| Abase | lower, humiliate |
| Abash | humiliate, embarrass |
| Abdicate | give up power or position |
| Aberration | different from normal or usual |
| Abettor | encourager |
| Abeyance | postponement, temporary suspension |
| Abhor | detest, loathe |
| Abjure | renounce, to formally reject or abandon |
| Ablution | cleansing, washing |
| Abnegation | repudiation, self-sacrifice |
| Abominate | to hate |
| Abortive | unsuccessful, interruptive while incomplete |
| Abrade | to rub off a surface |
| Abrogate | cancel, to abolish by authority |
| Absolve | acquit, to forgive or free from blame |
| Abstemious | Characterized by self denial or abstinence |
| Abstruse | difficult to comprehend |
| Abut | touch, border on |
| Abysmal | deficient, sub par |
| Accede | yield, express approval, agree to |
| Acclimate | accustom oneself to a climate |
| Acclivity | ascent, incline |
| Accolade | applause, praise |
| Accost | to approach and speak to someone |
| Accouter (British = accouter) | equip |
| Accretion | grow in size or increase in amount |
| Acerbity | bitterness of speech or temper |
| Acetic | related to vinegar |
| Acidulous | sour in taste or manner |
| Acme | summit, highest point |
| Acquiesce | to agree, comply passively |
| Acquiescence | Passive consent |
| Acquittal | release from blame (as by a court) |
| Acrid | harsh, bitter, pungent, caustic |
| Acrimonious | caustic, bitter |
| Actuarial | calculating |
| Actuate | induce, start |
| Acuity | sharpness |
| Acumen | sharpness of insight |
| Adamant | insistent, uncompromising, unyielding |
| Addiction | compulsive, habitual need |
| Addle | to make inefficient or unable to think |
| Adduce | offer as example |
| Adjunct | addition, something added, attached, or joined |
| Adjuration | solemn urging |
| Adjure | to request solemnly |
| Admonish | warn gently, caution, or reprimand |
| Admonition | genteelly point out mistake |
| Adroit | skillful, accomplished, highly competent |
| Adulation | applause, high praise |
| Advent | arrival |
| Adventitious | accidental |
| Aegis | that which protects |
| Affect | influence |
| Affray | public brawl |
| Agape | openmouthed, wonder |
| Aggrandize | exaggerate, to make larger or greater in power |
| Aghast | horrified |
| Agility | nimbleness |
| Agitation | excitement, uneasiness |
| Alacrity | swiftness, speed, cheerful willingness, eagerness |
| Alimentary | supplying nourishment |
| Allay | to reassure; to lessen, ease, or soothe |
| Allege | assert without proof |
| Allegory | fable, symbolic representation |
| Alliteration | repetition of the same sound |
| Allude | refer to indirectly |
| Allure | appeal, attract |
| Allusion | indirect reference |
| Alluvial | soil deposits left by rivers |
| Amalgamate | to mix or join together to become one |
| Amazon | female warrior |
| Ambrosia | food of the Greek gods that provided immortal youth & beauty, anything sweet and pleasing |
| Amenable | agreeable |
| Amiss | wrong, out of place |
| Amity | Friendship |
| Amorous | strongly attracted to love; showing love |
| Amorphous | shapeless |
| Amortize | to diminish by installment payments |
| Amphibian | creature that lives on land and water |
| Amphitheater (British = amphitheatre) | oval-shaped theater |
| Ample | enough, specious, abundant |
| Amplify | enlarge, increase, intensify |
| Amuck | murderous frenzy |
| Anachronism | anything occurring or existing out of its proper time |
| Anarchist | terrorist |
| Anathema | curse, ban |
| Ancillary | supplementary, subsidiary, subordinate |
| Andirons | metal supports in a fireplace |
| Angular | Sharp-cornered or sharp angled |
| Animadversion | critical remark |
| Animus | hate |
| Annals | historical records |
| Anneal | to gradually heat and cool in order to soften, reduce brittleness |
| Annuity | an annual payment or income |
| Annul | cancel, nullify |
| Anodyne | pain soothing |
| Anoint | consecrate, to apply oil, especially as a sacred rite |
| Anomaly | deviation from the rule, irregularity |
| Anonymity | state of being anonymous, having no name |
| Antecede | to precede |
| Antediluvian | ancient, obsolete, pre historic |
| Anthropoid | manlike |
| Anthropomorphous | Nonhuman having or resembling human form or quality |
| Antithesis | direct opposite |
| Apathetic | unconcerned, indifferent |
| Aphasia | inability to speak or use words |
| Aphorism | maxim, old saying |
| Apiary | A place where bees are kept |
| Aplomb | poise, confidence |
| Apocalyptic | ominous, doomed |
| Apocryphal | a doubtful authenticity, not genuine, fictional |
| Apogee | the climax |
| Apoplexy | stroke |
| Apostate | one who abandons one's faith |
| Apothecary | One who keeps drugs for sale and puts up prescriptions |
| Apothegm | a short saying |
| Apotheosis | Deification, glorification |
| Appall (British = appall) | horrify |
| Apparition | phantom |
| Appellation | title, name |
| Apposite | apt |
| Appraise | assess, evaluate the value |
| Approbation | praise, official approval |
| Appurtenances | subordinate possessions |
| Apropos | Appropriate |
| Aquiline | like an eagle, bent, booked, curved |
| Arable | suitable for cultivation |
| Arbiter | judge |
| Arcade | a roofed passage between shops |
| Archaeology | the study of ancient cultures by looking for and examining their buildings, tools |
| Archaic | Antiquated, from an earlier time |
| Archetype | original model |
| Archipelago | group of islands |
| Ardor (British = ardor) | great emotion or passion |
| Argot | slang |
| Aria | operatic song |
| Aromatic | fragrant |
| Arraign | indict, to call to court to answer a charge |
| Arrant | notoriously bad |
| Array | arrangement |
| Arrogate | seize without right, to demand or claim arrogantly |
| Arroyo | gully |
| Artifact (British = artifact) | an object made by human, of historical interest |
| Artifice | trick |
| Artisan | a skilled handicraftsman |
| Ascendancy | powerful state |
| Asceticism | doctrine of self-denial |
| Ascribe | to attribute |
| Aseptic | sterile |
| Ashen | resembling ashes, or deathly pale |
| Asinine | stupid |
| Askance | to view with suspicion, scornfully |
| Askew | crooked, tilted |
| Asperity | roughness of temper |
| Aspersion | slander, false rumor, damaging report |
| Assail | attack |
| Assay | to analyze or estimate |
| Assent | to express agreement |
| Assessment | estimation |
| Assiduous | hard-working, diligent, persistent |
| Assuage | lessen (pain), to make less severe, ease |
| Astringent | causing contraction, severe, harsh |
| Astronomical | enormously large or extensive |
| Asunder | apart, into different parts |
| Atelier | workshop |
| Athwart | across, opposition |
| Atone | make amends for a wrong |
| Audit | formal examination of final records |
| Augury | prophecy or prediction of events |
| August | noble, dignified, awe-inspiring, venerable |
| Aureole | sun's corona, halo |
| Aurora | pertaining to the aurora borealis |
| Auscultation | act of listening to the heart or lungs to discover abnormalities |
| Austerity | quality of being self disciplined |
| Authoritarian | dictator, extremely strict, bossy |
| Autocrat | dictator or a high ranking government officer |
| Aver | to declare to be true |
| Aversion | intense dislike |
| Aviary | cage where birds are kept |
| Avow | declare |
| Avuncular | like an uncle |
| Awry | crooked, askew, amiss |
| Axiom | self-evident truth, premise, postulate |
| Azure | sky blue |
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