abrasive

rubbing away; tending to grind down

abridge

condense or shorten

abrogate

abolish

abscission

cutting off; separation

abscond

depart secretly and hide

absolute

complete; totally unlimited; having complete power; certain; not relative; Ex. absolute honesty/ruler; CF. absolutism

absolve

pardon (an offense)

abstain

refrain; withhold from participation; intentionally not use one’s vote;

abstemious

sparing in eating and drinking; temperate

abstinence

restraint from pleasant things, esp. eating or drinking; CF. abstention: act of abstaining from vote

abstract

theoretical; not concrete; nonrepresentational

abstruse

obscure; profound; difficult to understand

abusive

coarsely insulting; physically harmful

abut

border upon; adjoin

abysmal

bottomless

abyss

enormous chasm; vast bottomless pit

academic

related to a school; not practical or directly useful

accede

agree

accelerate

move faster

accessible

easy to approach; obtainable

accessory

additional object; useful but not essential thing