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50 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Accolade (n)
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In the world of public relations, a “Clio” is the highest accolade and advertising campaign can receive.
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Aloof (adj)
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His classmates thought James was a snob because, instead of joining in their conversations, he remained silent and aloof.
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Austerity (n)
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The bishops charged with conduction the heresy inquiry where a solemn, somewhat forbidding group; their demeanor reflected their austerity.
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Charlatan (n)
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When they realized that the Wizard didn’t know how to get them back to Kansas, Dorothy and her companions were indignant that they’d been duped by a charlatan.
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Cursory (adj)
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Because a cursory examination of the ruins indicates that possibility of arson, we believe the insurance agency should have deeper investigation of the fire’s cause.
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Deprecate (v)
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A firm believer in old-fashioned courtesy, Miss Post deprecated the modern tendency to address new acquaintances by their first names.
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Distant (adj)
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His distant greeting made me feel unwelcome from the start.
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Esoteric (adj)
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New Yorkers short stories often include esoteric allusion to obscure people and events: if you are in the in-crowd, you’ll get the reference; if you come from Cleveland, you won’t.
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Facile (adj)
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Words came easily to Jason: he was a facile speaker and prided himself on being ready to make a speech at a moment’s notice.
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Founder (v)
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After hitting the submerged iceberg, the Titanic started taking in water rapidly and soon foundered.
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Hindrance (n)
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Stalled cars along the highway present a hindrance to traffic that tow trucks should remove without delay.
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Inaugurate (v)
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The airline decided to inaugurate its new route to the Far East with a special reduced fare offer.
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Indiscriminate (adj)
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Disapproving of her son’s indiscriminate television viewing, Shirley decided to restrict him to watching educational programs.
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Inimical (adj)
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I’ve always been friendly to Martha. Why is she so inimical to me?
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Judicious (adj)
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At a key moment in his life, Tom mad a judicious investment that was the foundation of his later wealth.
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Mundane (adj)
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Uninterested in philosophical or spiritual discussions, Tom talked only for mundane matters such as the daily weather forecast or the latest basketball results.
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Opaque (adj)
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The opaque window shade kept the sunlight out of the room
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Passive (adj)
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Mahatma Gandhi urged his followers to pursue a program of passive resistance rather than resorting to violence and acts of terrorism.
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Pomposity (n)
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Although the commencement speaker had some good things to say, we had to laugh at his pomposity and general air of parading his own dignity.
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Proliferation (n)
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Times of economic hardship inevitably encourage the proliferation of countless get-rich-quick schemes.
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Remorse (n)
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The murderer felt no remorse for his crime.
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Sage (n)
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Hearing tales of a mysterious Master of All Knowledge who lived in the fills of Tibet, Sandy was possessed with a burning desire to consult the legendary sage.
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Static (adj)
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Nothing had changed at home; life was static.
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Tirade (n)
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The cigar smoker went into a bitter tirade denouncing the anti-smoking forces that had succeeded in banning smoking from most planes and restaurants
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Usurp (v)
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The revolution ended when the victorious rebel general succeeded in his attempt to usurp the throne
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Adversary (n)
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The young wrestler struggled to over come his adversary.
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Apprehension (n)
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The tourist refused to drive his rental car through downtown Miami because he felt some apprehension that he might be carjacked.
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Benevolent (adj)
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Mr. Fezziwig was a benevolent employer who wished to make Christmas merrier for young Scrooge and his other employees.
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Confound (v)
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No mystery could confound Sherlock Holmes for long.
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Defiance (n)
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When john reached the “terrible two’s,” he responded to every parental request with howls of defiance.
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Discredit (v)
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The campaign was highly negative in tone; each candidate tried to discredit the others.
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Enumerate (v)
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Huck hung his head in shame as Miss Watson enumerated his many flaws.
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Exacting (adj)
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Cleaning the ceiling of the Sistine chapel was an exacting task, one that demanded extremely meticulous care on the part of the restorers.
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Flippant (adj)
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When Mark told Mona he loved her, she dismissed his earnest declaration with a flippant “Oh, you say that to all the girls!”
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Gravity (n)
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We could tell we were in serious trouble from the gravity of the principle’s expression.
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Iconoclast (n)
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A born iconoclast, Jean Fenet deliberately set out to shock conventional theatergoers with his radical plays.
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Incoherent (adj)
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The bereaved father sobbed and stammered, his words becoming almost incoherent in his grief.
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Inert (adj)
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“Get up, you lazybones,” Tina cried to Tony, who lay in bed inert.
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Intervene (v)
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Rachel tried to intervene the quarrel between her two sons.
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Magnanimous (adj)
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Philanthropists by definition are magnanimous; misers, by definition, are not.
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Oblivion (n)
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After a brief period of popularity, Hurston’s works fell into oblivion; no one pothered to reprint them or even to read them any more.
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Paltry (adj)
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One hundred dollars for a genuine imitation Rolex watch! Lady, this is a paltry sum to pay for such a high-class piece of jewelry.
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Perpetuate (v)
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Some critics attack The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn because they believe Twain’s book perpetuates a false image of African-Americans in this country.
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Preclude (v)
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The fact that the band was already booked to play in Hollywood, precluded their accepting the gig in London they were offered
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Quiescent (adj)
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After the great eruption, fear of Mount Etna was great’ people did not return to cultivate its rich hillside lands until the volcano had been quiescent for a full two years
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Reticent (adj)
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Fearing his competitors might get advance word about his plans from talkative staff members, Hughes preferred reticent employees to loquacious ones.
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Skeptical (adj)
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I am skeptical about the new health plan; I want some proof that it can work.
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Substantial (adj)
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The scholarship represented a substantial sum of money
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Trivial (adj)
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Too many magazines ignore newsworthy subjects and feature trivial affairs.
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Virtuoso (n)
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The child prodigy Yehudi Menuhin grew into a virtuoso whose violin performance trilled millions.
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