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301 Cards in this Set
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aberrant adj
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deviating from the norm
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alacrity n
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eager and enthusiactic willingness
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approbation n
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an expression of approval or praise
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assuage v
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to ease or lessen; to appease or pacify
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audacious adj
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daring and fearless; recklessly bold
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austere adj
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without adornment; bare; ascetic
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axiomatic adj
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taken as a given; possessing self-evdent truth
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cononical adj
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following or in agreement with accepted, traditional standards
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capricious adj
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inclined to change one's mind impulsively; erratic; unpredictable
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chicanery n
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trickery or subterfuge
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disabuse v
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to undecieve; to set right
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discordant adj
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conflicting; dissonant or harsh in sound
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disparate adj
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fundamentally distinct or dissimilar
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effrontery n
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extreme boldness; presumptuousness
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enrvate v
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to weaken; to reduce in vitality
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ennui n
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dissatisfaction and restlessness resulting from boredom or apathy
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equivocate v
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to use ambiguous language with a deceptive intent
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erudite adj
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very learned; scholarly
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exculpate v
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exonerate; clear from blame
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exigent adj
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urgent; pressing; requiring immediate action or attention
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fulminate v
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to loudly attack or denounce
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ingenuous adj
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artless; frank and candid; lacking in sophistication
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inured adj
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accustomed to accepting something undesireable
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irascible adj
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easliy angered; prone to temperamental outbursts
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mundane adj
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of the world; typical of or concerned with the ordinary
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nascent adj
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coming into being; in early developmental stages
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neologism n
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a new word, expression, or usage; the creation or use of new words or senses
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obviate v
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to anticipate and make unnecessary
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onerous adj
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troubling; burdensome
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paen n
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a song or hymn of praise and thanksgiving
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perfidy n
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intentional breach of faith; treachery
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perfunctory adj
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cursory; done without care or interest
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perspicacious adj
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acutely perceptive; having keen discernment (n - perspicity)
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prattle v
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to babble meaninglessly; to talk in an empty and idle manner
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prescience n
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foreknowledge of events; knowing of events prior to their occurring (adj - prescient)
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prevaricate v
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to deliberately avoid the truth; to mislead
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reticent adj
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quiet; reservedl reluctant to express thoughts or feelings
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solicitous adj
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concerned and attentive; eager
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sordid adj
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characterized by filth, grime, or squalor; foul
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stupefyv
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to stun, baffle, amaze
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stymie v
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to block; thwart
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synthesis n
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the combination of parts to make a whole ( v - synthesize)
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tortuous adj
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winding, twisting; excessively complicated
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truculent adj
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fierce and cruel; eager to fight
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veracity n
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truthfulness, honesty
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virulent adj
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extremely harmful or poisonous; bitterly hostileor antagonistic
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voracious adj
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having an insatiable appetite for an activity or pursuit; ravenous
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abate v
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to lessen in intensity or degree
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adulation n
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excessive praise; intense adoration
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aesthetic adj
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dealing with, appreciative of, or responsive to art or the beautiful
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ascetic n
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one who practices rigid self denial, especially as an act of religious devotion
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burgeon v
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to grow rapidly or flourish
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bucolic adj
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rustic and pastoral; characteristic of rural areas and their inhabitants
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cacophony n
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harsh, jarring, discordant sound; dissonance
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castigation n
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severe criticism or punishment (v - castigate)
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caustic adj
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burning or stinging; causing corrosion
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chary adj
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wary; cautious; sparing
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cogent adj
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appealing forcibly to the mind or reason; convincing
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complaisance n
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the willingness to comply with the wishes of others (adj - compliansant)
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demur v
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to question or oppose
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didactic adj
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intended to teach or instruct
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ebullience n
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the guality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings (adj - ebullient)
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eclectic adj
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composed of elements drawn from various sources
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elegy n
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a mournful poem, especially one lamenting the dead
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emollient adj/n
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soothing, especially to the skin; making less harsh; mollifying; an agent that softens or smoothes the skin
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ephemeral adj
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brief; fleeting
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esoteric adj
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intended to be understood by a small, specific group
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facetious adj
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playful; humorous
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furtive adj
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marked by stealth; covert; surreptitious
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harrangue v/n
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to deliver a pompous speech or tirade; a long pompous speech
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impecunious adj
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lacking funds; without money
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incipient adj
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beginning to come into being or to become apparent
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inert adj
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unmoving; lethargic; sluggish
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intransigent adj
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refusing to compromise
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inveigle v
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to obtain by deception or flattery
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odious adj
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evoking intense aversion or dislike
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penurious adj
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penny-pinching; excessively thrifty; ungenerous
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peruse v
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to examine with great care
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preen v
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to dress up; to primp; to groom oneself with elaborate care
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prodigious adj
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abundant in size, force, or extent; extraordinary
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quaff v
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to drink deeply
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quiescence n
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stillness; motionless; quality of being at rest (adj - quiescent)
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redoubtable adj
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awe-inspiring; worthy or honor
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torpid adj
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lethargic; sluggish; dormant (n - torpor)
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ubiquitous adj
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existing everywhere at the same time; constantly encountered; widespread
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urbane adj
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sophisticated; refined; elegant (n - urbanity)
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viscous adj
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thick; sticky (n - viscosity)
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amalgamate v
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to combine several elements into a whole (n - amalgamation)
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aver v
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to state as a fact; to declare or assert
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bombastic adj
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pompous; gradiloquent (n - bombast)
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diatribe n
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a harsh denunciation
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dissemble v
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to disguise or conceal; to mislead
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eccentric adj
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departed from the norms or conventions
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endemic adj
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characteristic of or often found in a particular locality, region, or people
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evanescent adj
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tending to disappear like vapor; vanishing
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fervent adj
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greatly emotional or zealous (n - fervor)
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grandiloquence n
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pompous speech or expression (n - grandiloquent)
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hackneyed adj
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rendered trite or commonplace by frequent usage
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halcyon adj
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calm and peaceful
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iconoclast n
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one who attacks or undermines traditional conventions or institutions
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idolatrous adj
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given to intense or excessive devotion to something
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impassive adj
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relvealing no emotion
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imperturbable adj
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marked by extreme calm, impassivity and steadiness
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implacable adj
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not capable of being appeased or significantly changed
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inchoate adj
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in an initial stage; not fully formed
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infelicitious adj
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unfortunate; inappropriate
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insipid adj
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without taste or flavor; lacking in spirit; bland
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loquacious adj
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extremely talkative (n - loquacuty)
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mendacity n
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the condidition of being untruthful; dishonesy (adj - mendacious)
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misanthrope n
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one who hates all other humans (adj - misanthropic)
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obdurate adj
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unyielding; hardhearted; intractable
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obsequious adj
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exhibiting a fawning attentiveness
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opprobrium n
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disgrace; contemt; scorn
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pedagogy n
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the profession or principles of teaching, or instructing
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pedantic adj
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overly concerned with the trivial details of learning or education; show-offish about one's knowledge
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penury n
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poverty; destitution
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pith n
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the essence or central part
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pithy adj
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precise and brief
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placate v
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to appease; to calm by making concessions
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platitude n
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a superficial remark, especially one offered as meaningful
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polemical adj
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controversail; argumentative
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prodigal adj
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recklessly wasteful; extravagant; profuse; lavish
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profuse adj
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given or coming forth abundantly; extravagant
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querulous adj
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prone to complaining or grumbling; peevish
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rancorous adj
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characterized by bitter, long-lasting resentment (n - rancor)
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recalcitrant adj
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obstinately defiant of authority; difficult to manage
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repudiate v
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to refuse to have anything to do with; disown
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rhetoric n
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the art or study of effective use of language for communication and persuasion
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salubrious adj
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promoting health or well-being
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specious adj
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seeming true, but actually being fallacious; misleadingly attractive; plausable but false
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spurious adj
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lacking authenticity or validity; false; couterfeit
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superfluous adj
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exceeding what is sufficient or necessary
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surfeit n/v
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an overabundant supply; excess; to feed or supply to excess
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tirade n
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a long and extremely critical speech; a harsh denunciation
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acerbic adj
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having a sour or bitter taste or character; sharp; biting
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aggrandize v
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to increase in intensity, power, influence, or prestige
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astringent adj/n
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having a tightening effect on living tissue; harsh; severe; something with a tightening effect on tissue
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contiguous adj
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sharing a border; touching; adjacent
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credulous adj
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tending to believe too readily; gullible (n - credulity)
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cynicism n
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an attitude or quality of belief that all people are motivated by selfishness
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derision n
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scorn, ridicule, contemptuosu treatment (adj - derisive, v - deride)
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dilettante n
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one with an amateurish or superficial interest in the arts or a branch of knowledge
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fawn v
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to flatter or praise excessively
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flout v
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to show contempt for, as in a rule or convention
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garrulous adj
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pointlessly talkative, talking to much
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glib adj
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marked by ease or informality; nonchalant; lacking in depth; superficial
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immutable adj
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not capable of change
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impetuous adj
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hastily or rashly energetic; impulsive and vehement
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inimical adj
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damaging; harmful; injurious
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intractable adj
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not easily managed or directed; stubborn; obstinate
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laconic adj
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using few words; terse
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mercurial adj
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characterized by rapid and unpredictable change in mood
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mollify v
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to calm or soothe; to reduce in emotional intensity
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neophyte n
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a recent convert; a beginner; novice
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obfuscate v
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to deliberately obscure; to make confusing
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phlegmatic adj
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calm; sluggish; unemotional
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probity n
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adherence to highest principles; complete and confirmed integrity; uprightness
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profligate adj
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excessively wasteful; recklessly extravagant (n - profligacy)
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prosaic adj
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dull; lacking in spirit or imagination
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quixotic adj
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foolishly impractical; marked by lofty romantic ideals
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rarefy v
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to make or become thin, less dense; to refine
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recondite adj
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hidden; concealed; difficult to understand; obscure
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refulgent adj
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radiant; shiny; brilliant
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renege v
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to fail to honor a commitment; to go back on a promise
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sedulous adj
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diligent; persistent; hard-working
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soporific adj
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causing drowsiness; tending to induce sleep
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tacit adj
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implied; not explicitly stated
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trenchant adj
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sharply perceptive; keen; penetrating
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unfeigned adj
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genuine; not false or hypocritical
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untenable adj
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indefensible; not viable; uninhabitable
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variegated adj
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multicolored; characterized by a variety of patches of different color
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vexation n
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annoyance; irritation
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vituperate v
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to use harsh, condemnatory language; to abuse or censure severely or abusively; berate
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volatile adj
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readily changing to vapor; changeable; fick;e; explosive (n - volatility)
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alloy v
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to commingle; to debase by mixing with something inferior
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unalloyed adj
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pure
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august adj
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majestic, venerable
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brook v
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to tolerate, endure, countenance
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venerable adj
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worthy of respect; revered
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countenance n
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someone's facial expression; composure or self-control
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chauvinist n
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a blindly devoted patriot
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consequential adj
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pompous, self-important, logically following; important
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essay v
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to test or try; attempt, experiment
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exact v
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to demand, call for, require, take
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fell v
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to cause to fall by striking
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fell adj
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inhumanly cruel
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flag v
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to sag or droop, to become spiritless, to decline
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flip adj
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sarcastic, impertinent, as in flippant
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impertinent adj
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brash; showing a bold or rude lack of respect
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grouse v
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to complain or grumble
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guy n/v
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a rope, cord, or cable attached to something as a brace or guide
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intimate v
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to imply, suggest, or insinuate
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meet adj
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fitting, proper
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mince v
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pronounce or speak affectedly, euphemize, speak to carefully
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euphemize v
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to use less harsh language; to avoid saying something direct or unpleasant
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nice adj
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exacting, fastidious, extremely precise
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fastidious adj
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demanding; concerned about even the smallest details; easily disgusted by things that are not perfectly clean
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obtain adj
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to be established, accepted, or customary: "Those standards are no longer obtain."
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occult adj
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hidden, concealed, beyond comprehension
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pied adj
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multicolored, usually in blotches
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pine v
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to lose vigor as through grief; to yearn
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pastic adj
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moldable, pliable, not rigid
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pluck adj
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courage, spunk, fortitude
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prize v
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to pry, to press with force with a lever; something taken by force, spoils
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rail v
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to complain about bitterly
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rent v/n
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torn, past tense of rend
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quail v
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to lose courage, turn frightened
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qualify v
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to limit
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sap v
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to enervate or weaken the vitality of
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ennervate v
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to weaken someones physical, mental, or moral vitality
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sap n
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a fool or nitwit
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scurvy adj
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contemptable, despicable
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singular adj
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exceptional, unusual, odd
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steep v
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to saturate or completely soak
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tender v
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to proffer or offer
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wag n
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wit, joker
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abjure v
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to renounce or reject solemnly; to recant; to avoid
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adumbrate v
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to foreshadow vaguely or intimate; to suggest or outline sketchily; to obscure or overshadow
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anathema n
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a solemn or ecclesiastical curse; accursed or thoroughly loathed person or thing
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anodyne adj/n
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soothing, something that assuages or allays pain or comforts
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assuage v
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to relieve something unpleasant
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apogee n
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farthest or highest point; culmination; zenith
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apostate n
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one who abandons long-held religious or political convistions
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apotheosis n
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deification, glorification to godliness, an exalted example, a model of excellence or perfection
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asperity n
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severity, rigor; roughness, harshness; acrimony, irritability
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asseverate v
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to aver, allege, assert
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bellicose adj
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belligerent, pugnacious, warlike
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augury n
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omen, portent
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portent n
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an indication that something unpleasant is about to happen; ominous or prophetic signifigance
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pugnacious adj
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quarrelsome; inclined to fight or be aggressive
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calumniate v
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to slander, make a false accusation
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calumny n
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slander; aspersion
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captious adj
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disposed to point out trivial faults, calculate to confuse or entrap in argument
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cavil v
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to find fault without good reason
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celerity n
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speed, alacrity
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alacrity n
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eager readiness
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chimera n
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an illusion
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contumacious adj
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insubordinate, rebellious
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contumely n
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insult, scorn, aspersion
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denouement n
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an outcome or solution; the unraveling of a plot
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descry v
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to discriminate or discern
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desuetude n
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disuse. "After years of desuetude, my French skills were put to good use."
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desultory adj
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random; aimless; marked by a lack of plan or purpose
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diaphanous adj
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transparent, gauzy
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gossemer adj
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something sheer and delicate
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diffident adj
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reserved, shy, unassuming; lacking in self-confidence
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encomium n
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glowing and enthusiastic praise; panegyric
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panegyric n
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extravagant praise delivered in formal speech or writing
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eschew v
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to shun or avoid
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excoriate v
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to censure scathingly, to upbraid
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upbraid v
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to reprimand, critize, or scold in a harsh manner
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execrate v
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denounce, feel loathing for, curse, declare to be evil
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exegesis n
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critical examination, explication, interpretation of texts, especially religious ones
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explicate v
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to explain and develop and idea or theory and its implications; to explain something, especially literay texts in a detailed way
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expiate v
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to atone or make amends for
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extirpate v
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to destroy; exterminate, cut out
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exscind v
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to cut out or off
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fatuous adj
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silly, inanely foolish
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fractious adj
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quarrelsome, rebellious, unruly, refractory, iritable
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gainsay v
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to deny; dispute, contradict, oppose
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heterodox adj
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unorthodox, heretical, iconoclastic
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imbroglio n
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difficult or embarrassing situation
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indefatigable adj
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not easily exhaustible; tireless, dogged
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ineluctable adj
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certain, inevitable
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inimitable adj
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one of a kind, peerless
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insouciant adj
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unconcerned, carefree, heedless
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inveterate adj
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deep rooted, ingrained, habitual
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jejune adj
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vapid, uninteresting, nugatory; childish, immature, puerile
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vapid adj
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dull; lacking livliness; insipid
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lubricious adj
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lewd, wanton, greasy, slippery
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mendicant n
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a beggar, supplicant
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meretricious adj
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cheap, gaudy, tawdry, flashy, showy; attracking by false show
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minatory adj
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menacing, threatening
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nadir n
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low point, perigee
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nonplussed adj
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baffled, bewildered, at a loss for what to do or think
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obstreperous adj
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noisily and stubbornly defiant, aggressively boisterous
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ossified adj
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tending to become more regid, conventional, sterile, and reactionary with age; literally, turned into a bone
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palliate v
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to make something seem less serious, to gloss over, to make less severe or intense
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parsimonious adj
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cheap, miserly
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pellucid adj
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transparent, easy to understand, limpid
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limpid adj
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clear and transparent; expressing something in an easy to understand way; unworried, emotionally calm and composed
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peroration n
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the concluding part of a speech; flowery, rehtorical speech
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plangent adj
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pounding, thundering, resounding
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prolix adj
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long winded, verbose
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propitiate v
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to appease; to conciliate
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prsospitious adj
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asupicious, favorable
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remonstrate v
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to protest, object
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sagacious adj
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having sound judgment; perceptive, wise
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salacious adj
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lustful, lascivious, bawdy
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salutary adj
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remidial, wholesome, cusing improvement
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sanguine adj
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cheerful, confident, optimistic
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saturnine adj
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gloomy, dark, sullen, morose
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sententious adj
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aphoristic or moralistic; epigrammaic; tending to moralize excessively
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stentorian adj
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extremely loud and powerful
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stygian adj
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gloomy, dark
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sycophant n
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toady, servile, self-seeking flatterer; parasite
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tendentious adj
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biased; showing marked tendencies
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timorous adj
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timid, fearful, diffident
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tyro n
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novice, greenhorn, rank amateur
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vitiate v
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to corrupt, debase, spoil, make ineffective
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voluble adj
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fluent, verbal, having easy use of spoken language
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