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54 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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abscond
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v. to depart clandestinely; to steal off and hide
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ameliorate
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v. to make better or more tolerable
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arduous
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adj. strenuous, taxing, requiring significant effort
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ascetic
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n. one who practices rigid self-denial, esp. as an act of religious devotion
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austere
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adj. without adornment; bare; severely simple; ascetic
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axiom
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n. a universally recognized principle
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axiomatic
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adj. taken as a given; possessing self-evident truth
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bucolic
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adj. rustic and pastoral; characteristic of rural areas and their inhabitants
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canonical
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adj. following or in agreement with accepted, traditional standards
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contentious
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adj. argumentative; quarrelsome; causing controversy or disagreement
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convoluted
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adj. complex or complicated
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culpable
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adj. deserving blame
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disabuse
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v. to undeceive; to set right
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eclectic
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adj. composed of elements drawn from various sources
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effrontery
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n. extreme boldness; presumptuousness
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ephemeral
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adj. brief; fleeting
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erudite
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adj. very learned; scholarly
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eulogy
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n. a speech honoring the dead
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extemporaneous
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adj. improvised; done without preparation
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facetious
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adj. playful; humorous
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fulminate
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v. to loudly attack or denounce
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hyperbole
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n. an exaggerated statement, often used as a figure of speech
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lucid
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adj. clear; easily understood
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oscillation
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n. the act or state of swinging back and forth with a steady, uninterrupted rhythm
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paean
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n. a song or hymn of praise and thanksgiving
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penurious
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adj. penny-pinching; excessively thrifty; ungenerous
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perfidy
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n. intentional breach of faith; treachery
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pernicious
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adj. extremely harmful; potentially causing death
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perspicacious
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adj. acutely perceptive; having keen discernment
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pious
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adj. extremely reverent or devoted; showing strong religious devotion
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precipitate (adj.)
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adj. acting with excessive haste or impulse
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precipitate (v.)
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to cause or happen before anticipated or required
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precursor
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n. one that precedes and indicates or announces another
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predilection
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n. a disposition in favor of something; preference
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prolific
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adj. producing large volumes or amounts; productive
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qualms
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n. misgivings; reservations; causes for hesitancy
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quiescence
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n. stillness; motionlessness; quality of being at rest
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recant
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v. to retract; esp. a previously held belief
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redoubtable
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adj. awe-inspiring; worthy of honor
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reticent
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adj. quiet; reserved; reluctant to express thoughts and feelings
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satire
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n. a literary work that ridicules or criticizes a human vice through humor or derision
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sordid
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adj. characterized by filth, grime, or squalor; foul
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squalid
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adj. sordid; wretched and dirty as from neglect
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squander
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v. to waste by spending or using irresponsibly
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stoic
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adj. indifferent to or unaffected by pleasure or pain; steadfast
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stymie
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v. to block; thwart
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supplant
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v. to take the place of; supersede
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synthesis
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n. the combination of parts to make a whole
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torpid
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adj. lethargic; sluggish; dormant
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torque
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n. a force that causes rotation
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ubiquitous
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adj. existing everywhere at the same time; constantly encountered; widespread
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veracity
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n. truthfulness; honesty
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vilify
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v. to defame; to characterize harshly
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virulent
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adj. extremely harmful or poisonous; bitterly hostile or antagonistic
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