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austere
(adj.) having a stern look; having strict self-discipline
The old woman always has an austere look about her.
The austere teacher assigned five pages of homework each day.
authentic
(adj.) real; genuine; trustworthy
An authentic diamond will cut glass.
authoritarian
(n.; adj.) acting as a dictator; demanding obedience
The authoritarian made all of the rules but did none of the work.
Fidel Castro is reluctant to give up his authoritarian rule.
autocracy
(n.) an absolute monarchy; government where one person holds power
The autocracy was headed by a demanding man.
She was extremely power-hungry and therefore wanted her government to
be an autocracy.
autocrat
(n.) an absolute ruler
The autocrat in charge of the government was a man of power and prestige.
The autocrat made every decision and divided the tasks among his subordinates.
avarice
(n.) inordinate desire for gaining and possessing wealth
The man's avarice for money kept him at work through the evenings and
weekends.
The avarice of the president led to his downfall.
aver
(v.) to affirm as true
The witness was able to aver the identity of the defendant.
awry
(adj; adv.) crooked(ly); uneven(ly); wrong; askew
Hearing the explosion in the laboratory, the scientist realized the experiment
had gone awry.
azure
(adj.) the clear blue color of the sky
The azure sky made the picnic day perfect.
baleful
(adj.) harmful, malign, detrimental
After she was fired, she realized it was a baleful move to point the blame
at her superior.
The strange liquid could be baleful if ingested.
banal
(adj.) trite; without freshness or originality
Attending parties became trite after a few weeks.
It was a banal suggestion to have the annual picnic in the park, since
that was where it had been for the past five years.
baneful
(adj.) deadly or causing distress, death
Not wearing a seat belt could be baneful.
baroque
(adj.) extravagant; ornate; embellished
The baroque artwork was made up of intricate details which kept the museum-goers
enthralled.
The baroque furnishings did not fit in the plain, modest home.
bastion
(n.) a fortified place or strong defense
The strength of the bastion saved the soldiers inside of it.
batten
(v.) to gain
The team could only batten by drafting the top player.
bauble
(n.) a showy yet useless thing
The woman had many baubles on her bookshelf.
beget
(v.) to bring into being
The king wished to beget a new heir.
beholden
(adj.) indebted to
The children were beholden to their parents for the car loan.
behoove
(v.) to be advantageous; to be necessary
It will behoove the students to buy their textbooks early.
belittle
(v.) to make small; to think lightly of
The unsympathetic friend belittled her friend's problems and spoke of
her own as the most important.
bellicose
(adj.) quarrelsome; warlike
The bellicose guest would not be invited back again.
bemuse
(v.) to preoccupy in thought
The girl was bemused by her troubles.
benefactor
(n.) one who helps others; a donor
An anonymous benefactor donated $10,000 to the children's hospital.
beneficent
(adj.) conferring benefits; kindly; doing good
He is a beneficent person, always taking in stray animals and talking
to people who need someone to listen.
A beneficent donation helped the organization meet its goal.
benevolent
(adj.) kind; generous
The professor proved a tough questioner, but a benevolent grader.
The benevolent gentleman volunteered his services.
benign
(adj.) mild; harmless
A lamb is a benign animal, especially when compared with a lion.
berate
(v.) scold; reprove; reproach; criticize
The child was berated by her parents for breaking the china.
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