Fun Words Starting With ‘A’
Abecedarian
a person who is just learning; a beginner
Abligurition
excessive spending on food and drink
Abnormous
misshapen; irregular
Absquatulate
to leave abruptly or secretly
Abulia
an inability to make decisions or exercise willpower
Acarology
the study of mites and ticks
Accismus
feigning lack of interest in something while actually desiring it
Acedia
spiritual sloth or apathy
Acritochromacy
color-blindness
Adonize
to adorn oneself; to make oneself handsome
Adoxography
skilled writing on a trivial or base subject
Adumbrate
to foreshadow vaguely or outline sketchily
Aeolist
a person who pretends to have inspiration; a windbag
Aerate
to supply with air
Affabulation
the moral of a fable
Afflatus
a sudden spark of divine inspiration
Agelast
a person who never laughs
Aglet
the plastic or metal tip on the end of a shoelace
Agogics
theory of relating to expression in musical performance
Agrarian
relating to cultivated land or landed property
Agravic
having no gravity; weightless
Agrostology
the study of grasses
Aigrette
a spray of feathers used as an ornament
Ailurophile
a cat lover
Alate
having wings; winged
Albedo
the reflective power of a surface
Albescent
becoming white; whitening
Alchemize
to transform or change as if by magic
Aleatory
depending on luck or chance
Alectoromancy
divination by observing a rooster peck at grain
Alexithymia
inability to identify and express or describe one's feelings
Aliform
shaped like a wing
Aliment
food; nourishment
Aliquant
a number that is not an exact divisor of another
Alizarin
a red dye originally obtained from madder root
Allochthonous
originating in a place other than where it is found
Allograph
a writing or signature made by one person for another
Alpenglow
the rosy light on mountain peaks at sunrise or sunset
Alphonsin
a surgical instrument for extracting bullets
Altheine
a white crystalline alkaloid found in marshmallow root
Altiloquent
speaking in a pompous or high-flown manner
Alveolate
pitted like a honeycomb
Amadelphous
growing together in a cluster
Amandine
prepared or garnished with almonds
Amaranthine
undying; everlasting; of a deep purple-red color
Amative
inclined to love; amorous
Ambiert
surrounding; encompassing
Ambracan
a type of whale ambergris
Ambrosial
exceptionally pleasing to taste or smell; divine
Ambulatory
able to walk
Amende
a fine or reparation
Amentaceous
resembling a catkin
Amethystine
resembling or consisting of amethyst
Amorphous
without a clearly defined shape or form
Amphiarthrosis
a joint permitting little motion
Amphibolous
ambiguous; susceptible to two meanings
Amphisbaena
a mythical serpent with a head at each end
Amphitropous
having the ovule curved so both ends are near each other
Amplexicaul
clasping or surrounding the stem
Ampliate
to enlarge or add to
Ampulla
a small round vessel used by Romans for wine or oil
Amygdaline
pertaining to or resembling an almond
Amyloid
resembling starch
Anabasis
a journey upward; a military advance
Anachronic
out of its proper time
Anadiplosis
repetition of the last word of a phrase at the beginning of the next
Anaglyph
an ornament carved in low relief
Anagnorisis
the point in a play where a character makes a critical discovery
Anankastic
relating to obsessive-compulsive behavior
Ananym
a name written backward, often used as a pseudonym
Anaphora
repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses
Anarchism
belief in the abolition of all government
Anasarcous
dropsical; swollen with fluid
Anastrophia
an inversion of the normal order of words
Anathematize
to curse or denounce
Anatine
pertaining to or resembling a duck
Anatocism
compound interest
Ancipital
two-edged; having two opposite edges
Ancon
the elbow
Andragogy
the art or science of teaching adults
Anecdoche
a conversation where everyone is talking and no one is listening
Anemophilous
pollinated by the wind
Anfractuous
full of windings and turns; tortuous
Angelology
the study of angels
Anguilliform
shaped like an eel
Angustifoliate
having narrow leaves
Anhelation
shortness of breath; panting
Animadvert
to pass criticism or censure
Anisodactylous
having unequal toes
Anisomerous
having unequal parts
Anisotropy
having different physical properties in different directions
Annectent
linking; connecting
Annihilable
capable of being destroyed
Annular
ring-shaped
Anodize
to coat a metal with a protective oxide layer
Anodontia
congenital absence of teeth
Anomalous
deviating from what is standard or expected
Anomyn
an anonymous person
Anopisthographic
written on one side only
Anosmia
loss of the sense of smell
Anserine
pertaining to or resembling a goose; silly
Antediluvian
belonging to the time before the biblical Flood; old-fashioned
Anthelion
a pale halo appearing opposite the sun
Anthomania
an extravagant passion for flowers
Anthophagous
feeding on flowers
Anthophilous
loving or frequenting flowers
Anthropoglot
an animal with a human-like tongue or speech, like a parrot
Anthropomorphic
having human characteristics
Antigropelos
waterproof leggings
Antiloquy
a speaking against; a contradiction
Antimacassar
a small cloth placed over the backs of chairs to prevent soiling
Antinomian
one who rejects socially established morality
Antipodes
parts of the world diametrically opposite to each other
Antithalian
opposed to laughter or fun
Antitype
something that is foreshadowed by a symbol or type
Antre
a cavern or cave
Anuptaphobia
fear of staying single
Aoristic
indefinite; without character
Apanthropia
a love of solitude; aversion to human company
Aparejo
a packsaddle used in Latin America
Apenthetic
the insertion of a sound in the middle of a word
Apercu
a brief survey or summary; an insight
Aphotic
without light
Aphthong
a silent letter in a word
Apiary
a place where bees are kept
Apivore
an animal that eats bees
Aplanatic
free from spherical aberration
Apocalypse
a great revelation or cataclysmic event
Apocryphal
of doubtful authenticity
Apolaustic
dedicated to the search for enjoyment
Apophasis
mentioning something by saying it will not be mentioned
Apophenia
perceiving patterns in random data
Aposiopesis
suddenly breaking off in speech
Apostatize
to abandon one's religious or political beliefs
Apostil
a marginal note or annotation
Apothegm
a short, pithy saying
Apotheosis
the highest point in the development of something; glorification
Appanage
a natural accompaniment or entitlement
Apparent
clearly visible or understood
Appetency
an intense natural desire or longing
Appose
to place side by side
Apposite
highly appropriate or relevant
Appurtenance
an accessory or subordinate part
Apricate
to bask in the sun
Apsidal
shaped like an apse
Aptotic
not having grammatical cases
Aqueduct
an artificial channel for conveying water
Aquiline
like an eagle; hooked like an eagle's beak
Arachnoid
resembling a spider or its web
Arborization
a treelike branching
Arcane
understood by few; mysterious or secret
Architrave
the lowest part of an entablature
Arctophilist
a person who collects teddy bears
Arenicolous
living or growing in sand
Areology
the study of the planet Mars
Aretaics
the study of virtue
Argental
pertaining to or containing silver
Argillaceous
consisting of or containing clay
Argute
sharp; shrill; keen
Arride
to please; to gratify
Arriviste
an ambitious person who has newly acquired wealth or status
Arrogate
to claim or take without justification
Articulate
showing the ability to speak fluently and coherently
Aruuspicy
divination by inspecting entrails
Asafetida
a pungent herbal resin used in cooking and medicine
Ascesis
the practice of severe self-discipline
Asinine
extremely stupid or foolish
Asomatognosia
deficiency in awareness of parts of one's own body
Asomatous
incorporeal; bodiless
Asperity
harshness of tone or manner
Asperse
to attack the reputation of
Asphodel
an immortal flower said to grow in the Elysian fields
Asphyxiant
a substance that causes suffocation
Assay
the testing of a metal or ore to determine its ingredients
Asseverate
to declare earnestly or solemnly
Assiduous
showing great care and perseverance
Assuage
to make an unpleasant feeling less intense
Astatic
not stable; having no tendency toward a fixed position
Asterism
a grouping of stars
Astichous
not arranged in rows
Astragal
a small convex molding
Astraphobia
fear of thunder and lightning
Astringent
causing the contraction of body tissues
Astrobleme
an eroded remnant of a meteorite impact crater
Asymptote
a line that continually approaches a curve but never meets it
Atavism
the reappearance of a characteristic after several generations
Ataraxy
a state of serene calmness
Athenaeum
a library or reading room
Athleisure
comfortable clothes designed for both exercise and everyday wear
Atlatl
a stick used by Eskimos and early American Indians to propel spears
Atocia
female sterility
Atomy
a skeleton; a tiny person
Atrabiliar
melancholy; hypochondriac
Atropine
a poisonous compound found in deadly nightshade
Attenuate
to reduce in force, value, or degree
Attercop
a spider; an ill-tempered person
Aubade
a poem or piece of music appropriate to the dawn
Aulic
pertaining to a royal court
Auriferous
containing gold
Auriform
shaped like an ear
Auspice
a divine or prophetic token
Autarchy
absolute sovereignty; autocracy
Autodidact
a self-taught person
Autognosis
self-knowledge
Autolatry
self-worship
Autology
the scientific study of oneself
Autonym
a person's own name
Autophagy
the consumption of the body's own tissue
Autotelic
having an end or purpose in itself
Auxetic
increasing in size or volume
Aval
relating to a parent
Avant-garde
new and unusual or experimental ideas
Avascular
characterized by a lack of blood vessels
Avenaceous
of or like oats
Aver
to state or assert to be the case
Avuncular
relating to an uncle; kind and friendly toward a younger person
Axenic
free from other living organisms
Axilla
the armpit
Ayah
a native maid or nursemaid in India
Azimuth
the horizontal angle or direction of a compass bearing
Azoic
destitute of any trace of life
Azure
bright blue in color, like a cloudless sky
Azymous
unleavened