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303 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Abscond (verb)
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to depart clandestinely; to steal off and hide
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Aberrant (adj)
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deviating from the norm (noun form: aberration)
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Alacrity (noun)
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eager and enthusiastic willingness
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Anomaly (noun)
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deviation from the normal order, form, or rule; abnormality (adj form: anomalous)
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Approbation (noun)
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an expression of approval or praise
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Arduous (adj)
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strenuous, taxing; requiring significant effort
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Assuage (verb)
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to ease or lessen; to appease or pacify
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Audacious (adj)
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daring and fearless; recklessly bold (noun form: audacity)
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Austere (adj)
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without adornment; bare; severely simple; ascetic (noun form: austerity)
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Axiomatic (adj)
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taken as given; possessing self-evident truth (noun form: axiom)
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Canonical (adj)
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following or in agreement with accepted, traditional standards (noun form: canon)
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Capricious (adj)
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inclined to change one's mind impulsively; erratic, unpredictable
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Censure (verb)
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to criticize severely; to officially rebuke
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Chicanery (noun)
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trickery or subterfuge
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Connoisseur (noun)
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an informed and astute judge in matters of taste; expert
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Convoluted (adj)
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complex or complicated
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Disabuse (verb)
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to undeceive; to set right
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Discordant (adj)
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conflicting; dissonant or harsh in sound
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Disparate (adj)
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fundamentally distinct or dissimilar
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Effrontery (noun)
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extreme boldness; presumptuousness
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Eloquent (adj)
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well-spoken, expressive, articulate (noun form: eloquence)
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Enervate (verb)
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to weaken; to reduce in vitality
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Ennui (noun)
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dissatisfaction and restlessness resulting from boredom or apathy
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Equivocate (verb)
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to use ambiguous language with a deceptive intent (adj form: equivocal)
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Erudite (adj)
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very learned; scholarly (noun form: erudition)
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Exculpate (verb)
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exonerate; to clear of blame
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Exigent (adj)
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urgent, pressing; requiring immediate action or attention
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Extemporaneous (adj)
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improvised; done without preparation
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Filibuster (noun)
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intentional obstruction, especially using prolonged speechmaking to delay legislative action
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Fulminate (verb)
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to loudly attack or denounce
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Ingenuous (adj)
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artless; frank and candid; lacking in sophistication
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Inured (adj)
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accustomed to accepting something undesirable
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Irascible (adj)
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easily angered; prone to temperamental outbursts
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Laud (verb)
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to praise highly (adj form: laudatory)
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Lucid (adj)
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clear; easily understood
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Magnanimity (noun)
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the quality of being generously noble in mind and heart, especially in forgiving (adj form: magnanimous)
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Martial (adj)
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associated with war and the armed forces
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Mundane (adj)
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of the world; typical of or concerned with the ordinary
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Nascent (adj)
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coming into being; in the early developmental stages
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Nebulous (adj)
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vague; cloudy; lacking clearly defined form
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Neologism (noun)
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a new word, expression, or usage; the creation or use of new swords or senses
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Noxious (adj)
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harmful, injurious
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Obtuse (adj)
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lacking sharpness of intellect; not clear or precise in thought or expression
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Obviate (verb)
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to anticipate and make unnecessary
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Onerous (adj)
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troubling; burdensome
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Paean (noun)
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a song or hymn of praise and thanksgiving
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Parody (noun)
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a humorous imitation intended for ridicule or comic effect, especially in literature and art
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Perennial (adj)
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recurrent through the year or many years; happening repeatedly
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Perfidy (noun)
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intentional breach of faith; treachery (adj form: perfidious)
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Perfunctory (adj)
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cursory; done without care or interest
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Perspicacious (adj)
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acutely perceptive; having keen discernment (noun form: perspicacity)
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Prattle (verb)
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to babble meaninglessly; to talk in an empty and idle manner
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Precipitate (adj)
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acting with excessive haste or impulse
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Precipitate (verb)
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to cause or happen before anticipated or required
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Predilection (noun)
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a disposition in favor of something; preference
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Prescience (noun)
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foreknowledge of events; knowing of events prior to their occurring (adj form: prescient)
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Prevaricate (verb)
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to deliberately avoid the truth; to mislead
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Qualms (noun)
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misgivings; reservations; causes for hesitancy
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Recant (verb)
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to retract, especially a previously held belief
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Refute (verb)
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to disprove; to successfully argue against
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Relegate (verb)
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to forcibly assign, especially to a lower place or position
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Reticent (adj)
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quiet; reserved; reluctant to express thoughts and feelings
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Solicitous (adj)
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concerned and attentive; eager
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Sordid (adj)
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characterized by filth, grime, or squalor; foul
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Sporadic (adj)
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occurring only occasionally, or in scattered instances
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Squander (verb)
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to waste by spending or using irresponsibly
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Static (adj)
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not moving, active, or in motion; at rest
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Stupefy (verb)
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to stun, baffle, or amaze
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Stymie (Verb)
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to block; to thwart
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Synthesis (noun)
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the combination of parts to make a whole (verb form: synthesize)
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Torque (noun)
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a force that causes rotation
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Tortuous (adj)
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winding, twisting; excessively complicated
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Truculent (adj)
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fierce and cruel; eager to fight
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Veracity (noun)
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truthfulness, honesty
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Virulent (adj)
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extremely harmful or poisonous; bitterly hostile or antagonistic
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Voracious (adj)
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having an insatiable appetite for an activity or pursuit; ravenous
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Waver (verb)
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to move to and fro; to sway; to be unsettled in opinion
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Abate (verb)
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to lessen in intensity or degree
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Accolade (noun)
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an expression of praise
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Adulation (noun)
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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 or the beautiful
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Ameliorate (verb)
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to make better or more tolerable
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Ascetic (noun)
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one who practices rigid self-denial, especially as an act of religious devotion
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Avarice (noun)
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greed, especially for wealth (adj form: avaricious)
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Axiom (noun)
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a universally recognized principle (adj form: axiomatic)
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Burgeon (verb)
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to grow rapidly or flourish
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Bucolic (adj)
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rustic and pastoral; characteristic of rural areas and their inhabitants
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Cacophony (noun)
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harsh, jarring, discordant sound; dissonance (adj form: cacophonous)
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Canon (noun)
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an established set of principles or codes of laws, often religious in nature (adj form: canonical)
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Castigation (noun)
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severe criticism or punishment (verb form: castigate)
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Catalyst (noun)
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a substance that accelerates the rate of a chemical reaction without itself changing; 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; sparing
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Cogent (adj)
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appealing forcibly to the mind or reason; convincing
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Complaisance (noun)
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the willingness to comply with the wishes of others (adj form: complaisant)
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Contentious (adj)
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argumentative; quarrelsome; causing controversy or disagreement
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Contrite (adj)
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regretful; penitent; seeking forgiveness (noun form: contrition)
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Culpable (adj)
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deserving blame (noun form: culpability)
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Dearth (noun)
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smallness of quantity or number; scarcity; a lack
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Demur (verb)
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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 (noun)
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cautious reserve in speech; ability to make responsible decisions (adj form: discrete)
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Disinterested (adj)
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free of bias or self-interest; impartial
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Dogmatic (adj)
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expressing a rigid opinion based on unproved or improvable principles (noun form: dogma)
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Ebullience (noun)
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the quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings (adj form: ebullient)
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Eclectic (adj)
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composed or elements drawn from various sources
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Elegy (noun)
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a mournful poem, especially one lamenting the dead (adj form: elegiac)
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Emollient (adj/noun)
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soothing, especially to the skin; making less harsh; mollifying; an agent that softens or smoothes the skin
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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 (noun form: enigma)
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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 (noun)
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a speech honoring the dead (Verb form: eulogize)
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Exonerate (verb)
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to remove blame
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Facetious (adj)
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playful; humorous
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Fallacy (noun)
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an invalid or incorrect notion; a mistaken belief (adj form: fallacious)
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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 other people
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Harangue (verb/noun)
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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 accepting dogma or convention (noun form: heresy)
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Hyperbole (noun)
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an exaggerated statement, often used as a figure of speech (adj form: hyperbolic)
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Impecunious (adj)
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lacking funds; without money
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Incipient (adj)
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begining to come into being or to become apparent
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Inert (adj)
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unmoving; lethargic; sluggish
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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 (noun form: intransigence)
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Inveigle (verb)
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to obtain by deception or 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; not reflecting light
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Oscillation (noun)
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the act or state of swinging back and forth with a steady, uninterrupted rhythm (verb form: oscillate)
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Penurious (adj)
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penny-pinching; excessively thrifty; ungenerous
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Pernicious (adj)
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extremely harmful; potentially causing death
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Peruse (verb)
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to examine with great care (noun form: perusal)
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Pious (adj)
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extremely reverent or devout; showing strong religious devotion (noun form: piety)
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Precursor (noun)
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one that precedes and indicates or announces another
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Preen (verb)
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to dress up, to primp; to groom oneself with elaborate care
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Prodigious (adj)
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abundant in size, force, or extent; extraordinary
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Prolific (adj)
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producing large volumes or amounts; productive
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Putrefy (verb)
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to rot; to decay and give off a foul odor (adj form: putrid)
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Quaff (verb)
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to drink deeply
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Quiescence (noun)
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stillness; motionlessness; quality of being at rest (adj form: quiescent)
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Redoubtable (adj)
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awe-inspiring; worthy of honor
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Sanction (noun/verb)
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authoritative permission or approval; a penalty intended to enforce compliance; to give permission or authority to
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Satire (noun)
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a literary work that ridicules or criticizes a human vice through humor or derision (adj form: satirical)
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Squalid (adj)
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sordid; wretched and dirty as from neglect (noun form: squalor)
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Stoic (adj)
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indifferent to or unaffected by pleasure or pain; stead-fast (noun form: stoicism)
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Supplant (verb)
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to take the place of; to supersede
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Torpid (adj)
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lethargic; sluggish; dormant (noun form: torpor)
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Ubiquitous (adj)
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existing everywhere at the same time; constantly encountered; widespread
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Urbane (adj)
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sophisticated; refined; elegant (noun form: urbanity)
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Vilify (verb)
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to defame; to characterize harshly
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Viscous (adj)
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thick; sticky (noun form: viscosity)
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Acumen (noun)
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keen, accurate judgement or insight
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Adulterate (verb)
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to reduce purity by combining with inferior ingredients
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Amalgamate (verb)
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to combine several elements into a whole (noun form: amalgamation)
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Archaic (adj)
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outdated; associated with an earlier, perhaps more primitive, time
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Aver (verb)
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to state as a fact; to declare or assert
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Bolster (verb)
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to provide support or reinforcement
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Bombastic (adj)
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pompous; grandiloquent (noun form: bombast)
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Diatribe (noun)
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a harsh denunciation
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Dissemble (verb)
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to disguise or conceal; to mislead
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Eccentric (adj)
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departing from norms or conventions
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Endemic (adj)
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characteristic of or often found in a particular locality, region, or people
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Evanescent (adj)
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tending to disappear like vapor; vanishing
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Exacerbate (verb)
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to make worse or more severe
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Fervent (adj)
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greatly emotional or zealous (noun form: fervor)
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Fortuitous (adj)
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happening by accident or chance
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Germane (adj)
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relevant to the subject at hand; appropriate in subject matter
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Grandiloquence (noun)
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pompous speech or expression (adj form: grandiloquent)
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Hackneyed (adj)
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rendered trite or commonplace by frequent usage
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Halcyon (adj)
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calm and peaceful
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Hedonism (noun)
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devotion to pleasurable pursuits, especially to the pleasures of the sense (a hedonist is someone who pursues pleasure)
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Hegemony (noun)
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the consistent dominance of one state or ideology over others
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Iconoclast (noun)
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one who attacks or undermines traditional conventions or institutions
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Idolatrous (adj)
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given to intense or excessive devotion to something (noun form: idolatry)
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Impassive (adj)
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revealing no emotion
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Imperturbable (adj)
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marked by extreme calm, impassivity, and steadiness
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Implacable (adj)
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not capable of being appeased or significantly changed
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Impunity (noun)
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immunity from punishment or penalty
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Inchoate (adj)
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in an initial stage; not fully formed
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Infelicitous (adj)
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unfortunate; inappropriate
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Insipid (adj)
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without taste or flavor; lacking in spirit; bland
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Loquacious (adj)
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extremely talkative (noun form: loquacity)
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Luminous (adj)
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characterized by brightness and the emission of light
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Malevolent (adj)
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having or showing often visious ill will, spite, or hatred (noun form: malevolence)
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Malleable (adj)
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capable of being shaped or formed; tractable; pliable
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Mendacity (noun)
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the condition of being untruthful; dishonesty (adj form: mendacious)
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Meticulous (adj)
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characterized by extreme care and precision; attentive to detail
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Misanthrope (noun)
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one who hates all other humans (adj form: misanthropic)
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Mitigate (verb)
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to make or become less severe or intense; to moderate
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Obdurate (adj)
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unyielding; hardhearted; intractable
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Obsequious (adj)
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exhibiting a fawning attentiveness
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Occlude (verb)
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to obstruct or block
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Opprobrium (noun)
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disgrace; contempt; scorn
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Pedagogy (noun)
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the profession or principles of teaching, or instructing
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Pedantic (adj)
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overly concerned with the trivial details of learning or education; show-offish about one's knowledge
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Penury (noun)
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poverty; destitution
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Pervasive (adj)
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having the tendency to permeate or spread throughout
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Pine (verb)
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to yearn intensely; to languish; to lose vigor
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Pirate (verb)
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to illegally use or reproduce
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Pith (noun)
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the essential or central part
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Pithy (adj)
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precise and brief
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Placate (verb)
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to appease; to calm by making concessions
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Platitude (noun)
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a superficial remark, especially one offered as meaningful
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Plummet (verb)
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to plunge or drop straight down
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Polemical (adj)
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controversial; argumentative
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Prodigal (adj)
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recklessly wasteful; extravagant; profuse; lavish
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Profuse (adj)
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given or coming forth abundantly; extravagant
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Proliferate (Verb)
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to grow or increase swiftly and abundantly
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Queries (noun)
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questions; inquiries; doubts in the mind; reservations
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Querulous (adj)
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prone to complaining or grumbling; peevish
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Rancorous (adj)
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characterized by bitter, long-lasting resentment (noun form: rancor)
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Recalcitrant (adj)
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obstinately defiant of authority; difficult to manage
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Repudiate (Verb)
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to refuse to have anything to do with; to disown
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Rescind (verb)
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to invalidate; to repeal; to retract
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Reverent (adj)
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marked by, feeling, or expressing a feeling of profound awe and respect (noun form: reverence)
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Rhetoric (noun)
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the art or study of effective use of language for communication and persuasion
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Salubrious (adj)
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promoting health or well-being
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Solvent (adj)
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able to meet financial obligations; able to dissolve another substance
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Specious (adj)
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seeming true, but actually being fallacious; misleadingly attractive; plausible but false
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Spurious (adj)
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lacking authenticity or validity; false; counterfeit
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Subpeona (noun)
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a court order requiring appearance and/or testimony
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Succinct (adj)
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brief; concise
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Superfluous (adj)
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exceeding what is sufficient or necessary
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Surfeit (verb)
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an overabundant supply; excess; to feed or supply to excess
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Tenacity (noun)
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the quality of adherence or persistence to something valued; persistent determination (adj form: tenacious)
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Tenuous (Adj)
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having little substance or strength; flimsy; weak
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Tirade (noun)
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a long and extremely critical speech; a harsh denunciation
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Transient (adj)
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fleeting; passing quickly; brief
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Zealous (adj)
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fervernt; ardent; impassioned, devoted to a cause (a zealot is a zealous person)
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Acerbic (adj)
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having a sour or bitter taste or character; sharp; biting
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Aggrandize (verb)
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to increase in intensity, power, influence, or prestige
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Alchemy (noun)
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a medieval science aimed at the transmutation of metals, especially base metals into gold (an alchemist is one who practices alchemy)
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Amenable (adj)
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agreeable; responsive to suggestion
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Anachronism (noun)
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something or someone out of place in terms of historical or chronological context
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Astringent (adj)
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having a tightening effect on living tissue; harsh; severe; something with a tightening effect on tissue
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Contiguous (adj)
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sharing a border; touching; adjacent
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Convention (noun)
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a generally agreed-upon practice or attitude
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Credulous (adj)
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tending to believe too readily; gullible (noun form: credulity)
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Cynicism (noun)
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an attitude or quality of belief that all people are motivated by selfishness (adj form: cynical)
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Decorum (noun)
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polite or appropriate conduct or behavior (adj form: decorous)
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Derision (noun)
|
scorn, ridicule, contemptuous treatment (adj form: derisive; verb form: deride)
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Desiccate (verb)
|
to dry out or dehydrate; to make dry or dull
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Dilettante (noun)
|
one with an amateurish or superficial interest in the arts or a branch of knowledge
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Disparage (verb)
|
to slight or belittle
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Divulge (verb)
|
to disclose something secret
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Fawn (verb)
|
to flatter or praise excessively
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Flout (verb)
|
to show contempt for, as in a rule or convention
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Garrulous (adj)
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pointlessly talkative; talking too much
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Glib (adj)
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marked by ease or informality; nonchalant; lacking in depth; superficial
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Hubris (noun)
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overbearing presumption or pride; arrogance
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Imminent (adj)
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about to happen; impending
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Immutable (adj)
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not capable of change
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Impetuous (adj)
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hastily or rashly energetic; impulsive and vehement
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Indifferent (adj)
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having no interest or concern; showing no bias or prejudice
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Inimical (adj)
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damaging; harmful; injurious
|
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Intractable (adj)
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not easily managed or directed; stubborn; obstinate
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Intrepid (adj)
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steadfast and courageous
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Laconic (adj)
|
using few words; terse
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Maverick (noun)
|
an independent individual who does not go along with a group or party
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Mercurial (adj)
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characterized by rapid and unpredictable change in mood
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Mollify (verb)
|
to calm or soothe; to reduce in emotional intensity
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Neophyte (noun)
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a recent convert; a beginner; novice
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Obfuscate (verb)
|
to deliberately obscure; to make confusing
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Obstinate (adj)
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stubborn; hard-headed; uncompromising
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Ostentatious (adj)
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characterized by or given to pretentious display; showy
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Pervade (Verb)
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to permeate throughout (adj form: pervasive)
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Phlegmatic (adj)
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calm; sluggish; unemotional
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Plethora (noun)
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an overabundance; a surplus
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Pragmatic (adj)
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practical rather than idealistic
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Presumptuous (adj)
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overstepping due bounds (as of propriety or courtesy); taking liberties
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Pristine (adj)
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pure; uncorrupted; clean
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Probity (noun)
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adherence to highest principles; complete and confirmed integrity; uprightness
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Proclivity (noun)
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a natural predisposition or inclination
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Profligate (adj)
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excessively wasteful; recklessly extravagant (noun form: profligacy)
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Propensity (noun)
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a natural inclination or tendency; penchant
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Prosaic (adj)
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dull; lacking in spirit or imagination
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Pungent (adj)
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characterized by a strong, sharp smell or taste
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Quixotic (adj)
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foolishly impractical; marked by lofty romantic ideals
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Quotidian (adj)
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occurring or recurring daily; commonplace
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Rarefy (verb)
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to make or become thin, less dense; to refine
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Recondite (adj)
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hidden; concealed; difficult to understand; obscure
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Refulgent (adj)
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radiant; shiny; brilliant
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Renege (verb)
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to fail to honor a commitment; to go back on a promise
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Sedulous (adj)
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diligent; persistent; hard-working
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Shard (noun)
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a piece of broken pottery or glass
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Soporific (adj)
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causing drowsiness; tending to induce sleep
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Sparse (adj)
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thin; not dense; arranged at widely spaced intervals
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Spendthrift (noun)
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one who spends money wastefully
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Subtle (adj)
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not obvious; elusive; difficult to discern
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Tacit (adj)
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implied; not explicitly stated
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Terse (adj)
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brief and concise in wording
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Tout (verb)
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to publicly praise or promote
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Trenchant (adj)
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sharply perceptive; keen; penetrating
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Unfeigned (adj)
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genuine; not false or hypocritical
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Untenable (adj)
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indefensible; not viable; uninhabitable
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Vacillate (verb)
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to waver indecisively between one course of action or opinion and another
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Variegated (adj)
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multicolored; characterized by a variety of patches of different color
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Vexation (noun)
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annoyance; irritation (noun form: vex)
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Vigilant (adj)
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alertly watchful (noun form: vigilance)
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Vituperate (verb)
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to use harsh condemnatory language; to abuse or censure severely or abusively; to berate
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Volatile (adj)
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readily changing to a vapor; changeable; fickle; explosive (noun form: volatility)
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