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75 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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
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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 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 (esp. as an act of religious devotion)
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avarice (n)
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greed (esp 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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rustic and pastoral; relating to countryside
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cacophony (n)
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harsh sounding; discordant
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canon (n)
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an established seet of principles or code of laws
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castigation (n)
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severe criticism or punishment
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catalyst (n)
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a person or thing that causes 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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wary; cautious
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cogent (adj)
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convincing
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complaisance (n)
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the willingness to comply with the wishes of others
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contentious (adj)
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argumentative; controversial
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culpable (adj)
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deserving blame
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dearth (n)
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smallness of quantity; scarcity
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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
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discretion (n)
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cautious reserve in speech; ability to make responsible decisions
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disinterested (adj)
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impartial
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dogmatic (adj)
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expressing rigid opinion based on unproved principles
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ebullience (n)
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exuberance; the quality of life or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings
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eclectic (adj)
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composed of elements drawn from various sources
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elegy (n)
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a mournful poem (esp one lamenting the dead)
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emollient (adj/n)
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soothing
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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
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ephemeral (adj)
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brief; fleeting
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esoteric (adj)
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understood by few
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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
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fallacy (n)
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a mistaken belief
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furtive (adj)
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stealthy; covert; surreptitious
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gregarious (adj)
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sociable; outgoing
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harangue (v/n)
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to deliver a pompous speech or tirade; a long pompous speech
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heretical (adj)
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violating accepted dogma
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hyperbole (n)
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exaggerated statement- often used as figure of speech
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impecunious (adj)
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without money;
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incipient (adj)
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to become apparent
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inert (adj)
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unmoving; sluggish
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innocuous (adj)
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harmless
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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 or flattery
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morose (adj)
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sad; melancholy
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odious (adj)
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repulsive; evoking intense dislike
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opaque (adj)
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impenetrable by light
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oscillation (n)
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swinging back and forth with a steady, uninterrupted rhythm
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penurious (adj)
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excessively thrifty
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pernicious (adj)
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extremely harmful; potentially lethal
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peruse (v)
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to examine carefully
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pious (adj)
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extremely reverent
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precursor (n)
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one that precedes and indicates or announces another
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preen (v)
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to dress up; primp
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prodigious (adj)
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extraordinary
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prolific (adj)
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productive
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putrefy (v)
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to rot; to decay and give off a foul odor
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quaff (v)
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to drink deeply
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quiescence (n)
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stillness; motionlessness
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redoubtable (adj)
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awe-inspiring
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sanction (n/v)
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authoritative permission or approval
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satire (n)
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a literary work that ridicules or criticizes a human vice through humor or derision
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squalid (adj)
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sordid
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stoic (adj)
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indifferent
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supplant (v)
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supersede
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torpid (adj)
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dormant; lethargic
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ubiquitous (adj)
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wide-spread
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urbane (adj)
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sophisticated
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vilify (v)
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to defame
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viscous (adj)
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sticky, thick
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