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146 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Ostentatious
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showy, conspicuous
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Reciprocity
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a state of mutual exchange
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Recalcitrant
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stubbornly resisting authority
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Loquacious
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talkative
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Nostalgic
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looking back in time with longing
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Acquiesce |
to give in
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Writhe |
to make twisting or turning movements
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Impeccable |
extremely neat
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Agrarian |
related to farming, the land
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Apparition |
a vision, a ghost
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Sanguine |
optimistic, hopeful
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Pious |
extremely religious, devout
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Decadent |
excessively self-indulgent
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Epiphany |
a sudden realization
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Belligerent |
eager to fight
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Xenophobia |
the fear or hatred of strangers, foreigners
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Censorious |
severely critical, fault finding
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Anathema |
something intensely disliked
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Petulant |
ill-tempered, sulking
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Cacophony |
an ugly, harsh sound
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Sovereign |
having supreme rank or authority or a king or queen
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Pariah |
outcast
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Progeny |
children, descendents
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Insurmountable |
unable to be overcome
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Puritanical |
adhering to Puritan beliefs, strict in social and religious views
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Ancillary |
accessory, auxiliary, extra
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Camaraderie |
the spirit of friendly good fellowship
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Nefarious |
wicked or evil
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Mendacity |
untruthfulness
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Reticent |
hesitant to speak, reserved
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Sanctimonious |
hypocritically devout
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Abstemious |
sparing, usually in alcohol consumption
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Clandestine |
held or conducted in secret
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Impenetrable |
unable to be penetrated; not accessible
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Usurpation |
wrongful seizure of something
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Languid |
lacking spirit, without energy
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Nascent |
emerging, about to be born or created
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Debris |
scattered remains of something broken or destroyed
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Amicable |
showing friendliness or goodwill
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Serendipitous |
happening by accident but in a good way
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Heinous |
truly evil, abominable (refers to deeds, not to people)
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Contiguous |
touching or adjacent to
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Impecunious |
poor, having no money
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Ludicrous |
ridiculous, laughable
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Effrontery |
shameless boldness
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Scion |
a descendent of a wealthy, aristocratic family
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Synecdoche |
a figure of speech by which a part is put for the whole
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Vindictive |
inclined to get revenge
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Cognizant |
aware of or informed of something
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Largesse |
generosity
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Ambivalent |
having mixed feelings
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Lugubrious |
mournful, gloomy
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Quid pro quo |
an equal exchange, one thing for another
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Astute |
having shrewd and practical intelligence
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Apoplectic |
ready to blow up, about to rupture a blood vessel
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Abysmal |
really bad, terrible
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Fratricide |
the act of killing one's brother
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Adroit |
skilled
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Brazen |
contemptuously bold
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Admonition |
warning against something
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Obligatory |
mandatory, required
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Chimerical |
fantastic or highly improbable
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Hedonistic |
self-indulgent, pleasure-loving
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Maudlin |
weakly sentimental
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Taciturn |
shy, unwilling to speak much
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Hyperbole |
exaggeration
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Egalitarian |
believing in the equality of all people under law
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Perfunctory |
done in a merely routine or superficial way
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Pragmatism |
having a practical approach to problems
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Consanguinity |
kinship
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Vicarious |
experienced in place of another
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Malign |
to speak harmful untruths
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Impetutous |
acting without forethought
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Unrepentant |
exhibiting no remorse for
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Crucible |
a trying time to prove oneself; a container for heating chemicals at high heat
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Infamy |
fame gained for doing bad things
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Autonomous |
independent
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Petulant |
sulking, pouting
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Gregarious |
extremely sociable
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Tractable |
docile, easily controlled
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Supercilious |
arrogant, snobbish
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Pandemonium |
wild uproar, chaos
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Harbinger |
something foreshadowing what is to come
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Sepulchre |
a tomb
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Conundrum |
a puzzle, a dilemma
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Conspicuous |
obvious, easily seen
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Frenetic |
hectic, frantic
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Extradite |
to legally take an accused person to a different jurisdiction
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Reciprocal |
done with mutual exchange
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Extemporaneous |
spontaneous, without preparation
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Serpentine |
snakelike
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Emissary |
messenger
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Masochistic |
enjoying pain
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Exigent |
requiring immediate action
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Interregnum |
time in between the rule of kings or leaders
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Recluse |
a hermit; one who withdraws from the world
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Svelte |
slender and graceful
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Aspirate |
to inhale into the lungs
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Archetype |
a fundamental story pattern repeated through the ages
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Non plus ultra |
the ultimate, the pinnacle
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Ostracize |
to banish or exclude
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Fallacious |
misleading, deceptive
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Flamboyant
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colorful, bold, wild
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Pedantic |
inclined to preach and correct others
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Fastidious |
picky with small details
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Dilettante |
person with superficial interest in something
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Paradoxical |
seemingly contradictory but nonetheless true
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Avarice |
greed
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Farcical |
funny because people are incompetent
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Poignant |
painfully sad or moving
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Iniquitous |
wicked, unjust
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Trammel |
to step on, overrun
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Facetious |
sarcastic, humorous
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Egregious |
really really bad
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Capricious |
erratic, fickle, inconsistent
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Frugal |
careful with money and possessions
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Affluent |
rich
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Insular |
protected, unworldly, narrow
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Dissipate |
to disperse, scatter
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Benign |
harmless
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Wistful |
full of melancholy, longing, yearning
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Caveat |
a warning or caution
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Animosity |
strong hatred, ill will
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Cryptic |
secret and mysterious and meaning usually due to its short length
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Pathos |
invoking pity or compassion
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Constraint |
something holding a person or thing back
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Prodigious |
really large
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Paragon |
a model of excellence
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Ensconce |
to firmly establish a position
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Fiscal |
related to money
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Ephemeral
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lasting only a short time, fleeting
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Chattel |
a slave, a piece of human property
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Slovenly |
messy; unconcerned with dress or appearance
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Antebellum |
before a war, usually the American Civil War
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Interminable |
endless
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Factotum |
a servant employed to do a variety of jobs
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Euphoria |
feeling of extreme happiness
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Ignominy |
deep personal humiliation, disgrace
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Gaunt |
excessively thin
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Arachnophobia |
fear of spiders
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Proliferate |
to increase in number or spread rapidly
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Subterfuge |
a deceptive device or stratagem
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Incongruous |
inconsistent with surroundings
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Diminutive |
extremely small
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Pragmatic |
of or pertaining to a practical point of view or practical considerations
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Travesty |
a disaster
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