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180 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
- 3rd side (hint)
ABATE
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to reduce in amount, degree, or severity
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After a day of destructive force, the hurricane winds finally abated.
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ABSCOND
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to leave secretly
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Jim and Pam absconded in the night to discuss their feelings for each other.
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ABSTAIN
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to choose not to do something
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The first step to overcoming addiction is to abstain from consuming the addictive substance.
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ABYSS
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an extremely deep hole
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I often feel like I am experiencing the world from inside of an abyss, separate from everyone else and far away
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ADULTERATE
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to make impure
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Even though most people think of dirt as something that is impure, there is actually such a thing as unadulterated dirt.
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ADVOCATE
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to speak in favor of
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Certain pro-life extremists advocate banning birth control.
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AESTHETIC
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concerning the appreciation of beauty
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My course in the philosophy of aesthetics addressed various definitions of "beautiful"
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AGGRANDIZE
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to increase in power, influence, and reputation
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The supervisor sought to aggrandize himself by attributing sheer luck to his own cunning and abilities.
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ALLEVIATE
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to make more bearable
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Tylenol sometimes alleviates the pain in my tooth.
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AMALGAMATE
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to combine; to mix together
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Giant Industries amalgamated with Mega Products to form GIant-Mega Products Incorporated
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AMBIGUOUS
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doubtful or uncertain; able to be interpreted several ways
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The directions she gave were so ambiguous that we disagreed on which way to turn.
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ameliorate
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to make better; to improve
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Josh and his colleagues in anesthesia work hard to ameliorate the nauseating effects of common anesthetics.
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anachronism
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something out of place in time
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The aged hippie used anachronistic phrases like "groovy" and "far out" that had not been popular in years.
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analogous
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similar or alike in some way; equivalent to
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In medieval manners plays, the characters are all analogous to different vices and virtues.
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anomaly
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deviation from what is normal
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Albino animals may display too great an anomaly in their coloring to attract normally colored mates.
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antagonize
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to annoy or provoke to anger
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Jim and Pam use pranks to antagonize Dwight in the Office.
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antipathy
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extreme dislike
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The antipathy between Boots and Grover resulted in their having to be relegated to different parts of the house.
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apathy
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lack of interest or emotion
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The apathy among my employees sometimes causes them to leave jobs half finished or show up to work late.
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arbitrate
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to judge a dispute between two opposing parties
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Since the couple could not come to an agreement, a judge was forced to arbitrate their divorce proceedings.
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archaic
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ancient, old-fashioned
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Our archaic registers have difficulty performing even daily functions and often freeze up.
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ardor
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intense and passionate feeling
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Dr. Essick's ardor for Where the Wild Things are even led him to dress up in costume as the main character in the story, and to deliver long asides in class about the many wonders of the book.
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articulate
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able to speak clearly and expressively
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Dr. Childers and Dr. Cullenberg were so articulate on the subject of Marxism that they were asked to deliver the introductory address at the annual conference.
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assuage
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to make something unpleasant less severe
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When I came home from California I was prescribed xanax to assuage the symptoms of my anxiety.
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attenuate
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to reduce in force or degree; to weaken
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audacious
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fearless and daring
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I want to get back in touch with my audacious nature and live life with an open mind and a corageous attitude.
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austere
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severe or stern in appearance; undecorated
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The woman's high, sharp features and the way she looked down her nose made her appear austere at first glance.
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banal
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predictable, cliched, boring
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At work I have lots of banal conversations about things like the weather or the color blue.
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bolster
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to support; to prop up
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bombastic
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pompous in speech and manner
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Chris N's presentations in seminar were usually bombastic, based more in self-promotion than in close and accurate readings of the text.
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cacophony
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harsh, jarring noise
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When Kitsune and Socrates bark at the doorbell, it creates a cacophony, causing me to cover my ears.
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candid
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impartial and honest in speech
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I admire Sarah for her candid way of speaking with her friends, always telling us the truth when she is asked for advice.
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capricious
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changing one's mind quickly and often
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Henry VIII was capricious in his affections; as soon as he married one woman, he was on the lookout for another.
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castigate
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to punish or criticize harshly
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We were castigated for the sin of leaving a face-out single-layered.
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catalyst
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something that brings about a change in something else
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The things I'm learning about myself at my new job are serving as a catalyst for the changes in my outlook about the future.
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caustic
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biting in wit
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Dorothy Parker gained her reputation for caustic wit from her cutting, clever insults.
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chaos
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great disorder or confusion
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In most religious traditions, God created an ordered universe from chaos.
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chauvinist
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someone prejudiced in favor of a group to which he or she belongs
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The belief that african-americans are inherently less intelligent and therefore must perform only menial tasks is still surprisingly common among white chauvinists.
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chicanery
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deception by means of craft or guile
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Often when I sell a credit card to a customer I feel that my techniques amount to chicanery.
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cogent
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convincing and well reasoned
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In order to convince my parents that I really do need to return to school, I must be sure that my arguments are cogent, logical, rather than random and reactionary.
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condone
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to overlook, pardon, or disregard
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Failure to communicate a problem to an employee is essentially the same thing as condoning incorrect action.
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convoluted
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intricate and complicated
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He often implies that my arguments are convoluted and difficult to follow rather than simple and cogent.
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corroborate
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to provide supporting evidence
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Blood test results corroborated O'Kelly's belief that Det. Rob Ryan was really Adam Ryan, the boy whose friends disappeared in the woods years before.
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credulous
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too trusting; gullible
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A teacher must be careful not to be credulous when students offer flimsy excuses for turning in assignments late.
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crescendo
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steadily increasing volume or force
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Regis Philbin uses long pauses to cause a crescendo of tension before telling the Millionaire contestant whether he has answered correctly.
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decorum
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appropriateness of behavior or conduct; propriety
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Michael Scott is not fired from Dunder-Mifflin, even though he lacks the decorum appropriate for an upper-level manager.
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deference
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respect, courtesy
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The respectful young law clerk treated the Supreme Court justice with the utmost deference.
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deride
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to speak of or treat with contempt; to mock
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I hate to see children derided for having wild imaginations, as though having an imagination were a sign of strangeness or disfunction.
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desiccate
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to dry out thoroughly
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Raisins are just desiccated grapes.
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desultory
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jumping from one thing to another; disconnected
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I have a rather desultory job record, having jumped from one position to another every six months or so.
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diatribe
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an abusive, condemnatory speech
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Ryan bellowed a diatribe at the driver who had cut him off, ending with the statement "I will cut you!".
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diffident
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lacking self-confidence
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Diffident Pam fears trying for her dreams, and therefore passes up a chance to go to art school.
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dilate
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to make larger; to expand
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It was always funny to watch the patients' eyes dilate to let in more light.
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dilatory
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intended to delay
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The administrator's dilatory actions and attempts to put off further discussion only angered the teachers further.
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dilettante
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someone with an amateurish and superficial interest in a topic
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I felt that Janalyn was merely a dilettante and accused her of merely dabbling in a topic for which I had intense dedication.
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dirge
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a funeral hymn or mournful speech
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Some of the most beautiful poems are dirges, proving that sometimes greatness can come from sadness.
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disabuse
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to set right; to free from error
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Once Jan realized that Michael thought she wanted a relationship, she set out to disabuse him of that notion post-haste.
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discern
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to perceive; to recognize
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My dad and I have always claimed we can discern the difference between skim and 2% milk.
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disparate
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fundamentally different; entirely unlike
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Our views on the film were disparate; he found it hilarious, while I thought it was offensive.
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dissemble
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to present a false appearance; to disguise one's real intentions or character
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After hearing the beating of the tell-tale heart, the murderer could dissemble no longer. He tore up the floorboards to reveal the old man's body and confessed to his crime.
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dissonance
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a harsh and disagreeable combination, often of sounds
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Cognitive dissonance is the inner conflict produced when long-standing beliefs are contradicted by new evidence.
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dogma
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a firmly held opinion, often a religious belief
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Linus's central dogma was that children who believed in the Great Pumpkin would be rewarded.
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dogmatic
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dictatorial in one's opinions
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The dictator was dogmatic - he, and only he, was right.
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dupe
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to deceive; a person who is easily deceived
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Bugs Bunny was able to dupe elmer fudd by dressing up as a lady rabbit.
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eclectic
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selecting from or made up from a variety of sources
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David Foster Wallace's eclectic writing is a mix of literary and pop cultural references.
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efficacy
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effectiveness
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elegy
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a sorrowful poem or speech
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eloquent
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persuasive and moving, especially in speech
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emulate
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to copy; to try to equal or excel
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enervate
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to reduce in strength
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engender
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to produce, cause, or bring about
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enigma
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a puzzle; a mystery
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enumerate
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to count, list, or itemize
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ephemeral
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lasting a short time
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equivocate
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to use expressions of double meaning in order to mislead
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erratic
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wandering and unpredictable
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erudite
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learned, scholarly, bookish
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esoteric
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known or understood by only a few
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estimable
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admirable
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eulogy
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speech in praise of someone
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euphemism
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use of an inoffensive word or phrase in place of a more distasteful one
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exacerbate
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to make worse
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exculpate
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to clear from blame; prove innocent
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exigent
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urgent; requiring immediate action
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exonerate
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to clear of blame
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explicit
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clearly stated or shown; forthright in expression
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fanatical
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acting excessively enthusiastic; filled with extreme, unquestioned devotion
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fawn
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to grovel
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fervid
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intensely emotional; feverish
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florid
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excessively decorated or embellished
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foment
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to arouse or incite
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frugality
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a tendency to be thrifty or cheap
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garrulous
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tending to talk a lot
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gergarious
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outgoing, sociable
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guile
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deceit or trickery
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gullible
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easily deceived
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homogenous
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of a similar kind
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iconoclast
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one who opposes established beliefs, customs, and institutions
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imperturbable
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not capable of being disturbed
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impervious
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impossible to penetrate; incapable of being affected
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impetuous
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quick to act without thinking
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implacable
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unable to be calmed down or made peaceful
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inchoate
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not fully formed; disorganized
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ingenuous
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showing innocence or childlike simplicity
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inimical
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hostile, unfriendly
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innocuous
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harmless
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insipid
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lacking interest or flavor
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intransigent
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uncompromising; refusing to be reconciled
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inundate
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to overwhelm; to cover with water
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irascible
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easily made angry
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laconic
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using few words
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lament
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to express sorrow; to grieve
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laud
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to give praise; to glorify
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lavish
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to give unsparingly (v.); extremely generous or extravagant (adj.)
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lethargic
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acting in an indifferent or slow, sluggish manner
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loquacious
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talkative
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lucid
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clear and easily understood
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luminous
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bright, brilliant, glowing
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malinger
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to evade responsibility by pretending to be ill
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malleable
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capable of being shaped
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metaphor
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a figure of speech comparing two different things; a symbol
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meticulous
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extremely careful about details
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misanthrope
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a person who dislikes others
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mitigate
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to soften; to lessen
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mollify
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to calm or make less severe
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monotony
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lack of variation
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naive
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lacking sophistication or experience
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obdurate
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hardened in feeling; resistant to persuasion
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obsequious
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overly submissive and eager to please
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obstinate
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stubborn, unyielding
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obviate
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to prevent; to make unnecessary
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occlude
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to stop up; to prevent the passage of
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onerous
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troublesome and oppressive; burdensome
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opaque
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impossible to see through; preventing the passage of light
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opprobrium
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public disgrace
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ostentation
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excessive showiness
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paradox
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a contradiction or dilemma
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paragon
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model of excellence or perfection
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pedant
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someone who shows off learning
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perfidious
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willing to betray one's trust
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perfunctory
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done in a routine way; indifferent
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permeate
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to penetrate
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philanthropy
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charity; a desire or effort to promote goodness
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placate
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to soothe or pacify
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plastic
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able to be molded, altered, or bent
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plethora
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excess
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pragmatic
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practical as opposed to idealistic
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precipitate
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to throw violently or bring about abruptly; lacking deliberation
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prevaricate
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to lie or deviate from the truth
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pristine
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fresh and clean; uncorrupted
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prodigal
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lavish, wasteful
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proliferate
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to increase in number quickly
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propitiate
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to conciliate; to appease
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propriety
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correct behavior; obedience to rules and customs
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prudence
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wisdom, caution, or restraint
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pungent
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sharp and irritating to the senses
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quiescent
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motionless
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rarefy
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to make thinner or sparser
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repudiate
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to reject the validity of
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reticent
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silent, reserved
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rhetoric
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effective writing or speaking
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satiate
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to satisfy fully or overindulge
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soporific
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causing sleep or lethargy
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specious
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deceptively attractive; seemingly plausible but fallacious
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tigma
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a mark of shame or discredit
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stolid
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unemotional; lacking sensitivity
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sublime
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lofty or grand
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tacit
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done without using words
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taciturn
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silent, not talkative
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tirade
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long, harsh speech or verbal attack
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torpor
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extreme mental and physical sluggishness
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transitory
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temporary, lasting a brief time
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vacillate
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to sway physically; to be indecisive
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venerate
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to respect deeply
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veracity
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filled with truth and accuracy
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verbose
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wordy
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vex
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to annoy
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volatile
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easily aroused or changeable; lively or explosive
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waver
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to fluctuate between choices
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whimsical
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acting in a fanciful or capricious manner; unpredictable
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zeal
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passion, excitement
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