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145 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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acumen
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keen, accurate judgement or insight
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adulterate
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to reduce purity by combining with inferior ingredients
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amalgamate
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to combine with several elements into a whole
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archaic
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outdated; associated with an eralier perhaps more primitive, time
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aver
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to state as a fact; to declare or assert
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bolster
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to provide support or reinforcement
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bombastic
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pompoud; gandiloquent
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diatribe
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a harsh denunciation
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dissemble
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to disguise or conceal; to mislead
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eccentric
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departing from norms or conventions
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endemic
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characteristic of or often found in a particular locality, region, or people
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evanescent
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tending to disappear like vapor; vanishing
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exacerbate
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to make worse or more severe
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fervent
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greatly emotional or zealous
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fortuitous
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happening by accident or chance
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germane
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relevant to the subject at hand; appropriate in subject matter
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grandiloquence
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pompous speech or expression
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hacneyed
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rendered trite or commonplace by frequent usage
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halcyon
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calm and peaceful
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hegemony
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the consistent dominance of one state or ideology over others
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iconoclast
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one who attacks or undermines traditional conventions or institutions
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idolatrous
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given to intense or excessive devotion to something
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impassive
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revealing no emotion
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imperturbable
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marked by extreme calm, impassivity and steadiness
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implacable
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not capable of being appeased or significantly changed
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impunity
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immunity from punishment or penalty
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inchoate
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in an initial stage; not fully formed
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infelicitous
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unfortunate; inappropriate
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insipid
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without taste or flavor; lacking in spirit; bland
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loquacious
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extremely talkative
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malevolent
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having or showing often vicious ill will, spite or hatred
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mendacity
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the condition of being untruthful; dishonesty
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meticulous
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characterized by extreme care and precision; attentive to detail
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misanthrope
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one who hates all other humans
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mitigate
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to make or become less severe or intense; to moderate
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obdurate
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unyielding; hardhead; intractable
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obsequious
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exhibititng a fawning attentiveness
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occlude
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to obstruct or block
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opprobrium
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disgrace; contempt; scorn
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pedagogy
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the profession or principles of teaching or instructing
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pedantic
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overly concerned with the trivial details of learning or education; show-offish about one's knowledge
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penury
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poverty, destitution
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pervasive
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having a tendency to permeate or spread thruout
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pine
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to yearn intesely; to languish; to lose vigor
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pirate
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to illegally se or reproduce
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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 appease; to calm by make concessions
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platitude
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a superficial remark, esp. one offered as meaningful
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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; argumentative
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prodigal
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recklessly wasteful; extravagany; profuse; lavish
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profuse
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given or coming forth abundantly; extravagant
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proliferate
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to grow or increase swiftly and abundantly
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queries
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questions; inquiries; doubts in the mind; reservations
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querulous
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prone to complaining or grumbling; peevish
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rancorous
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characterized by butter, long-lasting resentment
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recalcitrant
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obstinately defiant of authority; difficult to manage
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repudiate
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to refuse to have anything to do with; disown
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rescind
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to invalidate; to repeal; to retract
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reverent
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marked by, feeling, or expressing a feeling of profound awe and respect
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rhetoric
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the art or study of efective use of language for communication and persuasion
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salubrious
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promoting health or well being
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solvent
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able to meet financial obligations; able to dissolve another substance
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specious
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seeming true, but actually being fallacious; misleadingly attractive plaussbile but false
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spurious
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lacking authenticity or validity; false; counterfeit
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subpoena
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a court order requiring appearance and/or testimony
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succinct
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brief; concise
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superfluous
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exceeding what is sufficient or necessary
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surfeit
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an overabundant supply; excess; to feed or supply to excess
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tenacity
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the quality of adherence or persistence to something valued; persistent determination
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tenuous
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having little substance or strength; flimsy; weak
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tirade
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a long and ectremely critical speech; a harsh denunciation
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transient
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fleeting; passing quickly; brief
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zealous
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fervent; ardent; impassioned, devoted to a cause
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acerbic
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having a sour or bitter taste or character; sharp; biting
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alchemy
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a medieval science aimed at the transmutation of metals, esp. base metals into gold
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amenable
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agreeable; responsive to suggestion
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anachronism
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something or someone out of place in terms of historical or chronological context
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astringent
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having a tightening effect on living tissue; harsh; severe;
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contiguous
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sharing a border; touching; adjacent
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convention
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a generally agreed upon practice or attitude
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credulous
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tending to elieve too readily; gullible
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cynicism
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an attitude or quality of belief that all people are motivated by selfishness
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decorum
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polite or appropriate conduct or behavior
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derision
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scorn, ridicule, contemptuous treatment
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desiccate
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to dry out or dehydrate; to make dry or dull
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dilettante
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one with an amateurish or superfiial interest in the arts or a branch of knowledge
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divulge
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to disclose soemthing secret
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fawn
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to flatter or priase excessively
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flout
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to show contempt for, as in a rule or convention
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garrulous
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pointlessly talkative, talking too much
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glib
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marked by ease or informality; nonchalant; lacking in deph; superficial
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hubris
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overbearing presumption or pride; arrogance
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imminent
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about to happen
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immutable
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not capable fo change
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impetuous
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hastily or rashly energetic; impulsive and vehement
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indifferent
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having no interest or concern; showing no bias or prejudice
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inimical
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damaging; harmfu; injurious
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intractable
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not easily managed or directed; stubborn; obstinate
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intrepid
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steadfast and courageous
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laconic
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using few words; terse
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maverick
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an independent individual who does not go along with a group or party
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mercurial
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characterized by rapid and unpredictable change in mood
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mollify
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to calm or soothe; to reduce in emotional intensity
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neophyte
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a recent convert; a beginner; novice
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obfuscate
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to deliberately obscure; to make confusing
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obstinate
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stubborn; hardheaded; uncompromising
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ostentatious
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characterized by or give to pretentious display, showy
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pervade
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to permeate thruout
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phlegmatic
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calm; sluggish; unemotional
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plethora
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an overabundance; a surplus
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pragmatic
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practical rather than idealistic
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presumptuous
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overstepping due bonds (as of propriety or courtesy) taking liberties
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pristine
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pure; uncorrupted; clean
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probity
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adherence to highest principles; complete and confirmed integrity; uprightness
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proclivity
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a natural predisposition or inclination
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profligate
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excessively wasteful; recklessly extravagant
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propensity
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a natural inclination or tendency, penchant
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prosaic
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dull; lacking in spirit or imagination
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pungnet
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characterized by a strong, sharp smell or taste
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quixotic
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foolishly impractical; marked by lofty romantic idels
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quotidian
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occurring or recurring daily; commonplace
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rerefy
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to make or become thin, less dense; to refine
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recondite
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hidden; concealed; difficult to understand; obscure
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refulgent
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radiant; shiny; brilliant
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renege
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to fail to honor a commitment; to go back on a promise
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sedulous
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diligent; persistent; hard-working
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shard
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a piece of broken pottery or glass
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soporific
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causing drowsiness; tending to induce sleep
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sparse
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thin; not dense; arranged at widely space intervals
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spendthrift
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one who spends money wastefully
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subtle
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not obvious; elusive; difficult to discern
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tacit
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implied; not explicitly state
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terse
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brief and consie in wording
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tout
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to publicly praise or promote
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trenchant
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sharply perceptive; keen; penetrating
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unfeigned
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genuine; not false or hypocritical
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untenable
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indefensible; not viable; uninhabitable
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vacillate
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to waver indecisively between one course or action or opinion and another; waver
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variegated
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multicolored; characterized by a variety of patches of different color
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vexation
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annoyance; irritation
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vigilant
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alertly watchful
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vituperate
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to use harsh, condemnatory language; to abuse or censure severly or abusively; berate
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volatile
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readily changing to a vapor; changeable, fickle; explosive
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