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58 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
- 3rd side (hint)
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AUSTERE
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rigorous, stern, severely simple
austerity implies harsh restraint and absence of warmth, liveliness or adornment |
The New England Pilgrims led AUSTERE lives
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asceticism
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self-denial
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sobriety
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serious, restrained, temperate living-solemn and grave, but ascetic and hardly austere
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rigor
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stiffness, implying strong discipline, from within or without
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stringency
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strictness or tight controls
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AVID
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eager, greedy
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Hillary Borino is an AVID reader
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preference
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mild eagerness
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partiality
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stronger preference, deliberate/unreasoning
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keenness
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desire w/ a sharp edge and is thus mildly thrilling
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rapacity
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ruthless/immoral eagerness which leads to the wrongful/violent seizure of that which one wants
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covetousness
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rapacious eagerness for something that belongs to someone else
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mania
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eagerness verging on madness and obsession
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CAPRICIOUS
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subject to whims, changeable
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The island's weather is so CAPRICIOUS, it's foolish to picnic
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whimsical
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droll/sensible in a humorous, unexpected way
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erratic
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uneven/irregular
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spasmodic
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sunden, irregular, and sometimes violent b/c strong changes in mood/emotion
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COMPETENT
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capable, skillful, well qualified
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A COMPETENT secretary commands a good salary
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proficiency
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high degree of mastery in some specific skill/field
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dexterity
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primarily muscular skill and often speed
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adroitness
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ability to handle a situation/problem skillfully
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finesse
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adroitness, gracefulness, smoothness in handling a situation
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facility
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competence w/ ease as well as skill
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DIFFIDENT
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shy, timid, unassertive
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Carolyn's DIFFIDENT behavior keeps her from getting much attention
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DIMINUTIVE
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undersized, small
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A midget is a DIMINUTIVE human being
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FORMIDABLE
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hard to overcome, causing fear or dread
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Trigonometry is a FORMIDABLE subject
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INEXORABLE
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unyielding, unrelenting
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The union was INEXORABLE in its demand for shorter hours
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INSCRUTABLE
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mysterious, unfathomable, beyond comprehension
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The INSCRUTABLE stranger looked steadily at us, then turned and ran
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INVETERATE
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habitual, deeply established (used of practices which have become habitual through long repetition)
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Most Americans are INVETERATE coffee drinkers
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chronic
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a long-est and recurring condition
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LUGUBRIOUS
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mournful, doleful, dismal
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When overdone, like in the Oedipus play, LUGUBRIOUSNESS has a comic effect
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MELANCHOLY
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gloomy, brooding, sadly thoughtful
melancholia is a mental disorder characterized by exceedingly low spirits and severe depression |
The death of Teddy made Molly MELANCHOLY
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wistfulness
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slight, very gentle melancholy
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depression
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a state of low spirits, not so deep as dejection and due more to physical or temporary conditions
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dejection
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the state of being downcast, discouraged, lacking hope
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despondency
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stresses lack or loss of hope that the situation will improve
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METICULOUS
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scrupulous about details
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Sarah was METICULOUS about the sharpie colors on the bio graph
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punctilious
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scrupulously exact about details, practices, customs, and schedules
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punctual
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on time
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MUNIFICENT
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very generous, lavish
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Nature's MUNIFICENCE makes January a lovely month
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liberal
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free, ample, more than enough
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generous
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spontaneous, unselfish, wholehearted
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bounteous
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abundant, unrestrained, more than merely liberal
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OPPORTUNE
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timely, advantageous, seasonable
opportunism is the act of seizing an unexpected chance and turning it to one's advantage |
February is an OPPORTUNE time to go to PC!
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PLEBEIAN
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common, ordinary, low-class
plebiscite is a vote by the people on a specific issue |
Camp fare consisted of PLEBEIAN food like mashed potatoes and meat loaf
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PRECIPITOUS
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very steep
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The cheese rolled down the precipitous mountainside
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PRECOCIOUS
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ahead in development (esp mental); exhibiting mature qualities
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Mikey K is a PRECOCIOUS sophomore you can do college work
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PUGNACIOUS
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quarrelsome, inclined to fight
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A PUGNACIOUS attitude got David Bridges into trouble
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combative
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someone who has the wary, pugnacious attitude of a soldier in combat
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contentious
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someone who keeps stirring up trouble
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pugilistic
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someone not necessarily pugnacious but has a connection w/ boxing
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pugilist
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a boxer/prizefighter
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belligerent
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someone who's very quarrelsome
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bellicose
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someone who's warlike
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QUERULOUS
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fretful, complaining
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Professor Quirrel was always QUERULOUS
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petulant
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peevish and irritable, esp in the sense of being bad-tempered
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peevish
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fretful and ill-humored, esp in petty ways
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disconsolateness
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condition of being uncomforted, especially over a specific cause of greif
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despair
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despondency at or beyond the breaking point where one abandons hope and faith
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