v) Attribute I ascribe all my success to my hard work.
Askance (adv) Distrustfully The area is so dirty that merchants report the tourists are looking askance
Askew (adj) Turned to one side The blanket was made askew after the night.
Asperity (n) Harshness; severity in temper The asperity of his voice was a signal to be afraid.
Assiduous (adj) Attentive; diligent The quiet student was always very assiduous in class.
Assuage (v) Soften; alleviate Can you assuage the weight that I’m carrying?
Astral (adj) Pertaining to the stars The astral sky in beautiful at night.
Astute (adj) Awareness; resourcefulness Living on the street those years made me very astute.
Atrophy (n) Waste away I am suffering from intellectual atrophy.
Attrition (n) Grinding down; wearing down This is a war of attrition.
Augment (v) To make greater in size, extent or quantity His computer was augmented with brand new equipment.
Augury (n) Prediction I have an augury that it will rain tomorrow.
August (adj) Inspiring awe or admiration; majestic The august presence of the monarch rang throughout the land.
Auspicious (adj) Attended by favorable circumstances Is now an auspicious time to ask for a raise?
Austere (adj) Severe; strict The teacher had a austere look to her.
Authentic (adj) Genuine I bought an authentic chair from the 16th century.
Autonomous (adj) Self-governing The mark of a civilization is when it becomes autonomous
Avarice (n) Greed His avarice made him keep all the money for himself.
Aver (v) To affirm positively; declare. I would like to aver that I have finished the project.
Averse (adj) Having a feeling of opposition, distaste, or aversion The investors were averse to taking risks.
Avert (v) Turn aside; prevent I averted the rain by taking cover under an umbrella.
Avid (adj) Having a desire or unbounded craving; greedy I am avid for a hamburger right now.
Avouch (v) Declare strongly She stood up and avouched that she was opposed to the idea.
Awry (adj) Turned to one side; askew Things went awry after he left.
Axiomatic (adj) Self-evident; evident without proof or argument It is axiomatic that people enjoy ice cream on hot days.
Baleful (adj) Deadly; evil That man an those weapons is a baleful combination.
Balk (v) Thwart; frustrate; prevent The plan to dominate the world was balked by the dog.
Balmy (adj) Mild; refreshing A balmy breeze blew by the group.
Banal (adj) Commonplace; predictable; trite His speech was so banal that half the audience was asleep.
Baneful (adj) Destructive Inside that head of his, is a baneful mind.
Banter (n) Good-humored, playful conversation. The two exchanged playful banter at lunch.
Bauble (n) Cheap toy; useless trinket That toy is a mere bauble compared to my stuff.
Beget (v) Produce offspring; cause She beget a family of five kids.
Beguile (v) Cheat; charm He beguiled his way into the building.
Bellicose (adj) Warlike The movie did an excellent job of creating a bellicose mood.
Benign (adj) Of a kind and gentle disposition The man gave her a benign smile on the street.
Benison (n) Blessing She could not go out without her father’s benison.
Bibliophile (n) Lover of books You’re such a bibliophile because you practically live in the library.
Bibliophobe (n) Hater of books The library was burned down by a bibliophobe.
Bigoted (v) Prejudiced In the 1950’s many people were bigoted because of their race.
Bizarre (adj) Strange; fantastic I had the most bizarre dream last night.
Bland (adj) Mild; boring; trite He had a bland look on his face.
Blandish (v) Persuade by flattery My secret weapon is to blandish others to get what I want.
Blasphemy (n) A profane act, utterance, or writing concerning God The man was shouting blasphemy on the street corner.
Blatant (adj) Unpleasantly loud and noisy The stereo was playing blatant music all night long.