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20 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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adj.
courteous and pleasant,sociable, easy to speak to We spent a pleasant afternoon with our ________ neighbors syns: genial, amicable, agreeable, cordial ant: surly, cantankerous, dour, inhospitable |
affable
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v.to increase in greatness, power, or wealt; to build up or intensify; to make appear greater
John D. Rockefeller worked to ________ his empire by purchasing oil wells, refineries, and pipelines syn: augment, amplify, enhance, exhalt ant: reduce, decrease, diminish |
aggrandize
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adj.
shapeless, without definite firm; of no particular type or character; without organization, unity,or cohesion The______ body of the amoeba was fascinating to watch under the microscope. syn:formless, unstructred, nebulous, inchoate ant:definite, well-defined, clear-cut |
amorphous
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n. that which surrounds (as an atmosphere); distinctive air or personal quality
What people thought was her _____ of mystery was actually a mask for her shyness. syn: ambience, atmosphere |
aura
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n.
illegal traffic, smuggled goods adj. illegal, prohibited Three jeweled combs from the 17th century were among the ______ seized by the police syn: (adj) illicit, bootleg, unlawful ant: (adj) legal, lawful, licit |
contraband
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adj.
scholarly, learned, bookish, pedantic For my papers, I would like to find an _______ history of the subject written in a clear and unbiased manner syn: profoundly educated, well- read ant: ignorant, uneducated, illiterate |
erudite
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adj.
thin, light, delicate, insubstantial n. a very thin, light cloth Ghosts are often depicted in literature as wearing _____ clothing that makes them all the more ethereal. syn: filmy, diaphanous, sheer, airy, feathery, gauzy ant: thick, dense, solid, massive |
gossamer
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v. to find out by reasoning; to arrive at a conclusion on the basis of thought; to hint, suggest, imply
I can ______ nothing from his odd behavior. syn: gather, deduce, presume, guess, speculate |
infer
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adj.
incapable of being understood; impossible to see through physically I could not tell her_____ whether she was pleased or only amused with me. syn: impenetrable, incomprehensible, enigmatic ant: comprehensible, intellible, penetrable |
inscrutable
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adj.
relating to, characteristic of, or situated on an island, narrow or isolated in outlook or experiance You seem sophisticated to hold such _______ opinions syn: narrow-minded, parochial, provinicial ant: catholic, cosmopolitan, liberal |
insular
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adj.
incapable of being changed or called back We tend to think of court verdicts as _________ but they are often overturned by higher courts syn: irreversible, unrecallable, unalterable ant: reversible, changeable |
irrevocable
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n.
a natural inclination or predilection toward Queen Elizabeth I showed a strong ______ for putting off decisions in hopes that they would resolve themselves sny: natural bent, proclivity, penchant ant: natural incapacity or inability |
propensity
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adj.
peevish, complaining, fretful Some flight attendants dread a _________ airline passenger more than they do rough weather syn: petulant, touchy, cranky, irritable ant: uncomplaining, stoical, serene, placid |
querulous
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v.
to argue or plead with someone against something, protest against, object to Slowly, carefully, keeping his voice down, he argued with the caller as one might _______ syn: reason against, expostulate |
remonstrate
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v.
to disown, reject, or deny the validity of He was forced to _____ a statement he had made before he'd had all the information syn: disvow, abjure, renounce ant: avow, affirm, aver, avouch |
repudiate
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adj. able to return to an original shape or form; able to recover quickly
The development of lightweight, ______ plastics revolutionized the design of many durable goods. syn: springy, elastic, bouyant, bouncy ant: rigid, stiff, inflexible, unyielding |
resilient
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v. to re-echo, resound; to reflect or be reflected repeatedly
From the construction site, the noise of bulldozers and dump trucks _______ across the valley. syn: rumble, thunder, boom , echo |
reverberate
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adj. coarsely abusive, vulgar or low (especially in language), foul-mouthed
Days passed an unrest grew, and soon the rebels began a _____ attack on their absent leader syn: obscene, filthy, abusive, vituperative ant: decorous, seemly, tasteful, dignified |
scurrilous
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adj. persistent, showing industry and determination
No one could say that he was lazy, for he was a careful, ______ copier of other people's work syn:assiduous, tireless, indefatigable ant: lackadaisical, listless, indolent, otiose |
sedulous
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adj. thin or flimsy in texture; cheap; shoddy or inferior in quality or character; ethically low, mean or disreputable
The old lady made her clothes at home in order to avoid the _______ goods sold in the general store syn: inferior, cheesy, tawdry, tatty ant: superior, first-rate, quality, sturdy |
sleazy
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