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284 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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paramount
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chief, supreme
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zenith
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highest point, culmination, point in the heavens directly overhead
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crux
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essential part
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buoyant
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cheerful
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rotund
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rounded out, full-toned
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progeny
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offspring, children
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nugatory
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of little or no value
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gala
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characterized by festivity
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dogmatic
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opionated, asserted without proof
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kilth and kin
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friends and relatives; kindred
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arbitrary; arbitrate
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autocratic, tyrannical; decide a dispute acting as a judge, submit a dispute to arbitration
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lank
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lean, ungracefully tall
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propinquity
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kinship; nearness of a place, proximity
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dregs
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most worthless part, sediment at bottom of a liquid
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malleable
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capable of being shaped by hammering, adaptable
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menagerie
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place where wild animals are kept and trained, collection of wild animals
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symmetrical; symmetry
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balanced in arrangement; harmony
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salubrious
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healthful
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contour
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outline of a figure
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badger
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tease, annoy, nag
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contiguous
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touching, adjoining
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preeminent
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standing out above others, superior
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environs
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districts surrounding a place, suburbs
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obese; obesity
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extremely overweight; excessive bodyweight
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adjacent
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lying near or next to
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sardonic
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mocking, bitterly sarcastic
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coy
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pretending to be shy
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convivial; conviviality
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fond of eating and drinking with friends, sociable; sociability
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tenable
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capable of being maintained or defended
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therapeutic
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curative
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fallible
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liable to be mistaken
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contrite; contrition
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showing deep regret and sorrow for wrongdoing; repentance
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sully
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tarnish, defile
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toxic
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poisonous
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paradoxical
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self-contradictory that may nevertheless be true
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dejected; dejection
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sad, depressed; sadness, depression
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analogy
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similarity, comparison
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geneology
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a person's family's descent; pedigree
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cogitate
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think over, ponder
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complacency; complacent
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self-satisfaction, smugness; too pleased with oneself
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relevent
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bearing upon the matter in hand, pertinent
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aversion
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strong dislike, antipathy
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illusion
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misconception
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fulsome
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offensive because of insincerity, repulsive
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distort
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twist out of shape; change from the true meaning
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volition
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will
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sloven
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person habitually untidy, dirty, or careless in dress habits
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disgruntled
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in bad humor, displeased, dishumored
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fallacaious
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misleading, deceptive
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plaudit
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enthusiastic praise, applause
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plausible
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apparently trsutworthy, superficially true or reasonable
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pathos
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quality in events or in art that arouses our pity
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rational; rationalize
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sensible, based on reason; invent excuses for one's actions, desires, failures, etc.
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sabeceous
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greasy
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heterodox
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rejecting regularly accepted beliefs or doctrines, noncomformist
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buoy
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keep afloat, raise spirits of
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concave
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curved inward, creating a hollow space
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sibling
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one of two or more children of a family
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squalid
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filthy from neglect
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nostalgic
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homesick
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speculate
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reflect, conjecture; buy or sell with the hope of profiting by price fluctuations
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malignant
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threatening to cause death; very evil
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juxtapose; juxtaposition
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put side by side; cose or side-by-side position
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aviary
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place where birds are kept
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hypothetical
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supposed, like a hypothesis
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encomium
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speech or writing of high praise
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amorphous
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shapeless, unorganized
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burly
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strongly and heavily built; husky
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dilemma
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predicament
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humble
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of low position or condition; not proud, modest
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orthodox
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conventional, approved
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ecstasy; ecstatic
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state of overwhelming joy, rapture; enraptures
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paltry
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practically worthless, petty
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calumnious
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slanderous, falsely and maliciously accusing
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bias
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opinion formed before there are grounds for it; prejudice
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plight
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unfortunate state; predicament
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indubitable
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certain, indisputable
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menial
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subservient
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preposterous
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senseless, irrational
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cherubic
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chubby and innocent looking, like a chrub (angel in the form of a child)
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deduce
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infer
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flippant
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treating serious matters lightly
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squalor
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filth
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buxom
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plump and attractive
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criterion
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standard, rule or test for judging
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eminence; eminent
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high rank; standing out, notable
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approximate
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nearly correct
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apiary
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place where bees are kept
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sophistry
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clever but deceptive reasoning
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vertex
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farthest point opposite the base (triangle or pyramid)
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grave
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deserving serious attention
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cajole; cajolery
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persuade by pleasant words; wheedling, coaxing
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sinuous
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being in and out, winding, serpentine
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anticlimax
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abrupt decline from the dignified or important to the trivial or ludicrous
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eclectic
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choosing from various sources
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lionize
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treat as highly important
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bigoted; bigotry
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intolerant, narrowminded; views or behaviors of a bigot (prejudiced, narrowminded person)
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virulant; viral; virus
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venomous, deadly, very bitter; caused by a virus; disease-causing substance too small to be seent through a microscope, corruptive force
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modest; modesty
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humble; humility
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pathetic
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arousing pity
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demure
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falsely modest or serious; grave, prim
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immunity; immunize
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resistance to a disease, freedom from an obligation; make immune
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diffident
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shy, unduly timid
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haggard
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careworn, gaunt
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staid
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sedate, quite disposition
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levity
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lack of proper seriousness, frivolity
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sordid
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filthy, vile
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tribulation
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suffering; distress
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specious
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apparently reasonable, but not really so
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ethereal
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heavenly
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axiomatic
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self-evident, universally accepted as true
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sycophant
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parisitic flatterer
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brazen
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shameless; made of brass or bronze
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acme
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highest point
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vainglorious
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elated by vanity, excessively proud or boastful
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lament; lamentable
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mourn, deplore; pitiable, rueful
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ostentatious
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showy, to impress others
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travesty
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imitation that makes a serious thing seem ridiculous, mockery
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egoism
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selfishness
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molt
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shed feather, skin, hair, etc.
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vain
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conceited, empty or worthless, futile
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unguent
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salve; ointment
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overweening
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arrogant, thinking too highly of oneself
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halcyon
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calm, peaceful
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pert
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bold, saucy
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droll
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odd and laughter-provoking
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vanity
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conceit
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chagrin; chagrined
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embarrrassment; ashamed, mortified
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gentility
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good manners; gentry upper class
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obsequious
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showing excessive willingness to serve
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acclaim
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welcome with approval, applaud loudly
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compunction
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regret; remorse
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climactic
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arranged in order or increasing force and interest
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doleful
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causing grief or sadness
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acclivity
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upward slope
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parasite; parisitic
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animal, plant, or person living on others; living at the expense of another, sponging
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derogatory
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expressing low esteem, belittling
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pudgy
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short and plump
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consummate
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perfect, carried to the highest degree
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ornithology
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study of birds
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plumb
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get to the bottom of, ascertain the depth of
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blandishment
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word or deed of mild flattery
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laudable; laudatory
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praiseworthy, commendable; expressing praise
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maudlin
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homesickness, yearning for the past
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satire, satiric/satirical
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language or writing that exposes follies or abuses by holding them up to ridicule; given or expressing satire
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adulation
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excessive praise, flattery
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sarcasm; sarcastic
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sneering language intended to hurt someone's feelings; given to or expressing sarcasm
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sullen
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resentfully silent
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maternal
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like a mother
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emaciated
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made unnaturally thin, abnormally lean because of starvation or illness
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loath; loathe
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unwilling, disincline; detest
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bliss; blissful
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perfect happiness; very happy
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pestilential
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morally harmful, pertaining to a plague
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blithe
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merry, joyous; heedless
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humiliate; humility
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degrade; humbleness
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poignant
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painfully touching
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stigmatize
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brand with a mark of disgrace
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svelte
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slender, lithe
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chasm
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wide gap or rift
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ascetic (adj.); (n.)
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shunning pleasures, self-denying; person who shuns pleasures and lives simply
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ravine
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deep, narrow gorge worn by running water
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delectable
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very pleasing, delightful
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parody
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humorous imitation
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lackey
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follower who carries out another's wishes like a servant
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ironic/ironical; irony
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containing or expressing irony; species of humor whose intended meaning is the opposite of the words used, state of affairs contrary to what would normally be expected
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scavenger
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animal or person removing refuse, decay, etc.
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abysmal; abyss
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deep, profound; bottomless immeasurably deep space
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throes
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anguish; pangs
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paternal
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like a father
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disconsolate
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cheerless, inconsolable
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morbid
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gruesome; having to do with disease
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antidote
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remedy for poison or evil
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alacrity
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cheerful willingness, liveliness
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elated; elation
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in high spirits, joyful; euphoria
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declivity
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downward slope
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glum
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moody, gloomy, dour
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jocose
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given to jesting
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curry favor
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seek to gain favor by flattery
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hilarious; hilarity
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very funny; mirth, glee
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frolic; frolicsome
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play and run about happily; full of merriment, playful
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apogee
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farthest point from the earth in orbit of a heavenly body, highest point or culmination
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jocund
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merry; cheerful
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fraternal
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like a brother
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jubilant; jubilation
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showing great joy; rejoicing, exultation
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regimen
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set of rules, esp. to improve health
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parrot
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repeat mechanically, like a parrot
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ludicrous
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exciting laughter, ridiculous
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attenuate
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make thin, weaken
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imputation
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accusation, insinuation
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ingratiate
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work oneself into favor
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precipice; precipitous
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cliff; steep as a cliff, hasty, rash
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benign
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not dangerous; gently, kindly
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sublimate; sublime
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redirect energy of a person's bad impulses into socially and morally high standards, purify, refine; elevated, noble
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truckle
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make a doormat of oneself
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facetious
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in the habit of joking, said in jest without serious intent
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astringent
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substance that shrinks tissue and checks blood flow(n.); (adj.)severe or stern, causing contraction
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caricature
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drawing, imitation, or description that ridiculously exaggerates peculiarities or defects
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convalesce; convalescent
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recuperate; person recovering form sickness
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harlequin
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buffoon, clown
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fester
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form pus, rot
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nadir
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lowest point
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hypochondriac
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one who is morbidly anxious about personal health, or suffering from an imagined illness
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profound
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intellectually deep
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pensive
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thoughtful in a sad way; melancholy
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progenitor
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forefather
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antediluvian
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antiquated; belonging to the time before the Biblical Flood (when all except Noah and his family perished)
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banter
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playful teasing
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puberty
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physical being of manhood (14) or womanhood (12)
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nepotism
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favoritism to relatives by those in power
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nonage; nonegenarian
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legal minority, period before maturity; person in his or her 90's
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involuntary
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not done of one's own free will
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longevity
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long life; length of life
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libel; libelous
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false and defamatory printed statement; injurious to reputation
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senile
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showing the weakness of age
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malign
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speak evil of
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dipsomania
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abnormal, uncontrollable craving for alcohol; alcoholism
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eulogize
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praise, extol
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marine; mariner
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of the sea or shipping, nautical; sailor, seaman
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abject
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deserving contempt, wretched
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mature
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ripe; carefully thought out
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earthy
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coarse, low
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juvenile
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youthful; immature
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filial
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of or like a son or daughter
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fusty
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stale-smelling, musty, moldy; old-fashioned
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exalt
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elate; glorify
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decrepit
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weakened by old age
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lesion
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injury; hurt
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fragrant
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having a pleasant odor
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slander
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false and defamatory spoken statement
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rancid
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unpleasant to smell or taste from being spoiled or stale
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veteran
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person experienced in some occupation, at or profession; ex-member of the armed forces
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jettison
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throw good overboard to lighten a ship or plane, discard
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infantile
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of or like an infant or infancy; childlike
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inebriated
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drunk, intoxicated
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forebear
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forefather, ancestor
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crone
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withered old woman
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primeval
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pertaining to the world's first ages, primitive
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yore
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long ago
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doldrums
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calm windless part of the ocean near the equator; listlessness
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carousal
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jovial feast, drinking party
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callow
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young and inexperienced
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unsavory
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unpleasant to taste or smell; morally offensive
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adolescent
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growing from childhood to adulthood; of the teenage years
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brine
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salty water; ocean
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contemporary
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person who lives at the same time as another
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starboard
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pertaining to the right-hand side of a ship when you face the bow
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malodorous
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ill-smelling; stinking
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olfactory
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pertaining to the sense of smell
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venerable
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worthy of respect because of his advanced age, achievement, virtue, or historical importance
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patriarch
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venerable old man; father and ruler of a family or tribe
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superannuated
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retired on a pension; extremely old
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incense
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substance yielding a pleasant odor when burned
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abstemious
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sparing in eating and drinking; abstinent
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pungent
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sharp in smell or taste, acrid
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scent (n.); (v.)
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smell, perfume; get suspicious of
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purge
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cleanse, purify, rid of undesired elements or person
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expurgate
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remove objectionable material from a book, purify
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inveterate
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firmly established by age, deep-rooted; habitual
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aroma; aromatic
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pleasant odor, bouquet; sweet-scented, fragrant
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peurile
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foolish for a grown-up to say or do, childish
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putrid
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stinking from decay; extremely bad
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sot
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person made foolish by excessive drinking; drunkard
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matriarch
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moather and ruler of a family; highly respected elderly lady
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bow
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forward part of a ship; prow
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archaic
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old-fashioned
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teetotaler
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person who totally abstains from intoxicating beverages
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hoary
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white or gray with age; ancient
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posthumous
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published after the author's death; occurring after death
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dross
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waste, refuse
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defunct
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dead, extinct, deceased
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rank
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having a strong, bad odor or taste; extreme
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leeward
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in the direction away from the wind
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reek
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emit a strong, disagreeable smell
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noisome
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offensive to smell, disgusting; harmful
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immaculate
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spoltless
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carrion
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decaying flesh of a carcass
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contaminate
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make impure by mixture, pollute
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jetsam
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goods cast overboard to lighten a ship in distress
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offal
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waste parts of a butchered animal, garbage
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obsolescent; obsolete
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going out of use, becoming obsolete; out-of-date
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flotsam
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wreckage of a ship or its cargo found floating on the sea, driftage
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slatternly
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untidy, slovenly
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sober; sobriety
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not drunk, serious; abstinence
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pristine
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in original, long-ago state; uncorrupted
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