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130 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Converge (v)
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Roads converging at an intersection
-come together, approach an intersecting point, tend to meet |
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Convoluted (adj)
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twisted, convoluted logic
-intricate, highly complex, even devious, involved, coiled around |
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Craven (adj, n)
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too craven to fight
-cowardly, contemptibley timorous, spineless, pusillanimous |
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Daunt (v)
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Nothing can daunt the fearless four!
-intimidate, frighten, dishearten |
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Denigrate (v)
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denigrating someone's efforts
-blacken, belittle, defame, disparage |
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Desiccate (v)
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desiccated by the heat
-dry up, preserve by removing moisture, dehydrate |
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Desultory (adj)
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random, desultory remarks
-aimless, haphazard, unfocused, disappointing in performance |
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Diatribe (n)
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bitter, lengthy diatribes
-bitter, accusing criticisms, tirade, sharp verbal attack, harangue |
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Dichotomy (n)
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the dichotomy between theory and practice
-division, split, branching into two parts, duality |
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Diffidence (n)
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natural diffidence and reserve
-timidity, shyness, self-doubt, lack of self-confidence |
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Diffuse (adj)
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a diffuse mass of interstellar dust
-wordy, verbose, widely spread out, scattered |
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Dirge (n)
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a funeral dirge
-lament, funeral song or tune |
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Disabuse (v)
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disabused of false illusions
-correct a false impression, free someone from an erroneous belief, undeceive |
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Discrete (adj)
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discrete particles
-separate,unconnected, consisting of distinct parts, isolated |
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Chicanery (n)
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resorting to chicanery
-trickery to deceive someone, deception, fraud, evasion |
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Coagulate (v)
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blood coagulating
-thicken, congeal, clot |
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Coda (n)
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a fitting coda to a life
-concluding section of a musical or literary composition, something that rounds out, summarizes, concludes |
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Cogent (adj)
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cogent reasons
-convincing, well-argued, powerfully persuasive |
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Caustic (adj)
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burned by caustic chemicals
-able to burn, dissolve, or corrode by chemical action, bitingly sarcastic, stinging, harsh |
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Catalyst (n)
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a catalyst for change
-someone or thing that precipitates an action or change; substance that initiates or speeds up a chemical reaction without itself being affected |
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Castigation (n)
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severe public castigation
-verbal punishment, scolding, severe criticism, public censure |
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Commensurate (adj)
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salary commensurate with experience and qualifications
-corresponding in extent, degree, amount, etc., proportionate, adequate |
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Cacophonous (adj)
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as cacophonous as car alarms
-discordant, unpleasant-sounding, grating, strident |
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Burnish (v)
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burnishing a brass candlestick
-make shiny by rubbing; polish |
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Burgeon (v)
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burgeoning population
-develop rapidly, flourish, send out new buds |
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Compendium (n)
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a useful compendium of information
-comprehensive through brief summary of larger work, digest or abstract, inventory |
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Complaisant (adj)
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a complaisant Supreme Court
-obliging, eager to please, overly polite |
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Compliant (adj)
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compliant to their parents' wishes
-submissive, yielding, willing to obey, acquiescent Energy Star compliant dishwashers -conforming to requirements, meeting obligations |
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Confound (v)
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confounding the experts
-confuse, mix up, puzzle, baffle, thwart, refute |
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Connoisseur (n)
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a connoisseur of fine wines
-person competent to act as a judge of art, etc, person with discriminating taste |
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Contention (n)
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data supporting the contention
-claim or thesis, disagreement, debate, strife, conflict |
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Contrite (adj)
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contrite sinner
-penitent, remorseful,repentant, deeply sorry |
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Conundrum (n)
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a puzzling conundrum
-riddle, especially involving a pun, puzzle, difficult problem, dilemma |
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Disingenuous (adj)
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cynically disingenuous claim
-lacking candor, falsely pretending to be frank, insincere |
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Disinterested (adj)
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a disinterested observer
-unbiased, impartial, eutral, dispassionate |
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Disjointed (adj)
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disjointed ramblings
-disconnected, incoherent, disorganized, taken apart at the joints |
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Disparate (adj)
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seemingly disparate topics
-fundamentally different, wholly dissimilar, unrelated, unlike |
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Dissemble (verb)
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politicians dissembling about their records
-feign, hide behind a false appearance, conceal one's motives, dissimulate |
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Dissolution (n)
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dissolution of a marriage
-disintegration, dissolving into parts, termination, indulgence in sensual pleasures, debauchery |
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Dissonance (n)
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jarring dissonance
-discord, inharmonious sound, cacaophany, disagreement, incongruity |
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Distend (v)
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distends the stomach
-expand, swell up, inflate |
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Divest (v)
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divested of his clothing
-strip, deprive, free from, take away, cease to hold |
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Ebullience (n)
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bubbling over with ebullience
-exuberance, overflowing enthusiasm, high-spirits, a boiling over |
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Efficacy (n)
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the efficacy of the vaccine
-effectiveness, power to bring about a desired effect, usefulness |
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Effrontery (n)
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brazen effrontery
-impudence, shamless boldness, sheer nerve, impertinence, insolence |
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Elaboration (n)
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elaboration on a topic
-embellishment, amplification, refinement, addition of details, intricacy |
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Elegy (n)
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a funeral elegy
-mournful poem, lament for the dead, melancholy musical composition |
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Elicit (v)
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eliciting a response
-draw forth, prompt, succeed in obtaining from someone |
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Empirical (adj)
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empirical data
-based on experience, verifiable by experiment or observation, firsthand, pragmatic |
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Encomium (n)
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showering encomiums on the victor
-eulogy, high praise, formal tribute, panegyric |
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Endemic (adj)
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enemic to the tropics
-native, indigenous, prevalent in a particular region or among a particular group |
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Enervate (v)
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shoveling snow enervated him
-weaken, debilitate, reder feeble, drain |
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Engender (v)
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name-calling engenders hatred
-cause, produce, stir up, prompt, create, breed |
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Equanimity (n)
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bearing troubles with equanimity
-composure, equilibrium, calmness of temperament, self-possession |
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Equivocate (v)
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equivocating like a politician
-lie, prevaricate, speak misleadingly, hedge |
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Erudition (n)
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vast erudition
-deep scholarly knowledge, scholarship, learning |
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Eulogize (v)
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eulogizing the dear departed
-praise highly, extol, panegyrize, give or write a laudatory speech |
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Euphemism (n)
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euphemisms for torture
-mild expression used in place of an unpleasant one, act of subsituting an inoffensive term |
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Exculpate (v)
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evidence exulpating the defendant
-clear from blame, exonerate, vindicate, acquit |
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Exigent (adj)
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exigent demands
-urgent, pressing, exacting, taxing, requiring |
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Extrapolation (n)
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making an unwarranted extrapolation
-inference based on known facts, conjecture, estimate, projection |
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Facetious (adj)
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smart alecks making facetious remarks
-humorous, joking, not seriously intended, flippant |
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Fallacy (n)
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logical fallacy
-mistaken idea based on flawed reasoning, invalid argument, erroneousness |
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Fatuous (adj)
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fatuous fathead
-brainless, inane, smugly foolish, asinine |
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Fawning (adj)
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fawning flatterer
-obsequious, servile, sycophantic, bootlicking, toadying |
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Felicitous (adj)
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a felicitous comparison
-appropriate, apt, well-chosen, fortunate |
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Flag (v)
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flagging from exhaustion
-lose vigor, fade, wane, droop, grow feeble |
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Fledgling (adj)
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a fledgling enterprise
-young, inexperienced, new, untried |
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Florid (adj)
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florid rhetoric
-over ornate, flowery, grandiloquent, ruddy, reddish |
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Flout (v)
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flouting the rules
-reject mockingly, show contempt for, scoff at, disregard scornfully |
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Foment (v)
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fomenting discord
-stir up, instigate, stimulate, provoke |
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Forestall (v)
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forestalling forelosures
-prevent by taking action in advance, hinder, preclude, avert |
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Frenetic
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frenetic pace of urban life
-frenzied, frantic, hectic, wildly agitated, uncontrolled |
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Gainsay(v)
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no gainsaying the fact
-contradict, take exception to, dispute, deny, oppose |
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Garrulity (n)
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babbling garrulity
-talkativeness, loquacity, volubility |
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Grandiloquent (adj)
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a puffed up, grandiloquent orator
-lofty in style, using inflated language, pompous, bombastic |
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Harangue (n)
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a harangue against corporate greed
-intense verbal attack, passionate vehement speech, diatribe, tirade |
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Heterodox (adj)
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wildly heterodox notions
-unorthodox, unconventional, dissident, disagreeing with accepted beliefs |
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Homogeneity (n)
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cultural homogeneity
-uniformity of structure or composition, formation out of similar elements |
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Hyperbolic (adj)
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hyperbolic advertising claims
-excessively exaggerated, overstated, inflated beyond reason |
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Iconoclastic (adj)
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radically iconoclastic
-attacking cherished traditions, nonconformist, rebellious, dissident |
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Idiosyncrasy (n)
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weird idiosyncrasy
-individual traits, usually odd in nature, eccentricity, quirk, foible |
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Idolatrous (adj)
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idolatrous worshippers
-blindly devoted, excessively adoring, idol-worshipping, idolizing |
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Idyllic (adj)
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an idyllic island honeymoon
-charmingly carefree and simple, unspoiled, serene, pastoral |
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Illusory (adj)
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an attractive but illusory promise
-deceptive, false, misleading, unreal |
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Impassive (adj)
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poker-faced and impassive
-without feeling, imperturbable, stoical, phlegmatic, expressionless |
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Imperiousness (n)
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haughty imperiousness
-overbearing manner, domineering attitude, arrogance, lordliness |
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Impermeable
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impermeable raingear
-impervious, not permitting passage through its substance, waterproof |
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Imperturbable (adj)
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cool and imperturbable
-unflappable, unflustered, composed, calm |
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Impervious (adj)
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impervious to fear
-impenetrable, incapable of being damaged or distressed, invulnerable, incapable of being affected |
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Implacable (adj)
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an implacable foe
-unable to be appeased, inexorable, unbending merciless relentless |
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Implicit (adj)
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an implicit agreement
-understood, but not directly stated, implied, unquestioning |
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Impregnable
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an impregnable fortress
-invulnerabe, invincible, difficult to refute, incapable of conceiving |
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Inchoate (adj)
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a vague, inchoate feeling
-not fully formed, incipient, rudimentary, undeveloped, lacking order |
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Inconsequential (adj)
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minor, inconsequential details
-insignificant, unimportant, trivial, illogical |
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Indeterminate (adj)
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facing an indeterminate future
-uncertain, not clearly fixed, undefined, unsettled, vague |
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Indigent (adj)
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not just broke but indigent
-extremely poor, penurious, destitute, impecunious |
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Inert (adj)
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an inert object
-inactive, motionless, immobile, incapable of reacting chemically |
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Ingenuous (adj)
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young and ingenuous
-naive and trusting, artless, unsophisticated, innocent |
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Innocuousness (n)
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relative innocuousness of jaywalking
harmlessness, inoffensiveness, insipidity, innocence |
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Insensible (adj)
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insensible to pain
-incapable of feeling, unresponisve, emotionless, unfeeling, unaware |
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Insularity (n)
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insularity and isolation
-narrowmindedness, provinciality, parochialism, isolation |
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Intractable (adj)
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intractable as a mule
-stubborn, unyielding, obstinate, obdurate, unruly, pigheaded |
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Intransigence (n)
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stubborn intransigence
-stubbornness, refusal of any compromise, obstinacy, obduracy, extreme firmness |
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Inundate (v)
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inundated with work
-overwhelm, floor, submerge, deluge, swamp |
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Inured (adj)
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inured to pain
-accustomed, hardened, toughened, habituated |
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Invective (n)
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hurling invective
-abuse, verbal attack, vituperation, violent censure |
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Irresolute (adj)
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irresolute dithering
-uncertain how to act, unsure, weak, indecisive, vacillating |
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Irascible (adj)
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hot-tempered and irascible
-irritable, touchy, testy, quick-tempered |
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Lachrymose (adj)
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weepy and lachrymose
-tearful, weeping, sorrowful, melancholy, dolorous |
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Lassitude (n)
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drowsy lassitude
-languor, weariness, lack of energy |
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Latent (adj)
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latent talent
-potential but undeveloped, dormant, hidden |
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Loquacious (adj)
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loquacious taxi driver
-talkative, volube, garrulous, gabby, long-winded |
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lumber (v)
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lumbering like a bear
-move heavily, shamble, plod |
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Luminous (adj)
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luminous neon lights
-shining, issuing light, glowing, gleaming |
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Magnanimity (n)
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benevolent magnanimity
-generosity, greatness of spirit, nobility, high-mindedness |
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Malinger (v)
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lazybones malingering
-shirk, feign illness to evade work |
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Malleable (adj)
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as malleable as soft goal
-capable of being shaped by pounding, soft and pliable, impressionable |
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Maverick (n)
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a maverick breaking away from the herd
-rebel,nonconformist, eccentric, |
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Mendacious (adj)
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mendacious as a used car salesman
-untruthful, lying, habitually dishonest, deceitful |
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Mercurial (adj)
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mercurial mood swings
-capricious, unpredictable, inconstant, fickle, volatile, lively |
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Metamorphosis (n)
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Anakin's metamorphosis into Darth Vader
-change of form, transformation, total alteration |
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Misanthrope (n)
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a distrustful misanthrope
-one who hates or distrusts people |
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Morose (adj)
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morose and depressed
-melancholy, dejected, gloomy, sullen |
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Onerous (adj)
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an onerous burden
-burdensome, heavy, oppressive |
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Neophyte (n)
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an inexperienced neophyte
-novice, tyro, beginner, tenderfoot |
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Obduracy (n)
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pigheaded obduracy
-stubborness, obstinacy, inflexibility, intransigence |
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Obsequious (adj)
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obsequious booklickers
-servile, sycophantic, fawning, slavishly attentive |
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Obviate (v)
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obviating a need
-prevent (problems), preclude, make unnecessary |
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Occlude (v)
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occluding an artery
-shut, close, clog, obstruct, block |
