Words you must know - 1

I will be providing a list of words that a person who has just jumped into this gargantuan pool of words with the aim of improving his vocabulary must know. This is the first list. I may add few words as and when the need arises.

1. abate: to lessen, reduce in amount
   
2. abscond: to leave quickly and secretly to escape from custody or avoid arrest
   
3. abstain: to choose not to do something
   
4. abyss: a deep hole
   
5. adulterate: to make impure
   
6. advocate: to speak in favour of something or someone
   
7. aesthetic: pertaining to beauty or appreciation of beauty
   
8. aggrandize: to increase the power, wealth and status of
   
9. alleviate: to lessen (pain or difficulty)
   
10. amalgamate: combine to form one organization or structure
11. ambiguous: doubtful or dubious
    
12. ameliorate: to improve
    
13. anachronism: a thing belonging to a period other than the one in which it exists
    
14. analogous: similar
    
15. anomaly: abnormal, aberration
    
16. antagonize: make (someone) hostile
    
17. antipathy: extreme dislike
    
18. apathy: lack of interest or enthusiasm
    
19. arbitrate: to judge
    
20. archaic: old fashioned; quainted
    
21. ardor: great enthusiasm and passion
    
22. articulate: clear and fluent in speech
    
23. assuage: to satisfy (an appetite or desire); make (an unpleasant feeling) less intense
    
24. attenuate: to weaken
    
25. audacious: bold and dauntless
    
26. austere: bold; willing to take risks
    
27. banal: boring because not new or unusual
    
28. bolster: to strengthen
    
29. bombast: language that sounds impressive but has little meaning
    
30. cacophony: harsh mixture of sounds
    
31. candid: frank; straightforward
    
32. capricious: changing one's mind quickly; wavering
    
33. castigate: criticize harshly; reprimand severely
    
34. catalyst: something that triggers an event
    
35. caustic: bitter, sarcastic
    
36. chaos: great confusion or disorder
    
37. chauvinist: a person displaying extreme or unreasonable support for his country, cause, group or sex
    
38. chicanery: use of trickery to achieve one's aim; subterfuge
    
39. cogent: (of an idea) clear, logical and convincing
    
40. convoluted: twisted; complex
    
41. corroborate: to support
    
42. credulous: too ready to believe things
    
43. crescendo: a climax; a gradual increase in loudness in a piece of music
    
44. decorum: polite and socially acceptable behaviour
    
45. deference: respect
    
46. deride: to ridicule; express contempt
    
47. desiccate: to dry out completely
    
48. desultory: lacking purpose or enthusiasm
49. diatribe: a harsh and forceful verbal attack
    
50. diffident: lacking confidence