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75 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Abate, v
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to lessen in intensity or degree
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Accolade, n
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an expression of praise
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Adulation, n
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excessive praise; intense adoration
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Aesthetic, adj
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dealing with, appreciative of, or responsive to art or the beautiful
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Ameliorate, v
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to make better or more tolerable
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Ascetic, n
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one who practices rigid self-denial, eps. as an act of religious devotion
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Axiom, n
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a universally recognized principal
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Burgeon, v
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to grow rapidly or flourish
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Bucolic, adj
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rustic and pastoral; characteristic of rural areas and their inhabitants
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Cacophony, n
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harsh, jarring, discordant sound; dissonance
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Canon, n
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an established set of principals or code of laws, often religious in nature
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Castigation, n
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severe criticism or punishment
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Catalyst, n
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a substance that accelerates the rate of a chemical reaction without itself changer; a person or thing that causes change
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Caustic, adj
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burning or stinging; causing corrosion
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Chary, adj
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wary; cautious; sparing
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Cogent, adj
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appealing forcibly to the mind or reason; convincing
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Complaisance, n
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the willingness to comply with the wishes of others
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Contentious, adj
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argumentative; quarrelsome; causing controversy or disagreement
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Contrite, adj
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regretful; penitent; seeking forgiveness
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Culpable, adj
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deserving blame
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Dearth, n
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smallness of quantity or number; scarcity, a lack
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Demur, v
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to question or oppose
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Didactic, adj
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intended to teach or instruct
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Discretion, n
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cautious reserve to speech; ability to make responsible decisions
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Disinterested, adj
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free from bias or self-interest; impartial
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Dogmatic, adj
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expressing a rigid opinion based on unproved or improbable principles
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Ebullience, n
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the quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings; high spirits
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Eclectic, adj
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composed of elements drawn from various sources
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Elegy, n
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a mournful poem, esp. one lamenting the dead
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Emollient, adj, n
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soothing, esp. to the skin; making less harsh; mollifying; an agent that softens or smooths the skin
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Empirical, adj
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based on observation or experiment
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Enigmatic, adj
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mysterious; obscure; difficult to understand
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Ephemeral, adj
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brief; fleeing
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Esoteric, adj
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intended for or understood by a small, specific group
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Eulogy, n
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a speech honoring the dead
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Exonerate, v
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to remove blame
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Facetious, adj
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playful, humorous
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Fallacy, n
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an invalid or incorrect notion; a mistaken belief
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Furtive, adj
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marked by stealth; covert; surreptitious
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Gregarious, adj
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sociable, outgoing; enjoying the company of other people
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Harangue, v, n
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to deliver a pompous speech or tirade; a long, pompous speech
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Heretical, adj
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violating accepted dogma or convention
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Hyperbole, n
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an exaggerated statement, often used as a figure of speech
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Impecunious, adj
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lacking funds; without money
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Incipient, adj
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beginning to come into being or to become apparent
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Inert, adj
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unmoving; lethargic; sluggish
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Innocuous, adj
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harmless; causing no damage
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Intransigent, adj
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refusing to compromise
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Inveigle, v
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to obtain by deception or flattery
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Morose, adj
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sad; sullen, meloncholy
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Odious, adj
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evoking intense aversion or dislike
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Opaque, adj
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impenetrable by light; not reflecting light
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Oscillation, n
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the act or state of swinging back and forth with a steady, uninterrupted rhythm
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Penurious, adj
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penny-pinching; excessively thrifty; ungenerous
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Pernicious, adj
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extremely harmful; potentially causing death
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Peruse, v
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to examine with great care
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Pious, adj
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extremely reverent or devout; showing strong religious devotion
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Precursor, n
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one that precedes and indicates or announces another
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Preen, v
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to dress up; to primp; to groom oneself with elaborate care
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Prodigious, adj
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abundant in size, force, or extent; extraordinary
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Prolific, adj
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producing large volumes or amounts, productive
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Putrefy, v
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to rot, to decay and give off a foul odor
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Quaff, v
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to drink deeply
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Quiescence, n
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stillness; motionlessness; quality of being at rest
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Redoubtable, adj
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awe-inspiring; worthy of honor
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Sanction, n/v
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authoritative permission or approval; a penalty intended to enforce compliance; to give permission or authority to
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Satire, n
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a literary work that ridicules or criticizes a human vice through humor or derision
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Squalid, adj
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sordid; wretched and dirty as from neglect
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Stoic, adj
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indifferent to or unaffected by pleasure or pain; steadfast
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Supplant, v
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to take the place of; supersede
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Torpid, adj
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lethargic; sluggish; dormant
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Ubiquitous, adj
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existing everywhere at the same time; constantly encountered; wide-spread
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Urbane, adj
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sophisticated; refined; elegant
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Vilify, v
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to defame; to characterize harshly
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Viscous, adj
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thick, sticky
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