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185 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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abberant
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deviating from the norm
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accolade
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an expression of praise
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acerbic
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sour or bitter taste
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acumen
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quick, keen, accurate knowledge
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adultation
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excessive praise
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alacrity
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eager and enthusiastic willingness
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alchemy
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medieval science of mutating metal into gold
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approbation
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approval, praise
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ascetic
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one who practice self-denial (especially as an act of religion)
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astringent
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having a tightening effect on living tissue
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avarice
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greed for wealth
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aver
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to state as a fact, to confirm or support
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axiom
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a universally recognized principle
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bucolic
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country-life
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burgeon
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to grow rapidly, to flourish
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canon
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an established set of principle or code of laws
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canonical
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inagreement with orthodox requirements
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censure
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to criticize severely
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chary
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wary
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complaisance
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the willingness to comply
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connoisseur
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expert
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contentious
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argumentative; quarrelsome
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contrite
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regretful; seeking forgiveness
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convention
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a generally agreed-upon practice or attitude
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culpable
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deserving blame
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cynicism
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an attitude that all people are motivated by selfishness
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dearth
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smallness of quantity or number
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demur
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to question or oppose
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didactic
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intended to teach or instruct
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discretion
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cautious, reserve in speech
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disinterested
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indifferent
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disparage
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belittle
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divulge
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to disclose something secret
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ebullience
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enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings
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effrontery
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extreme boldness
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emollient
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soothing (especially to the skin)
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empirical
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based on observation or equipment
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endemic
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characteristic found in a particular region or people
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ennui
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dissatisfaction and restlessness resulting from boredom
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evanescent
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tending to disappear- like vapor; vanishing
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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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a false or mistaken idea
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filibuster
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prolonged speechmaking for intent of delay
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flout
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to demonstrate contempt, disdain, scorn
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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 attach or denounce
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furtive
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done secretly and quietly, stealth, surreptitious
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germane
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relevant to the subject at hand
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glib
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marked by ease or informality; nonchalant
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grandiloquence
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pompous speech or expression
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hackneyed
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lacking in freshness or originality
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halcyon
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calm and peaceful
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haranque
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to deliver a pompous speech or tirade
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hedonism
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belief that pleasure should be the main aim in life
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hegemony
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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 pride
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hyperbole
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an exaggerated statement
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idolatrous
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giving intense devotion to something
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imminent
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about to happen
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immutable
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not capable of changing
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impassive
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revealing no emotion
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impecunious
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lacking funds
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impunity
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immunity from punishment or penalty
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incipient
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to become apparent
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indifferent
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having no interest or concern
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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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intractable
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not easily managed or directed; stubborn
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intrepid
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steadfast and courageous
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inured
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accustomed to; adapted
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inveigle
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to obtain by deception or flattery
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magnanimity
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the quality of being generously noble in mind and heart
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malevolent
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having or showing often vicious ill will, spite or hatred
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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 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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morose
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sad, sullen, melancholy
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mundane
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ordinary
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nebulous
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vague, cloudy
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neologism
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a new word
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neophyte
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a new convert
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noxious
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harmful; injurious
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obfuscate
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to deliberately obscure
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obtuse
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lacking sharpness of intellect; slow to understand
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odious
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hateful, highly offensive
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oscillation
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the act of swinging back and forth with a seatdy uninterrupted rhythm
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paean
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a song or hymn of praise
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parody
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a humorous imitation intended for comic effect
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pedagogy
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excessive attention to minute and formal rules
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penurious
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penny-pincher, poor
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penury
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poverty, destitutions
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perennial
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recurrent through the year
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pernicious
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extremely harmful
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perspicacious
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acutely perceptive
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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
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pious
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extremely reverent or devout; 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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platitude
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a superficial remark
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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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prattle
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to babble meaninglessly
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precursor
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one that indicates something to come
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predilection
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preference
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preen
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to dress up, primp, groom
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prescience
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knowing of events prior to their occurring
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presumptous
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too bold or self-confident
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probity
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honest and trustworthy, adhere to the highest principle
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proclivity
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a natural inclination
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prodigious
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abundant in size or force
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profligate
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excessively wasteful
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profuse
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extravagant
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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
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prosaic
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dull; unimaginative
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putrefy
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to rot, decay
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quaff
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to drink deeply; swallowing large amounts at a time
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qualm
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misgiving, reservation, feeling of sickness, doubtful
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querulous
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prone to complaining
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query
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question, inquiry
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quixotic
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foolishly impractical, unselfish
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quotidian
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occurring or reoccurring daily, everyday
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rancorous
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bitterness
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recalcitrant
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defiant of authority
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recant
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to retract
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recondite
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hidden; concealed
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redoubtable
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to be respected, awe-inspiring
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refulgent
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radiant; shiny; brilliant
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refute
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to disprove
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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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fail to honor a committment, fail to keep a promise
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rescind
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to invalidate; to repeal; to retract
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reverent
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profound awe and respect
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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
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satire
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a literary work that ridicules or criticizes a human through humor
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sedulous
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diligent, persistent; hardworking
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shard
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a piece of broken glass or pottery
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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; pay debt
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sordid
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characterized by filfth, grime, squalor, foul
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sparse
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thin, not dense
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spendthrift
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one who spends money wastefully
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sporadic
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occuring only occasionally
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spurious
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lacking authenticity or validity; false
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squalid
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very dirty and unpleasant because of neglect and poverty
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squander
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to waste by spending
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static
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not moving
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stoic
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not affected, steadfast; no passion of feeling
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stupefy
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to stun, baffle, 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 testimony
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subtle
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not obvious
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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; supersede
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surfeit
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excess; over indulgence
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synthesis
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the combination of parts to make a whole
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tenacity
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persistency
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terse
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brief and concise in wording
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torque
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a force that causes rotation, twisting
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tortous
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windling; twisting; excessively complicated; full of twists and turns
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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
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trenchant
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sharply preceptive; 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; present everywhere
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unfeigned
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genuine
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untenable
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indefensible
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urbane
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sophisticated; refined; elegant
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variegated
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multicolored
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vigilant
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alertly watchful
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vilify
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to defame; characterize harshly
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virulent
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extremely harmful or poisonous
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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
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voracious
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very greedy in eating
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