ABACK / ABERRATION ab ab A aback [adv] taken unawares confused, surprised, thrown off, thrown off guard; concept abaft [adj] to the rear astern, back, behind, rearward, abandon [n] careless disregard for conse- quences disregard, freedom, impulse, licentiousness, recklessness, spontaneity, thoughtlessness, uninhibitedness, unrestraint, wantonness, wildness, restraint, self-restraint abandon [v] leave behind, relinquish abdicate, back out, bail out, bow out, chicken out, cop out, cut loose, desert, discard, discontinue, ditch, drop, drop out, duck, dump, dust, flake out, fly the coop, give up the ship, kiss goodbye, leave, leg it, let go, opt out, pull out, quit, run out on, screw, ship out, stop, storm out, surrender, take a powder, take a walk, throw over, vacate, walk out on, wash hands of, withdraw, yield; concept cherish, defend, keep, pursue, retain, support abandon [v] leave in troubled state back out, desert, disown, forsake, jilt, leave, leave behind, quit, reject, renounce, throw over, walk out on adopt, assert, favor, uphold abandoned [adj] left alone, deserted alone, cast aside, cast away, deserted, discarded, dissipated, dropped, dumped, eighty-sixed, eliminated, empty, forgotten, forsaken, given up, godforsaken, jilted, left, left in the cold, left in the lurch, neglected, on the rocks, out- cast, passed up, pigeon-holed, rejected, relin- quished, shunned, sidelined, side-tracked, unoccupied, vacant, vacated; concept adopted, cherished, defended, maintained, supported abandoned [adj] free from moral restraint; uninhibited corrupt, depraved, dissolute, im- moral, incontinent, incorrigible, licentious, profligate, shameless, sinful, uncontrolled, unprincipled, unrestrained, wanton, wicked, wild; concept chaste, innocent, moral, pure, restrained, virtuous abase [v] deprive of self-esteem, confidence belittle, debase, degrade, demean, diminish, disgrace, dishonor, humble, humiliate, lower, mortify, reduce, shame, cherish, dignify, exalt, extol, honor, respect abasement [n] disgrace degradation, dishonor, downgrade, humiliation, shame; concept abashed [adj] exhibiting mental discomfort, ill at ease ashamed, bewildered, bugged, chagrined, confounded, confused, crushed, discombobulated, disconcerted, embarrassed, fazed, fuddled, humbled, humiliated, in a tizzy, mortified, rattled, shamed, taken aback; concept at ease, composed, emboldened, proud, reassured abate [v] lessen, grow or cause to grow less allay, chill out, coast, cool, cool it, decline, decrease, diminish, dull, dwindle, ebb, go with the flow, hang easy, hang loose, lay back, let go, let it all hang out, let up, mellow out, moderate, quell, recede, reduce, slacken, slow, subdue, subside, take it easy, taper, taper off, unlax, wane, amplify, enhance, enlarge, extend, increase, intensify, magnify, prolong, revive, rise abbey [n] building that houses monks, nuns, or priests; church cloister, convent, friary, ministry, monastery, nunnery, priory, temple; concepts, abbreviate [v] shorten abridge, abstract, boil down, clip, compress, condense, contract, cut, cut back, cut down, cut off, cut out, digest, en- capsulate, get to the meat, pare, prune, put in a nutshell, reduce, summarize, take out, trim; concepts, amplify, enlarge, expand, extend, increase, lengthen abbreviate [v] cut short an activity abort, curtail, restrict, stop short, truncate; concept expand, extend, increase, lengthen abbreviation [n] something shortened abridgement, abstract, abstraction, clipping, compendium, compression, condensation, contraction, digest, outline, precis, reduction, sketch, summary, syllabus, synopsis , augmentation, enlargement, expansion, extension, increase abdicate [v] give up a right, position, or power abandon, abjure, abnegate, bag it, bail out, cede, demit, drop, forgo, give up, leave, leave high and dry, leave holding the bag, leave in the lurch, opt out, quit, quitclaim, relinquish, renounce, resign, retire, sell out, step down, surrender, vacate, waive, withdraw, yield; concepts, assert, assume, challenge, claim, defend, defy, hold, maintain, remain, retain, treasure, usurp abdomen [n] the stomach and area directly below in an animate being bay window, belly, bowels, breadbasket, corporation, gut, guts, intestines, middle, midriff, midsection, paunch, pot, potbelly, spare tire, tummy, venter, viscera; concept abdominal [adj] concerning the stomach and the area below it belly, duodenal, gastric, intesti- nal, stomachic, ventral, visceral; concept abduct [v] take by force and without permission carry off, dognap, grab, kidnap, make off with, put the snatch on, remove, seize, shanghai, snatch, sneeze, spirit away; concept give up, let go, release abducted [adj] taken away by force appropri- ated, kidnapped, seized, snatched, stolen; concepts, abduction [n] taking away by force appropriation, kidnapping, rape, seizure, theft; concepts, abend [n] abnormal end of task abort, crash, loss, aberrant [adj] not normal; varying from the usual abnormal, atypical, bizarre, deviant, different, flaky, mental, nonstandard, odd, off-base, off-color, out of line, peculiar, psycho, strange, unusual, weird; concept normal, same, true aberration [n] state of abnormality delusion, eccentricity, oddity, peculiarity, quirk, strange- ness, weirdness; concept confor- mity, normality, regularity, soundness aberration [n] different from that expected departure, deviation, difference, distortion, divergence, diversion, irregularity, lapse, ABET / ABNEGATION straying, wandering; concept conformity, sameness abet [v] assist, help in wrongdoing advocate, back, condone, egg on, encourage, endorse, goad, incite, instigate, prod, promote, provoke, sanction, spur, support, urge, counter, deter, discourage, frustrate, hinder, hurt, impede, obstruct, resist abettor [n] assistant accessory, accomplice, co-conspirator, confederate, cooperator, helper, partner in crime, second, supporter; concept abeyance [n] being inactive or suspended temporarily deferral, discontinuation, dormancy, inactivity, intermission, latency, postponement, quiescence, recess, remission, suspension, wait- ing, action, activity, continuance, continuation, operation, renewal, revival abhor [v] regard with contempt or disgust abominate, be allergic to, be down on, be grossed out by, despise, detest, hate, have no use for, loathe, scorn; concept admire, adore, approve, cherish, desire, enjoy, like, love, relish abhorrence [n] disgust detestation, enmity, hate, hatred, horror, loathing, malice, odium, repugnance, revulsion, abhorrent [adj] disgusting despicable, detestable, execrable, loathsome, offensive, repulsive, revolting, abide [v] submit to, put up with accept, acknowledge, bear, bear with, be big about, concede, consent, defer, endure, hang in, hang in there, hang tough, live with, put up with, receive, sit tight, stand, stand for, stomach, suffer, swallow, take, tolerate, with- stand, despise, dispute, pass, quit, reject, resist, shun abide [v] live in a certain place bide, bunk, bunk out, crash, dwell, hang out, inhabit, lodge, nest, perch, reside, room, roost, settle, squat, stay; concept depart, go, leave, migrate, move, reject, resist abide [v] remain or continue in a state con- tinue, endure, keep on, last, persevere, persist, remain, survive, leave, quit, refuse, stop abide [v] stop temporarily and wait for antici- pate, bide, expect, linger, pause, remain, rest, sojourn, stay, stick around, stop, tarry, wait; concept, carry on, continue, go, move abiding [adj] continuing or existing for an indefinite time constant, continuing, enduring, eternal, everlasting, fast, indissoluble, lasting, permanent, perpetual, persistent, persisting, steadfast, steady; concept ephemeral, fleeting, transient ability [n] power to act, perform aptitude, capability, capacity, competence, competency, comprehension, dexterity, endowment, facility, faculty, intelligence, might, potentiality, qualifi- cation, resourcefulness, skill, strength, talent, understanding; concept impotence, inability, limitation, paralysis ability [n] natural or acquired power in a particular activity adeptness, adroitness, bent, capability, cleverness, command, craft, deftness, expertise, expertness, finesse, flair, genius, gift, handiness, ingenuity, knack, know-how, mastery, mind for, proficiency, savvy, skill, skillfulness, strength, talent, the goods, the right stuff, what it takes; concept clumsiness, ignorance, inability, inadequacy, inanity, incompetence, stupidity, weakness abject [adj] hopeless and downtrodden base, contemptible, degraded, dejected, deplorable, dishonorable, fawning, forlorn, groveling, hang- dog, humiliated, low, miserable, outcast, pitiable, servile, submissive, worthless, wretched; concept commendable, exalted, excellent, magnificent, noble, proud, worthy