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76 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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abate - v
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to lessen in intensity or degree
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accolade - n
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an expression of praise; an award
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adulation - n
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excessive praise, intense adoration
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aesthetic - adj
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dealing with, appreciative of, or responsive to art
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ameliorate - v
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to make better or more tolerable
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ascetic - n
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one who practices rigid self denial, especially for religious purposes. One who lives an austerely simple life.
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avarice - n
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greed for wealth
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axiom - n
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a universally recognized principle
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burgeon - v
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to grow rapidly, to flourish
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bucolic - adj
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characteristic of idyllic rural life
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cacophony - n
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harsh, jarring, discordant sound
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canon - n
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an established set of principles, often religious
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castigation - n
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severe punishment or criticism
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catalyst - n
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something that induces change
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caustic - adj
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burning or stinging; causing corrosion
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chary - adj
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cautious, wary; choosy
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cogent - adj
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appealing to the mind or reason; convincing
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complaisance - n
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willingness to comply
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contentious - adj
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argumentative, quarrelsome
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contrite - adj
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regretful, seeking forgiveness
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culpable - adj
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deserving blame
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dearth - n
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famine, scarcity, lack, penury
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demur - v
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to question or oppose
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didactic - adj
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intended to teach or instruct
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discretion - n
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cautious reserve in speech; ability to make good decisions.
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disinterested - adj
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impartial, free of bias; listless
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dogmatic - adj
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expressing rigid opinion based on unproved and/or unprovable principles
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ebullience - n
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the quality of enthusiastic expression of feelings and thoughts
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eclectic - adj
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composed of elements from a variety of sources
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elegy - n
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a mournful poem; a lament for the dead
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emollient - adj/n
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smoothing, especially to the skin. something that smooths the skin, especially an ointment or cream
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empirical - adj
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based on observation or experiment
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enigmatic - adj
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mysterious, obscure, difficult to understand
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ephemeral - adj
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brief, fleeting
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esoteric - adj
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intended for or understood by a small, specific group
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eulogy - n
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a speech honoring the dead
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exonerate - v
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to remove blame
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facetious - adj
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playful, humorous
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fallacy - n
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an invalid or incorrect notion of belief
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furtive - adj
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marked by stealth; covert; surreptitious
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gregarious - adj
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sociable, outgoing, enjoying the company of others
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harangue - v/n
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a long pompous speech. The delivery of such a speech
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heretical - adj
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violating accepted dogma or convention
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hyperbole - n
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an exaggerated statement
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impecunious - adj
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lacking funds, w/out money
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incipient - adj
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beginning to come into being or becoming apparent
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inert - adj
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unmoving, lethargic, sluggish; limited reactivity
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innocuous - adj
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harmless, causing no damage
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intransigent - adj
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refusing to compromise
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inveigle - v
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to obtain by deception and flattery
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morose - adj
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sad, sullen, melancholy
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odious - adj
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evoking intense aversion or dislike
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opaque - adj
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impenetrable by light; non reflective
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oscillation - n
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movement two and fro
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penurious - adj
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excessively thrifty, penny pinching
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pernicious - adj
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extremely harmful, potentially causing death
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peruse - v
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to read or examine in detail
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pious - adj
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showing strong religious devotion
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precursor - n
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one that precedes another
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preen - v
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to dress up with elaborate care
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prodigious - adj
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extraordinary, abundant in size, force, extent ext.
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prolific - adj
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productive
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putrefy - v
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to rot or decay and give off a foul odor
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quaff - v
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to drink a beverage copiously with hearty enjoyment
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quiescence - n
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stillness, motionlessness, quality of being at rest
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redoubtable - adj
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worthy of honor; awe- inspiring
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satire - n
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a literary work that criticizes human vice
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sanction - n/v
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authoritative permission; a penalty to enforce compliance
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squalid - adj
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sordid; dirty from neglect
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stoic - adj
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steadfast; indifferent or unaffected by pleasure or pain
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supplant - v
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to take the place of, to supersede
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torpid - adj
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lethargic, sluggish, dormant, inert
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ubiquitous - adj
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widespread, present in all places at once
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urbane - adj
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sophisticated, refined, elegant
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vilify - v
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to defame, or characterize harshly
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viscous - adj
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thick, sticky
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