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161 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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abdicate
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to give up
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abstruse
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difficult to comprehend
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adduce
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to offer as proof in an argument
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admonish
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to warn
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allusiveness
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quality of making many indirect references
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ambivalent
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having mixed feelings
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arable
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suitable for cultivation
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ardor
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extreme passion or feeling
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auspicious
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happening at an advantageous time; promising
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banal
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trite, hackneyed, commonplace
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blandish
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to coax with flattery
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boor
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a crude person; one lacking manners or taste
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brash
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having no regards for consequences; tactless
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capacious
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large, roomy; extensive
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circumspect
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cautious, wary
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commensurate
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proportional
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conciliatory
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overcoming distrust or hostility
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countermand
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to annul, cancel, make a contrary order
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craven
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cowardly
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curmudgeon
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a cranky, cynical person
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cynic
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someone who has a distrust of people's motives
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daunted
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intimidated
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decry
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to belittle, openly condemn
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delectation
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enjoyment
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denigrate
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to slur or blacken someone's reputation
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denounce
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to accuse, blame
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derivative
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copied or adapted; not original
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desultory
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random
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disarming
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charming; alleviating criticism
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disseminated
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spread far and wide
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dissension
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disagreement, difference of opinion
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dolt
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idiot, dim-wit, foolish person
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dulcet
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pleasant-sounding; soothing to the ear
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effusive
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full of emotion
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egregious
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conspicuously bad
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elude
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to escape from
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eminent
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celebrated, distinguished; towering, outstanding
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euphemism
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a way of saying something to make it less offensive
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extricate
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to free from; to disentangle
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genial
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kind; friendly
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hapless
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having bad luck, unfortunate
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haughty
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arrogant
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hidebound
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excessively rigid; dry and stiff
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ideology
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a system of beliefs
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ignoble
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dishonorable
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ignominious
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disgraceful and dishonorable
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impetus
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motivation, impulse
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impudence
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arrogance, audacity
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incentive
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motivating factors
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incisive
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perceptive, penetrating
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incite
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to start an action
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indelible
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permanent; not erasable
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indolent
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habitually lazy; idle
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ineffable
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not able to be described in words
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inept
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clumsy, awkward; nonsensical, foolish
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ingratiate
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to work oneself into the favor of someone
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interminable
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endless
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invidious
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likely to provoke ill-will; offensible
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irreverent
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disrespectful
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itinerant
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having a tendency to travel
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kindle
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to ignite; to inspire
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lachrymose
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very sad; tearful
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laconic
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using few words
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lambaste
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to attack verbally
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latent
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inherent in but hidden; potential
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lionize
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to treat as a celebrity
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low
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to make a sound like a cow, moo
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lucid
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clear and easily understood
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lugubrious
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sad, mournful
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lumber
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to move clumsily and slowly
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maelstrom
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agitated state of mind; turmoil
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malefactor
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evildoer; culprit
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martinet
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an extremely strict person; disciplinarian
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maudlin
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overly sentimental
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mercenary
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motivated only by greed
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mirthful
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jovial merry, causing or provoking laughter and glee
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misnomer
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an incorrect name or designation
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moribund
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dying, decaying
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multifarious
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diverse
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munificent
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generous
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myriad
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immense number; multitude
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nefarious
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vicious, evil
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noisome
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stinking, putrid
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obscure
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dark, mysterious; little known
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oligarchy
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government ruled by a few
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outgrowth
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by-product
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pallid
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lacking color or liveliness
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paradigm
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a model
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parley
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discussion, usually between enemies
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patriarchal
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dominated and controlled by men
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perspicacious
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shrewd, astute, keen-witted
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philology
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the study of literature and linguistics
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pittance
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a very small amount
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plutocrat
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a member of the wealthy ruling class
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poignant
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strong
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pragmatic
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practical, choosing the facts over ideals
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precarious
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uncertain
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predation
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the act of preying
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presumptuous
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rude; improperly bold
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progenitor
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originator, forefather, ancestor in a direct line
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proponent
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supporter, advocate
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protean
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readily assuming different forms or character
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prudent
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careful, cautious
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puissant
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powerful
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purge
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to free, especially from guilt
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putrefaction
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the process of living matter decomposing; corruption
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quell
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to crush or subdue
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rant
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to forcefully scold
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rapt
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deeply absorbed
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raucous
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harsh-sounding; boisterous
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rebuke
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to reprimand, scold
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rectilinear
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characterized by straight lines
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rejoinder
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response
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rend
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to forcibly take from; to tear apart
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repeal
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to revoke or formally withdraw, as a law
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reprehensible
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worthy of blame
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reprobate
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morally unprincipled person
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resolute
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determined; with a clear purpose
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revile
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to criticize with harsh language, to verbally abuse
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rout
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to beat badly. a humiliating retreat
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rubric
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category heading
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salient
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prominent or conspicuous
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sardonic
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cynical, scornfully mocking
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scant
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meager
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scintilla
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trace amount
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scourage
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plague
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seedy
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run-down
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seminal
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relating to the beginning of seeds of something
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skulk
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to sneak
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slate
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to schedule
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sloth
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sluggishness, laziness
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sodden
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thoroughly soaked; saturated
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sophisticated
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with it, worldly-wise; of high intellectual quality
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spurious
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false
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spurn
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to reject, to scorn
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stipend
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allowance; fixed amount of money paid regularly
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stolid
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emotionless
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strident
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loud, harsh, unpleasantly noise
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sumptuous
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lavish, splendid; delicious
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supercilious
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arrogant, haughty, overbearing, condescending
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surreptitious
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secret
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taciturn
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not vocal
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tawdry
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gaudy, cheap, showy
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tempestuous
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stormy, raging, furious
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tottering
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barely standing
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transgress
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to trespass, to violate a law
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travesty
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parody, exaggerated imitation, caricature
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trite
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shallow, superficial
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trounce
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to beat severely, to defeat
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upbraid
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to scold sharply
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vacuous
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empty, void, lacking intelligence
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venerate
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to treat with great respect
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versatile
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adaptable, all-purpose, able to do many things
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vestige
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something left over, a legacy
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waive
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to refrain from enforcing a law; to give up a legal right
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wan
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sickly pale
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whit
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the smallest part possible
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winsome
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charming, happily engaging
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wistful
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longingly melancholy
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writ
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written document, usually in law
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yoke
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to join together
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