Growth Lodge

The power of language lies in its ability to convey the nuances of our thoughts, emotions, and experiences. 

While we often focus on positive words to express joy, gratitude, and praise, it’s just as important to have a rich vocabulary of negative words to accurately describe our less-than-pleasant encounters, emotions, or critiques. 

Hence, we’ve curated a list of 50 negative words that start with the letter ‘A’, complete with their meanings and some examples. 

25 Negative Words Starting With A

1. Abhorrent

Meaning: Causing strong dislike or disgust.

• It is abhorrent to think of cruelty towards animals.
• She found his behavior absolutely abhorrent.

2. Abrasive

Meaning: Harsh, rough, and irritating in manner or speech.

• His abrasive tone made everyone in the room uncomfortable.
• She tried to ignore his abrasive comments.

3. Abysmal

Meaning: Extremely bad or terrible.

• The team’s performance was abysmal.
• His cooking skills are simply abysmal.

4. Accursed

Meaning: Under a curse or deserving to be cursed.

• The accursed house has been abandoned for years.
• He felt as if he were an accursed man, unable to escape his past.

5. Acerbic

Meaning: Sharp and forthright, often in a hurtful way.

• Her acerbic wit could sting at times.
• He had an acerbic sense of humor that not everyone appreciated.

6. Acrid

Meaning: Having an unpleasant taste or smell.

• The air was filled with an acrid odor from the fire.
• She coughed as the acrid smoke filled her lungs.

7. Adverse

Meaning: Unfavorable, harmful, or detrimental.

• The company experienced adverse economic conditions.
• He had an adverse reaction to the medication.

8. Aggravate

Meaning: To make a problem, injury, or offense worse or more serious.

• Don’t aggravate the situation by arguing.
• His constant whining only served to aggravate her.

9. Aggressive

Meaning: Ready or likely to attack or confront.

• The dog was acting aggressive towards strangers.
• She took an aggressive stance in the negotiations.

10. Agitated

Meaning: Feeling or appearing troubled or nervous.

• He became agitated when confronted with the accusation.
• Her agitated state made it clear something was wrong.

11. Ail

Meaning: To cause physical or emotional pain, discomfort, or trouble.

• The poor health of the economy ails everyone.
• He’s been ailing from a mysterious illness for months.

12. Alarming

Meaning: Worrying or frightening.

• The alarming rise in crime rates has everyone on edge.
• She received an alarming phone call in the middle of the night.

13. Alienated

Meaning: To cause someone to feel isolated or estranged.

• He felt alienated from his family after the argument.
• The new policy alienated many long-time supporters.

14. Annoying

Meaning: Causing irritation or annoyance.

• Her constant chatter was annoying to those around her.
• The annoying mosquito buzzed around my ear all night.

15. Antagonistic

Meaning: Showing or feeling active opposition or hostility towards someone or something.

• Her antagonistic behavior created tension in the group.
• He has an antagonistic relationship with his boss.

16. Appalling

Meaning: Causing shock or dismay; horrific.

• The living conditions in the slums were appalling.
• The amount of pollution in the river is appalling.

17. Arduous

Meaning: Requiring great exertion; difficult and tiring.

• The mountain climbers faced an arduous journey ahead.
• Completing the project was an arduous task.

18. Arrogant

Meaning: Having or revealing an exaggerated sense of one’s own importance or abilities.

• His arrogant attitude was off-putting.
• She was tired of dealing with arrogant people.

19. Asinine

Meaning: Extremely stupid or foolish.

• His asinine comments made everyone roll their eyes.
• The prank was asinine and not at all funny.

20. Assail

Meaning: To attack or criticize someone or something violently.

• The politician was assailed by the media for his controversial statements.
• The storm assailed the coastline with high winds and heavy rain.

21. Atrocious

Meaning: Horrifyingly wicked; of a very poor quality.

• The dictator’s atrocious actions led to widespread suffering.
• His table manners were simply atrocious.

22. Aversion

Meaning: A strong dislike or disinclination.

• She had an aversion to loud noises.
• His aversion to social gatherings was well-known.

23. Awkward

Meaning: Causing difficulty or embarrassment; hard to deal with.

• The silence that followed created an awkward atmosphere.
• He felt awkward trying to make small talk with strangers.

24. Awful

Meaning: Very bad or unpleasant.

• The weather on our vacation was awful.
• She had an awful headache all day.

25. Acrimonious

Meaning: (Typically of speech or a debate) angry and bitter.

• The divorce proceedings were acrimonious and lengthy.
• Their acrimonious dispute had lasting consequences for their friendship.

25 More Negative Words Starting With A

26. Abandon

Meaning: To give up on something or someone completely.

• He decided to abandon his dreams of becoming an actor.
• The house was left to abandon after the family moved away.

27. Abdicate

Meaning: To renounce or give up a position of power or responsibility.

• The king was forced to abdicate the throne.
• She chose to abdicate her role as CEO.

28. Aberrant

Meaning: Deviating from what is normal or expected.

• His aberrant behavior concerned his friends.
• The aberrant results of the experiment raised questions.

29. Abject

Meaning: Extremely bad or unpleasant, often in a humiliating way.

• They lived in abject poverty.
• His apology was an abject display of cowardice.

30. Absent

Meaning: Not present, either physically or mentally.

• She was absent from work for three days.
• His mind seemed absent during the conversation.

31. Absurd

Meaning: Wildly unreasonable, illogical, or inappropriate.

• The idea of walking to the moon is absurd.
• His absurd suggestions were met with disbelief.

32. Accost

Meaning: To approach and address someone boldly or aggressively.

• He was accosted by a stranger on the street.
• She felt threatened when the man accosted her.

33. Accuse

Meaning: To charge someone with an offense or crime.

• He was accused of stealing from the company.
• She accused her neighbor of trespassing.

34. Acquiesce

Meaning: To accept something reluctantly but without protest.

• He acquiesced to the decision, despite his reservations.
• She acquiesced to her parents’ demands.

35. Adamant

Meaning: Refusing to be persuaded or to change one’s mind.

• She was adamant that she wouldn’t change her decision.
• He was adamant about not attending the party.

36. Addle

Meaning: To make someone unable to think clearly; confuse.

• The complex problem seemed to addle his mind.
• Her constant chatter began to addle him.

37. Admonish

Meaning: To warn or reprimand someone firmly.

• The teacher admonished the student for talking during the test.
• He was admonished for his careless driving.

38. Afflict

Meaning: To cause pain or suffering to someone.

• The country was afflicted by a terrible drought.
• She was afflicted with a chronic illness.

39. Agitate

Meaning: To make someone troubled or nervous.

• The constant noise from the construction site began to agitate her.
• The protesters aimed to agitate for change.

40. Aghast

Meaning: Filled with horror or shock.

• She was aghast at the news of the accident.
• He was aghast at the thought of losing his job.

41. Aimless

Meaning: Without purpose or direction.

• He spent his days in an aimless pursuit of pleasure.
• The meeting felt aimless, with no clear agenda.

42. Akin

Meaning: Similar or related in quality or character, often with negative connotations.

• His behavior was akin to betrayal.
• The politician’s promises were akin to lies.

43. Allege

Meaning: To assert without proof, usually as a statement of fact.

• The suspect alleged that he was innocent.
• She alleged that the company had engaged in fraud.

44. Aloof

Meaning: Distant or detached, especially in social situations.

• He seemed aloof and uninterested in making friends.
• Her aloof demeanor made it difficult to connect with her.

45. Ambiguous

Meaning: Open to more than one interpretation, unclear, or vague.

• The wording of the contract was ambiguous.
• Her ambiguous response left them unsure of her intentions.

46. Ambivalent

Meaning: Having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone.

• He was ambivalent about accepting the job offer.
• She felt ambivalent about her relationship.

47. Amorphous

Meaning: Lacking a clear structure, form, or focus.

• His ideas remained amorphous and unrefined.
• The group’s goals were amorphous, leading to confusion.

48. Anathema

Meaning: Something or someone that one vehemently dislikes.

• Racism is anathema to her.
• The dictator became anathema to the people he oppressed.

49. Anguish

Meaning: Severe mental or physical pain or suffering.

• She felt anguish over the loss of her friend.
• The news filled him with anguish.

50. Anomalous

Meaning: Deviating from what is standard, normal, or expected.

• The scientist noticed an anomalous pattern in the data.
• Her sudden outburst was anomalous and unexpected.