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85 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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abate
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reduce in amount degree of severity
ebb, moderate, subside, lapse, relent, wane, let up, slacken |
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abscond
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to leave secretly
flee, decamp, escape |
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abstain
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to chose not to do something
forbear, refrain, withhold |
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abyss
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an extremely deep hole
abyssal great depth, abysmal really bad chasm, void |
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adulterate
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make impure
unadulterated-pure adultury illicit relationship |
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advocate
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speak in favor of
back, champion, support |
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aesthetic
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concerning the appreciation of beauty
aesthete- someone unusually sensitive to beauty aestheticism- concern with beauty artistic, tasteful |
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aggrandize
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increase in power influence and reputation
amplify, dignify, ennoble, magnify, wax, apotheosize, elevate, exalt, swell, augment, enlarge, glorify, uplift |
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alleviate
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to make more bearable
allay, ease, assuage, comfort, mitigate, palliate, lessen, lighten, relieve |
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amalgamate
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combine of mix together
amalgam-a mixture especially of two metals |
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advocate
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speak in favor of
back, champion, support |
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aesthetic
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concerning the appreciation of beauty
aesthete- someone unusually sensitive to beauty aestheticism- concern with beauty artistic, tasteful |
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aggrandize
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increase in power influence and reputation
amplify, dignify, ennoble, magnify, wax, apotheosize, elevate, exalt, swell, augment, enlarge, glorify, uplift |
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alleviate
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to make more bearable
allay, ease, assuage, comfort, mitigate, palliate, lessen, lighten, relieve |
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amalgamate
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combine of mix together
amalgam-a mixture especially of two metals admix, commingle, fuse, merge, blend, commix, intermingle, mingle, combine, compound, intermix, mix |
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ambiguous
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doubtful or uncertain, able to be interpreted several ways
cloudy, equivocal, obscure, doubtful, nebulous, unclear, dubious, indeterminate, vague |
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ameliorate
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to make better or improve
amend, pacify, better, upgrade, improve |
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anachronism
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something out of place in time
archaism incongruity |
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analogous
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similar or alike in some way; equivalent to
analogy, analogue alike, equivilant, similar, comparable, corresponding, homogenous, parallel |
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anomaly
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deviation from what is normal
aberrance deviance aberration deviation preternaturalness abnormality irregularity |
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antagonize
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to annoy or provoke conflict
antagonistic, antagonist clash, irritate, provoke, conflict, oppose, vex, incite, pester |
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antipathy
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extreme dislike
animosity aversion repellence animus enmity antagonism hostility |
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apathy
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lack of interest of emotion
coolness, disinterest, disregard impassivity lassitude phlegm unresponsiveness indifference lethargy stolidity insensibility listlessness unconcern |
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arbitrate
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judge a dispute between two opposing parties
arbitration, arbitrator adjudge adudicate decide determine judge moderate referee rule |
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archaic
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ancient old fashioned
ancient, antediluvian antique bygone dated dowdy fusty obsolete oldfashioned prehistoric stale outdated outmoded passe superannauted superseded vintage |
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ardor
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intense and passionate feeling ; ardent
devotion fervidity enthusiasm fervidness fervency fervor fire passion zeal zealousness |
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articulate
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able to speak clearly and expressively
eloquent, lucid, expressive, silver tongued fluent smooth spoken |
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assuage
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to make something unpleasant less severe
allay comfort, alleviate, appease, conciliate, ease, lighten, mitigate, mollify, pacify, palliate, placate, propitiate, relieve, soothe, sweeten |
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attenuate
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to reduce in force or degree; to weaken
debilitate, devitalize, dilute, enervate, enfeeble, rarefy, sap, thin, undermine, undo, weaken, unnerve, water |
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audacious
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fearless and daring
adventuresome, aggressive, assertive, bold, brave, courageous, daring, dauntless, doughty, fearless, gallant, game, heroic, intrepid, mettlesome, plucky, stout, stouthearted, unafraid, undaunted, valiant, valorous, venturesome, venturous |
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austere
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severe or stern in appearance; undecorated
bleak, hard, dour, harsh, grim, severe |
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banal
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predictable, cliched, boring
bland, commonplace, innocuous, musty, quotidian, stereotypic, tired, worn-out, bromidic, fatuous, insipid, platitudinous, shopworn, threadbare, trite, cliched, hackneyed, jejune, prosaic, stale, timeworn, vapid |
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bolster
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to support, to prop up
brace, support, uphold, buttress, sustain, prop, underpin |
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bombastic
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pompous in speech or manner
bombast, bloated, grandiloquent, magniloquent,rhetorical, declamatory, grandiose, orotund, self-important, fustian, high-flown, pretentious |
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cacophony
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harsh, jarring note.
discord, noise, chaos, clamor, disharmony, din |
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candid
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impartial and honest in speech
direct, honest, straight, forthright, open, straightforward, frank, sincere, undisguised |
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capricious
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changing one's mind quickly and often
caprice, arbitrary, erratic, mercurial, willful, change, fickle, random, changeable, inconstant, whimsical |
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castigate
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to punish or criticize harshly
admonish rebuke chastise reprimand chide reproach |
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credulous
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too trusting; gullible
naive susceptible trusting |
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crescendo
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steadily increasing volume or force
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decorum
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appropriateness of behavior or conduct; propriety
correctness obeisance veneration honor respect homage reverence |
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deride
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to speak of or treat with contempt; to mock
derision, movery and taunts |
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derisive
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in mocking manner
gibe, ridicule, taunt, jeer, scoff, mock, sneer |
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desiccate
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to dry out thoroughly
dry, parch, dehydrate |
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desultory
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jumping from one thing to another; disconnected
aimless, haphazard purposeless unconsidered disconnected indiscriminate random unplanned erratic objectless stray |
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daitribe
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an abusive condemnatory speech
fulmination harangue invective jeremiad malediction obloquy tirade |
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diffident
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lacking self confidence
backward bashful coy demure modest retiring self effacing shy timid |
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dilate
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to make larger expland
amplify enlarge develop expand elaborate expatiate |
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dilatory
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intended to delay
dragging flagging laggard lagging slow slow footed slow going slow paced tardy |
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dilenttante
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someone with an amateurish and superficial interest in a topic
amateur tyro dabbler superficial |
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dirge
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a funeral hymn or mournful speech
elegy lament |
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disabuse
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to set right to free from error
correct undeceive |
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discern
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to percieve to recognize
discernment- taste and cultivation catch differentiate espy separate tell descry discriminate glimpse spot detect distinguish know spy |
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disparate
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fundamentally different; entirely unlike
different diverse dissimilar variant divergent various |
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dissemble
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to present a false appearance; to disguise ones real intention of character
act camouflage cover up fake masquerade put on affect cloak disguise feign pose sham assume counterfeit dissimulate mask pretend simulate |
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dogma
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a firmly held opinoin often a religious belief
creed tenet doctrine teaching |
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dogmatic
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dictatorial in one's opinions
authoritarian bossy dictatorial doctrinaire domineering imperious magisterial masterful overbearing peremptory |
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dupe
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to deceive; a person who is easily deceived
beguilecozen fool mislead betray deeive hoodwink take in bluff delude humbug trick |
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eclectic
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selecting from or made up from a variety of sources
selective catholic broad |
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efficacy
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effectiveness
dynamism force proficiency effectiveness power strength efficiency productiveness vigor |
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elegy
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a sorrowful poem or speech
dirge lament |
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eloquent
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persuasive and moving especially in speech
articulate, meaningful, expressive, significant, fluent, smooth spoken |
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emulate
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to copy; to try to equal and excel
ape, imitate, simulate |
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enervate
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to reduce in strength
debilitate, weaken, enfeeble, sap |
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engender
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to produce, cause, or bring about
beget, proliferate, generate, procreate, reproduce, spawn |
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enigma
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a puzzle a mystery
conundrum perplexity |
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enumerate
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to count list or itemize
catalog, index, tabulate |
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ephemeral
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lasting a short time
evanescent, fleeting, momentary, transient |
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equivocate
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to use expressions of double meaning in order to mislead
ambiguous evasive waffling |
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erratic
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wandering and unpredictable
capricious whimsical inconstant irresolute |
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erudite
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learned, scholarly, bookish
erudition extensive knowledge or learning scholastic learned wise |
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esoteric
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known or understood by only a few
abstruse, arcane, obscure |
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estimable
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admirable
honorable praiseworthy worthy commendable laudable respectable creditable meritorious vernable |
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eulogy
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speech in praise of someone
commend extol laud |
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euphemism
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us of an inoffensive word or phrase in place of a more distasteful one
"sleeping instead of dead" circumlocution whitewash |
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exacerbate
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to make worse
annoy irritate affravate provoke intensify |
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exculpate
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to clear from blame; prove innocent
absolve exonerate acquit vindicate clear |
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exigent
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urgent, requiring immediate action
critical urgent imperative needed |
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exonerate
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clear of blame
absolve exculpate acquit vindicate clear |
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explicit
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clearly stated or shown; forthright in expression
explicable capable of being explained explicate give detailed explanation candid unequivocal frank straightforward |
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fanatical
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acting excessively enthusiastic; filled with extreme unquestioned devotion
extremist fiery frenzied zealous |
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fawn
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to grovel
bootlick pander grovel toady |
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fervid
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intensely emotional; fervish
burning vehement impassioned passionate zealous |
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florid
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excessively decorated or embellished
baroque ornate elaborate ostentatious flamboyant rococo |
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foment
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to arouse or incite
agitate instigate impassion kindle inflame |
