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72 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Acerbic (adj) |
having a sour or bitter taste or character; sharp; biting |
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Aggrandize (v) |
to increase in intensity, power, influence, or prestige |
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Alchemy (n) |
a medieval science aimed at the transmutation of metals, esp. base metals into gold |
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Amenable (adj) |
agreeable; responsive to suggestion |
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Anachronism (n) |
something or someone out of place in terms of historical or chronological context |
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Astringent (adj) |
having a tightening effect on living tissue; harsh; severe |
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Contiguous (adj) |
sharing a border; touching; adjacent |
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Convention (n) |
a generally agreed-upon practice or attitude |
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Credulous (adj) |
tending to believe too readily; gullible (noun: credulity) |
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Cynicism (n) |
an attitude or quality of belief that all people are motivated by selfishness (adj: cynical) |
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Decorum (n) |
polite or appropriate conduct or behavior (adj: decorous) |
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Derision (n) |
scorn, ridicule, contemptuous treatment (adj: derisive; verb: deride) |
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Desiccate (v) |
to dry out or dehydrate; to make dry or dull |
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Dilettante (n) |
one with an amateurish or superficial interest in the arts or a branch of knowledge |
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Disparage (v) |
to slight or belittle |
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Divulge (v) |
to disclose something secret |
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Fawn (v) |
to flatter or praise excessively |
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Flout (v) |
to show contempt for, as in a rule or convention |
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Garrulous (adj) |
pointlessly talkative; talking too much |
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Glib (adj) |
marked by ease or informality; nonchalant; lacking in depth; superficial |
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Hubris (n) |
overbearing presumption or pride; arrogance |
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Imminent (adj) |
about to happen; impending |
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Immutable (adj) |
not capable of change |
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Impetuous (adj) |
hastily or rashly energetic; impulsive and vehement |
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Indifferent (adj) |
having no interest or concern; showing no bias or prejudice |
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Inimical (adj) |
damaging; harmful; injurious |
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Intractable (adj) |
not easily managed or directed; stubborn; obstinate |
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Intrepid (adj) |
steadfast and courageous |
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Laconic (adj) |
using few words; terse |
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Maverick (n) |
an independent individual who does not go along with a group or party |
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Mercurial (adj) |
characterized by rapid and unpredictable change in mood |
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Mollify (v) |
to calm or soothe; to reduce in emotional intensity |
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Neophyte (n) |
a recent convert; a beginner; novice |
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Obfuscate (v) |
to deliberately obscure; to make confusing |
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Obstinate (adj) |
stubborn; hard-headed; uncompromising |
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Ostentatious (adj) |
characterized by or given to a pretentious display; showy |
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Pervade (v) |
to permeate throughout (adj: pervasive) |
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Phlegmatic (adj) |
calm; sluggish; unemotional |
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Plethora (n) |
an overabundance; a surplus |
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Pragmatic (adj) |
practical rather than idealistic |
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Presumptuous (adj) |
overstepping due bounds (as of propriety or courtesy); taking liberties |
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Pristine (adj) |
pure; uncorrupted; clean |
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Probity (n) |
adherence to highest principles; complete and confirmed integrity; uprightness |
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Proclivity (n) |
a natural predisposition or inclination |
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Profligate (adj) |
excessively wasteful; recklessly extravagant (noun: profligacy) |
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Propensity (n) |
a natural inclination or tendency; penchant |
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Prosaic (adj) |
dull; lacking in spirit or imagination |
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Pungent (adj) |
characterized by a strong, sharp smell or taste |
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Quixotic (adj) |
foolishly impractical; marked by lofty romantic ideals |
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Quotidian (adj) |
occurring or recurring daily; commonplace |
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Rarefy (v) |
to make or become thin, less dense; to refine |
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Recondite (adj) |
hidden; concealed; difficult to understand; obscure |
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Refulgent (adj) |
radiant; shiny; brilliant |
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Renege (v) |
to fail to honor a commitment; to go back on a promise |
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Sedulous (adj) |
diligent; persistent; hard-working |
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Shard (n) |
a piece of broken pottery or glass |
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Soporific (adj) |
causing drowsiness; tending to induce sleep |
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Sparse (adj) |
thin; not dense; arranged at widely spaced intervals |
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Spendthrift (n) |
one who spends money wastefully |
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Subtle (adj) |
not obvious; elusive; difficult to discern |
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Tacit (adj) |
implied; not explicitly stated |
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Terse (adj) |
brief and concise in wording |
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Tout (v) |
to publicly praise or promote |
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Trenchant (adj) |
sharply perceptive; keen; penetrating |
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Unfeigned (adj) |
genuine; not false or hypocritical |
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Untenable (adj) |
indefensible; not viable; uninhabitable |
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Vacillate (v) |
to waver indecisively between one course of action or opinion and another |
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Variegated (adj) |
multicolored; characterized by a variety of patches of different color |
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Vexation (n) |
annoyance; irritation (verb: vex) |
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Vigilant (adj) |
alertly watchful (noun: vigilance) |
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Vituperate (v) |
to use harsh condemnatory language; to abuse or censure severely or abusively; to berate |
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Volatile (adj) |
readily changing to a vapor; changeable; fickle; explosive (noun: volatility) |
