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76 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
- 3rd side (hint)
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abate
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verb
to lessen in intesity or degree |
ab = off, away
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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 |
adul = flatter
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aesthetic
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ajective
dealing with, appreciative of, or responsive to art or the beautiful |
aesthet = sensitive or perceptive
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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, especially as an act of religious devotion. |
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avarice
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noun
greed, especially for wealth |
avar = eager, greed
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axiom
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noun
a universally recognized principle |
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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 & pastoral; characteristic of rural areas & their inhabitants |
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cacophony
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noun
harsh, jarring, discordant sound; dissonance |
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canon
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noun
an established set of principles or code of laws; often religious in nature |
rule or model
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castigation
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noun
severe criticism or punishment |
castig = chastise
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catalyst
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noun
a substance that accelerates the rate of a chemical reation w/out itself changing; a person or thing that causes change |
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caustic
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adjective
burning or stinging; causing corrosion |
cau = burn
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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 |
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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 |
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culpable
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adjective
deserving blame |
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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 |
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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 improvable principles |
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ebullience
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noun
the quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts & feelings |
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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, especially one lamenting the dead |
eleg = mourn
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emollient
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adjective/noun
soothing, esp. to the skin; making less harsh; 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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adjective
mysterious; obscure; difficult to understand |
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ephemeral
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adjective
brief; fleeting |
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estoteric
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adjective
intended for or understood by a small, specific group |
esoter = inner
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eulogy
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noun
a speech honoring the dead |
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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
an invalid or incorrect notion; a mistaken belief |
fallac = deceptive
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furtive
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adjective
marked by stealth; covert; surreptitious |
furtiv = secret; stolen
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gregarious
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adjective
sociable; outgoing; enjoying the company of other people |
greg = flock, herd
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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 |
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hyperbole
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noun
an exaggerated statement, often used as a figure of speech |
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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 |
innoc = harmless
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intransigent
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adjective
refusing to compromise |
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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 |
odi = hate
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opaque
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adjective
impenetrable by light; not reflecting light back |
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oscillation
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noun
the act or state of swinging back & forth with a steady, uninterrupted rhythm |
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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 |
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pious
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adjective
extremely reverent or devout; showing strong religious devotion |
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precursor
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noun
one that precedes & 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 |
putri = rotten
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quaff
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verb
to drink deeply |
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quiescence
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noun
stillness; motionless; quality of being at rest |
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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 |
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squalid
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adjective
sordid; wretched and dirty as from neglect |
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stoic
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adjective
indifferent to or unaffected by pleasure or pain; steadfast |
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supplant
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verb
to take the place of; supersede |
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torpid
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adjective
lethargic; sluggish; dormant |
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ubiquitous
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adjective
existing everywhere at the same time; constantly encountered; wide-spread |
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urbane
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adjective
sophisticated; refined; elegant |
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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 |
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