Words starting with A — 1,142 entries

The 1,142 dictionary words that begin with the letter A, in alphabetical order, each with its first definition. Accents do not affect filing: an accented initial is shelved under its base letter.

• adjacent6 sensesLying next to, close, or contiguous; neighboring; bordering on.
• adjourned1 senseHaving been adjourned; suspended or paused.
• adjust4 sensesTo modify.
• adjusted1 senseWhich has been compensated in order to avoid bias.
• adjusting1 senseAdjustment.
• adjustment5 sensesThe action of adjusting something.
• Adler1 senseA surname from German.
• administer7 sensesTo apportion out, distribute.
• administration7 sensesThe act of administering; government of public affairs; the service rendered, or duties assumed, in conducting affairs; the conducting of any office…
• administrative1 senseOf or relating to administering or administration.
• administrator3 sensesOne who administers affairs; one who directs, manages, executes, or dispenses, whether in civil, judicial, political, or ecclesiastical affairs; a…
• Administrator1 senseThe queen's representative in some Commonwealth territories, comparable to a Governor General.
• admirable3 sensesDeserving of the highest esteem or admiration; estimable.
• admiral9 sensesThe commander of a naval squadron or fleet, regardless of formal rank.
• admiration3 sensesA positive emotion combining wonder and approbation; the regarding of another as being wonderful; a feeling of respect for another's skills or…
• admire5 sensesTo regard with wonder and delight.
• Admire2 sensesA city and town in Kansas.
• admirer2 sensesOne who admires.
• admiring2 sensesFeeling or showing admiration.
• admission7 sensesThe act or practice of admitting.
• admissions1 senseThe department, section, administrative team, etc., that process admissions for an institution, hospital, etc.; the place where such a department is…
• admit6 sensesTo allow to enter; to grant entrance (to), whether into a place, into the mind, or into consideration.
• admitted1 sensehaving received admittance
• admitting1 senseAn act of admission; an allowing to enter.
• ado1 senseTrouble; troublesome business; fuss, commotion.
• adolescent2 sensesOf, relating to, or at the age of adolescence; at the stage between being a child and an adult.
• Adolf1 senseA male given name from the Germanic languages, variant of Adolph.
• adopt7 sensesTo take (a child, heir, friend, citizen, etc.) by choice into a relationship. To take voluntarily (a child of other parents) to be in the place of,…
• adopted2 sensesHaving been received into a relationship through adoption; adoptive.
• adoption8 sensesThe act of adopting.
• adorable1 senseBefitting of being adored; cute or loveable.
• adore4 sensesTo worship.
• adrenaline2 sensesEpinephrine, the hormone and neurotransmitter.
• Adrian25 sensesA male given name from Latin or Etruscan.
• Adriana1 senseA female given name from Latin or Etruscan, a feminine form of Adrian.
• Adrien1 senseA surname from French.
• adrift4 sensesFloating at random.
• Ads1 senseA nickname for Adam.
• adult12 sensesAn animal that is full-grown.
• adultery7 sensesSexual intercourse by a married person with someone other than their spouse. See more synonyms at Thesaurus:cuckoldry
• advance20 sensesTo promote or advantage. To help the progress of (something); to further.
• advanced6 sensesAt or close to the state of the art.
• advancement5 sensesThe act of advancing; promotion to a higher place or dignity
• advancing1 senseThe act of proceeding forward; an advance.
• advantage8 sensesAny condition, circumstance, opportunity or means, particularly favorable or chance to success, or to any desired end.
• adventure14 sensesA feeling of desire for new and exciting things.
• adventurous2 sensesInclined to adventure; willing to take risks; prone to embark on hazardous enterprises; daring.
• adversary1 senseA person, group, or thing that opposes or attacks another person or group; an opponent or rival.
• Adversary1 senseThe Devil; Satan.
• adversity2 sensesThe state of adverse conditions; state of misfortune or calamity.
• advertise5 sensesTo give (especially public) notice of (something); to announce publicly.
• advertisement6 sensesA commercial solicitation designed to sell some commodity, service or similar.
• advertising2 sensesCommunication whose purpose is to influence potential customers about products and services.
• advice9 sensesAn opinion offered to guide behavior in an effort to be helpful.
• advise8 sensesTo give advice to; to offer an opinion to, as worthy or expedient to be followed.
• advised2 sensesConsidered or thought out; resulting from deliberation.
• adviser1 senseOne who advises.
• advising1 senseAdvice.
• advisor2 sensesOne who offers advice.
• advocate9 sensesSomeone whose job is to speak for someone's case in a court of law; a counsel.
• Ae1 senseA village in Dumfries and Galloway council area, Scotland, some distance north of Dumfries (OS grid ref NX9889).
• AE1 senseUSPS military code of Armed Forces – Europe.
• aerial12 sensesLiving or taking place in the air.
• aeroplane6 sensesSynonym of airplane. A powered heavier-than-air aircraft with fixed wings.
• Aeryn1 senseA female given name.
• aesthetic5 sensesConcerned with beauty, artistic effect, or appearance.
• afar1 senseAt, to, or from a great distance; far away.
• Afar3 sensesA Cushitic language spoken in Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti.
• affair9 sensesSomething which is done or is to be done; business of any kind, commercial, professional, or public.
• affect15 sensesTo influence or alter.
• affected6 sensesInfluenced or changed by something.
• affecting1 senseProducing or causing strong feelings and emotions.
• affection7 sensesThe act of affecting or acting upon.
• affectionate5 sensesHaving affection or warm regard; loving; fond.
• affidavit2 sensesA signed document wherein an affiant makes a sworn statement.
• affirmative12 sensespertaining to truth; asserting that something is; affirming
• afford4 sensesTo incur, stand, or bear without serious detriment, as an act which might under other circumstances be injurious; (usually after an expression of…
• affordable1 senseAble to be afforded; inexpensive or reasonably priced.
• afghan2 sensesA blanket or throw, usually crocheted or knitted.
• Afghan8 sensesA native or inhabitant of Afghanistan; a person of Afghan citizenship or nationality and their descendants.
• Afghanistan1 senseA landlocked country between Central Asia and South Asia. Official name: Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. Capital and largest city: Kabul.
• afloat15 sensesIn or into a state of floating.
• afraid3 sensesImpressed with fear or apprehension; in fear.
• Africa4 sensesThe continent that is south of Europe, east of the Atlantic Ocean, west of the Indian Ocean and north of Antarctica.
• African3 sensesOf or pertaining to Africa.
• African-American5 sensesA member of an ethnic group consisting of Americans of black African (particularly Niger-Congo) descent.
• aft2 sensesAt, near, or towards the stern of a vessel (with the frame of reference within the vessel).
• after19 sensesBehind; later in time; following.
• afterlife5 sensesA conscious existence after death; a supernatural life that follows one's natural life, in some worldviews.
• aftermath2 sensesThat which happens after, that which follows, usually of strongly negative connotation in most contexts, implying a preceding catastrophe.
• afternoon4 sensesThe part of the day from noon or lunchtime until sunset, evening, or suppertime or 6pm.
• afternoons1 senseEvery afternoon.
• afterwards1 senseAt a later or succeeding time; after that;
• ag1 senseExpressing annoyance, remorse, surprise, etc.: oh, ah.
• AG1 senseAn aggressive (a butch woman, especially a Black butch woman); an aggressive girl.
• again13 sensesAnother time: indicating a repeat of an action.
• against18 sensesIn a contrary direction to.
• Agatha1 senseA female given name from Ancient Greek.
• age24 sensesThe amount of time that some being has been alive, or that some thing has been in existence, as measured from its birth or origin until the present…
• aged4 sensesOld.
• agency6 sensesThe capacity, condition, or state of acting or of exerting power.
• agenda6 sensesA temporally organized plan for matters to be attended to.
• Agenda2 sensesA city and village in Kansas, United States.
• agent10 sensesOne who exerts power, or has the power to act.
• Agent1 senseA surname.
• ages2 sensesA long time.
• aggravated3 sensesHaving been the subject of aggravation; frustrated and angry.
• aggression5 sensesThe act of initiating hostilities or invasion.
• aggressive7 sensesCharacterized by aggression; highly combative; prone to behave in a way that involves attacking (especially if unjustly) or arguing.
• agh1 senseAn exclamation of mild horror, disgust or frustration
• aging5 sensesThe process of becoming older or more mature.
• agitated2 sensesAngry, annoyed, bothered or worked up.
• Agnes2 sensesA female given name from Ancient Greek.
• ago3 sensesBefore now, before the present time
• agony5 sensesExtreme pain or anguish.
• agree8 sensesTo be in harmony about an opinion, statement, or action; to have a consistent idea between two or more people.
• agreeable6 sensesAble to agree; possible to be agreed.
• agreed2 sensesIn harmony.
• agreeing1 senseAn agreement.
• agreement5 sensesAn understanding between entities to follow a specific course of conduct.
• agricultural5 sensesOf or pertaining to agriculture.
• agriculture1 senseThe art or science of cultivating the ground, including the growing and harvesting of crops, and the rearing and management of livestock.
• ah14 sensesAn expression of relief, relaxation, comfort, confusion, understanding, wonder, awe, etc. according to uttered inflection.
• Ah1 senseA prefix of Chinese origin used with a shortened form of given names to express familiarity, roughly equivalent to a nickname.
• AH1 senseprefix for attack helicopter, helicopter gunship designations
• aha2 sensesAn exclamation of understanding, realization, invention, or recognition.
• ahead6 sensesAt or towards the front; in the direction one is facing or moving.
• ahem6 sensesThe sound of a quiet cough or of clearing one's throat.
• ahjussi1 senseA middle-aged Korean man.
• Ahmad2 sensesA male given name from Arabic or Persian, meaning “most praiseworthy”; variant forms Aahmed, Achmad, Achmat, Achmed, Achmet, Ahamed, Ahmed, Ahmet.
• Ahmed3 sensesAlternate name of rasul Muhammad
• Ahn1 senseA surname from Korean.
• ahold2 sensesA hold, grip, grasp.
• ahoy4 sensesUsed to hail a ship, a boat or a person, or to attract attention.
• ai2 sensesA type of three-toed sloth, Bradypus tridactylus, endemic to forests of southern Venezuela, the Guianas, and northern Brazil.
• Ai4 sensesAn ancient Canaanite royal city mentioned in the Book of Joshua, popularly believed to be the modern archeological site Et-Tell.
• AI5 sensesInitialism of artificial intelligence. A specific artificial intelligence program, such as the chatbot ChatGPT.
• aid9 sensesHelp; assistance; succor, relief.
• aida1 senseSynonym of Aida cloth.
• Aida2 sensesSynonym of Aida cloth.
• Aidan2 sensesA male given name from Irish.
• aide2 sensesAn assistant.
• Aiden2 sensesA male given name from Irish, variant of Aidan.
• aiding1 senseThe act of one who aids or assists.
• AIDS1 senseExtremely annoying or frustrating.
• aim10 sensesThe pointing of a weapon, as a gun, a dart, or an arrow, or object, in the line of direction with the object intended to be struck; the line of fire;…
• AIM2 sensesAIM, the secondary stock market of the London Stock Exchange; formerly an initialism of Alternative Investment Market.
• aimed1 senseDirected towards a target.
• aiming1 senseThe act of one who aims.
• ain1 senseOwn; belonging to one.
• Ain2 sensesA department of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France. Capital: Bourg-en-Bresse (INSEE code 01).
• air24 sensesThe substance constituting Earth's atmosphere: a gaseous mixture of nitrogen, oxygen, and various trace gases.
• AIR1 senseThe station code of Airport in Hong Kong.
• airborne5 sensesIn or carried by the air.
• aircraft2 sensesA vehicle capable of atmospheric flight due to interaction with the air, such as buoyancy or lift.
• airfield1 senseAn open field designated for the taking off and landing of aircraft, but which, unlike an airport, does not necessarily have terminals or paved…
• airline1 senseA company that flies airplanes to transport people and goods.
• airlock5 sensesA sealed, airtight chamber, such as in a manned spacecraft or submarine, used to provide access to and from the sealed area without allowing air out…
• airplane6 sensesA powered heavier-than-air aircraft with fixed wings: a fixed-wing aircraft with at least one engine or electric motor.
• airport1 senseAn airfield (an area designated for the takeoff and landing of aircraft), including one or more runways and (for commercial airports) one or more…
• Airport3 sensesA census-designated place in Stanislaus County, California, United States.
• airs1 senseAffected manners intended to impress others.
• airtight4 sensesImpermeable to air or other gases.
• airway4 sensesThe trachea.
• Aisha1 senseA female given name from Arabic, most famously borne by Muhammad's third wife. Daughter of first caliph Abu Bakr.
• aisle7 sensesA wing of a building, notably in a church separated from the nave proper by piers.
• ajax3 sensesNearby, over there
• Ajax10 sensesEither of two heroes of the Trojan War.
• Ajay3 sensesA male given name from Sanskrit.
• aka1 senseThe New Zealand vine Metrosideros fulgens.
• Aka2 sensesEither of two lakes in Alaska.
• AKA1 senseUsed to introduce an explanation or clarification: in other words, i.e.
• Akbar2 sensesA surname.
• Aki1 senseA city in Kōchi Prefecture, Japan.
• Akira2 sensesA male given name from Japanese.
• al1 senseThe Indian mulberry, Morinda citrifolia, especially as used to make dye.
• Al3 sensesAlfen number
• al-Qaeda1 senseA worldwide network of militant Sunni Islamic organizations and individuals.
• Alabama6 sensesAn indigenous Muscogee people of central Alabama.
• Aladdin2 sensesAn Arabic tale about a young man named Aladdin who is recruited by a sorcerer to get a magic lamp from a cave; often adapted into comic pantomime in…
• Alain1 senseA male given name from French, equivalent to English Alan.
• Alan4 sensesA male given name from the Celtic languages.
• alarm12 sensesA summons to arms, as on the approach of an enemy.
• alarmed2 sensesHaving an alarm fitted.
• alarming1 senseCausing apprehension, fear or alarm; frightening.
• alas2 sensesUsed to express sorrow, regret, compassion, grief, resignation, or disappointment.
• Alaska10 sensesA state of the United States, formerly a territory. Capital: Juneau. Largest city: Anchorage. Postal code: AK.
• alba4 sensesA type of lyrical poetry, traditionally Provençal, about lovers who must part at dawn.
• Alba4 sensesA county of Transylvania, Romania.
• Albanian9 sensesOf, from, or pertaining to Albania, the Albanian ethnic group or the Albanian language.
• Albany19 sensesA surname, from the title of the Duke of Albany.
• Albert11 sensesA male given name from the Germanic languages.
• Alberto1 senseA male given name from Italian or Spanish, equivalent to English Albert.
• album6 sensesA book specially designed to keep photographs, stamps, or autographs.
• Albuquerque2 sensesA surname from Spanish.
• alcohol4 sensesAny of a class of organic compounds (such as ethanol) containing a hydroxyl functional group (-OH).
• alcoholic5 sensesA person who is addicted to alcohol.
• alderman5 sensesA member of a municipal legislative body in a city or town.
• Alderman1 senseAn English surname originating as an occupation.
• Aldo1 senseA male given name from Italian.