
amalgam | amalgam: n. mixture, blend, combination, alloy, mix, composite, admixture, amalgamation; compound: The population was an amalgam of original settlers and new immigrants.
amalgamate | amalgamate: v. blend, combine, unite, mix, join, consolidate, compound, integrate, merge: The four sentences of the original are amalgamated into two.
amalgamation | amalgamation: n. blend, fusion, combination, mixture, mingling, admixture, composite, compound, blending, joining, consolidating, consolidation, compounding, commingling, fusing, coalescing, coalescence, union, uniting, unification, integration, merger, association, composition: The directors voted for an amalgamation of the two companies that would benefit both.
amass | amass: v. accumulate, mass, pile or heap or rack up, collect, gather (together), assemble, aggregate, cumulate, stock or store up, hoard, set aside: How many points have you amassed? Owing to the bountiful harvest, the farmers amassed huge amounts of grain.
amateur | amateur: n. 1 layman, non-professional, tiro or tyro; dabbler, dilettante, bungler; Colloq US bush-leaguer: When it comes to repairing cars, I''m a mere amateur. --adj. 2 lay, non-professional, untrained; unpaid; dilettante, amateurish, unprofessional, unskilled, inexpert, unskilful, clumsy, mediocre, inferior, crude, bungling, second-rate; Colloq US bush-league: The amateur theatre group''s performance received excellent reviews. These paintings are strictly amateur and totally without merit.
amaze | amaze: v. astound, astonish, surprise, awe, stun, stagger, take aback, floor, dumbfound or dumfound, confound, nonplus, stupefy, Colloq flabbergast, dazzle: Annie Oakley amazed audiences with her fancy shooting. I was amazed that she still cared for me.
amazement | amazement: n. astonishment, surprise, awe, wonder, stupefaction: He stared at her in amazement, sure that he had misunderstood what she was saying.
amazing | amazing: adj. astonishing, astounding, surprising, wonderful, remarkable, extraordinary, marvellous, fabulous, stunning, dazzling, staggering, awesome: The Cossacks put on an amazing display of horsemanship.
ambassador | ambassador: n. envoy, delegate, legate, emissary, minister, plenipotentiary, diplomat; agent, deputy, representative, (papal) nuncio, messenger: The ambassador must present his credentials to the queen.
ambiguity | ambiguity: n. 1 equivocalness, equivocacy, amphibology or amphiboly; vagueness, indistinctness, uncertainty, indefiniteness, imprecision, inconclusiveness: Ambiguity of language must be avoided in legal documents. 2 equivocation, double-talk, double-speak, equivoque; pun, double entendre, amphibologism: The minister''s speech was full of ambiguities.
ambiguous | ambiguous: adj. 1 equivocal, amphibological, amphibolic or amphibolous; misleading: If one says ''Taylor saw Tyler drunk'', which one was drunk is ambiguous. 2 doubtful, dubious, questionable, obscure, indistinct, unclear, indefinite, indeterminate, uncertain, undefined, inconclusive, uncertain, vague, misty, foggy, unclear; cryptic, Delphic, enigmatic(al), oracular, mysterious, puzzling; confusable: The soothsayer''s prophecies were sufficiently ambiguous to allow for several conflicting interpretations. 3 unreliable, undependable: How can the doctor decide on a correct diagnosis when the symptoms are ambiguous?
ambition | ambition: n. 1 hunger, thirst, craving, appetite, arrivisme: John''s relentless ambition may yet be his undoing. 2 drive, enterprise, energy, initiative, vigour, enthusiasm, zeal, avidity, Colloq get-up-and-go: The company is seeking young men of ambition. You''ll never get anywhere, Stewart, since you are totally lacking in ambition. 3 goal, object, aim, aspiration, hope, desire, dream, objective, wish, purpose: It is Olivia''s ambition to marry someone with a title.
ambitious | ambitious: adj. 1 aspiring, hopeful; enthusiastic: My son, I am just as ambitious for you as you are for yourself. 2 energetic, enterprising, vigorous, zealous, enthusiastic, eager: We prefer ambitious young people to those who are seeking a sinecure. 3 greedy, avaricious, overzealous, overambitious, Colloq pushy, yuppy: Howard is a trifle too ambitious, expecting to be department head after only one year.
ambush | ambush: n. 1 trap, ambuscade or Archaic ambuscado: The company set up an ambush near the crossroads. --v. 2 lie in wait, trap, waylay, ensnare, entrap, lurk, ambuscade, intercept, Colloq lay in wait, US bushwhack: The guerrillas were ready to ambush the soldiers.
amend | amend: v. 1 reform, change for the better, improve, better, ameliorate: The prisoner believes he could amend his ways if given the chance. 2 correct, emend, emendate, rectify, set to rights, repair, fix, revise: Take whatever time you need to amend the text.
amendment | amendment: n. 1 correction, emendation, reformation, change, alteration, rectification, repair, reform, improvement, amelioration, betterment, enhancement: The committee approved the amendment of the constitution by the addition of the suggested paragraphs. 2 attachment, addition, addendum; clause, paragraph; alteration: A two-thirds majority in the Congress is needed to pass the amendment.
amends | amends: n. make amends. compensate, pay, repay, make reparation or restitution, recompense, redress, remedy, requite: How can the bus-driver ever make amends for the loss of a beloved kitten?
amiable | amiable: adj. friendly, well-disposed, kindly, kind, amicable, agreeable, congenial, genial, warm, winsome, winning, affable, agreeable, pleasant, obliging, tractable, approachable, benign, good-natured, good-hearted, kind-hearted; affectionate: Melissa is well named for her sweet and amiable disposition.
amicable | amicable: adj. friendly, amiable, congenial, harmonious, brotherly, kind-hearted; warm, courteous, cordial, polite, civil, pleasant; peaceful, peaceable: Our countries have always enjoyed the most amicable relations.
amid | amid: prep. mid, in or into the middle or midst or centre of, amongst, among, surrounded by, in the thick of, Literary amidst: She is sitting in her cottage, Amid the flowers of May. Without further ado, she plunged amid the waves.
amiss | amiss: adj. 1 wrong, at fault, awry, out of order, faulty, defective, improper, untoward; astray, erroneous, fallacious, confused, incorrect, off: Something is amiss with the ignition. If I am amiss in my thinking, let me know. --adv. 2 wrong, awry, badly, poorly, imperfectly; inopportunely, unfavourably, unpropitiously: Everything possible has already gone amiss with the rocket launch. 3 wrongly, improperly, badly; incorrectly, inappropriately: A word of advice might not come amiss here. 4 take or think (it) amiss. mistake, misinterpret, misunderstand, take offence (at): I trust that you will not take amiss what I intended as constructive criticism.
among | among: prep. 1 amongst, amid, amidst, mid, in the midst or middle or centre of, surrounded by: Please take a seat among the people over there. We lay down among the flowers. 2 among, to each or all (of): The examination booklets were passed out among the students.
amount | amount: v. 1 amount to. a add up to, total, aggregate, come (up) to: Waiter, what does my bill amount to, please? b become, develop into: That son of his will never amount to much. --n. 2 quantity, volume, mass, expanse, bulk, supply, lot; number; magnitude: What amount of water is needed to fill the container? She eats a huge amount of chocolates every day. 3 (sum) total, aggregate, extent, entirety: What is the amount of the invoice without the tax?
ample | ample: adj. 1 broad, wide, spacious, extensive, expansive, great: Her ample bosom heaved with sobs. 2 wide-ranging, extensive, broad: In one ample swoop they snatched up all the land. 3 abundant, extensive, fruitful: The event proved a very ample subject for history. 4 abundant, full, complete, plentiful, copious, generous, substantial; sufficient, adequate, enough: He had stored ample provision of food for the winter. 5 liberal, unsparing, unstinted, unstinting, generous, substantial, large, lavish: Steve''s contributions have always been ample, especially at Christmas time. 6 copious, full, broad, detailed, extensive, extended, thorough: The subject deserves more ample treatment.
amplify | amplify: v. 1 broaden, widen, extend, increase, expand (on), enlarge (on), expatiate on, detail; add to, augment, supplement: Let no man comfort him But amplify his grief with bitter words. 2 exaggerate, overstate, magnify, stretch: The reports have amplified the number of horsemen slain in the encounter. 3 enlarge (on), elaborate (on), stretch, lengthen, detail, embellish, embroider: He amplifies every point in microscopic detail.
amply | amply: adv. 1 widely, broadly, extensively, greatly, expansively: This fabric stretches amply enough to fit over the couch. 2 to a great extent, largely, fully, abundantly: My confidence in her was amply recompensed by her success. 3 abundantly, fully, copiously: The prophecy was amply fulfilled. 4 fully, well, liberally, unstintingly, generously, richly, substantially, lavishly; sufficiently: He has been amply paid for his work.
amulet | amulet: n. charm, talisman, good-luck piece; fetish: Whenever the man rubbed the silver amulet, his number would win.
amuse | amuse: v. 1 divert, entertain, please, beguile, interest, occupy: Perhaps the crossword puzzle will amuse her while she is waiting. 2 make laugh, delight, cheer, Colloq tickle: That form of rowdy slapstick doesn''t amuse me.
amusement | amusement: n. 1 entertainment, diversion, recreation, pleasure, relaxation, distraction, enjoyment, fun, sport, joke, lark, beguilement: The boys in my class used to pull the wings off flies for amusement. They spent their afternoons in the amusement arcade. 2 entertainment, diversion, divertissement, recreation, distraction, pastime; game, sport: During the festival there are concerts, plays, and other amusements.
