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90 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
abate |
Definition: subside; moderate; lessen in intensity; put an end to
Antonym: intensify; increase; augment Complete the sentence: "Rather than leaving immediately, they waited for the storm to ___." |
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aberrant
(adj) Context Clue: "wildly aberrant behavior" Word Parts Clue: Ab- means away from; err- means wander |
Definition: abnormal; deviant
Antonym: normal; usual Complete the sentence: "Given the ___ nature of the data, we came to doubt the validity of the entire experiment." |
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abeyance
(n) Context Clue: "held in abeyance" |
Definition: temporary inactivity; suspended action
Antonym: ongoing action; continuance Complete the sentence: "During the military takeover, the constitution was not abolished, but some of its clauses temporarily were put in ___ as the armed forces took over the administration." |
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abstemious
(adj) Context Clue: "an abstemious regimen" |
Definition: sparing in eating and drinking; temperate
Antonym: unrestrained; intemperate; immoderate Complete the sentence: "Concerned whether her vegetarian son's ____ diet provided him with sufficient protein, the worried mother pressed food upon him." |
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adulterate
(verb) Context Clue: "adulterating coffee with chicory" |
Definition: make impure by adding inferior or tainted substances; contaminate; debase
Antonym: purify Complete the sentence: "When consumers learned that company had ___ its "pure" apple juice by mixing the juice with water, they protested vigorously." |
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aggregate
(n) Context Clue: "taken in the aggregate" Word Parts Clue: Greg- means flock |
Definition: sum total; gross amount; whole mass; materials used in making concrete
Antonym: individual unit; isolated element Complete the sentence: "Paul Valery quipped, "Science means simply the ___ of all the recipes that are always successful. All the rest is literature.'" |
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alacrity
(n) Context Clue: "accepting with alacrity" |
Definition: promptness; cheerful willingness; eagerness; briskness
Antonym: reluctance; listlessness; unwillingness; apathy Complete the sentence: "Eager to set off on their ski trip, the boys packed up their gear and climbed into the van with ____." |
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amalgamate
(verb) Context Clue: "amalgamating several schools into one' |
Definition: combine; unite in one body; blend; merge
Antonym: separate; divide Complete the sentence: "It was the task of Henry II to weld the peoples of England together and to ____ the institutions of the conquerors and the conquered." |
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ameliorate
(verb) Context Clue: "ameliorating working conditions" |
Definition: improve; make better or more bearable; amend
Antonym: worsen; exacerbate; aggravate Complete the sentence: "The government's idealistic reforms did little to ___ the lot of the lower classes, who continued to be exploited by the aristocratic landed classes." |
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anachronistic
(adj) Context Clue: "an anachronistic throwback" Word Parts Clue: Chron- means time |
Definition: chronically out of place; out of its proper time period
Antonym: historically appropriate Complete the sentence: "Shakespeare's reference to clocks in Julius Caesar is ____; no clocks existed in Caesar's time." |
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anomaly
(adj) Context Clue: "congenital anomaly" |
Definition: irregularity; abnormality; deviation from the norm; something difficult to classify
Antonym: typical example; normal specimen Complete the sentences: "A bird that cannot fly is an ___." "In English literary history, the poet Burns is a kind of ___ for he defies classification, standing apart in isolated individuality." |
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antipathy
(n) Context Clue: "natural antipathy of cats and dogs" Word Parts Clue: Anti- means against; path- means feeling |
Definition: habitual aversion; intense dislike; natural repugnance; hatred
Antonym: fondness; sympathy; attraction; benevolence; liking; goodwill Complete the sentence: "Tom's extreme ___ for disputes keeps him from getting into arguments with his temperamental wife." |
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apocryphal |
Definition: spurious; not authentic; invented rather than true; mythical; uncanonical (not part of an accepted body of literary work)
Antonym: authentic; canonical; verified Complete the sentence: "Although many versions exist of the famous story of Emerson's visit to Thoreau in jail, in his writings Thoreau never mentions any such visit by Emerson, and so the tale is most likely ___." |
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apostate
(n) Context Clue: "treacherous apostate" |
Definition: one who abandons his religious faith or political beliefs; turncoat; deserter; defector; renegade; traitor; rebel
Antonym: loyalist; stalwart supporter Complete the sentence: "An apostle ardently supports a belief or cause; an ___ ardently renounces or abandons one." |
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apprise
(verb) Context Clue: "Keep me apprised of the situation!" |
Definition: inform; make aware of; advise of; notify
Antonym: keep in ignorance; withhold information Complete the sentence: "When meteorologists ___ NASA of the dangerous weather conditions, the head of the space agency decided to postpone the shuttle launch." |
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approbation
(n) Context Clue: "esteem and approbation" |
Definition: approval; good opinion; commendation; praise
Antonym: disapprobation; disapproval; condemnation; castigation Complete the sentence: "Wanting her parents' regard, she looked for some sign of their ___." |
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ascetic
(n) Context Clue: "a self-denying ascetic" |
Definition: one who practices self-denial; hermit; abstainer
Antonym: libertine; profligate; dissolute person; rake; one given to self-indulgence Complete the sentences: "Thoreau was a natural ___ who ate little meat, but subsisted on vegetable food and who drank nothing but water." "Typically, the religious ___ withdrew from the society of men to some solitary place in the desert or to some cave in the hills." |
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asperity
(n) Context Clue: "ill-humored asperity" Word Parts Clue: Asper- means harsh or rough |
Definition: sharpness of temper; harshness of manner; severity; acrimony; acerbity; roughness of surface
Antonym: mildness; cheerfulness; affability Complete the sentence: "Exasperated by the boys' unruly behavior, she addressed them with considerable ___." |
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aspersion
(n) Context Clue: "vile aspersions" Word Parts Clue: Asper- means harsh or rough |
Definition: slanderous remark; abusive attack; disparaging comment; slur; calumny
Antonym: commendation; flattery; praise; complimentary remark Complete the sentence: "Rather than attacking President Cleveland's arguments with logic, his opponent resorted to casting ___ on the president's moral character." |
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assiduous
(adj) Context Clue: "assiduous efforts" |
Definition: diligent; industrious; unremitting; persistent
Antonym: lazy; halfhearted; desultory Complete the sentence: "It took Rembrandt weeks of ___ labor before he was satisfied with his portrait of his son." |
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assuage
(verb) Context Clue: "assuaging grief" |
Definition: alleviate; mitigate; ease or lessen (pain); satisfy or appease (hunger); soothe or calm (anger)
Antonym: intensify; exacerbate; harrow; inflict distress on Complete the sentence: "Jilted by Jane, Dick tried to ___ his heartache by indulging in ice cream." |
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astringent
(adj/n) Context Clue: "sour as astringent, unripe fruit" Word Parts Clue: String means draw tight |
Definition: harshly biting; sharp and penetrating; bitter in taste; caustic; causing contraction
Antonym: gentle; mild in taste Complete the sentence: "The ___ quality of the unsweetened lemon juice made swallowing difficult." |
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attenuate
(verb) Context Clue: "aspirin attenuating a fever's intensity" Word Parts Clue: Ten- means thin |
Definition: weaken or lessen (in density, force, or degree); make thinner or finer; become weak or fine; rarefy
Antonym: intensify; strengthen Complete the sentence: "The long, dry spell ___ the creek to the merest trickle." |
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autonomy
(n) Context Clue: "personal autonomy" Word Parts Clue: Auto- means self; nom- means rule |
Definition: political or personal independence; self-governance; freedom
Antonym: dependence Complete the sentence: "Under the Constitution, states have considerable ____ to pass, enforce, and interpret their own laws and to pursue their own public policy programs." |
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aver
(verb) Context Clue: "averring the truth" Word Parts Clue: Ver- means true |
Definition: assert confidently; affirm; declare; avow; profess; as used in law, state formally as a fact
Antonym: deny; contradict; belie Complete the sentence: "The self-proclaimed psychic ___ that, because he had extrasensory perception on which to base his predictions, he had no need of seismographs in order to foretell earthquakes." |
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baleful
(adj) Context Clue: "a baleful glance" |
Definition: deadly; having a malign influence; ominous; threatening harm or misfortune; menacing
Antonym: benign Complete the sentence: "The fortune-teller made ___ predictions of terrible things to come." |
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banality
(n) Context Clue: "the banality of cliches" |
Definition: lack of originality; triteness; a commonplace expression
Antonym: novelty; originality; freshness Complete the sentence: "Appalled by its worn-out cliches and trite ideas, the professor awarded the essay a D for ____." |
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bane
(n) Context Clue: "the bane of his existence" |
Definition: cause of ruin or misery; blight; curse
Antonym: blessing; piece of good fortune Complete the sentence: "Skeptical of the benefits of nanotechnology, the columnist inquired whether this new methodology would prove to be a blessing or a ____." |
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beneficent
(adj) Context Clue: "a beneficent donor" |
Definition: producing benefits; charitable; generous
Antonym: maleficent; baleful Complete the sentence: "The overgenerous philanthropist had to curb her ___ impulses before she gave away all her money and left herself with nothing." |
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blithe
(adj) Context Clue: "blithe and carefree" |
Definition: carefree; happy; lighthearted
Antonym: uptight; anxious and irritable; edgy Complete the sentence: "Without a care in the world, Beth went her ___, lighthearted way." |
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bolster
(verb) Context Clue: "bolstering an argument" |
Definition: support; prop up; reinforce
Antonym: undermine; weaken Complete the sentence: "The debaters amassed file boxes of evidence to ____ their arguments." |
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bombastic
(adj) Context Clue: "a bombastic orator" |
Definition: pretentious and long-winded; pompous; using inflated language
Antonym: simple and straightforward; unpretentious Complete the sentence: "Puffed up with self-importance, the ___ lecturer attempted to impress the audience with his polysyllabic vocabulary." |
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boor
(n) Context Clue: "insensitive, uncouth boor" |
Definition: someone who acts in a rude or insensitive way; lout; oaf
Antonym: courteous person Complete the sentence: "Though Mr. Collins constantly interrupted his wife, she ignored his acting like a ____, for she had lost hope of teaching him courtesy." |
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brook
(verb) Context Clue: "not brooking misconduct" |
Definition: allow; tolerate; put up with
Antonym: refuse to permit Complete the sentence: "The dean would ___ no interference with his disciplinary actions." |
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burgeon
(verb) Context Clue: "burgeoning population" |
Definition: develop rapidly; flourish; send out new buds
Antonym: dwindle; wither Complete the sentence: "Despite political ups and downs, the Thai economy continued to ____, until, by the early 1990s, a flourishing Thailand was one of the leading industrialized countries of Eastern Asia. |
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burnish
(verb) Context Clue: "burnishing a brass candlestick" |
Definition: make shiny by rubbing; polish
Antonym: make dull Complete the sentence: "The maid ____ the brass fixtures until they gleamed in the lamplight." |
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cacophonous
(adj) Context Clue: "as cacophonous as car alarms" |
Definition: discordant; unpleasant-sounding; grating; strident
Antonym: euphonious; mellifluous; pleasant-sounding; harmonious Complete the sentence: "Sharon shuddered to hear the ___ sounds made by the junior high school orchestra class as they struggled to get in tune." |
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castigation
(n) Context Clue: "severe public castigation" |
Definition: verbal punishment; scolding; severe criticism; public censure
Antonym: public praise; strong approval; kudos Complete the sentence: "Sensitive even to mild criticism, Woolf could not bear the ___ that she found in certain hostile reviews." |
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catalyst
(n) Context Clue: "a catalyst for change" |
Definition: someone or something that precipitates an action or change; substance that initiates or speeds up a chemical reaction without itself being affected
Antonym: inhibitor; anticatalyst Complete the sentence: "In 1969, the IRA split into two factions: the "officials," who advocated a unified Ireland but disavowed terrorist activities, and the "provisionals," who argued that terrorism was a necessary ____ to bring about unification." |
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caustic
(adj) Context Clue: "burned by caustic chemicals" |
Definition: able to burn, dissolve, or corrode by chemical action; bitingly sarcastic; stinging; harsh; corrosive
Antonym: mild; soothing Complete the sentence: "The satirist who writes nothing but satire should write only a little--or it will seem that his satire springs from his own ___ nature instead of from the sins of the world in which he lives. |
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chicanery
(n) Context Clue: "resorting to chicanery" |
Definition: trickery to deceive someone; deception; fraud; evasion
Antonym: aboveboard behavior; honesty Complete the sentence: "Lincoln was call "Honest Abe" in recognition of his integrity; Nixon was called "Tricky Dick" in recognition of his ____." |
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coagulate
(verb) Context Clue: "blood coagulating" |
Definition: thicken; congeal; clot
Antonym: liquefy; dissolve Complete the sentence: "Even after you remove the pudding from the burner, it will continue to ____ as it stands." |
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coda
(n) Context Clue: "a fitting coda to a life" |
Definition: concluding section of a musical or literary composition; something that rounds out, summarizes, or concludes
Antonym: prelude; prologue; introduction Complete the sentence: "Several months after Charlie Chaplin's death, his body was briefly kidnapped from a Swiss cemetery by a pair of bungling thieves--a macabre ___ that Chaplin might have concocted to end one of his own two-reel comedies." |
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cogent
(adj) Context Clue: "cogent reasons" |
Definition: convincing; well-argued; powerfully persuasive
Antonym: unpersuasive; poorly reasoned; unsound Complete the sentence: "Clear and persuasive, Stevenson was a writer of originality and power, whose essays at their best are ___ and perspective renderings of aspects of the human condition." |
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commensurate
(adj) Context Clue: "salary commensurate with experience and qualifications" |
Definition: corresponding in extent, degree, amount, etc.; proportionate; adequate
Antonym: disproportionate; inappropriate Complete the sentence: "By the close of World War II much progress had been made in assigning nurses rank and responsibilities ____ with their training and abilities." |
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compendium
(n) Context Clue: "a useful compendium of information" |
Definition: comprehensive though brief summary of a larger work; digest or abstract; inventory
Antonym: (none found) Complete the sentence: "This text can serve as a valuable ___ of the tremendous amount of new discoveries being made in the field of nanotechnology." |
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complaisant
(adj) Context Clue: "a complaisant Supreme Court" |
Definition: obliging; eager to please; overly polite
Antonym: disobliging; unaccommodating Complete the sentence: "Fearing that the king might become enraged if his will were thwarted, the ___ Parliament recognized Henry VIII as king of Ireland." |
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compliant (1)
(adj) Context Clue: "compliant to their parents' wishes" |
Definition: submissive; yielding; willing to obey; acquiescent
Antonym: obdurate; recalcitrant; resistant; defiant Complete the sentence: "Because Joel usually gave in and went along with whatever his friends suggested, his mother worried that he might be too ___." |
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compliant (2)
(adj) Context Clue: "Energy-Star compliant dishwashers" |
Definition: conforming to requirements; meeting official obligations
Antonym: noncompliant Complete the sentence: "The computer giant replied that its accounting was "within the letter of accepted industry practice" and was "fully ___ with regulatory standards.'" |
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confound
(verb) Context Clue: "confounding the experts" |
Definition: confuse; mix up; puzzle; baffle; thwart; refute (an argument)
Antonym: distinguish; discriminate; enlighten; clarify Complete the sentence: "No mystery, no matter how puzzling, could ____ Sherlock Holmes for long." |
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connoisseur
(n) Context Clue: "a connoisseur of fine wines" |
Definition: person competent to act as a judge of art, etc; person with discriminating taste
Antonym: philistine Complete the sentence: "Bernard Berenson, the American art critic and noted ____ of Italian art, was hired by wealthy art lovers to select paintings for their collections." |
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contention
(n) Context Clue: "data supporting the contention" |
Definition: claim or thesis; disagreement; debate; strife; conflict
Antonym: agreement Complete the sentence: "It is out ____ that, if you follow our tactics, you will boost your score on the GRE." |
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contrite
(adj) Context Clue: "a contrite sinner" |
Definition: penitent; remorseful; repentant; deeply sorry
Antonym: unrepentant; unremorseful Complete the sentence: "Miss Post recommends that, in writing a note of apology, one should sound properly ____." |
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conundrum
(n) Context Clue: "a puzzling conundrum" |
Definition: riddle, especially one involving a pun; puzzle; difficult problem; dilemma
Antonym: explanation; solution Complete the sentence: "David came up with a new solution to the ____ "What is black and white and read all over?" Instead of answering, "A newspaper!" he responded, "Pravda!" |
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converge
(verb) Context Clue: "roads converging at an intersection" |
Definition: come together; approach an intersecting point; tend to meet
Antonym: diverge; deviate; branch off Complete the sentence: "African-American men from all over the United States ____ on Washington, DC, to take part in the historic Million Man March." |
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convoluted
(adj) Context Clue: "twisted, convoluted logic" |
Definition: intricate; highly complex, even devious; involved; coiled around
Antonym: straightforward; uncomplicated Complete the sentence: "His argument was so ____ that few of us could follow its twists and turns." |
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craven
(adj/n) Context Clue: "too craven to fight" |
Definition: cowardly; contemptibly timorous; spineless; pusillanimous
Antonym: intrepid; brave; dauntless; bold Complete the sentence: "Lillian's ____ refusal to join the antigovernment protest shocked her comrades, who had expected her to be brave enough to stand up for her beliefs." |
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daunt
(verb) Context Clue: "Nothing can daunt the Fearless Four!" |
Definition: intimidate; frighten; dishearten
Antonym: embolden; hearten; encourage Complete the sentence: "Although we thought the amount of work left to do might ____ her, she refused to become discouraged and resolutely settled down to the job." |
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denigrate
(verb) Context Clue: "denigrating someone's efforts" |
Definition: blacken; belittle; defame; disparage
Antonym: praise; acclaim; extol Complete the sentence: "The campaign took on a vicious tone as the rival candidates began to ____ each other's accomplishments and character." |
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desiccate
(verb) Context Clue: "desiccated by the heat" |
Definition: dry up; preserve by removing moisture; dehydrate
Antonym: moisten; hydrate; drench Complete the sentence: "The long drought ____ the marshlands, leaving the once moist soil parched and dry." |
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desultory
(adj) Context Clue: "random, desultory remarks" |
Definition: aimless; haphazard; unfocused; disappointing in performance
Antonym: methodical; deliberate; assiduous Complete the sentence: "In prison Malcolm X set himself the task of reading straight through the dictionary; to him, reading was purposeful, not ____." |
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diatribe
(n) Context Clue: "bitter, lengthy diatribes" |
Definition: bitter, accusing criticism; tirade; sharp verbal attack; harangue
Antonym: praise; encomium Complete the sentence: "Infuriated by what he considered unfair attacks in the press, the candidate delivered a lengthy ___ against biased reporting." |
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Dichotomy
(n) Context Clue: “the dichotomy between theory and practice” |
Definition: division; split; branching into two parts (especially contradictory ones); duality
Antonym: union; marriage; merger Complete the sentence: According to Jung, the distinction between mind and body is an artificial ____, a division based more on the peculiarity of intellectual understanding than on the nature of things. |
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Diffidence
(n) Context Clue: natural diffidence and reserve” |
Definition: timidity; shyness; self-doubt; lack of self-confidence
Antonym: self-confidence; brashness; self-assertiveness Complete the sentence: Doubting her ability to write English correctly, the young Japanese student felt some ____ about replying to the first letter she received from her American pen pal. |
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Diffuse
(adj) Context Clue: “a diffuse mass of interstellar dust” |
Definition: wordy; verbose; widely spread out (like a gas); scattered
Antonym: terse; brief; concentrated Complete the sentence: If you pay authors by the word, you tempt them to produce rambling, ____ manuscripts rather than concise ones. |
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Dirge
(n) Context Clue: “a funeral dirge” |
Definition: lament (usually musical); funeral song or tune
Antonym: paean (joyful song of praise) Complete the sentence: Walt Whitman’s Drum-Taps, published in 1865, included a moving ____ commemorating the death of the martyred Abraham Lincoln. |
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Disabuse
(v) Context Clue: “disabused of false illusions” |
Definition: correct a false impression; free someone from an erroneous belief; undeceive
Antonym: mislead; deceive; hoodwink; dupe Complete the sentence: On her return form Turkey, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu did her best to ____ English minds of their prejudiced notions of Turkish cruelty, luxury, and sensuality. |
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Discrete
(adj) Context Clue: “discrete particles” Usage Note: Do not confuse discrete with discreet, or tactful |
Definition: separate; unconnected; consisting of distinct parts; isolated
Antonym: attached; connected; continuous Complete the sentence: Because human populations have been migrating and intermingling for hundreds of centuries, it is hard to classify humans into ____ racial groups. |
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Disingenuous
(adj) Context Clue: “cynically disingenuous claim” |
Definition: lacking candor; falsely pretending to be frank; insincere
Antonym: sincere; naïve; frank; artless; guileless Complete the sentence: Because the mayor and his wife were secretly involved in a bitter divorce fight, their comments to the press regretting their lack of time together were highly ____. |
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Disinterested
(adj) Context Clue: “a disinterested observer” |
Definition: unbiased; impartial; neutral; dispassionate
Antonym: biased; prejudiced; passionate Complete the sentence: Given the judge’s political ambitions and the lawyers’ financial stake in the case, the only ____ person in the courtroom may have been the court reporter. |
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Disjointed
(adj) Context Clue: “disjointed ramblings” |
Definition: disconnected; incoherent; disorganized; taken apart at the joints
Antonym: coherent; orderly; organized Complete the sentence: Unable to think of anything coherent to say about the topic, she scribbled a few ____ sentences on her answer sheet. |
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Disparate
(adj) Context Clue: “seemingly disparate topics” |
Definition: fundamentally different; wholly dissimilar; unrelated; unlike
Antonym: similar; related; homogeneous Complete the sentence: Clue by clue, scientific investigators around the world are assembling a new picture of Earth, discovering ways that seemingly ____ events are connected. |
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Dissemble
(v) Context Clue: “politicians dissembling about their records” |
Definition: feign; hide behind a false appearance; conceal one’s motives; dissimulate
Antonym: behave honestly; be sincere Complete the sentence: Bond realized that the only way he could fool his captors was to ____, to pretend he was still unconscious. |
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Dissolution
(n) Context Clue: “dissolution of a marriage” |
Definition: disintegration; dissolving into parts; termination; indulgence in sensual pleasures; debauchery
Antonym: integration; coagulation; inauguration; asceticism Complete the sentence: In what came to be known as the ____ of the monasteries, Henry VIII disbanded England’s monastic communities, confiscating their lands and dispersing the monks. |
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Dissonance
(n) Context Clue: “jarring dissonance” |
Definition: discord; inharmonious sound; cacophony; disagreement; incongruity
Antonym: harmony; accord; agreement Complete the sentence: Composer Charles Ives often used ____ (clashing or unresolved chords) for special effects in his musical works. |
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Distend
(v) Context Clue: “distends the stomach” |
Definition: expand; swell up; inflate
Antonym: deflate; shrink; contract; constrict Complete the sentence: At the watermelon-eating contest, Bob ate so much that his stomach began to ____. |
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Divest
(v) Context Clue: "divested of his clothing" |
Definition: strip; deprive; free from; take away; cease to hold (an investment)
Antonym: endow; acquire; add to Complete the sentence: After the revolution, the governor was ____ of his rights and his title; he felt fortunate to have escaped with his life. |
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ebullience
(n) Context Clue: "bubbling over with ebullience" |
Definition: exuberance; overflowing enthusiasm; high-spirits; a boiling over
Antonym: calm self-possession; sullenness; moroseness; staidness Complete the sentence: Elle's prim and proper parents were unable to teach her to keep her natural ____ in check; she was always bubbling over with enthusiasm. |
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efficacy
(n) Context Clue: the efficacy of the vaccine" |
Definition: effectiveness; power to bring about a desired effect; usefulness
Antonym: ineffectiveness; uselessness; inefficacy Complete the sentence: I'm not convinced of the ____ of this decongestant; although I've been taking it regularly for three weeks, my sinuses are still blocked. |
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effrontery
(n) Context Clue: "brazen effrontery" |
Definition: impudence; shameless boldness; sheer nerve; impertinence; insolence
Antonym: deference; respectfulness; decorum; politeness Complete the sentence: When his boss told Frank that she was firing him for laziness and insubordination, he had the ____ to ask her for a letter of recommendation. |
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elaboration
(n) Context Clue: "elaboration on a topic" |
Definition: embellishment; amplification; refinement; addition of details; intricacy
Antonym: abbreviation; simplification; abridgment; sketchiness Complete the sentence: Tell what happened simply, without any ____. |
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elegy
(n) Context Clue: "a funeral elegy" |
Definition: mournful poem; lament for the dead; melancholy musical composition
Antonym: paean (song of joy) Complete the sentence: Moved by the death of his college friend Edward King, John Milton wrote his famous ____ "Lycidas." |
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elicit
(v) Context Clue: "eliciting a response" |
Definition: draw forth; evoke; prompt; succeed in obtaining (information) from someone
Antonym: stifle; suppress; inhibit Complete the sentence: The detectives tried to ____ where the burglar had hidden his loot. |
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empirical
(adj) Context Clue: "empirical data" |
Definition: based on experience; verifiable by experiment or observation; firsthand; pragmatic
Antonym: theoretical Complete the sentence: He distrusted hunches and intuitive flashes; he placed his reliance entirely on ____ data. |
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encomium
(n) Context Clue: "showering encomiums on the victor" |
Definition: eulogy; high praise; formal tribute; panegyric
Antonym: diatribe; denunciation; defamation Complete the sentence: Uneasy with the ____ poured upon him by his enthusiastic readers, Tolkien felt unworthy of such high praise. |
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endemic
(adj) Context Clue: "endemic to the tropics" |
Definition: native; indigenous; prevalent in a particular region or among a particular group
Antonym: exotic; foreign; alien Complete the sentence: In some areas of Africa, malaria is ____; 90 to 100 percent of children less than 5 years old have malaria parasites circulating in their blood all the time. |
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enervate
(v) Context Clue: "shoveling snow enervated him" |
Definition: weaken; debilitate; render feeble; drain
Antonym: strengthen; invigorate; revitalize; energize Complete the sentence: She was slow to recover after her surgery; even a short walk to the window ____ her. |
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engender
(v) Context Clue: "name-calling engenders hatred" |
Definition: cause; produce; stir up; prompt; create; breed
Antonym: suppress; eradicate; squelch Complete the sentence: To receive praise for real accomplishments ____ self-confidence in a child. |
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equanimity
(n) Context Clue: "bearing troubles with equanimity" |
Definition: composure; equilibrium; calmness of temperament; self-possession
Antonym: agitation; discomposure; excitability Complete the sentence: Even the inevitable strains of caring for an ailing mother did not disturb Bea's ____. |
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equivocate
(v) Context Clue: "equivocating like a politician" |
Definition: lie; prevaricate; speak misleadingly; hedge
Antonym: speak one's mind; tell the truth; speak unambiguously Complete the sentence: No matter how bad the news is, give it to us straight: above all, don't ____. |