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108 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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indigent
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adj. poor; impoverished; needy
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portentous
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adj. very meaningful with regard to events to come; ominous; foreshadowing
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eclectic
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adj. taken from many different sources
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nurture
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vb. to care for; to nourish
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ambiguous
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adj. hard to understand; unclear; open to more than one interpretation
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hyperbole
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n. an exaggeration used to a creative effect
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arid
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adj. dry; lacking water
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diffident
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adj. lacking confidence in oneself; inclined to be shy
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imprudent
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adj. careless; rash
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proximity
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n. nearness in time, location, or relation
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idiosyncratic
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adj. of or relating to strange or odd behavioral habits that are peculiar to the individual
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vaporize
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vb. to turn to vapor, foam, or mist
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catharsis
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n. an emotional cleansing or release of emotional tensions, fears, or pity
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compunction
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n. a feeling of remorse for doing something wrong; regret; shame
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aggregate
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n. a sum total or mixture
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heretic
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n. one who challenges societal and religious tradition; iconoclast
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axiom
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n. a true or wise saying; a maxim
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allusion
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n. an indirect reference, often to a character or theme found in another work of literature
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aspire
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vb. to work towards or to have a goal
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capricious
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adj. changeable; fickle; volatile; mercurial (also n. caprice: a whim or fancy)
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pedantic
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adj. showy in one's learning; overly instructive
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anecdote
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n. a short biographical account or snippet from someone's past, usually humorous
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excerpt
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n. a portion of a text or musical piece that is taken, or extracted, from the whole
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oxymoron
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n. contradictory terms, appearing side by side, used for rhetorical effect
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tentative
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adj. hesitant; not definite
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atheistic
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adj. without a belief in any god
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scrutinize
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vb. to read or look at very closely and carefully
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intimate
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vb. to suggest; to hint at
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replete
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adj. filled-up; overflowing
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ambivalent
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"adj. having conflicting feelings or opinions about something; unsure
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hardy
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adj. healthy and strong; robust
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viable
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adj. able to sustain life, practicality, or effectiveness
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candor
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n. honesty; sincerity
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aesthetic
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adj. having to do with artistic beauty
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saturate
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vb. to wet or soak completely; to totally fill up
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coalesce
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vb. to have different opinions join together; fuse; converge
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intrepid
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adj. fearless; brave
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vignette
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n. a brief descriptive passage in writing
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pathos
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n. the quality of a piece of writing that evokes pity, sympathy, or some other strong emotional response in the reader
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recount
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vb. to tell a story
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insuperable
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adj. unable to be overcome
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glacial
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adj. very cold or very slow moving (in both cases like a glacier)
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indignant
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adj. angry; resentful
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tranquility
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n. peacefulness; calmness
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uniformity
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n. sameness; regularity
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spurious
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adj. false; counterfeit; lacking logic; specious
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aplomb
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n. social poise; composure; skill in challenging situations
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intimidate
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vb. to frighten; to coerce into action
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allusion
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n. an indirect reference, often to a character or theme found in some work of literature
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lithe
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adj. nimble and flexible; agile; supple
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parable
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n. a brief story, told or written in order to teach a moral lesson
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impudent
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adj. rude; disrespectful
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irony
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n. an unexpected outcome or unanticipated twist of events presented in literature and in life
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raze
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vb. to tear down, destroy
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parody
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n. a work that imitates the style of another literary work; may be mocking or amusing; short, humorous parodies can be called spoofs
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ponderable
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adj. important enough to require a lot of thought
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aviary
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n. an enclosed space for birds
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respite
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n. period of inactivity; a lull; a reprieve
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egalitarian
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adj. pertaining to equal political, social and economical rights for all mankind
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linger
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vb. to hang around; to stay
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ponderous
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adj. very heavy or bulky; dull or lifeless
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irrefutable
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adj. unable to be argued against; indisputable
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prose
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n. writing that is not poetry or rhyming verse (i.e., a novel, play or essay)
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abridge
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vb. shorten
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variegated
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adj. having different patterns, colors, or appearance; dappled
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opportunist
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n. a person who seeks self-gain, even at the expense of others, without regard to values or moral principles
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homogeneous
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adj. of the same kind; alike; uniform
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rigor
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"n. harshness; severity; strict adherence to standards
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acrid
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adj. bitter, harsh
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querulous
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adj. whining; complaining
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mock
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vb. to make fun of; to imitate
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convalesce
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vb. to recover from an illness
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bolster
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vb. to support; to strengthen
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gratify
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vb. to please or indulge
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complementary
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adj. serving to complete another
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misanthrope
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n. someone who dislikes all people
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thrive
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vb. to grow strong; to flourish
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satire
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n. a literary work, often humorous, intended to ridicule the public figures, behaviors, or political situations presented or alluded to in the work.
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discrepancy
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n. a difference or inconsistency
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surpass
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vb. to be better than; to excel
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fastidious
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adj. very attentive to detail; fussy; meticulous
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obtuse
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adj. stupid; not clear or precise
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cynical
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adj. believing that all others are motivated by self-interest
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hamper
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vb. to hinder; to prevent something from happening
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integrity
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n. holding firmly to values, such as honesty; completeness
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debunk
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vb. prove wrong or false
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antidote
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n. something that relieves or prevents; a remedy that counteracts the effects of poison
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metaphor
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n. a figurative device in which a direct comparison is made, without using "like" or "as"
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ascetic
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n. a person who refrains from indulging in earthly pleasures
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mimetic
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adj. pertaining to imitation or mimicry; biological or otherwise
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autonomous
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adj. Independent
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delusion
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n. a false opinion or belief
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dilettante
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n. one who dabbles in the arts and sciences but is an expert in neither
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cavalier
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adj. arrogant; showing a lack of respect towards someone or something
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euphemism
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n. a more pleasant word or phrase that replaces another that is too direct, distasteful, or offensive
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illusion
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n. something unreal that gives the appearance of being real; a misconception
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pitfall
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n. an unseen danger, risk or drawback
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vilify
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vb. to slander or defame someone's name or reputation
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audacious
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adj. very bold
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melancholy
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adj. a feeling of sadness and gloominess
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obscure
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adj. hard to understand; abstract
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palpable
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adj. able to be touched or felt; tangible; material
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accessible
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adj. available; ready for use
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indigenous
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adj. native; originating in a specific country or region
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lofty
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adj. very high; towering; grand or noble
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sardonic
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adj. scornful or bitter; sarcastic
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insurgent
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n. a rebel; one who revolts against a government or political party; maverick (adj. rebellious)
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whimsical
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adj. fanciful; changeable
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