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76 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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abate
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to lessen in intensity
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accolade
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expression of praise
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adulation
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intense adoration
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aesthetic
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dealing with art or the beautiful
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ameliorate
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to make better
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ascetic
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one who practices rigid self-denial
especially as act of religious devotion |
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avarice
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greed
especially for wealth |
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axiom
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universally recognized principle
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burgeon
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to grow rapidly
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bucolic
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rustic
characteristic of rural areas |
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cacophony
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harsh, discordant sound
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canon
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established set of principles
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castigation
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severe criticism
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catalyst
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person that causes change
substance that accelerates the rate of a chemical reaction without changing |
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caustic
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burning or stinging
causing corrosion |
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chary
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cautious
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cogent
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convincing
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complaisance
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willingness to comply with the wishes of others
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contentious
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causing controversy
argumentative |
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contrite
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seeking forgiveness
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culpable
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deserving blame
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dearth
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scarcity
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demur
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to question or oppose
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didactic
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intended to teach or instruct
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discretion
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cautious reserve in speech
ability to make responsible decisions |
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disinterested
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impartial
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dogmatic
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expressing rigid opinion based on unprovable principles
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ebullience
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quality of enthusiastic expression of thoughts
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eclectic
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composed of elements drawn from various sources
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elegy
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mournful poem
especially one lamenting the dead |
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emollient
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soothing to the skin
making less harsh |
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empirical
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based on observation or experiment
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enigmatic
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mysterious
difficult to understand |
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ephemeral
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brief
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esoteric
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intended for a small, specific group
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eulogy
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speech honoring the dead
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exonerate
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to remove blame
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facetious
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humorous
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fallacy
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mistaken belief
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furtive
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marked by stealth
covert |
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gregarious
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outgoing
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harangue
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to deliver a pompous speech
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heretical
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violating accepted dogma
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hyperbole
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exaggerated statement
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impecunious
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lacking funds
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incipient
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beginning to come into being
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inert
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sluggish
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innocuous
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harmless
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intransigent
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refusing to compromise
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inveigle
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to obtain by deception or flattery
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morose
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sad, sullen
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odious
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evoking intense dislike
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opaque
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impenetrable by light
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oscillation
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the act of swinging back and forth with a steady rhythm.
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penurious
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excessively thrifty
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pernicious
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extremely harmful
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peruse
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to examine with great care
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pious
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extremely devout
showing strong religious devotion |
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precursor
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one that precedes and announces another
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preen
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to primp
to groom with elaborate care |
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prodigious
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abundant in size or force
extraordinary |
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prolific
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productive
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putrefy
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to decay and give off a foul odor
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quaff
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to drink deeply
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quiescence
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stillness
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redoubtable
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awe-inspiring
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sanction
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a penalty intended to enforce compliance
authoritative permission or approval |
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satire
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literary work that ridicules or criticizes a human vice though humor
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squalid
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wretched and dirty as from neglect
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stoic
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indifferent to pleasure or pain
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supplant
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to take the place of
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torpid
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sluggish, dormant
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ubiquitous
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existing everywhere at the same time
widespread |
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urbane
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sophisticated, elegant
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vilify
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to defame
to characterize harshly |
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viscous
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thick, sticky
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