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20 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
- 3rd side (hint)
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approbation
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(n) the expression of approval or favorable opinion, praise; official approval
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my broad hint that i had paid for the lessons myself brought smiles of _______ from all the judges at the piano recital
Syn: commendation, sanction Ant: disapproval, condemnation, censure |
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Assuage
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(v) to make easier or milder, relieve; to quiet, calm; to put an end to, appease, satisfy, quench
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her eyes told me that more than a few well-chosen words would be needed to _______ her hurt feelings
syn: mitigate, alleviate Ant: intensify, aggravate, exacerbate |
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coalition
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(n) a combination, union, or merger for some specific purpose
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the various community organizations formed a _____ to lobby against parking laws.
syn: alliance, league, federation, combine Ant: splinter group |
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decadence
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(n) decline, decay, or deterioration; a condition or period of decline or decay; excessive self-indulgence
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some characterized her love of chocolate as ____ because she ate at least two candy bars a day
syn: degeneration, corruption ant: rise, growth, development, maturation |
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elicit
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(v) to draw forth, bring out from some source (such as another person)
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my attempt to ____ information over the phone was met with a barrage of irrelevant recordings.
syn: call forth, evoke, extract, educe ant: repress, quash, squelch, stifle |
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expostulate
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(v) to attempt to dissuade someone from some course of decision by earnest reasoning
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Shakespeare's Hamlet finds it useless to ___ with his mother for siding with his stepfather
syn: protest, remonstrate, complain |
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hackneyed
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(adj)used so often as to lack freshness or originality
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the Great Gatsby tells the universal story without being marred by ____ prose.
syn: banal, trite, commonplace, corny ant: new, fresh, novel, original |
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hiatus
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(n) a gap, opening, break (in the sense of having an element missing)
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i was awakened not by a sudden sound but by a ____ in the din of traffic.
syn: pause, lacuna ant: continuity, continuation |
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innuendo
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(n) a hint, indirect suggestion, or reference (often in a derogatory sense)
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Those lacking the facts or afraid of reprisals often tarnish an enemy's reputation by use of ________.
synonyms: insinuation, intimation ant: direct statement |
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intercede
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(v) to plead on behalf of someone else; to serve as a third person on go-between in a disagreement
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she will ____ in the dispute between the two children, and soon they will be playing happily again
synonyms: intervene, mediate |
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jaded
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(adj) wearied, worn-out, dulled (in the sense of being satiated by excessive indulgence)
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the wilted handclasp and the fast-melting smile mark the ____ refugee from too many parties
Syn: Sated, surfeited, cloyed ant: unspoiled, uncoyled |
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lurid
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(adj) causing shock, horror or revulsion; sensational; pale of sallow in color; terrible or passionate in intensity or lack of restraint
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bright, sensational, and often ____ some old-time movie posters make today's newspaper ads look tame
syn: gruesome, gory, grisly, baleful, ghastly ant: pleasant, attractive, appealing, wholesome |
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meritorious
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(adj) worthy, deserving recognition and praise
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Many years of _____ service could not dissuade him from feeling that he had not chosen work that he liked
syn: praiseworthy, laudable, commendable ant: blameworthy, reprehensible, discreditable |
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petulant
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(adj) peevish, annoyed by trifles, easily irritated and upset
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an overworked parent may be unlikely to indulge the complains of a _____ child.
Syn: Irritable, testy, waspish Ant: even-tempered, placid, serene, amiable |
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prerogative
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(n) a special right or privilege; a special quality showing excellence
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she seemed to feel that a snooze at her desk was not an annoying habit, but the _____ of a veteran employee.
Syn: Perquisite perk |
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provincial
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(adj) pertaining to an outlying area; local; narrow in mind or outlook, countrified in the sense of being limited and backward; of a simple, plain design that originated in the countryside;
(n) a person with a narrow point of view; a person from an outlying area; a soldier from a province or colony |
the banjo, once thought to be a _____ product of the Southern hills, actually came here from Africa.
At first, a _____ may do well in the city using charm alone, but charm, like novelty, wears thin syn: narrow-minded, parochial, insular, naive Ant: feign, pretend, affect |
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simulate
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(v) to make a pretense of, imitate; to show the outer signs of
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soe skilled actors can ____ emotions they might never have felt in light
Syn: Feign, pretend, affect |
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transcend
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(v) to rise above or beyond, exceed
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a great work of art may be said to ____ time, and it is remembered for decades, or even centuries.
Syn: surpass, outstrip |
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umbrage
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(n) shade cast by trees; foliage giving shade; an overshadowing influence or power; offense, resentment; a vague suspicion
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she hesitated to offer her opinion, fearing that they would take ____ at her criticism
Syn: irritation, pique, annoyance ant: pleasure, delight, satisfaction |
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unctuous
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(adj) excessively smooth or smug; trying too hard to give an impression of earnestness, sincerity, or piety; fatty, oily; pliable
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her constant inquiring about the health of my family at first seemed friendly, later merely _____
syn: mealymouthed, servile, fawning, greasy ant: gruff, blunt |
