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76 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
abate
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verb - to lessen in intensity or degree
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accolade
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noun - an expression of praise
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adulation
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noun - excessive praise; intense adoration
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aesthetic
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adjective - dealing with, appreciative of, or responsive to art or the beautiful
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ameliorate
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verb - to make better or more tolerable
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ascetic
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noun - one who practices rigid self-denial, esp. as an act of religious devotion
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avarice
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noun - greed, esp. for wealth (adj. form: avaricious)
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axiom
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noun - a universally recognized principle (adj. form: axiomatic)
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burgeon
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verb - to grow rapidly or flourish
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bucolic
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adjective - rustic and pastoral; characteristic of rural areas and their inhabitants
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cacophony
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noun - harsh, jarring, discordant sound; dissonance (adj. form: cacophonous)
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castigation
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noun - severe criticism or punishment (verb form: castigate)
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canon
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noun - an established set of principles or code of laws, often religious in nature (adj. form: canonical)
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catalyst
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noun - a substance that accelerates the rate of a chemical reaction without itself changing; a person or thing that causes change
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caustic
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adjective - burning or stinging; causing corrosion
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chary
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adjective - wary; cautious; sparing
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cogent
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adjective - appealing forcibly to the mind or reason; convincing
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complaisance
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noun - the willingness to comply with the wishes of others (adj. form: complaisant)
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contentious
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adjective - argumentative; quarrelsome; causing controversy or disagreement
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contrite
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adjective - regretful; penitent; seeking forgiveness (noun form: contrition)
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culpable
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adjective - deserving blame (noun form: culpability)
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dearth
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noun - smallness of quantity or number; scarcity; a lack
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demur
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verb - to question or oppose
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didactic
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adjective - intended to teach or instruct
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discretion
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noun - cautious reserve in speech; ability to make responsible decisions (adj. form: discreet)
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disinterested
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adjective - free of bias or self-interest; impartial
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dogmatic
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adjective - expressing a rigid opinion based on unproved or unprovable principles. (noun form: dogma)
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ebullience
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noun - the quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings (adj. form: ebullient)
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eclectic
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adjective - composed of elements drawn from various sources
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elegy
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noun - a mournful poem, esp. one lamenting the dead (adj. form: elegiac)
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emollient
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adjective/noun - soothing, esp. to the skin; mollifying; an agent that softens or smoothes the skin
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empirical
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adjective - based on observation or experiment
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enigmatic
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mysterious; obscure; difficult to understand (noun form: enigma)
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ephemeral
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adjective - brief; fleeting
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esoteric
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adjective - intended or understood by a small, specific group
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eulogy
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noun - a speech honoring the dead (verb form: eulogize)
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exonerate
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verb - to remove blame
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facetious
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adjective - playful; humorous
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fallacy
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noun - in invalid or incorrect notion; a mistaken belief (adj. form: fallacious)
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furtive
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adjective - marked by stealth; covert; surreptitious
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gregarious
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adjective - sociable; outgoing; enjoying the company of other people
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harangue
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verb/noun - to deliver a pompous speech or tirade; a long, pompous speech
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heretical
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adjective - violating accepted dogma or convention (noun form: heresy)
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hyperbole
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noun - an exaggerated statement, often used as a figrue of speech (adj. form: hyperbolic)
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impecunious
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adjective - lacking funds; without money
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incipient
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adjective - beginning to come into being or to become apparent
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inert
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adjective - unmoving; lethargic; sluggish
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innocuous
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adjective - harmless; causing no damage
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intransigent
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adjective - refusing to compromise (noun form: intransigence)
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inveigle
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verb - to obtain by deception or flattery
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morose
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adjective - sad; sullen; melancholy
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odious
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adjective - evoking intense aversion or dislike
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opaque
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adjective - impenetrable by light; not reflecting light
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oscillation
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noun - the act or state of swinging back and forth with a steady, uninterrupted rythm (verb form: oscillate)
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penurious
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adjective - penny-pinching; excessively thrifty; ungenerous
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pernicious
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adjective - extremely harmful; potentially causing death
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peruse
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verb - to examine with great care (noun form: perusal)
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pious
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adjective - extremely reverent or devout; showing strong religious devotion (noun form: piety)
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precursor
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noun - one that precedes and indicates or announces another
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preen
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verb - to dress up; to primp; to groom oneself with elaborate care
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prodigious
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adjective - abundant in size, force, or extent; extraordinary
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prolific
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adjective - producing large volumes or amounts; productive
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putrefy
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verb - to rot; to decay and give off a foul odor (adj. form: putrid)
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quaff
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verb - to drink deeply
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quiescience
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noun - stillness; motionless; quality of being at rest (adj. form: quiescent)
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redoubtable
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adjective - awe-inspiring; worthy of honor
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sanction
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noun/verb - authoritative permission or approval; a penalty intended to enforce compliance; to give permission or authority to
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satire
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noun - a literary work that ridicules or criticizes a human vice through humor or derision (adj. form: satirical)
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squalid
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adjective - sordid; wretched and dirty as from neglect (noun form: squalor)
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stoic
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adjective - indifferent to or unaffected by pleasure or pain; steadfast (noun form: stoicism)
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supplant
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verb - to take place of; supercede
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torpid
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adjective - lethargic; sluggish; dormant (noun form: torpor)
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ubiquitous
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adjective - existing everywhere at the same time; constantly encountered; widespread
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urbane
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adjective - sophisticated; refined; elegant (noun form: urbanity)
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vilify
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verb - to defame; to characterize harshly
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viscous
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adjective - thick; sticky (noun form: viscosity)
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