advocate
to urge; recommend
Advertisements advocate products.
aesthetic
artistic; pertaining to a sense of what is beautiful
As the tick was sucking blood from my arm, I squashed it. The dead insect
smeared on my arm was not aesthetically pleasing.
affected
fake (think: a-FAKE-ted)
His affected personality negatively affected our affection.
affinity
attraction
There was a natural affinity between him and his new Infiniti.
affluent
rich
A flu went around the affluent passengers of the yacht; their diamond tiaras and
Rolexes sparkled when they sneezed.
agenda
a schedule; a plan (sometimes of a secretive or devious nature)
Next up on Secret Agent A’s agenda: Defeat the SAT, no matter the cost.
aghast
horrified
We were aghast when he “passed gas.” (See EUPHEMISM. Passed gas is an
example of a euphemism.)
alacrity
cheerful promptness
The empty auditorium was the result of a lack of alacrity among the sleep-
deprived students.
alias