Negative Words That Start With A (With Definitions)
A list of negative words starting with A.
Negative words are an important part of any language, as they enable us to express our negative emotions, actions and ideas in a more precise way.
From affront to avarice, there are numerous words that begin with A that can be used to accurately describe experiences or concepts with a negative connotation.
Whether it’s expressing aggression, animosity, apprehension or aversion, there is sure to be the right word to get your point across.
List of Negative Words Starting With A
Abase: To lower someone’s pride, dignity or self-respect.
Abdicate: To give up all power, authority or responsibilities.
Abdication: The act of surrendering power, authority or responsibility.
Aberrant: Deviating from what is normal, expected or acceptable.
Abhor: To strongly dislike or detest something or someone.
Abhorrence: Intense hatred and loathing; utter disgust.
Abject: Desperately poor; severely wretched or depressing.
Abnegation: Self-denial in the pursuit of a higher goal or principle.
Abomination: Something that causes extreme disgust or revulsion.
Abrasive: Rough or harsh in manner or disposition; irritating.
Abrogate: To revoke, annul or repeal a law, treaty, or other binding agreement.
Abscond: To leave secretly and hide, often to avoid legal trouble or arrest.
Abstain: To hold oneself back voluntarily from doing something.
Abstruse: Difficult to understand; arcane or mysterious.
Abyssal: Extremely deep and seemingly bottomless; very profound.
Acetic: Sour, sharp or acid in taste or character; sad and gloomy.
Acrimonious: Bitter and sharp in nature or tone; acerbic.
Admonish: To caution someone against a wrong action; to reprimand gently.
Adumbrate: To describe something in a vague or indirectly suggestive manner.
Adversarial: Aggressive, hostile and combative in attitude or behavior.
Affliction: A cause of distress or suffering; an illness or disability.
Affront: An act that insults or offends another person; an insult.
Aggravate: To make worse; to exacerbate a situation or condition.
Agonize: To cause intense physical, mental or emotional pain and distress.
Agonizing: Intensely painful; causing extreme physical, mental or emotional distress.
Aggressive: Displaying or characterized by unprovoked attack; hostile.
Alienate: To cause someone to become unfriendly or hostile toward another.
Alienation: To cause someone to become unfriendly or hostile toward another.
Aloof: Being distant or uninterested in others.
Aloofness: Detachment and independence; a lack of emotional involvement.
Ambiguity: Having multiple interpretations; unclear or vague in meaning.
Ambivalent: Having mixed or conflicting feelings about something.
Amoral: Lacking a moral sense; unconcerned with the rightness or wrongness of something.
Anarchy: A state of disorder due to the absence of governmental authority.
Anguish: Extreme mental pain, distress, or suffering.
Animosity: A deep seated feeling of ill will or hatred towards someone.
Anomalous: Deviating from what is normal or expected; unusual.
Antagonism: Open hostility, opposition or resistance to something.
Antagonistic: Showing opposition, hostility or resistance; opposing.
Antisocial: Hostile or unfriendly towards society in general; not sociable.
Apathetic: Uninterested in and unmotivated by mundane matters; unresponsive.
Apathy: Lack of emotion, interest, enthusiasm or concern.
Appalling: Causing shock and dismay due to its bad quality.
Apprehension: Fear or worry about something; a feeling of unease.
Apprehensive: Feeling anxious or fearful; anticipating something unpleasant.
Approbation: Praise or approval; expressing approval or admiration.
Arbitrary: Based on random choice or personal discretion rather than any reason or system.
Archaic: Belonging to a past age; outdated and old-fashioned.
Arduous: Demanding great effort; difficult and tedious.
Arid: Dry and barren; lacking in freshness, vitality or interest.
Arrogant: Having an exaggerated sense of one’s own importance.
Artifice: Deception or trickery used to achieve a goal.
Artificial: Not natural; produced or contrived by human beings.
Artless: Lacking any artifice or pretense; guileless and natural.
Asperity: Harshness or severity in disposition or manner; sharpness of temper.
Aspersion: A slanderous remark or false accusation intended to harm another’s reputation
Assail: To attack with strong criticism or verbal abuse.
Assailant: An attacker; someone who assaults another person verbally or physically.
Assailment: An attack; a forceful criticism or verbal assault.
Assiduous: Very diligent and hardworking; carefully attentive to detail.
Asunder: Into separate parts or pieces; apart from each other.
Atrocious: Shockingly wicked, violent or cruel; heinous.
Atrophy: Gradual decline or deterioration; a wasting away of the body or mind.
Austere: Plain, functional, and lacking comfort or luxury.
Avarice: Greediness for wealth and material gain.
Avaricious: Greedy; excessively eager to acquire wealth or material gain.
Averse: Reluctant and disinclined to do something; having a strong dislike of something.
Aversion: A strong feeling of dislike or distaste towards something.
Awful: Terrible, horrible and very bad.
For more lists of negative or positive words, check out: