The definition for abate is "Become less in amount or intensity." Used in a sentence: Just when it seemed the rain would never stop, the storm suddenly began to abate.

The definition for appraise is "To evaluate the worth of." Used in a sentence: Simone, an expert in African sculpture, was asked to appraise the ambassador's collection of masks.

The definition for distortion is "The act of twisting out of shape." Used in a sentence: The story about the actress in the gossip column was a distortion of the truth.

The definition for dubious is "Questionable." Used in a sentence: Karl found Kevin's claim that he was sick dubious, as he had just seen him playing football.

The definition for polarize is "To break up into opposing groups." Used in a sentence: Thelma tended to polarize discussions rather than to encourage compromise.