Hit Parade: Group 3

Front 1

abate

Back 1

to lessen in intensity or degree

Front 2

accolade

Back 2

an expression of praise

Front 3

adulation

Back 3

excessive praise; intense adoration

Front 4

aesthetic

Back 4

dealing with, appreciative of, or responsive to art or the beautiful

Front 5

avarice

Back 5

greed, esp. for wealth

Front 6

burgeon

Back 6

to grow rapidly or flourish

Front 7

cacophony

Back 7

harsh, jarring, discordant sound; dissonance

Front 8

canon

Back 8

an established set of principles or code of laws, often religious in nature

Front 9

castigation

Back 9

severe criticism or punishment

Front 10

catalyst

Back 10

a substance that accelerates the rate of a chemical reaction without itself changing

Front 11

catalyst

Back 11

a person or thing that causes change

Front 12

caustic

Back 12

burning or stinging; causing corrosion

Front 13

chary

Back 13

wary; cautious; sparing

Front 14

cogent

Back 14

appealing forcibly to the mind or reason; convincing

Front 15

complaisance

Back 15

the willingness to comply with the wishes of others

Front 16

contrite

Back 16

regretful; penitent; seeking forgiveness

Front 17

dearth

Back 17

smallness of quantity or number; scarcity; a lack

Front 18

demur

Back 18

to question or oppose

Front 19

didactic

Back 19

intended to teach or instruct

Front 20

discretion

Back 20

cautious reserve in speech; ability to make responsible decisions

Front 21

disinterested

Back 21

indifferent; free from self-interest

Front 22

dogmatic

Back 22

stubbornly opinionated

Front 23

ebullience

Back 23

the quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings

Front 24

elegy

Back 24

a mournful poem, esp. one lamenting the dead

Front 25

emollient

Back 25

soothing, esp. to the skin; making less harsh; mollifying

Front 26

empirical

Back 26

based on observation or experiment

Front 27

enigmatic

Back 27

mysterious; obscure; difficult to understand

Front 28

esoteric

Back 28

intended for or understood by a small, specific group

Front 29

exonerate

Back 29

to remove blame

Front 30

fallacy

Back 30

an invalid or incorrect notion; a mistaken belief

Front 31

furtive

Back 31

marked by stealth; covert; surreptitious

Front 32

gregarious

Back 32

sociable; outgoing; enjoying the company of other people

Front 33

harangue

Back 33

to deliver a pompous speech or tirade

Front 34

heretical

Back 34

violating accepted dogma or convention

Front 35

impecunious

Back 35

lacking funds; without money

Front 36

incipient

Back 36

beginning to come into being or to become apparent

Front 37

inert

Back 37

unmoving; lethargic; sluggish

Front 38

innocuous

Back 38

harmless; causing no damage

Front 39

intransigent

Back 39

refusing to compromise

Front 40

inveigle

Back 40

to obtain by deception or flattery

Front 41

morose

Back 41

sad; sullen; melancholy

Front 42

odious

Back 42

evoking intense aversion or dislike

Front 43

opaque

Back 43

impenetrable by light; not reflecting light

Front 44

peruse

Back 44

to examine with great care

Front 45

preen

Back 45

to dress up; to primp; to groom oneself with elaborate care

Front 46

prodigious

Back 46

abundant in size, force, or extent; extraordinary

Front 47

putrefy

Back 47

to rot; to decay and give off a foul odor

Front 48

quaff

Back 48

to drink deeply

Front 49

sanction

Back 49

authoritative permission or approval; a penalty intended to enforce compliance

Front 50

urbane

Back 50

sophisticated; refined; elegant

Front 51

viscous

Back 51

thick; sticky