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143 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
aberrant
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adj.
deviating from normal or correct. |
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abscond
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v.
to leave secretly and hide, often to avoid the law. |
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advocate
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v., n.
to speak, plead, or argue for a cause, or in another’s behalf. (n) -- one who advocates. |
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alacrity
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n. eager and enthusiastic willingness
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approbation
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n an expression of approval or praise
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austere
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adj, without adornment; bare; severely simple
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Ascetic
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n. One who practices rigid self denial esp. religious devotion.
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axiomatic
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adj.
taken as a given, possessing self evident truth |
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canonical
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adj
following or in agreement with accepted, traditional standards |
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capricious
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adj, inclined to change one's mind impulsively, erratic, unpredictable.
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chicanery
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n. trickery or subterfuge
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disabuse
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v. to undeceive; to set right.
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discordant
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adj. conflicting, dissonant or harsh sound
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effrontery
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n. extreme boldness, presumptuousness
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enervate
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v. to weaken, to reduce in vitality
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ennui
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n. dissatisfaction and restlessness resulting from boredom or apathy.
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equivocate
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v. to use ambiguous language with a deceptive intent.
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erudite
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adj. very learned, scholarly
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exculpate
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v. exonerate; to clear of blame;
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exigent
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adj, urgent, pressing; requiring immediate action or attention
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extemporaneous
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adj. improvised, done without preparation
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filibuster
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n. intentional obstruction esp using prolonged speechmaking to delay legislative action
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fluminate
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v. to loudly attack or denounce
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ingenuous
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adj. artless, frank and candid, lacking in sophistication
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inured
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adj accustomed to accepting something undesirable
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irascible
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adj easily angered, prone to temperamental outbursts
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magnanimity
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n. quality of being generously noble in mind and heart, esp forgiving
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nascent
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adj. coming into being in early developmental stages
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nebulous
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adj. vague, cloudy, lacking clearly defined form.
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neologism
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n. a new word, expression or usage; the creation or use of new words or senses
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obtuse
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adj, lacking sharpness of intellect; not clear or precise in thought or expression.
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obviate
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v. to anticipate and make unnecessary.
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paean
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n. a song or hymn of praise and thanksgiving
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perfidy
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n. intentional breach of faith, treacherous (perfidious)
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perspicacious
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adj. acutely perceptive, having keen discernment (n. perspicacity)
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precipitate
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adj. acting with excessive haste or impulse
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prescience
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n. foreknowledge of events; knowing of events prior to their occurring (prescient)
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prevaricate
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v. to deliberately avoid the truth; to mislead
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solicitous
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adj. concerned and attentive; eager
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tortuous
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adj. winding, twisting, excessively complicated
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truculent
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adj fierce and cruel; eager to fight
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veracity
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n. truthfulness and honesty
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avarice
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n. greed, esp for wealth (avaricious)
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bucolic
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adj. rustic and pastoral; characteristic of rural areas and inhabitants
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cacophony
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n. harsh, jarring, discordant sound.
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castigation
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n. sever criticism or punishment (v. castigate)
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chary
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adj wary; cautious; sparing
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cogent
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adj. appealing forcibly to the mind or reason; convincing
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dearth
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n. smallness of quantity or numbers, scarcity; a lack
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demur
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v. question or oppose
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dogmatic
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adj; expressing rigid opinion based on unproved or unprovable principles
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ebullience
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n. quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts or feelings
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elegy
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n. a mournful peom, esp one lamenting the dead
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emollient
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adj/n soothing, esp to the skin, making less harsh, mollifying, an agent that softens or smoothes the skin.
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furtive
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adj; marked by stealth, covert, surreptitious.
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impecunious
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adj. lacking funds; without money
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incipient
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adj. beginning to come into being or to become apparent
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intransigent
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adj. refusing to compromise
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inveigle
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v. to obtain by deception or flattery
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penurious
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adj.penny pinching, excessively thrifty, ungenerous
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pernicious
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adj. extremely harmful; potentially causing death.
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prodigious
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adj. abundant in size, force or extent; extraordinary
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quaff
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v. to drink deeply
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redoubtable
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adj awe inspiring, worthy of honor
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quiescence
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n. stillness, motionlessness, quality of being at rest
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torpid
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adj. lethargic, sluggish, dormant
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urbane
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adj. sophisticated, refined, elegant
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acumen
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n. keen, accurate judgment or insight.
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adulterate
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v. to reduce purity by combining with inferior ingredients.
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amalgamate
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v. to combine several elements into a whole.
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aver
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v. to state as fact; to declare or assert
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bombastic
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adj. pompous speech
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diatribe
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n. a harsh denunciation
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dissemble
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v. to disguise or mislead
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evanescent
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adj. tending to disappear like vapor, vanishing
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grandiloquence
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n. pompous speech or expression
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hackneyed
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adj. rendered trite or commonplace by frequent usage
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halcyon
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adj. calm and peaceful
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hegemony
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n. the consistent dominance of one state or ideology over others
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iconoclast
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n. one who attacks or undermines traditional conventions or institutions.
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idolatrous
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adj. given to intense or excessive devotion to something (n. idolatry)
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impassive
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adj. revealing no emotion
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imperturbable
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adj. marked by extreme calm; impassivity and steadiness
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implacable
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adj. not capable of being appeased or significantly changed.
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impunity
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n. immunity from punishment or penalty
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inchoate
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adj. in an initial stage, not fully formed.
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infelicitious
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adj. unfortunate, inappropriate
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insipid
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adj. without taste or flavor, lacking in spirit, bland.
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loquacious
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adj. extremely talkative
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mendacity
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n. the condition of being untruthful, dishonesty
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misanthrope
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n. one who hates all other humans
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obdurate
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adj. unyielding, hardhearted, intractable
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obsequious
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adj. exhibiting a fawning attentiveness
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opprobrium
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n. disgrace, contempt, scorn
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pedagogy
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n. profession or principles of teaching or instruction
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pedantic
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adj. overly concerned with the trivial details of learning or educations Show offish of one's knowledge.
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penury
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n. poverty, destitution
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pith
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noun. the essential or central part
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pithy
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adj. precise and brief.
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polemical
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adj. controversial; argumentative
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prodigal
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adj. recklessly wasteful, extravagant; profuse; lavish
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proliferate
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v. to grow or increase swiftly and abundantly
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querulous
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adj. prone to complaining or grumbling, peevish
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rancorous
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adj. characterized by bitter, long lasting resentment
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recalcitrant
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adj. obstinately defiant of authority, difficult to manage.
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repudiate
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v. to refuse to have anything to do with, disown.
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salubrious
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adj. promoting health or well being
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specious
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adj. seeming true, but actually being fallacious; misleadingly attractive; plausible but false
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spurious
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adj. lacking authenticity or validity; false; counterfeit.
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surfeit
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n/v. an overabundant supply; excess; to feed or supply to excess.
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aggrandize
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v. to increase in intensity, power, influence or prestige
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acerbic
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adj. having a sour or bitter taste or character, sharp, biting
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alchemy
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n. medieval science aimed at the transmutation of metals esp. base metals into gold
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astringent
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adj/n. having a tightening effect on living tissue, harsh, severe,
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credulous
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adj. tending to believe too readily; gullible
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dilettante
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n. one with an amateurish or superficial interest in the arts or a branch of knowledge.
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garrulous
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adj. pointlessly talkative, talking too much
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glib
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adj. marked by ease or informality; nonchalant; lacking in depth; superficial
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hubris
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n. overbearing presumption or pride, arrogance
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immutable
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adj. incapable of change
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impetuous
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adj. hastily or rashly energetic; impulsive and vehement
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inimical
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adj. damaging; harmful; injurious
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intrepid
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adj steadfast and courageous.
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intractable
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adj. not easily managed or directed; stubborn; obstinate
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laconic
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adj. using few words; terse
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mercurial
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adj. characterized by rapid and unpredictable change in mood
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neophyte
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n. a recent convert; a beginner; a novice.
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phlegmatic
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adj. calm; sluggish; unemotional
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probity
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n. adherence to highest principles; complete and confirmed integrity; uprightness
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profligate
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adj. excessively wasteful; recklessly extravagant;
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prosaic
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adj; dull, lacking in spirit or imagination
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quixotic
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adj. foolishly impractical; marked by lofty romantic ideals.
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quotidian
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adj. occurring or recurring daily; commonplace
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rarefy
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v. to make or become thin, less dense, to refine
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recondite
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adj. hidden; concealed; difficult to understand; obscure
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refulgent
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adj. radiant; shiny; brilliant
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sedulous
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adj. diligent; persistent; hardworking
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soporific
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adj. causing drowsiness; tending to induce sleep.
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tacit
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adj. implied; not explicitly stated
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trenchant
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adj; sharply perceptive; keen; penetrating.
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untenable
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adj. indefensible; not viable; uninhabitable
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vacillate
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v. to waver indecisively between one course of action or opinion and another.
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vituperate
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v. to use harsh, condemnatory language; to abuse or censure severely or abusively; berate.
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