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305 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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abate
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to lessen in intensity or degree
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aberrant
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deviating from the norm
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abscond
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to steal off and hide
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accolade
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an expression of praise
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acerbic
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having a sour or bitter taste
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acumen
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accurate knowledge or insight
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adulation
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intense adoration
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adulterate
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to reduce purity by combining with inferior ingredients
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aesthetic
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appreciative of beauty
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aggrandize
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to increase; extend; make appear greater
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alacrity
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eager and enthusiastic willingness
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alchemy
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a medieval science aimed at the transmutation of metals
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amalgamate
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to combine several elements into a whole
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ameliorate
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to make better
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amenable
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agreeable
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anachronism
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something or someone out of place in terms of chronological context
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anomaly
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deviation from the normal order or rule; abnormality
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approbation
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an expression of approval or praise
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archaic
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outdated
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arduous
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strenuous
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ascetic
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one who practices rigid self- denial
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assuage
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to ease or lessen; to appease or pacify
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astringent
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harsh
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audacious
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daring and fearless
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austere
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severely simple
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avarice
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greed for wealth
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aver
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to confirm or support
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axiom
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a universally recognized principle
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axiomatic
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possessing self-evident truth
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bombastic
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pompous
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bolster
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to provide support
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bombast
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pompous writing or speech
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bucolic
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characteristic of rural areas
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burgeon
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to grow rapidly
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cacophony
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harsh sound
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canon
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an established set of principles or code of law
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canonical
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following or in agreement with traditional standards
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capricious
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changing one's mind impulsively
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castigation
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severe criticism or punishment
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catalyst
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a substance that accelerates the rate of a chemical reaction without itself changing
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catalyst
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a person or thing that causes change
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caustic
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burning or stinging
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censure
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to criticize severely
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chary
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cautious
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chicanery
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trickery
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cogent
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convincing
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complaisance
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the willingness to comply with the with the wishes of others
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connoisseur
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expert
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contentious
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argumentative
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contiguous
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sharing a border
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contrite
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regretful
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convention
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a generally agreed-upon practice
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convoluted
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complicated
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credulous
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gullible
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culpable
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deserving blame
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cynicism
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a belief that all people are motivated by selfishness
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dearth
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smallness of quantity
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decorum
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polite or appropriate conduct
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demur
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to question or oppose
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derision
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ridicule; scorn
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desiccate
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to dry out
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diatribe
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a harsh denunciation
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didactic
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intended to teach or instruct
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dilettante
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one with superficial interest in the arts
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disabuse
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to undeceive
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discordant
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conflicting; dissonant or harsh sound
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discretion
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ability to make responsible decisions
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disinterested
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indifferent
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disparage
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to belittle
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disparate
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fundamentally distinct or dissimilar
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dissemble
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to mislead
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divulge
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to disclose something secret
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dogmatic
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stubbornly opinionated
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ebullience
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the quality of lively expression of thoughts or feelings
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eccentric
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departing from the norms
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eclectic
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composed of elements drawn from various sources
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effrontery
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extreme boldness
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elegy
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a mournful poem
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eloquent
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well spoken; expressive; articulate
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emollient
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making less harsh
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empirical
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based on experiment
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endemic
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often found in a particular locality or people
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enervate
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weaken; reduce in vitality
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enigmatic
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mysterious; difficult to understand
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ennui
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dissatisfaction and restlessness resulting from boredom or apathy
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ephemeral
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brief
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equivocate
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to use ambiguous language with deceptive intent
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erudite
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scholarly
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esoteric
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understood by a small group
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eulogy
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speech honoring dead
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evanescent
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vanishing
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exacerbate
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to make worse
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exculpate
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exonerate; to clear of blame
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exigent
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urgent
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exonerate
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to remove blame
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extemporaneous
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done without preparation
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facetious
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humorous
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fallacy
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a mistaken belief
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fawn
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to flatter
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fervent
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greatly emotional
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Filibuster
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intentional obstruction
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flout
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to demonstrate contempt for
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fortuitous
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happening by fortunate chance
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fulminate
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to loudly attack or denounce
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furtive
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surreptitious
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garrulous
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talking too much
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germane
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relevant to the subject at hand
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glib
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superficial
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grandiloquence
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pompous speech
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gregarious
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sociable
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hackneyed
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commonplace by frequent usage
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halcyon
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peaceful
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harangue
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to deliver a pompous speech
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hedonism
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devotion to pleasurable pursuits
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hegemony
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the dominance of one state or ideology over others
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heretical
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violating accepted dogma
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hubris
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arrogant presumption or pride
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hyperbole
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an exaggerated statement
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iconoclast
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one who undermines traditional conventions
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idolatrous
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excessive devotion to something
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imminent
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about to happen
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immutable
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not capable of change
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impassive
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revealing no emotion
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impecunious
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without money
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imperturbable
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marked by extreme calm
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impetuous
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rashly energetic
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implacable
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not capable of being significantly changed
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impunity
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immunity from punishment
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inchoate
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not fully formed
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incipient
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beginning to come into being
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indifferent
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having no interest or concern
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inert
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lethargic
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infelicitous
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unfortunate
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ingenuous
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artless; lacking in sophistication
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inimical
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harmful
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innocuous
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harmless
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insipid
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bland
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intractable
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stubborn
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intransigent
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refusing to compromise
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intrepid
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courageous
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inured
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accustomed to accepting something undesirable
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inveigle
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to obtain by deception
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irascible
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easily angered
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laconic
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using few words
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laud
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to praise highly
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loquacious
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extremely talkative
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lucid
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easily understood
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luminous
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characterized by brightness
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magnanimity
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being noble in mind and heart
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malevolent
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having ill-witted spite or hatred
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malleable
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capable of being shaped
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martial
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associated with war
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maverick
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independent individual who does not go along w/ a group
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mendacity
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dishonesty
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mercurial
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characterized by unpredictable change in mood
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meticulous
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attentive to detail
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misanthrope
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one who hates all humans
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mitigate
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to make less severe
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mollify
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to calm or soothe
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morose
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sad
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mundane
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of the world; typical of or concerned with the ordinary
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nascent
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in early developmental stages
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nebulous
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vague
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neologism
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a new word or expression
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neophyte
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a beginner
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noxious
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harmful
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obdurate
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hardhearted
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obfuscate
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to make confusing
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obsequious
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exhibiting a flattering attentiveness
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obstinate
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stubborn
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obtuse
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lacking sharpness of intellect
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obviate
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to anticipate and make unnecessary
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occlude
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to obstruct or block
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odious
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evoking intense dislike
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onerous
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troubling
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opaque
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not reflecting light
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opprobrium
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disgrace
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oscillation
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swinging back and forth with steady rhythm
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ostentatious
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characterized by pretentiousness
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paean
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a song of praise
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parody
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a humorous imitation
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pedagogy
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the art of teaching or training
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pedantic
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excessive attention to formal rules
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penurious
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penny-pinching
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penury
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poverty
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perfidy
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treachery
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perfunctory
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done without care or interest
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pernicious
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extremely harmful
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perennial
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happening repeatedly
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perspicacious
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acutely perceptive
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peruse
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to examine with great care
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pervade
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to permeate throughout
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pervasive
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having tendency to permeate
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phlegmatic
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sluggish
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pine
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to yearn intensely
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pious
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showing strong religious devotion
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pirate
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to illegally use or produce
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pith
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the essential or central part
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pithy
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precise and brief
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placate
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to calm by making concessions
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platitude
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a superficial remark
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plethora
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an overabundance
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plummet
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to plunge or drop straight down
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polemical
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controversial
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pragmatic
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practical rather than idealistic
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prattle
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to babble meaninglessly
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precipitate(a)
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acting with excessive impulse
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precipitate(v)
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to cause or happen before anticipated
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precursor
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one that precedes or announces another
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predilection
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preference
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preen
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to dress up
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prescience
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foreknowledge of events
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presumptuous
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overstepping due bounds
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prevaricate
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to mislead
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pristine
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pure; uncorrupted
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probity
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adherence to highest principles
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proclivity
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a natural inclination
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prodigal
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extravagant
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prodigious
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extraordinary
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profligate
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excessively wasteful
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profuse
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extravagant
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proliferate
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to grow or increase abundantly
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prolific
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productive
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propensity
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a natural inclination
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prosaic
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dull
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pungent
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characterized by strong smell or taste
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putrefy
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to rot
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quaff
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to drink deeply
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qualms
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causes for hesitancy
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queries
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questions
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querulous
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quarrelsome
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quiescence
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stillness
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quixotic
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foolishly impractical
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quotidian
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occurring or recurring daily
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rancorous
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characterized by bitter resentment
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rarefy
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less dense; to make thin
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recalcitrant
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difficult to manage
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recant
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to retract
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recondite
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difficult to understand
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redoubtable
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worthy of honor
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refulgent
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radiant; shiny
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refute
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to disprove
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relegate
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to forcibly assign
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renege
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to go back on a promise
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repudiate
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to disown
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rescind
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to invalidate
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reticent
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reserved
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reverent
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marked by expressing a feeling of respect
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rhetoric
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the study of effective use of languages for communication
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salubrious
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promoting health or well-being
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sanction
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authoritative permission
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satire
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a literary work that ridicules
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sedulous
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diligent
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shard
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a piece of broken glass
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solicitous
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eager
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solvent
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able to dissolve another substance; able to meet financial obligations
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soporific
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causing drowsiness
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sordid
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characterized by filth or grime
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sparse
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thin; not dense
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specious
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seeming true
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spendthrift
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one who spends money wastefully
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sporadic
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occurring only occasionally
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spurious
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false
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squalid
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sordid
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squander
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to waste by spending or using irresponsibly
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static
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at rest
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stoic
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unaffected by please or pain
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stupefy
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to stun or amaze
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stymie
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to block
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subpoena
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a court order requiring appearance
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subtle
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not obvious; elusive
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succinct
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brief; concise
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superfluous
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exceeding what is necessary
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supplant
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to take the place of
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surfeit
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excess
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synthesis
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the combination of parts to make a whole
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tacit
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implied
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tenacity
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persistence to something valued
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tenuous
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flimsy
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terse
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brief and concise in wording
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tirade
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extremely critical speech
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toque
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a force that causes rotation
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torpid
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lethargic; sluggish
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tortuous
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excessively complicated
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tout
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to publicly praise or promote
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transient
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passing quickly
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trenchant
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keen
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truculent
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fierce and cruel
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ubiquitous
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existing everywhere
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unfeigned
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not false or hypocritical
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untenable
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indefensible
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urbane
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elegant
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vacillate
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to waver indecisively
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variegated
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multicolored
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veracity
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honesty
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vexation
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annoyance
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vigilant
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alertly watchful
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vilify
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to defame
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virulent
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extremely harmful or poisonous
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viscous
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thick; sticky
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vituperate
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to use harsh condemnatory language
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volatile
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changeable
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voracious
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ravenous
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waver
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to sway
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zealous
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fervent; ardent
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