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55 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Taciturnity
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The quality of being uncommunicative
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Aberrant
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Deviating from what is expected
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banality
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lacking of freshness
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Polish
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Refinement and culture
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Precipitate (adjective)
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Do something quickly; deliberatly with speed (Hastly or impetuous)
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chary
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hesitant or reluctant to proceed
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redoubtable
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imposing, to be able to make an impression, etc.
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scad
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a great number of something; scads of money! (the opposite being a 'dearth'; an inadequate amount)
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dearth
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an inadequate supply
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censure
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to speak out against; to criticize
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dissolution
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the breaking up of an assembly or organizaiton
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enervate
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to destroy one's energy or strength, to weaken
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parsimonious
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frugal or stingy; cheap
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Hedge (Verb)
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to protect with qualifications that allow for unstated contingencies or for withdrawal from commitment. He felt that he was speaking too boldy, so he hedged his remarks to allow for no contesting.
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Sage
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A profoundly wise person
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Admonition
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cautionary advice or warning, to caution
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cogent
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to the point; persuasive. makes a good argument.
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fickle
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likely to change, alter one's self or change opinions and beliefs. "As soon as romeo say juliet, he forgot about his crush on Rosaline. Was romeo fickle?"
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credit
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to give credit, praise, to commend, etc.
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Stilted
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incredibly formal or dignified
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Quixotic
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Unpredictable, impractical, impulsive (also chivalrous)
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sobriety
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temperance in moderation. To be very calm, nonchalant and not too excitable
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hallow
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to refer to as holy, to glorify; the opposite of desecrate
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abate
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v. subsidie or moderate. "rather than leaving the house immediately, they waited for the storm to abate"
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abeyance
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noun; suspended action "the deal was held in abeyance until her arrival"
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abscond
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verb; depart secretly and hide. The teller who absconded who the bonds went uncaptured"
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abstemious
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adjective; sparing in eating and drinking; temperate. Concerned with her vegetarian son's abstemious diet provided him with sufficient protein, the worried mother pressed more food on him
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admonish
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verb; Warn or scold, or remind in a harsh way. When her courtiers questioned her religious beliefs, Mary Stuard admonished them, declaring that she would worship as she pleased.
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alacrity
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noun; cheerful promptness; eagerness. Phil and Dave were raring to get off the mountains; they packed up their ski gear and climbed into the van with alacrity
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amalgamate
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verb. combine; unite in one body. The unions will attempt to amalgamate their groups into one national body
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ambivalence
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noun; the state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes. "Torn between her loving parents one minute and hating them the next ,she was confused by the ambivalence of her feelings."
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ameliorate
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verb. improve. many social workers have attempted to ameliorate conditions of people living in the slums.
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anachronism
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noun; something or someone misplaced in time. Shakespeare's reference to clocks in Julius Caesar is an anachronism; no clocks existed in Caesar's time.
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analogous
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adjective; comparable. she called our attention to the things that had been done an an analogous situation and recommended that we do the same.
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anomalous
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adjective; irregular or not normal. she was placed in the anomalous position of seeming to approve procedures that she despised
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antipathy
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noun; aversion; dislike. Tom's extreme antipathy for disputes keeps him from getting into arguments with his temperamental wife.
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appease
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verb; pacify or soothe; relieve. Tom and Jody tried to appease the crying baby by offering him one toy after another.
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appropriate
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verb; acquire; take possession of for one's own use. The ranch owners approrpirated the lands that had originally been set aside for Native American's use.
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apprise
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verb; inform. When NASA was apprised of the dangerous weather conditions, the head of the space program decided to postpone the shuttle launch.
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approbation
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noun; approval. Wanting her parents' regard, she looked for some sign of their approbation.
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artless
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adjective; without guile; open and honest and without feigned sincerity. Red Riding Hood's artless comment was that "Grandma, what big eyes you have"
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ascetic
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; adjective. practicing self-denial or a person who is rich who does not indulge and lives a simply, quant life for possibly religious purposes. The wealthy, self-indulgent young man felt oddly drawn to the strict, ascetic life led by members of some monastic orders.
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assiduous
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adjective; diligent. It took Tom weeks of assiduous labor before he was satisfied with the portrait of his son
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assuage
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verb; ease or lessen (pain) or satisfy (hunger); sooth (anger) Tom tried to assuage his heartache by indulging in ice cream.
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attenuate
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verb; make thinner. weaken or lesson (in density, force, degree). The long, dry spell attenuated the creek to the merest trickle.
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audacious
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adjective; daring and bold. Audiences cheered as Luke Skywalker made his audacious, death-defying act
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austere
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Adjective; forbiddingly stern; severely simply and not decorated at all. The headmaster's austere demeanor tended to scare off the more timid students.
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aver
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verb. assert confidently or declare; as used in law in state, incredibly matter-of-fact. The self-proclaimed psychic averred that, because he had extrasensory perception on which to base his predictions, he needed no seismographs or other gadgets.
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belie
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contradict, give a false impression "his coarse, hard bitten exterior belied his innate sensitivity"
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beneficent
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adjective. kindly; doing good. "the overgenerous philanthropists had to curb his beneficient impulses before he gave away all his money and left himself with nothing"
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bombastic
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adjective. pompous; using inflated language. "puffed up with conceit, the orator spoke in such a bombastic manner that we longed to deflate him"
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boorish
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adjective; rude or insensitive. "though Mr. Potts constantly interrupted his wife, she ignored his boorish behavior, for she had lost hope of teaching him courtesy"
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burgeon
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verb; grow forth; soend out buds. In the spring, the plants that burgeon are a promise of the beauty that is to come"
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burnish
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verb; make shiny by rubbing, polish. "The maid burnished the brass fixtures until they reflected the lamplight"
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buttress
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verb; support, prop up. "just as architects buttress teh walls of cathedrals with flying buttresses, debaters buttress their arguments with facts"
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