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130 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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accost (v.)
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to approach and speak to in aggressive, hostile or sexually suggestive manner
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animadversion (n.)
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1. strong criticism 2. a critical or censorious remark
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avid (adj.)
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1. having an ardent desire or unbounded craving; greedy. 2. marked by keen interest and enthusiasm.
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brackish (adj.)
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1. having a somewhat salty taste, especially from containing a mix or water and seawater. 2. distasteful; unpalateable.
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celerity (n.)
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swiftness of action or motion; speed.
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devious (adj.)
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1. not straight forward; shifty. 2. departing form the correct or accepted way; erring. 3. deviating form the straight/direct course. 4. away from a main road; distant
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gambit (n)
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a maneuver, stratagem, or ploy, especially one used at an initial stage 2. a remark intended to open conversation 3. opening in chess in which a minor piece or pieces are offered in exchange for a good position.
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halcyon (adj.)
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1. calm and peaceful; tranquil. 2. prosperous, golden.
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histrionic (adj.)
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of or relating to actors or acting. 2. excessively emotional or dramatic; affected.
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incendiary (adj.)
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1. causing or capable of causing fire 2. of or containing chemicals that produce intensely hot fire when exploded. 3. of or involving arson
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maelstrom (n.)
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1. a violent or turbulent situation 2. a whirlpool of extraordinary size or violence.
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myopic (adj.)
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1. unable to see short distances clearly. 2. lacking foresight or scope.
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overt (adj.)
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1. open and observeable; not hidden, concealed, or secret.
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pejorative (adj.)
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1. tending to make or become worse. 2. desparaging, belittling
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propriety (n.)
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1. the quality of being proper, appropriateness. 2. conformity to prevailing customs and usages.
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sacrilege (n)
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improper or disrespectful treatment of something held sacred
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summarily (adv)
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without delay or formality; briefly, concisely
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suppliant (adj)
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(adv) asking humbly and earnestly (n)one who makes a request humbly and earnestly
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talisman (n)
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an object that serves as a charm or is believed to confer magical powers; an amulet
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undulate (v)
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to moke in waves or with a wavelike motion; to have a wavelike appearance or form
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eulogy (n)
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formal statement of praise (usually said at a funeral over a dead body)
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evince (v)
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to make clear
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exhume (v)
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1. to remove from a grave 2. also figurative; to bring to light
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feckless (adj)
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careless, irresponsible, unreliable, immature.
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articulate (v/adj)
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1. (v) to enunciate; to fit together as a whole. 2. (adj) able to express oneself clearly through words
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cavort (v)
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to bounce or prance about in a sprightly manner; caper
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credence (n)
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1. Acceptance as true or valid; belief.
2. trustworthiness |
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decry (v)
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to condemn openly
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dissemble (v)
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1. To disguise or conceal behind a false appearance 2. To make a false show of; feign
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distraught (adj)
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1. Deeply agitated, as from emotional conflict.
2. Mad; insane. |
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acquisitive
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adj. 1. characterized by a strong desire to gain and possess. 2. tending to acquire and retain ideas or information
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arrogate
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v. to take or claim for oneslf without right; appropriate. 2. to ascribe on behalf of another in an unwanted manner.
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banal
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adj. drearily commonplace and often predicatble; trite
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belabor
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v. to attack with blows; hit, beat or whip. 2. to assail verbally. 3. to discuss repeatedly or at length; harp on
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carping
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(v;n;adj) finding fault in a disagreeable way.
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coherent
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(adj) 1. sticking together; cohering. 2. marked by an orderly, logical and aesthetically consistent relation of parts.
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congeal
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v. 1. to solidify by or as if by freezing. 2. to jell
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emulate
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v. match or surpass; to IMITATE
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encomium
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n. a speech or piece of writing that praises someone or something highly
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eschew
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v. deliberately avoiding; abstain from
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germane
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(adj) relevant to a subject under consideration
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insatiable
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(adj)impossible to satisfy
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intransigent
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(adj) unwilling or refusing to change one's views or to agree aboutsomething.
(n.) an intransigent person |
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invidious
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(adj) 1. likely to arouse resentment
2. offensive;hateful |
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largess
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(n) a generous gift
2. act of giving the gift |
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reconnaissance
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(n) spying mission for military purposes
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substantiate
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(v) establish by giving evidence or porrof
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taciturn
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adj. excessively quiet
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temporize
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v. to compromise. 2. to stall in order to buy yourself time.
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tebale
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(adj) defendable
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murky
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(adj) 1. dark, dim, or gloomy
2. Lacking clarity or distinctness; cloudy or obscure |
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nefarious
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(adj.) Infamous by way of being extremely wicked.
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piquant
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(adj.) 1. Pleasantly pungent or tart in taste; spicy. 2. Appealingly provocative: a piquant wit. 3. Charming, interesting, or attractive: a piquant face.
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primordial
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(adj.) 1. Being or happening first in sequence of time; original. 2. Primary or fundamental: play a primordial role.
(n.) A basic principle. |
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propinquity
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(n.) 1. Proximity; nearness. 2. Kinship. 3. Similarity in nature.
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unwonted
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(adj.) 1. Not habitual or ordinary; unusual. 2. Not accustomed; unused.
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utopian
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(adj.) 1. often relating to, describing or having the characteristics of a Utopia: a Utopian island; Utopian novels. 2. Excellent or ideal but impracticable. 3. Proposing impracticably ideal schemes.
(n.) A zealous but impractical reformer of human society. |
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verbiage
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(n.) 1. An excess of words for the purpose; wordiness.
2. The manner in which something is expressed in words: software verbiage. |
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verdant
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(adj) 1. Green with vegetation; covered with green growth. 2. Green. 3. Lacking experience or sophistication; naive.
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viscous
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(adj) 1. Having relatively high resistance to flow. 2. Viscid; sticky.
[like viscosity] |
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atrophy
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(n) 1. A wasting or decrease in size of a body organ, tissue, or part owing to disease, injury, or lack of use: muscular atrophy of a person affected with paralysis. 2. A wasting away, deterioration, or diminution: intellectual atrophy.
(v) To undergo atrophy. |
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bastion
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1. A projecting part of a fortification. 2. A well-fortified position. 3. One that is considered similar to a defensive stronghold
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concord
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(n) 1. Harmony or agreement of interests or feelings; accord. 2. A treaty establishing peaceful relations. 3. Agreement between words in person, number, gender, or case. 4. A harmonious combination of simultaneously sounded tones.
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consummate
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(v) 1. To bring to completion or fruition; conclude. 2. To complete (a marriage) with the first act of sexual intercourse after the ceremony. 3. To realize or achieve; fulfill
(adj) 1. Complete or perfect in every respect: consummate happiness. 2. Supremely accomplished or skilled. 3. Complete; utter. |
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disarray
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(n) 1. A state of disorder; confusion. 2. Disorderly dress.
(v) 1. To throw into confusion; upset. 2. To undress. |
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exigency
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(n) urgency, pressure; urgent demand, pressing need; an emergency
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flotsam
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(n) 1. floating debris 2. homeless people
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frenetic
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(adj) highly frenzied or agitated
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glean
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(v) to gather bit by bit; to gather small quantities of grain left in fields by the reapers
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grouse
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(n) 1. a type of game bird. 2. a complaint
(v) 1. to complain, grumble |
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incarcerate
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(v) to imprison; confine; jail
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incumbent
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(adj) obligatory, required
(n)one who holds a specific office at the time spoken of |
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jocular
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(adj) humorous; jesting; jolly; joking
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ludicrous
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(adj) ridiculous; laughable; absurd
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mordant
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(adj) biting or caustic in thought, manner or style; sharply or bitterly harsh
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nettle
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(n) a prickly or stinging plant (v) to arouse displeasure, impatience, or anger; to vex.
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pecuniary
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(adj) consisting of or measured in money; of or related to money
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pulsillanimous
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(adj) contemptibly cowardly or mean-spirited
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recumbent
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(adj) in a reclining position; lying down; in the posture of one sleeping or resting
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stratagem
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(n) a scheme to outwit or deceive an opponent to gain an end
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intermittent
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(adj) stopping and beginning again; sporadic
SYN: fitful, spasmodic, random |
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neophyte
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(n) a new convert, nocive, beginner
SYN: tenderfoot, tyro, rookie |
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motif
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(n) a princiapl idea, feature, theme or element; a repeated or dominant figure in design
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moot
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(adj) open to discussion and debate, unresolved
(v) to bring up for discussion (n) a hypothetical law case argued by students SYN: debateable, questionable (v) broach |
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perspicacity
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(n) keenness in observing and understanding
SYN: acuity, acumen, discernment |
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plenary
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(adj) complete in all aspects or essentaial: absolute, attended by all qualified members
SYN: unlimited, unrestricted |
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surveillance
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(n) a watch kept over a person, careful, close and disciplined observaiton
SYN: observation, scrutiny, monitoring |
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sylvan
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(adj) pertaining to or characteristic of forests; living or located in a forest; wooded, woody
SYN: forested, arcadian |
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testy
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(adj) easily irritated; characterized by impatience and exasperation
SYN: irritable, peevish, waspish, petulant |
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travesty
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(n) a grotesque or grossly inferior imitation; a disguise, especially the clothing of the opposite sex
(v) to ridicule by imitating in a broad or burlesque fashion SYN: burlesque, farce, parody, caricature |
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allay
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(v) to calm or pacify, set to rest; to lessen or relieve
SYN: reduce, alleviate, moderate |
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bestial
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(adj) beaslike; beasly; brutal; subhan in telligence and sensibilty
SYN: animal, depraved, loathsome |
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convivial
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(adj.) festive, sociable, having fun together, genial
SYN: fun0loving, jovial, merry |
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coterie
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(n) a circle of acquaintances, a close-knit, often exclusive, group of people with a common interest
SYN: clique, set |
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counterpart
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(n) a person or thing closely resembling or corresponding to another; a complement
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demur
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(v) to object or take exception to
(n) an objection SYN: (v) to protest, object to |
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effrontery
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(n) shameless boldness, impundence
SYN: gall, chutzpah, nerve, cheek, impertinence |
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embellish
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(v) to decorate, adorn, touch up; to improve by adding details
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ephemeral
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(adj) lasting only a short time, short-lived
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felicitous
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(adj) appropriate, apt, well-chosen; marked by well-being or good fortune; happy.
SYN: fleeting, transient, evanescent, transitory |
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furtive
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(adj) done slyly or stealthily, sneaky, secret, shifty; stolen
SYN: clandestine, covert, surreptitious |
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garish
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(adj) glaring; tastelessly showy or overdecorated in a vulgar or offensive way
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illusory
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(adj)misleading, deceptive; lacking in or not based on reality
SYN: specious, spurious, fanciful, imaginary |
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indigent
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(adj) needy, impoverished
SYN: penniless, poverty-stricken, destitute |
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inordinate
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(adj) far too great, exceeding reasonable limits; excessive
SYN: exorbitant, extravagant |
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jettison
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(v) to cast overboard, get rid of as unnecessary or burdensome
SYN: cast off, discard, dump, junk, abandon |
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misanthrope
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(n) a person who hates or despises people
SYN: people-hater |
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pertinacious
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(adj) very persistent; holding firmly to a course of action or a set of beliefs; hard to get rid of, refusing to be put off or denied
SYN: stubbord, dogged, determined |
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picayune
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(adj) or little value or importance, palty, measly; concerned with trifling matters, small-minded
SYN: inconsequential, piddling, trifling |
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raiment
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(n) clothing, garmets
SYN: apparel, attire |
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acquisitive
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adj. able to get and retain ideas or information; concerned with acquiring wealth or property
SYN: greedy, grasping, avaricious, retentive |
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arrogate
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v. to claim or take without right
SYN: expropriate, usurp, commandeer |
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banal
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adj. hackneyed, trite, commonplace
SYN: stale, insipid |
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belabor
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v. to work on excessively, to thrash soundly
SYN: overwork |
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carping
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adj. tending to find fault, especially in a petty, nasty or hairpslitting way
n. petty, nagging criticism SYN: nit-picking, caviling |
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coherent
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adj. holding or sticking together; making a logical whole; comprehensible, meaningful
SYN: connected, unified, consistent, cohesive |
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congeal
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v. to change from liquid to solid, thicken; to make infelxible or rigid
SYN: harden, jell, coagulate, solidify |
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emulate
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v. to imitate with the extent of equaling or surpassing the model
SYN: copy, mimic, rival, match, measure up to |
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encomium
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n. a formal expression of praise, a lavish tribute
SYN: panegyric, eulogy, commendation |
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eschew
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v. to avoid, shun, keep away from
SYN: abstain from, steer clear of, forgo |
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germane
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adj. relevant, appropriate, apropos, fitting
SYN: pertinent |
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insatiable
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adj. so great or demanding as not to be satisfied
SYN: unquenchable, ravenous, voracious |
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instransigent
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adj. refusing to compromise, irreconcilable
SYN: uncompromising, unyielding, obdurate |
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invidious
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adj. offensive, hateful, tending to cause bitterness and resentment
SYN: malicious, spiteful, prejudicial, pejorative |
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largesse
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n. generosity in giving, lavish or bountiful contributions
SYN: liberality, munificence, bounty |
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reconnaissance
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n. a survey made for military puposes; any kind of preliminary inspection or examination
SYN: scouting expedition |
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substantiate
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v. to establish by evidence prove; to give concrete or substantial form to
SYN: verify, confirm, validate, authenticate |
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taciturn
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adj. habitually silent or quiet, inclined to talk very little
SYN: tight lipped, uncommunicative, laconic |
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temporize
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v. to stall or act evasively in order to gain time, avoid a confrontation or postpone a decision; to compromise
SYN: hedge, dillydally, procrastinate |
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tenable
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adj. capable of being held or defended
SYN: defensible, justifiable, maintainable |
