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290 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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abstract
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theoretical; not accurate
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abstruse
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hard to understand
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accolade
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an award, or praise
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acclaim
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praise; applaud
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acquiescent
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reluctantly agreeable; compliant
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acrimony
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words or behavior filled with harshness or anger
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adamant
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refusing to change; stubborn, unyielding
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adroit
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skillful in physical activity, or in handling difficult situations
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advocate
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support; plead for; speak on behalf for
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affable
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friendly; easygoing
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affirmation
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positive statement; assertion; agreement
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alienate
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to push someone away, or cause him to separate from people
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aloof
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detached; part; indifferent
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altruistic
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unselfish; caring
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ambidextrous
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able to use both hands with equal skill
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ambiguous
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unclear; vague; having several possible interpretations
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ambivalence
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indecision; feeling of being pulled in two different directions
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ameliorate
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to make an unpleasant situation better; to improve
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amity
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friendship
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amorphous
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without form or shape
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analogous
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similar
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anarchy
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a lack of order; chaos
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anathema
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a religious curse, or the thing or person being cursed
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antagonistic
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in hostile competition; opposing
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antiquated
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too old to be useful; outdated; obsolete
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antithesis
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opposite
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apathy
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lack of interest or concern
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apex
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top; highest point; summit
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appease
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calm; pacify
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arbitrary
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selected by random choice and without solid reason
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arcane
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secret; mysterious
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archaic
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old; antiquated
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arrogant
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acting superior; obnoxious, smug, or rude
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articulate
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able to speak clearly and effectively
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ascendance
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domination; controlling power
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ascetic
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person who rejects physical comfort and luxury for self-discipline
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asperity
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roughness; harshness; irritability
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assail
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attack with words or force
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assiduous
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persistent; hard-working; diligent; attentive to detail
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assuage
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relieve; ease; pacify
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astute
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wise; insightfully clever; shrewd
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atrophy
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waste away; wither
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audacious
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brazen; brash; nervy
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augment
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make larger; increase
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auspicious
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taking place under promising conditions; likely to succeed
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austere
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stern; plain; without luxuries
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averse
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feeling repelled; wanting to avoid
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avarice
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greed
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baleful
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harmful; menacing
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banal
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boring; trite; insipid
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beguile
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to cheat or deceive, usually through charm; to amuse
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belie
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to give an impression that is the opposite of the way things really are; to misrepresent
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belligerent
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having a strong tendency to argue and fight
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benediction
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good wishes; a blessing
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benevolent
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kindhearted; good-natured; generous
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benign
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gentle; kind-hearted; mild
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bequeath
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to leave behind or hand down through a will; transmit
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blight
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decay; disease; widespread death
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bolster
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to support; to reinforce
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bombast
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speech or writing intended to impress the audience; pompous
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brevity
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briefness; conciseness
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bumptious
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pushy; obnoxiously self-assertive
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cacophony
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harshness of sound; opposite of harmony
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cajole
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to fool with flattery or false promises; coax; deceive
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candor
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honesty; frankness
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capacious
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large; roomy; spacious
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capitulate
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surrender; yield
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capricious
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unpredictable
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castigate
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scold; punish
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caustic
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burning, either with chemicals or sarcasm
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celerity
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speed
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censure
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to criticize
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chasten
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punish; discipline; castigate
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chastise
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scold; punish; castigate
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choler
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anger
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circumscribe
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draw a line around; define limits; confine; restrict
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circumspect
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cautious
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clemency
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mercy
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coalesce
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unite; grow together
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cloister
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secluded or isolated from the outside world; also, a place of seclusion
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coerce
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to force someone by threatening or physically overpowering him
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complacent
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self-satisfied; unconcerned
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compliant
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following someone else's demands; conforming; obeying
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composure
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calmness; equanimity
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concede
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admit reluctantly; yield
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concise
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short and to the point; terse
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concur
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agree
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condone
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to overlook, excuse, or pardon
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confound
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to mix up; or, to confuse someone else
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consonance
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a blending of sounds or opinions; harmony; agreement
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consummate
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to compete or make whole
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contend
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to argue a point or position; or, to struggle for
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contingent
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dependent upon other circumstances; conditional
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contract
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squeeze together; shrink
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contrite
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sorry; penitent
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conundrum
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riddle; mystery
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converge
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move together to meet at a common point
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conviction
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an opinion that is strongly held
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convivial
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fond of parties; sociable
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copious
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in large quantity; abundant
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cordial
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friendly; welcoming; gracious
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corporeal
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having to do with the body or the physical world
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corroborate
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support with evidence; tell the same story; confirm
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criteria
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requirements or standards use to make a decision
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cryptic
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hidden; secret; mysterious
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cupidity
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greed, especially for money
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culpable
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guilty; blameworthy
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cursory
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quickly and incompletely done; superficial
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daunted
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dismayed; disheartened; discouraged
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decadence
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moral decay or decline
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defame
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to say things harmful to a person's reputation; malign; vilify
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deference
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the act of yielding to someone else out of respect
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denounce
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criticize; condemn
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depleted
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emptied; drained; used up
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deplore
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to express regret or disapproval; complain; criticize
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deprecate
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disapprove; belittle
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deride
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to ridicule
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despondent
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feeling hopeless or depressed
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destitute
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poor; lacking possessions
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dexterity
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high level of skill, especially with the hands; adroitness
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despot
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tyrant
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desultory
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lacking plan; aimless
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diatribe
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a bitterly critical speech
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digress
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to move away from the main topic when writing or speaking; to go off on a tangent
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dilatory
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causing lateness; stalling
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discerning
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insightful; perceptive
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disclose
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provide information; reveal
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discord
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disagreement; dissonance
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discourse
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exchange of ideas; conversation
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disdain
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a feeling of scorn or contempt
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disparage
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say negative things; belittle
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disparate
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different
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disperse
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spread around; scatter
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dissent
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to disagree especially with the majority, or with an authority
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dissolution
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separation into parts; the process of dissolving
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distended
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swollen; extended
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divergence
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the act of splitting off into different directions
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dogmatic
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sticking to long-held beliefs, even when faced with contrary evidence; closed-minded
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eclectic
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choosing from many different sources; carefully selective
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doleful
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extremely sad
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eccentric
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different from most, especially in personality or behavior
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efface
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erase
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effervescence
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the quality of being bubbly or full of life
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efficacy
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the ability to produce desired results
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elated
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extremely happy; overjoyed
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eloquence
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powerfully effective speech
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embellish
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to make more beautiful; decorate; adorn
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endorse
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promote; recommend
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emulate
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imitate
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endemic
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native to a particular country or among a particular group
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enervate
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sap the strength; weaken
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enhance
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intensify; improve
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enigma
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mystery; puzzle
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enmity
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mutual hatred
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ephemeral
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temporary; short-lived
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eradicate
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remove completely and permantetly; exterminate
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erratic
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unpredictable; differing from what is normal or expected
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erudition
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the knowledge acquired trough many years of study
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esoteric
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known to, or understood by, a limited group of people
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ethereal
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heavenly; find; delicately beautiful
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eulogize
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to praise highly; to extol
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euphemism
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a word or phrase that's used to make an unpleasant idea sound better
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evasive
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tending to avoid giving direct answers
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exacerbate
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to make a bad situation worse
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exalt
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raise in rank; elevate; praise
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expurgate
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to remove offense words, ideas, or symbols; to censor
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expunge
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erase
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extemporaneous
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done without planning; improvised
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extol
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praise
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extraneous
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unnecessary; irrelevant
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extricate
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to free form a trap or difficult situation
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exuberant
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uncontrollably joyous
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fallacious
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false; misleading
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fastidious
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difficult to please
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fickle
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lacking loyalty; unpredictably changeable; erratic
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fervor
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strong passion
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flaccid
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lacking firmness; soft; limp
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flagrant
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openly and obviously evil; glaring; conspicuous
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flippancy
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treating a serious situation with arrogant humor or disrespect
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foment
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to stir into action; rouse; incite
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foresight
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the ability to see ahead, anticipate, or predict
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frugal
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careful with money; thrifty
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fulminate
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to explode either with sound or anger
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furtive
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sneaky; secretive
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futile
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hopelessly ineffective; useless; in vain
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garbled
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changed so much that the original meaning has been distorted; scrambled
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garish
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flashy; gaudy
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garner
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collect; gather; accumulate; earn
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garrulous
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very talkative; loquacious
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genial
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friendly; gracious; kind
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germane
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relevant; fitting
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girth
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distance around an object; circumference
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glutton
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a person who consumes huge quantities of food or drink; someone with great endurance
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gregarious
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sociable; extroverted; enjoying companionship
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gravity
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seriousness
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hackneyed
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unoriginal; trite
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gullible
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easily deceived
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hamper
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interfere with movement or progress
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haphazard
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without plan or direction
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harangue
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a long, lecturing speech
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harbor
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to provide shelter or refuge; hide
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hardy
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bold; brave; capable of withstanding harsh conditions
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hedge
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to avoid giving a clear answer, thereby escaping responsibility or blame
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heed
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notice; pay attention to
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heinous
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shockingly evil
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heresy
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an opinion expressed in defiance of generally accepted ideas
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hiatus
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gap; interruption; a break in continuity; a pause
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hierarchy
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a group of people in authority rank in order of power; a sequential listing
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homage
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respect paid to someone or something; tribute; honor
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homogeneous
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the same throughout; consistent; uniform
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hyperbole
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extreme exaggeration
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hypocrite
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an insincere person; one who pretends to have feelings he doesn't really possess
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idolatry
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the worship of objects or people as gods
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imbue
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to fill, as with a strong dye or a strong feeling
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imminent
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about to take place; happening soon
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immutable
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unable to change
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impasse
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a situation from which you cannot escape; stalemate
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impassive
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without feeling; expressionless
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impede
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get in the way; hinder
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impetuous
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taking sudden action; hasty; impulsive
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impostor
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pretender
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inane
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silly; insignificant
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impudence
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rudeness; insolence
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inaugurate
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begin; induct into
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inadvertent
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unintentional
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incessant
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continuous; endless
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inchoate
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not yet fully developed
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incite
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arouse to action; stir up; foment
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incompatible
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incapable of existing together in peace
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incongruous
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out of place
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incorrigible
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impossible to correct, control, or discipline
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incredulous
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unwilling or unable to believe
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indict
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charge with a crime; accuse
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indigent
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very poor
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indolent
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lazy
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induce
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cause to happen; bring about
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inert
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lacking movement; inactive; sluggish
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infallible
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incapable of making a mistake
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infamy
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a bad reputation; notoreity
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infer
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to figure out, based on given information; conclude; deduce
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infiltrate
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penetrate by passing rough gaps; enter secretly and become established, such as a spy might do in an enemy organization
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ingenuous
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naive; unsophisticated; inexperienced
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innate
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having a quiality that arises from within, rather than learned or acquired form the outside; native; inborn
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innocuous
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harmless; inoffensive
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innovation
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a new idea, product, or method
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inscrutable
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mysterious
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insipid
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dull; flat; without sparkle of flavor
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insolent
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rude; haughty
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insolvent
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unable to pay bills; bankrupt
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intermittent
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occurring at intervals; period; not constant or continual
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intractable
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stubborn; immovable
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intrinsic
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located withing the very nature of an object or person; inherent
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invert
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turn upside down or inside out; reverse position
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irascible
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easily angered
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irony
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an unexpected outcome, or the use of a word that is the opposite of its literal meaning
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irresolute
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indecisive; unsure
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irreverent
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disrespectful
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jargon
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specialized language sued by a particular group
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jaundice
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yellow color; or, envy or resentment
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jaunty
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lively; perky
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jeopardy
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the treat or possibility of danger
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jettison
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to throw overboard; to discard
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jocular
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joking; playful; jesting; witty
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jubilant
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filled with joy
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judicious
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wise; making good decisions
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juncture
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point in time, especially a crucial one; joint or connection
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juxtapose
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to place side-by-side
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kindle
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to start a fire; ignite; arouse
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kinetic
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in motion; active
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laconic
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quiet; of few words; terse
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lament
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express sorrow; complain
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languish
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lose energy or motivation; become weak or depressed
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latent
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existing but inactive, such as a certain quality; dormant; invisible
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legacy
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something inherited, either from an ancestor or from the past itself
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laud
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praise; worship; extol
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lethargic
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tired; sluggish; drowsy
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levity
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lightness; playfulness; jocularity
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lionize
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to put someone onto a pedestal; to treat with great respect
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listless
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tired; sluggish; lacking drive
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loath
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reluctant; unwilling
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loathe
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to hate
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lofty
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at a great height; elevated; noble
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loquacious
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talkative
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lucid
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easy to understand; transparent; clear-thinking
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ludicrous
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absurd; ridiculous
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lugubrious
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mournful
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magnanimous
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big-hearted; generous; forgiving; noble
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magnate
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a person of great power
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malediction
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evil speech; curse
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malefactor
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person who tries to hurt others; criminal
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