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76 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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abate
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(v)
to lessen in intensity or degree |
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accolade
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(n)
expression of praise |
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adulation
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(n)
excessive praise; intense adoration |
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aesthetic
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(adj)
dealing with, appreciative of or responsive to art of beauty |
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ameliorate
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(v)
to make better |
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ascetic
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(n)
one who practices rigid self-denial (esp religious) |
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avarice
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(n)
greed |
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axiom
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(n)
universally recognized principle |
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burgeon
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(v)
to grow rapidly; to flourish |
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bucolic
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(adj)
rustic and pastoral |
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cacophony
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(n)
harsh, jarring sound |
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cannon
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(n)
established set of principles or code of laws (esp religious) |
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castigation
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(n)
severe criticism or punishment |
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catalyst
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(n)
substance that accelerates rate of chemical reacation; person or thing that causes change |
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caustic
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(adj)
burning or stining; causing corrosion |
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chary
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(adj)
wary; cautious; sparing |
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cogent
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(adj)
appealing forcibly to the mind or reason; convincing |
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complaisance
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(n)
willingness to comply with the wishes of others |
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contentious
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(adj)
argumentative; causing controversy or disagreement |
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contrite
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(adj)
regretful; penitent |
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culpable
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(adj)
deserving blame |
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dearth
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(n)
lack, scarcity |
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demur
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(v)
to question or oppose |
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didactic
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(adj)
intended to teach or instruct |
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discretion
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cautious reserve in speech; ability to make responsible decisions
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disinterested
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(adj)
free of bias or self-interest; impartial |
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dogmatic
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(adj)
expressing rigid opinon based on unprovable principles |
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ebullience
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(n)
quality of lively expression of thoughts or feelings |
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eclectic
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(adj)
composed of elements drawn from various sources |
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elegy
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(n)
mournful poem, esp. one lamenting the dead |
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emollient
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(adj/n)
soothing - esp to the skin - making less harsh; an agent that smooths or mollifies |
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emperical
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(adj)
based on observation or experiment |
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enigmatic
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(adj)
mysterious; obscure; difficult to understand |
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ephemeral
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(adj)
brief; fleeting |
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esoteric
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(adj)
intended to be understood by a small, specific group |
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eulogy
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(n)
speech honoring the dead |
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exonerate
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(v)
to remove blame |
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facetious
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(adj)
playful; humerous |
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fallacy
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(n)
an invalid or incorrect notion; a mistaken belief |
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furtive
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(adj)
marked by stealth; covert; surreptitious |
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gregarious
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(adj)
sociable; outgoing |
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harrangue
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(v/n)
deliver a pompous speech or tiragde; OR a long, pompous speech |
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heretical
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(adj)
violating accepted dogma or convention |
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hyperbole
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(n)
exaggerated statement |
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impecunious
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(adj)
lacking funds; without money |
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incipient
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(ajd)
beginning to come into being or become obvious |
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inert
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(adj)
unmoving; lethargic; sluggish |
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innocuous
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(adj)
harmless |
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intransigent
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(adj)
refusing to compromise |
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inveigle
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(v)
to obtain by deception or flattery |
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morose
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(adj)
sad, sullen, melancholy |
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odious
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(adj)
evoking intense aversion or dislike |
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opaque
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(adj)
impenetrable by light; not reflecting light |
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oscillation
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(n)
the act/state of swinging back & foth with a steady rhythm |
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penurious
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(adj)
penny-pinching; ungenerous |
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pernicious
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(adj)
extremly harmful, potentially causing death |
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peruse
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(v)
to examine with great care |
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pious
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(adj)
extremely reverent or devout |
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percursor
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(n)
one that precedes and indicates or announces another |
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preen
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(v)
to dress-up, primp |
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prodigious
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(adj)
abundant in size force or extent; extraordinary |
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prolific
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(adj)
producing large volumes or amounts; productive |
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putrefy
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(v)
to rot or decay; to give off a foul odor |
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quaff
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(v)
to drink deeply |
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quiesience
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(n)
stilliness; motionlessness |
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redoubtable
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(adj)
awe-inspiring; worthy of honor |
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sanction
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(n/v)
authoritative permission or approval OR penalty intended to enforce compliance OR to give permission or authority to |
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satire
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(n)
literary work that ridiculs a human vice through humor or derision |
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squalid
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(adj)
sordid; wretched and dirty from neglect |
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stoic
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(adj)
indifferent to or unaffected by pleasure or pain; steadfast |
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supplant
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(v)
to take the place of; to supersede |
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torpid
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(adj)
lethargic; sluggish; dormant |
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ubiquitous
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(adj)
exisitng everywhere at the same time; constantly encountered |
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urbane
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(adj)
sofphisticate,refined, elegant |
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vilify
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(v)
to defame; to characterize harshly |
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viscous
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(adj)
thick; sticky |
