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20 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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abortive |
(adj.) failing to accomplish an intended aim or purpose; only partially or imperfectly developed Synonyms: miscarried, fruitless, premature |
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bruit |
(v.) to spread news, reports, or unsubstantiated rumors Synonyms: noise abroad, broadcast, blazon |
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contumelious |
(adj.) insolent or rude in speech or behavior; insultingly abusive; humiliating Synonyms: vituperative, scurrilous, excoriating |
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dictum |
(n.) a short saying; an authoritative statement Synonyms: maxim, precept, aphorism, axiom |
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ensconce |
(v.) to settle comfortably and firmly in position; to put or hide in a safe place Synonyms: nestle, lodge, entrench |
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iconoclastic |
(adj.) attacking or seeking to overthrow popular or traditional beliefs, ideas, or institutions Synonyms: image-breaking, irreverent, heretical |
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in medias res |
(adv.) in or into the middle of a plot; into the middle of things |
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internecine |
(adj.) mutually destructive; characterized by great slaughter and bloodshed Synonyms: murderous, savage, ruinous |
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maladroit |
(adj.) lacking skill or dexterity; lacking tact, perception, or judgment Synonyms: inept, awkward, clumsy, gauche |
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maudlin |
(adj.) excessively or effusively sentimental Synonyms: mushy, mawkish |
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modulate |
(v.) to change or vary the intensity or pitch; to temper or soften; to regulate, adjust Synonyms: adapt, moderate |
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portentous |
(adj.) foreshadowing an event to come; causing wonder or awe; self-consciously weighty, pompous Synonyms: foreboding, ominous, pretentious |
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prescience |
(n.) knowledge of events or actions before they happen; foresight Synonym: foreknowledge |
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quid pro quo |
(n.) something given in exchange or return for something else Synonyms: swap, trade |
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salubrious |
(adj.) conducive to health or well-being; wholesome Synonyms: beneficial, healthy, invigorating |
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saturnalian |
(adj.) characterized by riotous or unrestrained revelry or licentiousness Synonyms: dissipated, debauched, orgiastic |
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touchstone |
(n.) a means of testing worth or genuineness Synonyms: criterion, yardstick, benchmark |
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traumatic |
(adj.) so shocking to the emotions as to cause lasting and substantial psychological damage Synonyms: jolting |
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vitiate |
(v.) to weaken, debase, or corrupt; to impair the quality or value of Synonyms: degrade, undermine |
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waggish |
(adj.) fond of making jokes; characteristic of a joker; playfully humorous or droll Synonyms: whimsical, jocular |
