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166 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Abeyance
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temporary suppression or suspension
Synonyms: deferral; delay; dormancy; postponement; remission |
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Abstain
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to choose not to do something
Synonyms: forbear; refrain; withhold |
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Abyss
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an extremely deep hole
Synonyms: chasm; void |
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Acme
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highest point; summit; the highest level or degree attainable
Synonyms: apex; peak; summit |
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Adulterate
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to make impure
Synonyms: debase; doctor; load |
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Advocate
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to speak in favor of
Synonyms: back; champion; support |
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Aerie
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a nest built high in the air; an elevated, often secluded, dwelling
Synonyms: perch; stronghold |
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Aesthetic
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concerning the appreciation of beauty
Synonyms: artistic; tasteful |
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Affected
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phony; artificial
Synonyms: insincere; pretentious; put-on |
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Alleviate
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to make more bearable
Synonyms: allay; assuage; comfort; ease; lessen; lighten; mitigate; palliate; relieve |
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Amalgamate
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to combine; to mix together
Synonyms: admix; blend; coalesce; combine; commingle; commix; compound; fuse; intermingle; intermix; merge; mingle; mix; unite |
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Ambiguous
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doubtful; uncertain; can be interpreted several ways
Synonyms: cloudy; doubtful; dubious; equivocal; indeterminate; nebulous; obscure; unclear; vague |
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Amulet
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ornament worn as a charm against evil spirits
Synonyms: fetish; talisman |
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Analogous
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similar or alike in some way; equivalent to
Synonyms: alike; comparable; corresponding; equivalent; homogeneous; parallel; similar |
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Antagonize
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to annoy or provoke to anger
Synonyms: clash; conflict; incite; irritate; oppose; pester; provoke; vex |
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Apathy
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lack of interest or emotion
Synonyms: coolness; disinterest; disregard; impassivity; indifference; insensibility; lassitude; lethargy; listlessness; phlegm; stolidity; unconcern; unresponsiveness |
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Arbitrary
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determined by chance or impulse
Synonyms: changeable; erratic; indiscriminate; random; wayward |
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Arbitrate
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to judge a dispute between two opposing parties
Synonyms: adjudge; adjudicate; determine; intermediate; intervene; judge; moderate; referee; rule |
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Archaic
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ancient; old-fashioned
Synonyms: ancient; antediluvian; antique; bygone; dated; dowdy; fusty; obsolete; old-fashioned; outdated; outmoded; passe; prehistoric; stale; superannuated; superseded; vintage |
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Articulate
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able to speak clearly and expressively
Synonyms: eloquent; expressive; fluent; lucid; silver-tongued; smooth-spoken |
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Assail
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to attack; assault
Synonyms: beset; strike; storm |
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Audacious
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fearless; daring
Synonyms: adventuresome; aggressive; assertive; bold; brave; courageous; daring; dauntless; doughty; fearless; gallant; game; heroic; intrepid; mettlesome; plucky; stout; stouthearted; unafraid; undaunted; valiant; valorous; venturesome; venturous |
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Austere
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severe or stern in appearance; undecorated
Synonyms: bleak; dour; grim; hard; harsh; severe |
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Axiom
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premise; postulate; self-evident truth
Synonyms: adage; apothegm; aphorism; maxim; rule |
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Banal
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predictable; cliched; boring
Synonyms: bland; bromidic; cliched; commonplace; fatuous; hackneyed; innocuous; insipid; jejune; musty; platudinous; prosaic; quotidian; shopworn; stale; stereotypic; threadbare; timeworn; tired; trite; vapid; worn-out |
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Belfry
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bell tower; room in which a bell is hung
Synonyms: spire; steeple |
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Bombastic
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pompous in speech and manner
Synonyms: bloated; declamatory; fustian; grandiloquent; grandiose; high-flown; magniloquent; orotund; pretentious; rhetorical; self-important |
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Boor
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crude person; one lacking manners or taste
Synonyms: clod; lout; oaf; vulgarian; yahoo |
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Burnish
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to polish
Synonyms: buff; luster; polish; scour |
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Catalyst
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something that brings about a change in something else
Synonyms: accelerator; goad; impetus; impulse; incentive; motivation; spur; stimulant |
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Chaos
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great disorder; confused situation
Synonyms: clutter; confusion; disarrangement; disarray; disorder; disorderliness; disorganization; jumble; mess; muddle; scramble; snarl; topsy-turviness; turmoil |
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Coalesce
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to grow together to form a single whole
Synonyms: amalgamate; blend; condense; consolidate; fuse; unite |
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Connoisseur
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a person with expert knowledge or discriminating tastes
Synonyms: authority; epicure; expert; gastronome; gourmet |
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Convoluted
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intricate and complicated
Synonyms: Byzantine; complex; elaborate; intricate; knotty; labyrinthine; perplexing; tangled |
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Crescendo
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steadily increasing in volume or force
Synonyms: acme; capstone; climax; crest; culmen; culmination; meridian; peak |
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Debutante
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young woman making debut in high society
Synonyms: lady; maiden |
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Deface
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to mar the appearance of
Synonyms: disfigure; impair; spoil |
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Deference
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respect; courtesy
Synonyms: courtesy; homage; honor; obeisance; respect; reverence; veneration |
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Demagogue
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a rabble-rouser; usually appealing to emotion or prejudice
Synonyms: agitator; inciter; instigator |
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Dilate
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to make larger; expand
Synonyms: amplify; develop; elaborate; enlarge; expand; expatiate |
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Dilettante
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someone with an amateurish and superficial interest in a topic
Synonyms: amateur; dabbler; superficial; tyro |
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Dirge
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a funeral hymn or a mournful speech
Synonyms: elegy; lament |
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Discern
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to perceive or recognize
Synonyms: catch; descry; detect; differentiate; discriminate; distinguish; espy; glimpse; know; separate; spot; spy; tell |
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Disparate
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fundamentally different; entirely unlike
Synonyms: different; dissimilar; divergent; diverse; variant; varous |
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Dither
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to act confusedly or without clear purpose
Synonyms: falter; hesitate; vacillate; waffle; waver |
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Dogma
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a firmly held opinion, especially a religious belief
Synonyms: creed; doctrine; teaching; tenet |
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Dogmatic
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dictatorial in one's opinions
Synonyms: authoritarian; bossy; dictatorial; doctrinaire; domineering; imperious; magisterial; masterful; overbearing; peremptory |
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Elegy
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a sorrowful poem or speech
Synonyms: dirge; lament |
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Eloquent
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persuasive and moving, especially in speech
Synonyms: articulate; expressive; fluent; meaningful; significant; smooth-spoken |
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Embellish
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to add ornamental or fictitious details
Synonyms: adorn; bedeck; elaborate; embroider; enhance; exaggerate |
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Enigma
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a puzzle; a mystery
Synonyms: conundrum; perplexity |
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Erratic
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wandering and unpredictable
Synonyms: capricious; inconstant; irresolute; whimsical |
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Esoteric
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known or understood by only a few
Synonyms: abstruse; arcane; obscure |
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Ethos
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beliefs or character of a group
Synonyms: culture; ethic; philosophy |
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Eulogy
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speech in praise of someone
Synonyms: commend; extol; laud |
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Euphemism
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use of an inoffensive word or phrase in place of a more distasteful one
Synonyms: nice-nellyism |
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Explicit
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clearly stated or shown; forthright in expression
Synonyms: candid; clear-cut; definite; definitive; express; frank; specific; straightforward; unambiguous; unequivocal |
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Fallow
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dormant; unused
Synonyms: idle; inactive; unseeded |
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Fanatical
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acting excessively enthusiastic; filled with extreme, unquestioned devotion
Synonyms: extremist; fiery; frenzied; zealous |
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Frugality
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tending to be thrifty or cheap
Synonyms: economical; parsimony; prudence; sparing |
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Gestation
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growth process from conception to birth
Synonyms: development; gravidity; pregnancy |
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Gregarious
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outgoing; sociable
Synonyms: affable; communicative; congenial; sociable |
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Grievous
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causing grief or sorrow; serious and distressing
Synonyms: dire; dolorous; grave; mournful |
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Grovel
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to humble oneself in a demeaning way
Synonyms: bootlick; cringe; fawn; kowtow; toady |
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Gullible
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easily deceived
Synonyms: credulous; exploitable; naive |
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Hegemony
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the domination of one state or group over its allies
Synonyms: authority; power |
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Hermetic
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tightly sealed
Synonyms: airtight; impervious; watertight |
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Heterogeneous
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composed of unlike parts; different; diverse
Synonyms: assorted; miscellaneous; mixed; motley; varied |
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Homogeneous
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of a similar kind
Synonyms: consistent; standardized; uniform; unvarying |
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Hyperbole
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purposeful exaggeration for effect
Synonyms: embellishment; inflation; magnification |
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Imbue
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to infuse
Synonyms: charge; freight; impregnate; permeate; pervade |
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Impasse
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blocked path; dilemma with no solution
Synonyms: cul-de-sac; deadlock; stalemate |
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Impervious
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impossible to penetrate; incapable of being affected
Synonyms: impregnable; resistant |
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Ingenuous
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showing innocence or childlike simplicity
Synonyms: artless; guileless; innocent; naive; simple; unaffected |
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Ingrate
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ungrateful person
Synonyms: cad; churl |
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Ingratiate
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to gain favor with another by deliberate effort; to seek to please somebody so as to gain an advantage
Synonyms: curry favor; flatter |
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Innocuous
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harmless
Synonyms: benign; harmless; inoffensive; insipid |
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Inquest
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an investigation; an inquiry
Synonyms: probe; quest; research |
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Insurrection
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rebellion
Synonyms: mutiny; revolt; revolution; uprising |
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Intractable
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not easily managed or manipulated
Synonyms: stubborn; unruly |
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Intransigent
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uncompromising; refusing to be reconciled
Synonyms: implacable; inexorable; irreconcilable; obdurate; obstinate; remorseless; rigid; unbending; unrelenting; unyielding |
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Intrepid
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fearless; resolutely courageous
Synonyms: brave |
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Inundate
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to overwhelm; to cover with water
Synonyms: deluge; drown; engulf; flood; submerge |
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Invective
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abusive language
Synonyms: denunciation; revilement; vituperation |
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Itinerant
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wandering from place to place; unsettled
Synonyms: nomadic; vagrant |
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Jargon
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nonsensical talk; specialized language
Synonyms: argot; cant; dialect; idiom; slang |
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Jettison
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to discard; to get rid of as unnecessary or encumbering
Synonyms: dump; eject |
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Judicious
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sensible; showing good judgment
Synonyms: circumspect; prudent; sagacious; sapient |
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Keen
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having a sharp edge; intellectually sharp; perceptive
Synonyms: acute; canny; quick |
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Kindle
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to set fire to or ignite; excite or inspire
Synonyms: arouse; awaken; light; spark |
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Knell
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sound of a funeral bell; omen of death or failure
Synonyms: chime; peal; toll |
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Lament
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to express sorrow; to grieve
Synonyms: bewail; deplore; grieve; mourn |
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Larceny
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theft of property
Synonyms: burglary; robbery; stealing |
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Latent
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potential that is not readily apparent
Synonyms: concealed; dormant; inert; potential; quiescent |
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Lavish
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extremely generous or extravagant; to give unsparingly
Synonyms: bestow; confer; extravagant; exuberant; luxuriant; opulent; prodigal; profuse; superabundant |
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Leery
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suspicious
Synonyms: distrustful; guarded; wary |
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Lethargic
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acting in an indifferent or slow, sluggish manner
Synonyms: apathetic; lackadaisical; languid; listless; torpid |
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Liberal
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tolerant; broad-minded; generous; lavish
Synonyms: bounteous; latitudinarian; munificent; permissive; progressive |
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Listless
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lacking energy and enthusiasm
Synonyms: faineant; indolent; languid; lethargic; sluggish |
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Lucid
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clear and easily understood
Synonyms: clear; coherent; explicit; intelligible; limpid |
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Luminous
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bright; brilliant; glowing
Synonyms: incandescent; lucent; lustrous; radiant; resplendent |
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Malleable
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capable of being shaped
Synonyms: adaptable; ductile; plastic; pliable; pliant |
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Meticulous
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extremely careful; fastidious; painstaking
Synonyms: finicky; fussy; picky; precise; punctilious; scrupulous |
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Monotony
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no variation; tediously the same
Synonyms: drone; tedium |
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Naive
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lacking sophistication or experience
Synonyms: artless; credulous; guileless; ingenuous; simple; unaffected; unsophisticated |
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Nascent
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starting to develop; coming into existence
Synonyms: embryonic; emerging; inchoate; incipient |
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Nuance
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a subtle expression of meaning or quality
Synonyms: gradation; subtlety; tone |
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Obstinate
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stubborn; unyielding
Synonyms: intransigent; mulish; persistent; pertinacious; stubborn; tenacious |
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Overwrought
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agitated; overdone
Synonyms: elaborate; excited; nervous; ornate |
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Palatial
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relating to a palace; magnificent
Synonyms: grand; stately |
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Panache
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flamboyance or dash in style and action; verve
Synonyms: flair |
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Paradox
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a contradiction or dilemma
Synonyms: ambiguity; incongruity |
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Pariah
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an outcast
Synonyms: castaway; derelict; leper; offscouring; untouchable |
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Pejorative
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having bad connotations; disparaging
Synonyms: belittling; dismissive; insulting |
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Permeate
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to penetrate
Synonyms: imbue; infuse; pervade; suffuse |
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Pervade
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to be present throughout; to permeate
Synonyms: imbue; infuse; penetrate; permeate; suffuse |
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Phalanx
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a compact or close-knit body of people, animals, or things
Synonyms: legion; mass |
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Philanthropy
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charity; a desire or effort to promote goodness
Synonyms: altruism; humanitarianism |
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Philistine
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a person who is guided by materialism and is disdainful of intellectual or artistic values
Synonyms: boor; bourgeois; capitalist; clown; lout; materialist; vulgarian |
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Placate
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to soothe or pacify
Synonyms: appease; conciliate; mollify |
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Plethora
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excess
Synonyms: glut; overabundance; superfluity; surfeit |
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Plucky
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courageous; spunky
Synonyms: brave; bold; gutsy |
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Polemic
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controversy; argument; verbal attack
Synonyms: denunciation; refutation |
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Posit
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to assume as real or conceded; propose as an explanation
Synonyms: suggest |
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Pragmatic
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practical; as opposed to idealistic
Synonyms: rational; realistic |
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Pristine
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fresh and clean; uncorrupted
Synonyms: innocent; undamaged |
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Prodigal
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lavish; wasteful
Synonyms: extravagant; lavish; profligate; spendthrift; wasteful |
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Proliferate
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to increase in number quickly
Synonyms: breed; multiply; procreate; propagate; reproduce; spawn |
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Prudence
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wisdom; caution or restraint
Synonyms: astuteness; circumspection; discretion; frugality; judiciousness; providence; thrift |
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Pungent
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sharp and irritating to the senses
Synonyms: acrid; caustic; piquant; poignant; stinging |
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Quotidian
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occurring daily; commonplace
Synonyms: everyday; normal; usual |
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Repast
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meal or mealtime
Synonyms: banquet; feast |
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Repose
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relaxation; leisure
Synonyms: calmness; tranquility |
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Repudiate
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to reject the validity of
Synonyms: deny; disavow; disclaim; disown; renounce |
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Rhetoric
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effective writing or speaking
Synonyms: eloquence; oratory |
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Rustic
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rural
Synonyms: bucolic; pastoral |
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Sentient
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aware; conscious; able to perceive
Synonyms: feeling; intelligent; thinking |
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Slake
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to calm down or moderate
Synonyms: moderate; quench; satisfy |
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Sportive
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frolicsome; playful
Synonyms: frisky; merry |
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Stasis
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a state of static balance or equilibrium; stagnation
Synonyms: inertia; standstill |
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Stigma
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a mark of shame or discredit
Synonyms: blemish; blot; opprobrium; stain; taint |
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Stratagem
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trick designed to deceive an enemy
Synonyms: artifice; feint; maneuver; ruse; while |
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Sully
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to tarnish; to taint
Synonyms: besmirch; defile |
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Supplant
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to replace (another) by force; to take the place of
Synonyms: displace; supersede |
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Surly
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rude and bad-tempered
Synonyms: gruff; grumpy; testy |
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Symbiosis
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cooperation; mutual helpfulness
Synonyms: association; interdependence |
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Tangential
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digressing; diverting
Synonyms: digressive extraneous; inconsequential; irrelevant; peripheral |
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Terrestrial
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earthly; down-to-earth; commonplace
Synonyms: earthbound; mundane; sublunary; tellurian; terrene |
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Tirade
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long, harsh speech or verbal attack
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Tome
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book, usually large and academic
Synonyms: codex; volume |
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Transitory
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temporary; lasting a brief time
Synonyms: ephemeral; evanescent; fleeting; impermanent; momentary |
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Unconscionable
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unscrupulous; shockingly unfair or unjust
Synonyms: dishonorable; indefensible |
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Unequivocal
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absolute; certain
Synonyms: categorical; clear; explicit; express; unambiguous |
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Vacillate
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to physically sway; to be indecisive
Synonyms: dither; falter; fluctuate; oscillate; waver |
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Venerable
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respected because of age
Synonyms: distinguished; elderly; respectable |
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Venerate
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to respect deeply
Synonyms: adore; honor; idolize; revere |
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Veracity
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filled with truth and accuracy
Synonyms: candor; exactitude; fidelity; probity |
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Verbose
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wordy
Synonyms: longwinded; loquacious; prolix; superfluous |
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Vestige
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a trace; remnant
Synonyms: relic; remains; sign |
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Volatile
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easily aroused or changeable; lively or explosive
Synonyms: capricious; erratic; fickle; inconsistent; inconstant; mercurial; temperamental |
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Waver
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to fluctuate between choices
Synonyms: dither; falter; fluctuate; oscillate; vacillate |
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Whimsical
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lightly acting in a fanciful or capricious manner; unpredictable
Synonyms: capricious; erratic; flippant; frivolous |
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Wily
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clever; deceptive
Synonyms: crafty; cunning; tricky |
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Wraith
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a ghost or specter; a ghost of a living person seen just before his or her death
Synonyms: apparition; bogeyman; phantasm; shade; spirit |
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Zenith
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the point of culmination; peak
Synonyms: acme; pinnacle |
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Zeal
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passion; excitement
Synonyms: ardency; fervor; fire; passion |
