alias
1. Another name.
2. An assumed name.
"To keep the police off his tracks, the man assumed an alias every time he moved."
alien
1. Belonging to another country, a foreigner, an outsider.
2. Strange in a situation; not natural.
"To the alien who was trying to learn English, it was alien to protrude his tongue in order to pronounce th."
allegory
A story in which the people, the objects, and the events are symbols that have other meanings.
"George Orwell's Animal Farm novel is an allegory in which animals behave and talk like humans."
allergy
1. A reaction in a way other than that which is usual.
2. Sensitiveness to certain foods, animals, pollen, etc.
"After being in the room with the cat for five minutes, her allergy began to act up and she started to sneeze."
alter
To make different, to change.
"When she lost weight, she had to have all of her clothes altered to fit her new size."
alter ego
1. Another self.
2. A very close friend.
"Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde were alter egos in a tale of horror."
alternate
1. To follow one thing with something else.
2. To take turns.
"James alternated with Sam in taking the night shift on alternate weeks."
alternative
1. Another possibility.
2. Another choice.
"Betty's parents could not longer pay for her college fees, and so she had no alternative but to find a part-time job."
altruism
1. Concern for the welfare of others.
2. Acting in an unselfish way to help others.
"When the earthquake struck, people from all over the world, out of a sense of altruism, volunteered their help for the victims."
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