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112 Cards in this Set
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agnostic
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one who is sketpical of the existence of a god or any ultimate reality. Agnostics say we can neither prove nor disprove the existence of God; we simply have no way to know
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agitate
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stir up; disturb. her fiery remarks agitated the already angry mob
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agility
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nimbleness; The agility of the acrobat amazed and thrilled the audience
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aghast
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horrified; dumbfounded. Miss Manners was aghoast at the crude behavior of the fraternity brothers at the annual toga party
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aggressor
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attacker. Before you punish both boys for fighting, see whether you can determine which one was the aggressor
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aggregate
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gather; accumulate. Before the Wall Street scandals, dealers in so called junk bonds managed to aggregate great wealth in short periods of time. adj aggretation N
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aggrandize
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increase or intensify; raise in power, wealth rank or honor. The history of the past quarter century illustrates how a President may aggrandize his power to act aggressively in international affairs wihtout considering the wises of Congress
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agglomeration
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collection; heap. It took weeks to assort the agglomeration of miscellaneous items she had collected on her trip
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agenda
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items of business at a meeting
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agape
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openmouthed. She stared, agape, at the many strange animals in the zoo
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affront
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insult; offense; intentional act of disrespect. When Mrs. Poudlie was not seated beside te Archdeacon at the head table, she took it as a personal affront and refused to speak to her hosts for a week
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affluence
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abundance; wealth. Foreigners are amazed y the affluence and luxuery of the American way of life
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affliction
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state of distress; cause of suffering. Even in the midst of her affliction, Elizabeht tried to keep up the spirits of those around her
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afflix
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attach or add on; fasten. First the registrar had to affix his signature to the liecense; then he had to affix his official seat
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affirmation
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positive assertion; confirmation; solemn pledge by one who refuses to take an oath. Despite Tom's affirmations of innocence, Aunt Polly still suspected he had eaten the pie
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affiliation
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joining; associating with. His affiliation with the political party was of short duration for he soon disagreed with his colleagues.
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affidavit
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written statement made under oath. The court refused to accept her statement unless she presented it in the form of an affidavit
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affected
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artificia; pretended; assumed in order to impress. His affected mannerism-his 'harvard ' accents his air of bordom, his use of obsecure foreign words bugged us; he acted as if he thought he was too good for his old high school friends. affectation N
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affable
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easily approchable; warmly friendly. Accustomed to cold, aloof supervisors, Nicky was amazed at how affable his new employer was. affability N
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aesthetic
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artistic; dealing with or capable of appreciating the beautiful. The beatuy of Tiffany's stained glass apppealed to Alice's aesthetic sense. aesthete N
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aegis
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nest of large bird of prey (eagle, hawk) the mother eagle swooped down on the rabbit and bore it off to her aere high in the Rocky mountains
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eagis
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shield; defense. Under the aegis of the Bill of Rights, we enjoy our most treasured freedoms
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advocate
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urge; plead for. The abolitionsists advocated freedom for the slaves.
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advocacy
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support; active pleading on behalf of someone or something. No threats could dissuade BIshop Desmond Tutu from his advocacy of the human rights of black south africans
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advert
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refer (to). Since you advert to this matter so frequently, you must regard it as important
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adversity
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poverty; misfortune. We must larn to meet adversity gracefully
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adverse
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unfavorable; hostile. The recession had a highly adverse effect on Father's investment portfolio he lost so much money that he could no longer afford the butler and the upstairs maid
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adversary
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opponent; enmy. Batman struggled to save Gotham City from the machinations of his wicked adversary, the Joker
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adventitious
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accidental;coincident, casual. She found this adventitious meeting with her friend extremely fortunate
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advent
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arrival. Most Americans were unaware of the advent of the NUclear Age until the news of HIroshima reached them
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adulterate
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make impure by adding inferior or tainted substances. It is a crime to adulterate foods without informing the buyer
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adulation
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flattery; admiration. The rock star thrived on the adulation of his groupies and yes man. adulate v
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adroit
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skillfu;. Her adoit handling of the delicate situation pleased her employers
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adorn
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decorate; wall paintings and carved statues adorned the temple. adornment N
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admonish
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warn; reprove. When her courtiers questioned her religious beliefs, Mary Stuart admonished them, declaring that she would worship as she pleased
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adjutant
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staff officer assisting the commander; assistant. Though Wellington delegated many tasks to his chief adjutant, Lord Fitzroy Somerset, Somerset was in no doubt as to who made all major decisions
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adjunct
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something (generally nonessential or inferior) added on or attached. Although i don't absolutely need a second computer, I plan to buy a laptop to serve as an adjunct to my desktop model
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adjacent
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adjoining; neighboring; close by. Philip's best friend Jason lived only four horuses down the block, near but not immediately adjacent
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adherent
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supporter; follower. In the wake of the scandal, the senator's one time adherents quietly deserted him
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adhere
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stick fast. I will adhere to this opinion until proof that I am wrong is presented. adhesion n. adherence N
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adept
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expert at. She was adept at the fine art of irritating people
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address
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direct a speech to; deal with or discuss. Due to address the convetion in July, Brown planned to address the issue of low-income housing in his speech
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addle
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muddle; drive crazy; become rotten. This idiotic plan is conusinng enough to addle anone. addled adj
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addiction
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compulsive, habitual need. His addiction to drugs caused his friends much grief
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addendum
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addition; appendix to book. Hane's editior approved her new comparative literature text but thought it would be even better with an addendum on recent developments in literary criticism
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adapt
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alter; modify. Some species of animals have become extinct because they could not adapt to a changing environment
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adament
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hard; inflexxible. In this movie Bronson played the part of a revenge driven man, adamant in his determination to punish the criminals who destroyed his family
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adage
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wise saying; proverb. There is much truth in teh old adage about fools and their money
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acute
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quickly perceptive; keen; brief and sever. The acute young doctor realized immeidatley that theg radual deterioration of her patient's once acute hearing was due to a crhonic illness. not an acute one
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acumen
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mental keenness. Her busines acumen helped her to succeed where others had failed
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acuity
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sharpness. In time his youhful acuity of vision failed him, and he needed glasses
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actuate
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motivate. I fail to understand what actuated you to reply to this letter so nastily
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actuarial
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calculating, pertaining to insurance statistics. According to recent actuarial tables, life expectancy is greater today than it was a century ago
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acrophobia
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fear of heights. A born salesman, he could convince someone with a bad case of acrophobia to sign up for a life membership in a sky-diving club
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acrimonious
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bitter in words or manner. The cadidate attacked his opponent in highly acrimonious terms. acrimony N
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acrid
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sharp; bitterly; pungent. The acrid odor of burnt gunpowder filled the room after the pistol had been fired
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acquittal
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deliverance from a charge. His acquittal by the jury surprised those who had thought him guilty. acquit v
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acquiesce
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assent; agree passively. Although she appeared to acquiesce to her employer's suggestion, I could tell she had reserations about the changes he wanted made. acquiescnece N acquiescent adj
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acoustics
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science of sound; quality that makes a room easy or hard to hear in. Carnegie Hall is liked by music lovers because of its fine acoustics
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acme
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peak; pinnacle; highest point. Welles's success in Citizen Kane marked the acme of his career as an actor; never again did he achive such popular acclaim
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acknowledge
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recognize; admit.
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acidulous
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slightly sour. sharp; caustic. James was unpopular because of his sarcastic and acidulous remarks
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acetic
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vinegary. The salad had an exceedingly acetic flavor
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accrue
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come about by addition. you must pay the interest that has accrued on your debt as well as the principal sum. accrual N
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accretion
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growth; increase. Over the years Bob put on weight; because of this accretion of flesh, he went from size M to size XL. accrete v
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accoutre
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equip. The fisherman was accoutred with the best that the sporting goods store could supply. accoutrement n
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accost
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approach and speak first to a person. When the two young men accosted me, I was frightened because I thought they were going to attack me
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accord
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agreement. she was in complete accord with the verdict
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accomplice
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partner in crime. Because he had provided the criminal with the lethal weapon, he was arrested as an accomplice in the murder
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accommodate
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oblige or help someone; adjust or bring into harmony; adapt
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acclivity
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sharp upslope of a hill. The car could not go up the acclivityin high gear
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acclimate
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adjust to climate or environment.;adapt.. One of the difficulties of our present air age is the need of travelers to acclimate themselves to their new and often strange enviornments
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acclaim
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applaud; announce with great approval. The sportscasters acclaimed every American victory in the Olympics and decried every American defea. acclamation. n
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accessory
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additional object; useful but not essential thing. Seh bought an attractive handbag as an accessory for her dress.
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accessible
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easy to approach; obtainable
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accelerate
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move faster
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accede
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agree. If I accede to this demand for black mail, I am afraid that I will be the victim of future demands
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academic
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related to a schoo; not practical or irectly useful. The dean's talk about reforming academic polices was only an academic discussion; we knew little, if naything would change
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abyss
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enormous chasm; vast, bottomless pit. Darth vader seized the vil emperor and hurled him into the abyss
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abysmal
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bottomless. His arrogance is exceeded only by his abysmal ignorance
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abut
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border upon; adjoin. Where our estates abut, we must build a fence
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abusive
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coarsely insulting; physically harmful
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abstruse
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obscure; profound; difficult to understand. Baffled by the abstruse philosophical texts assigned in class, Dave asked Lexy to explain Kant's Critique of Pure Reasons
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abstract
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theoretica;; not conrete; nonrepresentational. To him, hunger was an abstract concept; he had never missed a meal
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abstinence
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restraint from eating or drinking. The doctor recommended total abstinence from salted foods. abstain.v
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abstemious
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sparing in eating and drinking; temperate. Concerned whether her vegetarian son's abstemious diet provided him with sufficient protein, the worried mother pressed food on him
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abstain
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refrain; withhold from participation. After considering the effect of alcohol on his athletci performance, he decided to abstain from drinkning while he trained for the race
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absolve
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pardon (an offense). The father confessor absolved him of his sins. absolution N
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absolute
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complete; totally unlimted; certain. Although the King o Siam was an absolute monarch, he did not want to behead his unfaithful wife without absolute evidence of her infidelity
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abscond
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depart secretly and hide. The teller who absconded with the bonds went uncaptured until someone recognized him from his photograph on America's most wanted
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abscission
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removal by cutting of, as in surgery; separation. Gas gangrene spreads so swiftly and is so potentially deadly that doctors advise abscission of the gangrenous tissue
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abrogate
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abolish. The king intended to abrogate the decree issued by his predecessor
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abridge
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condense or shorten. Because the publishers felt the public wanted a shorter version of War and Peace, they proceeded to abridge the novel
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abrasive
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rubbing away; tending to grind down. Just as abrasive cleaning powders can wear away a shiny finish, abrasive remarks can wear away a listener's patience. abrade v
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abortive
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unsuccessful; fruitless. Attacked by armed troops, te Chinese students had to abandon their abortive attempt to democratize Beijing peacefully. abort v
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aboriginal
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being the first of its kind in a region, primitive; native. Her studies of the pirmitive art forms of the aboriginal indians were widely reported in the scientific journals. aborigine n
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abominate
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loathe; hate. Moses scolded the idol worshippers in the tribe because he abominated the custom
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abolish
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cancel; put an end to. The prsident of the college refused to abolish the physical education requirement. abolishion n
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abnegation
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renunciation; self-sacrifice. Though Rudolph and Duchess Flavia loved one anther, their love was doomed, for she had to wed the king; their act of abnegation was necessary to preserve the kingdom
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ablution
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washing, HIs daily ablutions were accompanied by loud noises that he humorously labeled 'opera in the Bath'
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abjure
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renounce upon oath; disavow Pressure from university authorities caused the young scholar to abjure his heretical opinions. abjuration N
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abject
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wretched; lacking pride. On the streets of NY the homeless live in abject poverty, huddling in doorways to find shelter from the wind
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abhor
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detest; hate. She abhorred all forms of bigotry. abhorrence N
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abeyance
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suspended action. The deal was held in abeyance until her arrival
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abet
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assist; usually in doing something wrong; encourage. she was unwiling to abet him in thes windle he had planned
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aberration
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abnormality; departure from the norm; mental irregularity or disorder. It remains the consensus among investors on Wall Street that current high oil prices are a temporary aberration and that we shall soon see a return to cheap oil
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aberrant
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abnormal or deviant. Given the aberrant nature of the data, we came to doubt the validity of the entire experiment
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abdicate
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renounce; give up. When Edward VIII abdicated the BRitish throne, he surprised the entire world
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abbreviate
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shorten. Because we were running out of tiem, the lecturer had to abbreviate her speech
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abate
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subside or moderate. Rather than leaving immediately, the waited for the storm to abate
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abash
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embarrass. He was not at all abasehed by her open admiration
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abase
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lower; degrade; humiliate. Anna expected to have to curtsy to the King of Siam; when told to cast herself down on the ground before hi, she refuse to abse herself. abasement N
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