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362 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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tremulous |
adj: shaking or quivering slightly; timid; nervous |
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perennial |
adj: lasting seemingly forever |
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Eros |
n: sexual love or desire |
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uncanny |
adj: strange or mysterious, esp. in an unsettling way |
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negligee |
n: a female's light dressing gown |
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ontologically |
adj: in its nature |
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vicissitude |
n: a (usually negative) change in fortune |
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frisson |
n: a sudden strong feeling of excitement or fear; a thrill |
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commensurate |
adj: in proportion |
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quotidian |
adj: daily; routine (often mundane) |
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floozy / floozie / floosie
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n: a female who has a reputation for promiscuity
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juju
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n: supernatural powers
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rapacious
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adj: aggressively greedy or avaricious
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grasping
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adj: greedy or avaricious
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infamy
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n: fame for a bad quality or deed; n: wickedness
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behemoth
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n: huge, monstrous creature; n: something enormous, esp. a big, powerful organization
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troubadour
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n: a poet who writes song lyrics
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confection
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n: a dish or delicacy made with sweet ingredients; n: an elaborately constructed thing, esp. a frivolous one; n: a fashionable or elaborate article of woman's dress; n: the action of mixing or compounding something
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exhortation
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n: the act of strongly encouraging someone to do something
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discordant
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adj: disagreeing or incongruous; adj: characterized by quarreling and conflict; adj: (of music) inharmoniously harsh and jarring
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debutante
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n: an upper–class, young woman making her first appearance in fashionable society
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verboten
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adj: forbidden, esp. by an authority
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propagate
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v: breed; v: spread and promote an idea, theory, knowledge (etc.) widely
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faux
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adj: artificial or imitation; false
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faux pas
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n: an embarrassing or tactless remark in a social situation
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thereinto
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(formal) adv: into that place (into there)
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pell–mell
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adv: in a confused, rushed, or disorderly manner; adj: recklessly hasty or disorganized; headlong; sing. n: a state of affairs or collection of things characterized by haste or confusion
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miasma
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n: a highly unpleasant or unhealthy smell or vapor; n: an oppressive or unpleasant atmosphere that surrounds or emanates from something
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malodorous
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adj: smeling very unpleasant
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manacle
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n: a metal band, chain, or shackle for fastening someone's hands or ankles
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coeval
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adj: having the same age or date of origin; contemporary; n: a person of roughly the same age as oneself; a contemporary
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unhallowed
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adj: unholy; wicked
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nostrum
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n: a medicine, esp. one that is not considered effective, prepared by an unqualified person; n: a pet scheme or favorite remedy, esp. one for bringing about some social or political reform or improvement
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ignoratio elenchi
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n: a logical fallacy in which one makes it appear as though one has refuted one's opponent, when, in reality, the assertion being refuted was never even stated by the opponent
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delicacy
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n: tact and consideration
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grit
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n: courage and resolve; strength of character
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perturbation
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n: anxiety or mental uneasiness
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inquisition
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n: a period of prolonged and intensive questioning or investigation
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mirth
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n: amusement, esp. as expressed in laughter
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interstice
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n: an intervening space, esp. a very small one
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malice
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n: an intention or desire to do evil; ill will
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tremulous
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adj: shaking or quivering slightly; adj: timid, nervous
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adamantine
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adj: unbreakable
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bough
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n: a main branch of a tree
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leaden
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adj: dull, heavy, or slow
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ordain
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v: prescribe; determine, esp. by God or fate
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proclivity
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n: an inclination or predisposition toward something
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confluence
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n: an act or process of merging
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blithe
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adj: showing an improper or insensitive cheeriness
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bile
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n: anger; irritability
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insuperable
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adj: impossible to overcome
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gawky
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adj: *nervously* awkward and clumsy
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ungainly
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adj: awkward and clumsy
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interlocutor
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(formal) n: a person who takes part in a dialogue or conversation
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monolithic
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adj: large, powerful, and stable
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antithetical
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adj: directly opposed or contrasted
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oodles
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n: a large amount
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flummox
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v: confuse
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headway
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n: progress
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recourse
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(1) n: source one can turn to for help (2) n: the act of turning to for help
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galling
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adj: frustrating, exasperating, irritating
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bumbling
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adj: clumsy; v: acting clumsily
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pantheon
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n: a category of legendaries
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relegate
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v: assign to a lower position
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apogee
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n: highest point
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nadir
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n: lowest point
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sublimate
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v: direct a desire in a more socially acceptable channel (such as channeling hatred into one's art or sports activities)
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gel
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v: match up; go to gether
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countermand
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v: to issue an order that cancels a previous order
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nettlesome
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adj: irritating or annoying; adj: easily irritated or annoyed
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reticent
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adj: quiet or unrevealing
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redoubtable
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adj: formidable, intimidating
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specious
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adj: misleading
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churlish
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adj: rude; ill–mannered
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surveyor
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n: examiner
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martinet
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n: a strict disciplinarian
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cosmopolitan
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adj: sophisticated and well–versed in world cultures
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polyglot
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adj: knowing several languaged; n: one who knows several languages
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trite
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adj: overused and thus unemportant
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dissemble
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v: to hide one's true feelings, motives, or beliefs
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hackneyed
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adj: overused and thus unimportant; unoriginal
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whit
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n: a very small amount
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histrionics
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n: theatrics
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prevericate
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v: to speak or act evasively; to try and hide the truth
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morass
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n: a complicated or confusing situation
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ignominy
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n: disgrace
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potentate
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n: a ruler
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autodidact
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n: a self–taught person
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miscreant
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n: criminal
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renegade
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n: rebel
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cogent
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adj: clear, logical, and convincing
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dynamo
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n: an extremely energetic person
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insinuate
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v: to imply with a negative connotation
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ribald
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adj: referring to sexual manners in a rude, comical manner
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evergreen
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n: something that lasts for a long time
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disparage
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v: to regard or refer to as worthless
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detractor
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n: one who disparages
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reprisal
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n: retaliation
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forthcoming
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adj: planned or about to happen
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instantiation
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n: an instance of something
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equanimity
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n: mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper, esp. in a difficult situation
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intemperate
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adj: having or showing a lack of self–control; immoderate
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verve
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n: vigor and spirit or enthusiasm
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stultify
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v: cause to lose enthusiasm and initiative, sep. as a result of a tedious or restrictive routine
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pizazz / pizzazz
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n: (inf.) an attractive combination of vitality and glamour
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airbrush
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v: alter or conceal
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effervescence
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n: enthusiasm and attractive liveliness
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vivacity
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n: the quality of being attractively lively and animated (usu. in a woman)
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fillip
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n: something that adds a stimulus or boost to an activity
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beget
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v: give rise to; bring about
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banal
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adj: overused and boring
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litigious
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adj: overly inclined to resort to law suits
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vaunt
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v: brag
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aver
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v: assert
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insouciant
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adj: indifferent
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sedulous
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adj: diligent
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aboveboard / above board
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adj & adv: honest and open
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piquant
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(1) adj: tasty (2) adj: engaging
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columniate
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v: to make false accusations about someone to make them look bad
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subterfuge
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n: a trick intended to achieve some goal
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affectation
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n: an inauthentic action intended to impress
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guileless
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adj: innocent and naive
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acerbic
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adj: harsh or bitter in tone
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treacly
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adj: overly sentimental
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tawdry
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adj: cheap in a flashy way
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gravitas
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n: a dignified air of importance
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svelte
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adj: slender and elegant
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effusive
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adj: uttered with unrestrained enthusiasm
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deracinate
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v: tear up by its roots
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sanguine
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adj: optimistic
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loquacious
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adj: talkative
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logorrhea
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n: extreme talkativeness
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implaccable
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adj: unstoppable
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inimical
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adj: hostile or antagonistic
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vet
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v: carefully examine
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meek
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adj: overly submissive or passive
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bucolic
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adj: pleasant, countryside weather
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precarious
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adj: very dangerous
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sweltering
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adj: very hot
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cenotaph
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n: a tomb for people whose bodies have been lost
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smattering
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n: a small amount (usually of knowledge regarding a specific topic)
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aberrant
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adj: unusual in behavior
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crestfallen
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adj: broken–hearted
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circumscribe
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v: limit or restrict
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epigram
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n: a short, clever remark
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consign
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v: give (to be consigned to is to be given to :) )
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apothegm
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n: saying
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placid
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adj: difficult to upset or disturbed
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luxe
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adj: luxurious
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excise
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v: remove
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confer
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(1) v: to seek input (2) v: to bestow (usu. to grant an award or a prize)
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extrapolate
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v: decide based on observable evidence
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accretion
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n: accumulation causing growth
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abject
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adj: total and utter; very, very bad
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submit
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v: argue; suggest
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contend
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v: argue
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polymath
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n: someone who knows a lot about several subjects
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fabulist
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(1) n: storyteller (2) n: liar
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dilettante
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n: someone who claims to be better in the arts than they are
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solicitude
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n: concern (could be meant in a good way or a bad way, as in too much concern)
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sardonic
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adj: bitingly sarcastic
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prolix
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adj: wordy and boring
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inscrutable
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adj: difficult to understand
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edification
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n: improvement to one's intelect or morals
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prescient
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adj: predictive
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discrete
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adj: distinct
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veracity
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n: honesty
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uncanny
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adj: mysterious or unsettling
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provident
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adj: preparatory for the future
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fulsome
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(1) adj: excessively praising (2) adj: of large quantity
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barnburner
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n: an impressively successful event
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ameliorate
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v: improve
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entail
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v: require
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sanction
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(1) n: official punishment; v: officially punish (2) n: official approval; v: officially approve
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taciturn
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adj: saying little
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spartan
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adj: caring little for luxuries or comforts
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formidable
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adj: scary and awe–inspiring
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salutary
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adj: good for health (often referring to something unpleasant)
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mollify
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v: to reduce anxiety or anger
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placate
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v: to make less angry or hostile
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enervate
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v: weaken; to sap one's energy
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granular
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adj: rough, grainy
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protean
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(1) adj: easily changing (2) adj: diversely skilled
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amenable
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adj: agreeable
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adjudicate
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v: judge
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delineate
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v: describe in detail
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racket
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(1) n: a scame (2) n: one's business or way of life
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enterprise
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(1) n: operation (2) n: initiative and resourcefulness
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stasis
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n: a state of inactivity brought about by opposing forces
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idiom
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n: a particular artist's style (or the style of a particular school of art)
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meteoric
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adj: developing quickly (usually referring to one's career–related successes)
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evanescent
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adj: fleeting
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implement
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n: tool
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besotted
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adj: strongly infatuated
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penury
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n: pennilessness
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penurious
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(1) adj: penniless (2) adj: mean and stingy
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rescind
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v: cancel or take back
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besmirch
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(1) v: make dirty (2) v: tarnish someone's reputation
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paripatetic
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adj: traveling around, esp. working or based in various places for short period of time
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itinerant
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adj: traveling from place to place
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nascent
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adj: just beginning to develop or take form
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repose
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(1) v: rest; n: a state of rest (2) n: a state of having a peace of mind
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evenhanded
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adj: fair
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avuncular
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adj: kind and generous like an uncle
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demonstrative
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adj: tending to show one's feelings openly
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vestige
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n: a piece of something that's gone or that's disapearing
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unviable
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adj: not capable of working
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drudgery
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n: hard, mindless work
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coerce
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v: persuade with the use of force or pressure; v: to obtain or achieve something through such methods
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interlocutor
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n: a go–between
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subjugate
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v: to force into submission
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undergird
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(1) v: to secure from underneath (2) v: to provide support
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outre
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adj: unusual and startling
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punctilious
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adj: paying careful attention to detail
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perverse
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adj: weird and unusual, often also unethical
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wrongheaded
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adj: misguided
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crucible
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n: a very difficult and significant trial or test
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fulminate
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v: protest bitterly
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pine
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v: suffer from a broken heart; v: yearn for the return of something
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hyperbole
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n: exaggerated statement not meant to be taken literally
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overbearing
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adj: bossy
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acrimony
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n: bitterness
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aspersion
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n: an attack meant to undermine the reputation of the attack–ee
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auspicious
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adj: favorable
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capitulate
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v: surrender
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columniate
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v: slander with lies
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storied
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adj: legendary
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vituperate
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v: blame or insult someone harshly
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incense
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v: make very angry
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contrition
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n: remorse
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lionize
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v: treat as a celebrity
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vanquish
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v: defeat terribly
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summarily
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adv: skipping over the formalities; quickly
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seemly
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adj: appropriate
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debase
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v: to make impure; to reduce in quality
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factious
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adj: dissenting (usu. from the majority)
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deride
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v: criticize; express contempt for
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steadfast
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adj: loyal and trustworthy
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unseemly
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adj: inappropriate
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appose
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v: place in proximity or juxtaposition to something else
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polemic
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n: strong verbal attack; adj: polemical
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neophyte
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n: one who is new to a subject, skill, or belief
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coterminous
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(1) adj: having the same boundaries (2) adj: of equal extent
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peripheral
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adj: irrelevant
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swath
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n: a broad area of something
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domicile
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n: home
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bonanza
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(1) n: an event that brings about great fortune (usu. wealth) (2) n: a major event; a big hooha
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hooha
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n: a commotion; a fuss
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necropolis
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n: a graveyard (esp. an ancient one)
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defection
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n: desertion of one's country or cause in favor of an opposing one
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duplicity
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n: deceitfulness; double–dealing
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conciliatory
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adj: making or willing to make concessions
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bequeath
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v: to pass on after dying or leaving a position
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heuristic
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n: a commonsense rule or set of rules intended to help solve problems more effectively
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chasten
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(1) v: correct by punishment or discipline (2) v: restrain
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eponym
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n: a place or thing that is named after somebody
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trope
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(1) n: language used in a figuritive or non–literal sense (2) n: a significant or recurring theme (3) conventional idea
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diminutive
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(1) adj: very small (2) n: a word that uses a suffix to indicate smallness (e.g. "kitchinnete," "inlet," "piglet," "duckling," "inkling")
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truculent
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adj: aggressive and combative
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cavil
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v: make petty objections; n: a petty objection
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blanch
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v: to turn white with shock
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extol
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v: praise enthusiastically
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soporific
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adj: sleepy; adj: super boring
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plodding
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(1) adj: slow–moving and unexciting (2) diligent but uncreative
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unvarnished
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adj: plain and straightforward
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canard
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n: rumor
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enmity
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n: hatred; a strong feeling of opposition
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sycophancy
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n: fawning obsequiousness
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lackey
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n: a servant
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glib
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adj: verbally skillful but insincere
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obliging
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adj: helpful
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obsequious
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adj: overly servile
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deferential
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adj: respectful
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impertinent
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(1) adj: rude (2) adj: irrelevant
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trounce
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(1) v: defeat heavily in a contest (2) v: criticize or punish severely
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chimera
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n: an impossible dream; a figment of one's imagination
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jingoism
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n: excessive patriotism
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restiveness
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n: restlessness
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cupidity
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n: greed for material things
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preclude
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v: prevent
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repast
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n: meal
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pore over ; pore through
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v: to be absorbed in the reading or study of
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maverick
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n: a radical person
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fallacious
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adj: illogical
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umbrage
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n: offense or irritation
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get one's dander up / have one's dander up
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n: lose one's temper
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dispatch
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n: speed
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repute
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(1) n: the general opinion (2) n: fame; a state of being highly thought of
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pugilist
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n: a boxer
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doyenne
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n: a powerful and respected woman
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consigliere
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n: an adviser, esp. to a crime boss
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fastidious
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adj: fussing over insignificant details
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trenchant
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adj: well said and strongly stated
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poignant
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adj: touching
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eschew
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v: avoid
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avow
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v: assert or confess openly
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substantive
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adj: having a firm basis in reality and therefore important, meaninful, or considerable; adj: having a separate and independent exisistance
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constriction
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adj: restriction
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pantheism
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n: a religious belief that God is the universe, or that the universe is a manifestation of God
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inimitable
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adj: so good or unusual as to be impossible to copy
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jurisprudence
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n: the theory and philosophy of law; n: a legal system
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enumeration
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n: the mentioning of a number of things, one by one; n: the establishment of a number of
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corpus
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n: a collection of written texts, esp. the entire works of a particular author or a body of writing on a particular subject
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slavish
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adj: relating to or characteristic of a slave, typically by behaving in a servile or submissive way; adj: showing no attempt at originality, constructive interpretation, or development
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fulcrum
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n: a thing that plays a central or essential role in an activity, event, or situation
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inviolable
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adj: never to be broken, infringed, or dishonored
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diffusion
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n: the spreading of something more widely
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juridical
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adj: of or relating to judicial proceedings and the administration of the law
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inculcate
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v: instill an attitude, idea, or habit by persistent instruction
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usury
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n: the illegal action or practice of lending money at unreasonably high rates
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notwithstanding
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adj: in spite of
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apologist
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n: a person who offers an argument in defense of something controversial
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metropole
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n: the parent state of a colony
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protege
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n: a person who is guided and supported by an older and more experienced or influential person
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disputation
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n: debate
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pulchritudinous
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adj: breath–takingly beautiful
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importune
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v: beg earnestly
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cabal
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n: a mall, secret political group or a plot concocted by such a group
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bona fide
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adj: real, authentic, sincere
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lugubrious
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adj: depressing
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abstruse
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adj: difficult to understand; obscure
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lackluster
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adj: lacking excitement or less than amazing
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maladroit
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adj: unskilled, clumsy
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malign
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(1) adj: evil (2) v: speak badly about someone else
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desultory
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(1) adj: lacking a plan or purpose or enthusiasm (2) adj: unfocused; rambling on from one subject to another subject
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erudite
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adj: learned; scholarly
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ponderous
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adj: plodding, moving with great effort or ungracefully
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prodigal
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adj: spending money freely and wastefully
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prodigious
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adj: impressively great
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magnanimous
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adj: big–hearted, generous
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funereal
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adj: depressing, gloomy, funeral–like
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doleful
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adj: mournful; causing grief or misfortune
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verisimilitude
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adj: degree of real–life likeness
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loath
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adj: reluctant
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loathe
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v: hate
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hirsute
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adj: hairy
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vitiate
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v: corrupt, ruin, make invalid
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wont
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adj: accustomed; n: custom, habit
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harangue
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n: a lengthy, thorny criticism; v: to deliver such criticism
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venal
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adj: showing currupt motives
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grevious
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adj: very severe or serious
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protracted
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adj: lasting a long time
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ostentatious
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adj: showing off
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adulation
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n: excessive adoration
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stopgap
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n: a temporary solution
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affront
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n: insult
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eyesore
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n: something ugly
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edifice
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n: a building
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precipitate
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(1) adj: reckless (2) sudden
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preeminent
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adj: the best
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congenial
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adj: agreeable
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garrulous
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adj: too talkative
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parsimonious
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adj: stingy
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consummate
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adj: highly skillful
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profligate
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adj: very wasteful; n: a very wasteful person
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promulgate
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v: to make widely known, usu. in an official context
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expound
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trans. v: present and explain (a theory or idea) systematically and in detail
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colloquial
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adj: used in ordinary conversation; not formal or literary
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repudiation
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n: refusal to accept or be associated with; n: the act of denying the truth or validity of something
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disquieting
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adj: inducing feelings of anxiety or worry
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vindicate
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v: clear of blame or suspicion
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confer
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v: grant or bestow a title, benefit, right, or degree; v: have discussion; exchange opinions
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