List of Use dictionary entries to determine correct usage
- Abandon: To leave behind or give up completely.
- Abolish: To formally put an end to a system, practice, or institution.
- Abundant: Existing or available in large quantities.
- Accumulate: To gather or collect, often in gradual degrees.
- Adapt: To adjust or modify to suit a new purpose or condition.
- Adept: Very skilled or proficient at something.
- Adverse: Preventing success or development; harmful.
- Advocate: A person who publicly supports or recommends a particular cause or policy.
- Aesthetic: Concerned with beauty or the appreciation of beauty.
- Alleviate: To make suffering, deficiency, or a problem less severe.
- Ambiguous: Open to more than one interpretation; not having one obvious meaning.
- Amiable: Having or displaying a friendly and pleasant manner.
- Antagonist: A person who actively opposes or is hostile to someone or something.
- Arbitrary: Based on random choice or personal whim, rather than any reason or system.
- Arid: Having little or no rain; too dry or barren to support vegetation.
- Aspire: Direct one’s hopes or ambitions toward achieving something.
- Assess: To evaluate or estimate the nature, ability, or quality of.
- Astute: Having or showing an ability to accurately assess situations or people and turn this to one’s advantage.
- Atypical: Not representative of a type, group, or class.
- Augment: To make something greater by adding to it; increase.
- Auspicious: Conducive to success; favorable.
- Authentic: Of undisputed origin; genuine.
- Banal: So lacking in originality as to be obvious and boring.
- Belligerent: Hostile and aggressive.
- Benign: Gentle and kind; not harmful in effect.
- Biased: Unfairly prejudiced for or against someone or something.
- Bizarre: Very strange or unusual.
- Blatant: Done openly and unashamedly.
- Bleak: Lacking vegetation and exposed to the elements; cold and forbidding.
- Brevity: Concise and exact use of words in writing or speech.
- Candid: Truthful and straightforward; frank.
- Capricious: Given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior.
- Caustic: Able to burn or corrode organic tissue by chemical action; sarcastic in a scathing and bitter way.
- Censure: Express severe disapproval of (someone or something), typically in a formal statement.
- Charismatic: Exercising a compelling charm that inspires devotion in others.
- Circumvent: Find a way around (an obstacle); overcome (a problem or difficulty), typically in a clever and surreptitious way.
- Clandestine: Kept secret or done secretively, especially because illicit.
- Coerce: Persuade (an unwilling person) to do something by using force or threats.
- Coherent: Logical and consistent.
- Complacent: Showing smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one’s achievements.
- Comprehensive: Complete; including all or nearly all elements or aspects of something.
- Concur: To be of the same opinion; agree.
- Condone: Accept and allow (behavior that is considered morally wrong or offensive) to continue.
- Conspicuous: Standing out so as to be clearly visible.
- Contemplate: Look thoughtfully for a long time at.
- Contradict: Deny the truth of (a statement) by asserting the opposite.
- Contrive: Create or bring about (an object or a situation) by deliberate use of skill and artifice.
- Convoluted: Extremely complex and difficult to follow.
- Credible: Able to be believed; convincing.
- Curtail: Reduce in extent or quantity; impose a restriction on.
- Cynical: Believing that people are motivated purely by self-interest; distrustful of human sincerity or integrity.
- Debilitate: Make (someone) weak and infirm.
- Deference: Humble submission and respect.
- Demeanor: Outward behavior or bearing.
- Deplete: Use up the supply or resources of.
- Derive: Obtain something from (a specified source).
- Desolate: (Of a place) deserted of people and in a state of bleak and dismal emptiness.
- Deter: Discourage (someone) from doing something by instilling doubt or fear of the consequences.
- Diligent: Having or showing care and conscientiousness in one’s work or duties.
- Disparage: Regard or represent as being of little worth.
- Dispel: Make (a doubt, feeling, or belief) disappear.
- Disperse: Distribute or spread over a wide area.
- Dissent: The expression or holding of opinions at variance with those previously, commonly, or officially held.
- Diverge: (Of a road, route, or line) separate from another route and go in a different direction.
- Dogmatic: Inclined to lay down principles as incontrovertibly true.
- Dubious: Hesitating or doubting.
- Eclectic: Deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources.
- Eloquent: Fluent or persuasive in speaking or writing.
- Elucidate: Make (something) clear; explain.
- Empirical: Based on, concerned with, or verifiable by observation or experience rather than theory or pure logic.
- Endorse: Declare one’s public approval or support of.
- Enigma: A person or thing that is mysterious, puzzling, or difficult to understand.
- Equitable: Fair and impartial.
- Erratic: Not even or regular in pattern or movement; unpredictable.
- Esoteric: Intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with a specialized knowledge or interest.