Archetype (n): an original model or pattern

An archetype is similar to a prototype.

Ardent (adj) passionate, enthusiastic

She was an ardent baker.

Arduous (adj) hard, difficult

Climbing the mountain was arduous.

Aristocratic (adj) of noble birth, snobbish

Prince Charles is aristocratic

Artful(adj) wily, sly

After dinner, the artful counselor told the campers that there was a madman loose in the woods.

Artifice (n) a clever trick; cunning

The Trojan Horse was an artifice designed to get the soldiers inside the walls.

Ascendancy(n) a supremacy; domination

The ascendancy of the new regime had been a great boon for the economy of the tiny tropical kingdom.

Ascetic ( adj) hermitlike; practicing self-denial

The college student’s apartment, which contained no furniture except a single tattered mattress, was uncomfortably ascetic.

Assiduous (adj): hardworking; busy; quite diligent

The workmen were assiduous in their effort to get nothing done; instead of working, they drank coffee all day long.

Assimilate (v) to take in; to absorb; to learn thoroughly

To assimilate an idea is to take it in as thoroughly as if you had eaten it.

 

Assuage (v) to soothe, to pacify; to ease the pain of; to relieve

My ex was extremely angry, but I assuaged her by promising to leave the house and never return.

Atheist ( n) one who does not believe in the existence of any god or divine being.

 

Astute (adj) shrewd; keen in judgment

Morris was an astute judge of character.

Attrition (N) gradual wearing away, weakening, or loss; a natural or expected decrease in numbers or size

He altruistically preferred to lose workers through attrition when they moved away, retired, or decided to change jobs.

Audacity (n) boldness, reckless daring, impertinence

Jon had the audacity to tell that nice old lady to shut up

Augment (v) to make bigger, to add to, to increase

The army augmented its attack by sending in a few thousand more soldiers

Auspicious (adj) favorable, promising, pointing to a good result

A clear sky in the morning is an auspicious sign on the day of a picnic.

Austere (adj) unadorned; stern; forbidding; without excess

After the devastation of the war, the citizens in Austria lived in austerity.

Autocratic (adj) ruling with absolute authority; extremely bossy

 

Autonomous ( adj) acting independently

 

Avarice (n) greed; excessive love of riches

Avarice is the opposite of generosity of philanthropy.

Avaricious (adj): to love wealth above all else

Avow (v) to claim; to declare boldly; to admit

An avowed criminal is one who admits he is a criminal.

Disavow: deny or repudiate someone else’s claim

Avuncular (adj) like an uncle, especially a nice uncle

Professor zia often gave us avuncular advice; he took a real ineterst in our education and helped us with other problems that weren’t related to multidimensional calculus.

Awry ( adJ) off course; twisted to one side

The hunter’s bullet went awry. Instead of hitting the bear, it hit his truck.

Axiom (n) self-evident rule or truth; a widely accepted saying.

‘everything that is living dies’ is an axiom.