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52 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Abdicate |
To relinquish the throne "After the incestuous scandal, the king abdicated with alacrity." |
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Acrimonious |
Caustic, stinging, or biting in nature "Bees have a tendency for being acrimonious." |
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Litigate |
Make subject of a lawsuit "The potential litigation behind spilling McDonald's coffee is frightening." |
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Allegory |
Figurative treatment of one story under the guise of another
"Some might say Alice in Wonderland is an allegory for taking hallucinogenic drugs." |
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Amatory |
Pertaining to lovemaking or lovers "The amatory couple was obviously dating." |
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Amity |
Friendship, peaceful harmony "The house portrayed in Amityville Horror is certainly not amity in nature." |
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Inamorata |
Female lover "His inamorata was known to sleep around." |
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Amicable |
Characterized by showing good will "Steve's amicable nature often yielded a plethora of charitable donations." |
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Languish |
Lose or lack vitality "After a hot summer day, the garden tends to languish if not watered." |
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Heuristic |
Allowing somebody to learn something by themselves "The 'sink or swim' method is most certainly a heuristic method." |
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Perceptive |
Having or showing insight "Quick learners are often the most perceptive." |
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Abiding |
Lasting a long time "The abiding lifespan of tortoises leads to some 100 year-old tortoises." |
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Perennial |
Last for a long or apparently infinite amount of time "Perennial plants are only called as such if properly cared for!" |
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Unmitigated |
Absolute, unqualified "The coup was an unmitigated disaster." |
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Obtuse |
Slow to understand "Eventually, even the more obtuse learners picked up the process." |
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Intractable |
Hard to control or deal with "Wild animals, as opposed to domestic ones, are far more intractable." |
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Fickle |
Changing frequently "It was hard to judge whether or not Bill would attend as he was always so fickle." |
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Contrite |
Feeling remorse or penitence, by guilt "The contrite convict solemnly accepted his punishment." |
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Repentant |
Feeling regret or remorse "Many lawbreakers feel repentant after their wrong-doing." |
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Venial |
Slight and pardonable
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Recalcitrant |
Having an uncooperative attitude toward authority "High schoolers are often recalcitrant toward their parents." |
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Lampoon |
Publicly criticize using sarcasm or ridicule "Conan had his start with Harvard's lampoon magazine." |
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Cursory |
Hasty and therefore not considerate of details "A cursory glance is often not enough to get a grasp on the whole scene." |
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Commute |
Reduce to one less severe "The sentence was commuted after it was learned that they were only partially involved." |
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Misogynistic |
Ingrained prejudice against women "Although still existence, misogyny has reduced significantly in the U.S. over the years." |
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Prude |
Easily shocked by matters relating to sex or nudity "Many of the more prude patrons of the theater walked out during the sex scene." |
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Puritanical |
Practicing strict religious or moral behavior
"Mormons are often considered puritanical because of their strange rules." |
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Dispatch |
Deal with quickly and effectively "The assignment was completed with dispatch so that he could watch TV." |
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Celerity |
Quickness of movement "The celerity of the fingers during piano playing is sometimes hypnotic." |
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Slovenly |
Messy and dirty
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Hackneyed |
Lacking significance from being overused "The hackneyed saying was disregarded by the committee as it no longer applied." |
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Untoward |
Unexpected or inconvenient "The untoward announcement of the new CEO left the losing candidate speechless." |
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Inure |
Accustom to something, especially unpleasant "After the 5th toilet cleaning, the janitor surprisingly became inured with the process." |
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Miser |
One who hoards wealth and spends as little as possible "The old miser never even gave his grandchildren any presents." |
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Hardened |
Experienced in a job as to not be upset by the unpleasants. "Cleaning porta-potties up north must take a certain hardened individual." |
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Overwrought |
In a state of nervousness or anxiety "Minutes before the exam, the student became overwrought and started sweating profusely." |
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Lugubrious |
Looking or sounding sad or dismal "After seeing his daughter leave for the millionth time, it was surprising he still maintained the same lugubrious mien." |
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Jaunty |
Lively and cheerful "The jaunty applicant couldn't wait to start her grad program." |
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Jocose |
Playful or humorous "Why is it that uncles are always the most jocose at family gatherings?" |
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Hidebound |
Unwilling to change because of tradition "The hidebound grandfather wouldn't use a computer out of principle to his paper mill." |
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Adroit |
Clever or skillful "The adroit chess player always defeated her opponents." |
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Sectarian |
One who conforms to a sect—a group with somewhat different beliefs "The sectarian was had very minute differences in how he practiced his religion." |
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Upbraid |
Find fault with, scold "The children were upbraided for tracking mud through the house." |
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Chide |
Scold or rebuke
"After disobeying his father, he was chided for not listening." |
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Denigrate |
Criticize unfairly "The candidate was denigrated for things she didn't even do." |
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Temerity |
Excessive boldness or confidence, audacity "Some thought the makers of Audacity to have temerity for making it completely free." |
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Predilection |
Special preference or bias for someone "Being a democrat herself, she had a predilection for Hilary Clinton as president." |
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Vacuous |
Lack of thought, mindlessness "Sometimes, blank and vacuous stares are elicited after long lectures." |
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Inane |
Silly or stupid "The inane answer was received with laughter." |
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Malcontent |
A person who is dissatisfied and rebellious "Catniss everdeen is seen as the primary malcontent to the capitol's agenda." |
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Charlatan |
A person falsely claiming to have special knowledge or skill "Atheists might claim that Jesus was in fact a charlatan." |
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Subvert |
Undermine the power of someone "Wormtongue subverts Gondor's king until he's freed by gandalf." |