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247 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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ennui
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dissatisfaction and restlessness resulting from boredom or apathy
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ephemeral
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brief; fleeting
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equivocate
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to use ambiguous language with a deceptive intent
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erudite
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very learned; scholarly
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esoteric
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intended for or understood by a small, specific group
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eulogy
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a speech honoring the dead
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evanescent
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tending to disappear like vapor; vanishing
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exacerbate
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to make worse or more severe
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exculpate
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exonerate; to clear of blame
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exigent
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urgent; pressing; requiring immediate action or attention
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exonerate
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to remove blame
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extemporaneous
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improvised; done without preparation
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facetious
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playful; humorous
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fallacy
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an invalid or incorrect notion; a mistaken belief
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fawn
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to flatter or praise excessively
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fervent
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greatly emotional or zealous
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filibuster
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intentional obstruction, especially using prolonged speechmaking to delay legislative action
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flout
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to demonstrate contempt for, as in a rule or convention
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fortuitous
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happening by fortunate accident or chance
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fulminate
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to loudly attack or denounce
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furtive
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marked by stealth; covert; surreptitious
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garrulous
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pointlessly talkative; talking too much
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germane
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relevant to the subject at hand; appropriate in subject manner
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glib
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marked by ease or informality; nonchalant; lacking in depth; superficial
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grandiloquence
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pompous speech or expression
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gregarious
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sociable; outgoing; enjoying the company of other people
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hackneyed
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rendered trite or commonplace by frequent usage
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halcyon
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calm and peaceful
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harangue
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to deliver a pompous speech or tirade
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hedonism
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devotion to pleasurable pursuits, especially to the pleasures of the senses
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hegemony
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the consistent dominance of one state or ideology over others
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heretical
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violating accepted dogma or convention
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hubris
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arrogant presumption or pride
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hyperbole
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an exaggerated statement, often used as a figure of speech
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iconoclast
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one who attacks or undermines traditional conventions or institutions
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idolatrous
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given to intense or excessive devotion to something
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imminent
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about to happen; impending
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immutable
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not capable of change
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impassive
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revealing no emotion
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impecunious
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lacking funds; without money
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imperturbable
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marked by extreme calm, impassivity and steadiness
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impetuous
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hastily or rashly energetic; impulsive and vehement
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implacable
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not capable of being appeased or significantly changed
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impunity
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immunity from punishment or penalty
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inchoate
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in an initial stage; not fully formed
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incipient
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beginning to come into being or to become apparent
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indifferent
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having no interest or concern; showing no bias or prejudice
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inert
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unmoving; lethargic; sluggish
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infelicitous
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unfortunate; inappropriate
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ingenuous
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artless; frank and candid; lacking in sophistication
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inimical
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damaging; harmful; injurious
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innocuous
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harmless; causing no damage
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insipid
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without taste or flavor; lacking in spirit; bland
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intractable
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not easily managed or directed; stubborn; obstinate
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intransigent
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refusing to compromise
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intrepid
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steadfast and courageous
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inured
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accustomed to accepting something undesirable
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inveigle
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to obtain by deception or flattery
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irascible
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easily angered; prone to temperamental outbursts
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laconic
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using few words; terse
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laud
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to praise highly
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loquacious
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extremely talkative
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lucid
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clear; easily understood
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luminous
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characterized by brightness and the emission of light
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magnanimity
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the quality of being generously noble in mind and heart, especially in forgiving
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malevolent
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having or showing often vicious ill will, spite, or hatred
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malleable
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capable of being shaped or formed; pliable
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martial
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associated with war and the armed forces
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maverick
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an independent individual who does not go along with a group or party
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mendacity
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the condition of being untruthful; dishonesty
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mercurial
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characterized by rapid and unpredictable change in mood
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meticulous
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characterized by extreme care and precision; attentive to detail
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misanthrope
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one who hates all other humans
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mitigate
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to make or become less severe or intense; to moderate
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mollify
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to calm or soothe; to reduce in emotional intensity
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morose
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sad; sullen; melancholy
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mundane
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of the world; typical of or concerned with the ordinary
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nascent
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coming into being; in early developmental stages
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nebulous
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vague; cloudy; lacking clearly defined form
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neologism
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a new word, expression or usage; the creation or use of new words or senses
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neophyte
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a recent convert; a beginner; novice
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noxious
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harmful; injurious
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obdurate
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unyielding; hardhearted; intractable
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obfuscate
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to deliberately obscure; to make confusing
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obsequious
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exhibiting a fawning attentiveness
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obstinate
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stubborn; hardheaded; uncompromising
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obtuse
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lacking sharpness of intellect; not clear or precise in thought or expression
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obviate
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to anticipate and make unnecessary
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occlude
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to obstruct or block
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odious
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evoke intense aversion or dislike
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onerous
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troubling; burdensome
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opaque
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impenetrable by light; not reflecting light
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opprobrium
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disgrace; contempt; scorn
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oscillation
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the act or state of swinging back and froth with a steady, uninterrupted rhythm
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ostentatious
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characterized by or given to pretentiousness
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paean
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a song or hymn of praise and thanksgiving
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parody
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a humorous imitation intended for ridicule or comic effect, especially in literature and art
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pedagogy
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the art or profession of training, teaching or instructing
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pedantic
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the parading of learning; excessive attention to minutiae and formal rules
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penury
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poverty; destitution
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precursor
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one that precedes and indicates or announces another
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perennial
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recurrent through the year or many years; happening repeatedly
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perfidy
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intentional breach of faith; treachery
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perfunctory
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cursory; done without care or interest
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pernicious
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extremely harmful; potentially causing death
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penurious
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penny-pinching; excessively thrifty; ungenerous
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perspicacious
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acutely perceptive; having keen discernment
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peruse
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to examine with great care
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pervade
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to permeate throughout
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pervasive
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having the tendency to permeate or spread throughout
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phlegmatic
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calm; sluggish; unemotional
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pine
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to yearn intensely; to languish; to lose vigor
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pious
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extremely reverent or devout; showing strong religious devotion
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pirate
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to illegally use or reproduce
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pith
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the essential or central part
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pithy
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precise and brief
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placate
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to appease; to calm by making concessions
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platitude
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a superficial remark, especially one offered as meaningful
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plethora
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an overabundance; a surplus
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plummet
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to plunge or drop straight down
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polemical
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controversial; argumentative
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pragmatic
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practical rather than idealistic
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prattle
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to babble meaninglessly; to talk in an empty and idle manner
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precipitate
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to cause or happen before anticipated or required
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predilection
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a disposition in favor of something; preference
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preen
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to dress up; to primp; to groom oneself with elaborate care
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prescience
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foreknowledge of events; knowing of events prior to their occurring
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presumptuous
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overstepping due bounds; taking liberties
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prevaricate
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to deliberately avoid the truth; to mislead
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pristine
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pure; uncorrupted; clean
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probity
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adherence to highest principles; uprightness
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proclivity
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a natural predisposition or inclination
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prodigal
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recklessly wasteful; extravagant; profuse; lavish
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prodigious
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abundant in size, force, or extent; extraordinary
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profligate
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excessively wasteful; recklessly extravagant
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profuse
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given or coming forth abundantly; extravagant
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proliferate
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to grow or increase swiftly and abundantly
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prolific
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producing large volumes or amounts; productive
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propensity
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a natural inclination or tendency; penchant
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prosaic
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dull; unimaginative
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pungent
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characterized by a strong, sharp smell or taste
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putrefy
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to rot; to decay and give off a foul odor
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quaff
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to drink deeply
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qualms
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misgivings; reservations; causes for hesitancy
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queries
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questions; inquiries; doubts in the mind; reservations
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querulous
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prone to complaining or grumbling; quarrelsome
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quixotic
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foolishly impractical; marked by lofty romantic ideas
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quotidian
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occurring or recurring daily; commonplace
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rancorous
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characterized by bitter, long-lasting resentment
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rarefy
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to make or become thin, less dense; to refine
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recalcitrant
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obstinately defiant of authority; difficult to manage
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recant
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to retract, especially a previously held belief
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recondite
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hidden; concealed; difficult to understand; obscure
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redoubtable
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awe-inspiring; worthy of honor
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refulgent
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radiant; shiny; brilliant
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refute
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to disprove; to successfully argue against
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relegate
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to forcibly assign, especially to a lower place or position
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renege
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to fail to honor a commitment; to go back on a promise
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repudiate
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to refuse to have anything to do with; disown
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rescind
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to invalidate; to repeal; to retract
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reticent
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quiet; reserved; reluctant to express thoughts and feelings
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reverent
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marked by, feeling, or expressing a feeling of profound awe and respect
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rhetoric
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the art or study of effective use of language for communication and persuasion
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salubrious
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promoting health or well-being
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sanction
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authoritative permission or approval; a penalty intended to enforce compliance
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satire
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a literary work that ridicules or criticizes a human vice through humor or derision
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sedulous
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diligent; persistent; hard-working
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shard
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a piece of broken pottery or glass
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solicitous
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concerned and attentive; eager
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solvent
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able to meet financial obligations; able to dissolve another substance
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soporific
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causing drowsiness; tending to induce sleep
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sordid
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characterize by filth, grime or squalor; foul
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sparse
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thin; not dense; arranged at widely spaced intervals
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specious
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seeming true, but actually being fallacious; misleadingly attractive
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spendthrift
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one who spends money wastefully
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sporadic
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occurring only occasionally or in scattered instances
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spurious
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lacking authenticity or validity; false; counterfeit
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squalid
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sordid; wretched and dirty as from neglect
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static
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not moving, active or in motion; at rest
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stoic
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indifferent to or unaffected by pleasure or pain; steadfast
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stupefy
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to stun, baffle or amaze
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stymie
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to block; thwart
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subpoena
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a court order requiring appearance and/or testimony
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subtle
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not obvious; elusive; difficult to discern
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succinct
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brief; concise
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superfluous
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exceeding what is sufficient or necessary
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supplant
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to take the place of; supercede
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surfeit
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excess; overindulgence
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synthesis
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the combination of parts to make a whole
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tacit
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implied; not explicitly stated
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tenacity
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the quality of adherence or persistence to something valued
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tenuous
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having little substance or strength; flimsy; weak
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terse
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brief and concise in wording
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tirade
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a long and extremely critical speech; a harsh denunciation
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torpid
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lethargic; sluggish; dormant
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torque
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a force that causes rotation
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tortuous
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winding; twisting; excessively complicated
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tout
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to publicly praise or promote
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transient
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fleeting; passing quickly; brief
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trenchant
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sharply perceptive; keen; penetrating
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truculent
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fierce and cruel; eager to fight
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ubiquitous
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existing everywhere at the same time; constantly encountered; widespread
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unfeigned
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genuine; not false or hypocritical
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untenable
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indefensible; not viable; uninhabitable
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urbane
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sophisticated;; refined; elegant
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vacillate
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to waver indecisively between one course of action or opinion and another; waver
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variegated
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multicolored; characterized by a variety of patches of different color
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veracity
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truthfulness; honesty
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vexation
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annoyance; irritation
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vigilant
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alertly watchful
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vilify
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to defame; to characterize harshly
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virulent
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extremely harmful or poisonous; bitterly hostile or antagonistic
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viscous
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thick; sticky
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vituperate
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to use harsh condemnatory language; to abuse or censure severely or abusively; berate
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volatile
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readily changing to a vapor; changeable; fickle; explosive
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voracious
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having an insatiable appetite for an activity or pursuit; ravenous
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waver
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to move to and fro; to sway; to be unsettled in opinion
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zealous
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fervent; ardent; impassioned
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propitiate
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appease
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probity
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uprightness, incorruptibility
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quixotic
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extravagantly chivalrous, romantically idealistic, impractical
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pillory
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to punish, hold up to public scorn
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abeyance
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suspended action
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abysmal
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extreme; low, like an abyss
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adamant
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hard and inflexible; unyielding
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anachronism
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something out of place for its time
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anomalous
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unexpected, not normal, odd
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antipathy
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aversion, dislike
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apostate
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one who abandons long-held religious or political convictions
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apprehension
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misgiving, dread
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apprise
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give notice to, inform
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approbation
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approval
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apropos
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appropriate to the situation; apt
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arabesque
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a complex, ornate design. Also a dance position.
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ardor
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warm interest, passion, enthusiasm, zeal
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arrant
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in every way, being completely such.
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ascetic
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practicing self-denial, austere, stark
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assay
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an analysis, examination, test. To put to a test
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assiduous
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diligent, hard-working, sedulous.
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attenuate
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make thin. weaken, enervate.
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audacious
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daring; bold
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auspice
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protection or support, patronage
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emollient
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soothing, especially to the skin; making less harsh; mollifying
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empirical
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based on observation or experiment
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endemic
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characteristic of or often found in a particular locality, region or people
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enervate
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to weaken; to reduce in vitality
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enigmatic
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mysterious; obscure; difficult to understand
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