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139 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Austere
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severe or stern in appearance; undecorated
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Axiom
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premise; postulate; self-evident truth
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banal
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predictable; clichéd, boring
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belfry
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bell tower; room in which a bell is hung
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bevy
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group
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bifurcate
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divide into two parts
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bilk
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to cheat, defraud
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blight
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to afflict; to destroy
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blithe
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joyful, cheerful,or without appropriate thought
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bolster
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to support; to prop up
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bombastic
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pompous in speech and manner
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bonhomie
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good-natured geniality; atmosphere of good cheer
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boor
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crude person, one lacking manners or taste
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burgeon
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to grow and flourish
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burnish
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to polish
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cabal
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a secret group seeking to over throw something
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cacophony
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harsh, jarring noise
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calumny
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a false and malicious accusation; misrepresentation
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canard
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a lie
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candid
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impartial and honest in speech
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capricious
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changing one's mind quickly and often
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cartography
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science or art of making maps
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castigate
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to punish or crtiticize harshly
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catalyst
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something that brings about a change in something else
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catholic
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universal; broad and comprehensive
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caustic
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biting in wit
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chaos
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great disorfer or confused situation
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chauvinist
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someone prejudiced in favor of a group to which he or she belongs
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chicanery
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deception by means of craft or guile
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circumspect
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cautious, aware or potential consequences
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cloying
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sickly sweet; excessive
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coalesce
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to grow together to form a single whole
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coffer
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strongbox; large chest for money
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cogent
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convincing and well-reasoned
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collusion
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collaboration, complicity, conspiricy
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condone
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to overlook, to pardon, to disregard
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connoisseur
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a person with expert knowledge or discriminating tastes
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contrite
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deeply sorrowful and repentant for a wrong
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contumacious
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rebellious
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convoluted
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intricate and complicated
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corroborate
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to support with evidence
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cosset
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to pamper, to treat with great care
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coterie
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an intimate group of persons with similar purpose
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craven
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lacking courage
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credulous
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too trusting; gullible
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crescendo
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steadily increasing in volume or force
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cupidity
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greed; strong desire
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curmudgeon
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cranky person, usually old
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debutante
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young woman making debut in high society
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declivity
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downward slope
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decorous
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proper, tasteful, socially correct
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decorum
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appropriateness of behavior or conduct; propreity
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deface
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to mar the appearance of, to vandalize
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deference
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respect, courtesy
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deleterious
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subtly or unexpectedly harmful
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demagogue
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a leader, rabble-rouser, usually appealing to emotion or prejudice
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demur
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to express doubts or objections
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deride
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to speak of treat with contempt, to mock
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desiccate
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to dry out thoroughly
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desultory
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jumping from one thing to another; disconnected
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Diaphanous
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allowing light to show through; delicate
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diatribe
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an abusive, condemnatory speech
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dictum
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authoritative statement
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diffident
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lacking self-confidence
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dilate
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to make larger, to expand
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dilatory
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intended to delay, procrastinating
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dilettante
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someone with an amateurish and superficial interest in a topic
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dirge
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a funeral hymn or mournful speech
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disabuse
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to set right, to free from error
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discern
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to perceive, to recognize
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disparate
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fundamentally different; entirely unlike
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dissemble
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to present a false appearance, to disguise one's real intentions or character
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dissonance
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a harsh and disagreeable combination, especially of sounds
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distaff
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the female branch of a family
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distend
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to swell, inflate, bloat
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dither
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to act confusedly or without a clear purpose
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divine
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to foretell or know by inspiration
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doctrinaire
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rigidly devoted to theories without regard for practicality; dogmatic
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dogma
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a firmly held opinion, especially a religious belief
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dogmatic
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dictatorial in one's opinions
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droll
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amusing in a wry, subtle way
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dupe
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to decieve
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dyspeptic
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suffering from indigestion; gloomy and irritable
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ebullient
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exhilarated, full of enthusiasm and high spirits
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eclectic
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selecting from or made up from a variety of sources
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edify
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to instruct morally and spiritually
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efficacy
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effectiveness
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effigy
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stuffed doll; likeness of a person
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effrontery
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impudent boldness; audacity
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elegy
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a sorrowful poem or speech
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eloquent
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persuasive and moving, especially in speech
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embellish
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to add ornamental or fictitious details
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emulate
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to copy, to try equal or excel
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encomium
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warm praise
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endemic
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belonging to a particular area; inherent
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enervate
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to reduce in strength
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engender
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to produce, cause, or bring about
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enigma
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a puzzle, a mystery
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enumerate
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to count, list, itemize
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ephemeral
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lasting a short time
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epicure
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person with refined taste in food and wine
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equivocate
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to use expressions of double meaning in order to mislead
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erratic
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wandering and unpredictable
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ersatz
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fake, artficial
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erudite
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learned, scholarly, bookish
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eschew
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to shun, to avoid (as something wrong or distasteful)
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esoteric
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known or understood only by a few
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estimable
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admirable
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ethos
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beliefs or character of a group
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eulogy
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speech in praise of someone
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euphemism
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use of an inoffensive word or phrase in place of a more distasteful one
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euphony
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pleasant, harmonious sound
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exacerbate
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to make worse
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exculpate
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to clear from blame, to prove innocent
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exigent
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urgent; requiring immediate action
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exonerate
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to clear from blame
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explicit
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clearly stated or shown; forthright in expression
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exponent
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one who champions or advocates
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expurgate
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to censor
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fallow
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dormant, unused
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fanatical
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acting excessively enthusiastic; filled with extreme, unquestioned devotion
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fatuous
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stupid; foolishly self-satisfied
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fawn
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to grovel
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fecund
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fertile, fruitful, productive
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fervid
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intensely emotional, fervish
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fetid
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foul-smelling, putrid
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flag
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to decline in vigor, strength, or interest
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florid
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excessively decorated or embellished
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foment
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to arouse or incite
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ford
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to cross a body of water by wading
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forestall
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to prevent, delay; anticipate
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fortuitous
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happening by chance, fortunate
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fractious
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unruly, rebellious
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frenetic
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frantic, frenzied
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frugality
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tendency to be thrifty or cheap
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Furtive
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secret, stealthy
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gambol
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to dance or skip around playfully
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garner
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to gather and store
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garrulous
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tending to talk a lot
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