abate

(v) to reduce in degree or intensity   
The Band-Aid abated the bleeding from the cut in John's finger.

aberrant

(adj) straying from the right or normal way  
 Jimmy started out as a nice kid until he fell into the wrong crowd and his aberrant path eventually lead him to jail.

abeyance

(n) temporary inactivity : suspension   
The hurricane raged through the night until an abeyance came, which made us wonder if it was the eye of the storm or if it was truly over.

abscond

(v) to depart secretly and hide oneself 
The prince, sensing a coup, absconded in the night for his family's house in the countryside.

abstemious

(adj) marked by restraint especially in the consumption of food or alcohol   
The Calvinist preacher preached that his congregation would have a better chance of getting into Heaven if they were abstemious from alcohol.

accolade

(n) an expression of praise  
The valedictorian got a lot of accolades for her hard work and good grades.

acumen

(n) keenness and depth of perception, discernment, or discrimination especially in practical matters   
Donna was so full of political acumen that she became mayor of Townsville at age 24.

admonish

(v) to give friendly earnest advice or encouragement to   
The minister admonished his congregation to not sin, or else they would end up in Hell.

adulation

(n) excessive or slavish admiration or flattery  
The crazy fans gave adulation towards their idol, Brittney Spears.

adulterate

(v) to corrupt, debase, or make impure  
 The graffiti adulterated the otherwise new and clean looking subway car.

aesthetic

(adj) responsive to or appreciative of what is pleasurable to the senses   
My friend's mom has a strange aesthetic; she decorated their entire home in bright pink.

aggrandize

(v) to make appear great or greater : praise highly   
"Not to aggrandize the situation" Steve said, "but I'm kind of a big deal."

aggregate

(adj) formed by the collection of units or particles into a body, mass, or amount   
The team members by themselves were weak; in aggregate, they were strong.

alacrity

(n) promptness in response; a cheerful readiness 
 The Starbucks barista was so full of alacrity that some wondered how many cups of coffee he drank in a day.

alchemy

(n) a power or process of transforming something common into something special   
The medieval scientist was convinced he could make gold from lead and water through the process of alchemy.

amalgamate

(v) to merge into a single body  
 The carpenters union realized that they would be stronger if they amalgamated with the electricians' union.

ambiguous

(adj) capable of being understood in two or more possible ways  
It's hard to tell if Karen was Republican or Democrat-- she's politically ambiguous.

ambivalence

(n) simultaneous and contradictory attitudes or feelings (as attraction and repulsion) toward an object, person, or action   
Many young voters don't really care about thee candidates in an election and remain ambivalent until voting day.

ameliorate

(v) to make better or more tolerable   
The Gatorade ameliorated John's thirst.

amenable

(adj) readily brought to yield, submit, or cooperate   
The banker wasn't willing to give Ursula a full loan due to her poor credit, but was amenable to a smaller loan.