Barron's 800 essential words

Vinoth T. (India)
69 words 871 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. abate
    become less in amount or intensity
  2. abdicate
    give up power, duties, or obligations
  3. aberrant
    markedly different from an accepted norm
  4. abeyance
    temporary cessation or suspension
  5. abject
    of the most contemptible kind
  6. abjure
    formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief
  7. abscission
    the act of cutting something off
  8. abscond
    run away, often taking something or somebody along
  9. abstemious
    marked by temperance in indulgence
  10. abstinence
    the trait of refraining from something, especially alcohol
  11. abysmal
    exceptionally bad or displeasing
  12. accretion
    an increase by natural growth or addition
  13. accrue
    grow by addition
  14. adamant
    very hard native crystalline carbon valued as a gem
  15. adjunct
    something added to another thing but not essential to it
  16. admonish
    scold or reprimand; take to task
  17. adulterate
    make impure by adding a foreign or inferior substance
  18. aesthetic
    characterized by an appreciation of beauty or good taste
  19. affected
    influenced
  20. affinity
    a natural attraction or feeling of kinship
  21. aggrandize
    embellish; increase the scope, power, or importance of
  22. aggregate
    a sum total of many heterogeneous things taken together
  23. alacrity
    liveliness and eagerness
  24. alchemy
    a pseudoscientific forerunner of chemistry in medieval times
  25. allay
    lessen the intensity of or calm
  26. alleviate
    provide physical relief, as from pain
  27. alloy
    a mixture containing two or more metallic elements
  28. allure
    the power to entice or attract
  29. amalgamate
    bring or combine together or with something else
  30. ambiguous
    having more than one possible meaning
  31. ambivalence
    mixed feelings or emotions
  32. ambrosia
    the food and drink of the gods
  33. ameliorate
    make better
  34. amenable
    disposed or willing to comply
  35. amenity
    something that provides value, pleasure, or convenience
  36. amulet
    a trinket thought to be a magical protection against evil
  37. anachronism
    locating something at a time when it couldn't have existed
  38. analgesic
    capable of relieving pain
  39. analogous
    similar or equivalent in some respects
  40. anarchy
    a state of lawlessness and disorder
  41. anodyne
    capable of relieving pain
  42. anomalous
    deviating from the general or common order or type
  43. antecedent
    a preceding occurrence or cause or event
  44. antediluvian
    of or relating to the period before the biblical flood
  45. antipathy
    a feeling of intense dislike
  46. apathy
    an absence of emotion or enthusiasm
  47. apex
    the highest point of something
  48. apogee
    the farthest point in an orbit around the Earth
  49. apothegm
    a short pithy instructive saying
  50. appease
    make peace with
  51. appellation
    identifying words by which someone or something is called
  52. apposite
    being of striking appropriateness and pertinence
  53. apprise
    inform somebody of something
  54. approbation
    official acceptance or agreement
  55. apropos
    of a suitable, fitting, or pertinent nature
  56. arabesque
    position in which the dancer has one leg raised behind
  57. archeology
    the branch of anthropology that studies prehistoric people and their cultures
  58. ardor
    feelings of great warmth and intensity
  59. arduous
    characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion
  60. argot
    a characteristic language of a particular group
  61. arrest
    take into custody
  62. artifact
    a man-made object
  63. artless
    simple and natural; without cunning or deceit
  64. ascetic
    someone who practices self denial as a spiritual discipline
  65. asperity
    harshness of manner
  66. aspersion
    a disparaging remark
  67. assiduous
    marked by care and persistent effort
  68. assuage
    provide physical relief, as from pain
  69. appropriate
    suitable for a particular person, place, or situation
Created on Wed May 23 07:43:51 EDT 2012 (updated Tue May 29 07:25:31 EDT 2012)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.