Difficult Words :
Abortive, Abridge, Absolute, Absolve, Abstinent and Abstract
This is a list of Difficult Words : Abortive, Abridge, Absolute, Absolve, Abstinent and Abstract
Abridge (uh BRIJ) v: to shorten, to condense
• The thoughtful editor had abridged the massive book by removing the boring parts.
• An abridged dictionary is one that has been shortened to keep it from crushing desks and people's laps.
• An abridgment is a shortened or condensed work.
Abortive (uh BAWR tiv) adj: unsuccessful
• Mary and Elisabeth made an abortive effort to bake a birthday cake; that is, their effort did not result in a birthday cake.
• Fred's attempt to climb the mountain was abortive. He fell off when he was halfway up.
• To abort something is to end it before it is completed. An aborted pregnancy, called an abortion, is one that is ended before the baby is born. An abortion in this sense doesn't have to be the result of a controversial medical procedure.
Absolute (AB suh LOOT) adj: total, unlimited, perfect
• An absolute ruler is one who is ruled by no one else.
• An absolute mess is a total mess.
• An absolute rule is one that has no exceptions and that you must follow, no two ways about it.
• Absolute is also a noun. It means something that is total, unlimited or perfect.
• Death, for living things, is an absolute. There just isn't any way around it.
Absolve (ab ZOLV) v: to forgive or free from blame, to free from sin, to free from an obligation.
• The priest absolved the sinner who had come to church to confess his sin.
• Tom's admission of guilt absolved Dick who had originally been accused of the crime.
• It is also possible to absolve someone of a responsibility.
• Bill absolved Mary of her obligation to go to the prom with him. That is, he told her it was all right if she went with the captain of the football team instead.
• The act of absolving is called absolution (Ab sun LOO shun).
Abstinent (AB stuh nunt) adj: abstaining, voluntarily not doing something, especially something pleasant that is bad for you or has a bad reputation
• Beulah used to be a chain-smoker. Now she's abstinent (it was just too hard to get those chains lit).
• Cynthia, who was dieting, tried to be abstinent, but when she saw the chocolate cake she realized that she would probably have to eat the entire thing.
Abstract (AB strakt) adj: theoretical, impersonal
• To like something in the abstract is to like the idea of it.
• He liked oysters in the abstract, but when he actually tried one he became nauseated.
This is a lidt of Difficult Words : Abortive,Abridge,Absolute,Absolve,Abstinent and Abstract
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