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78 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
- 3rd side (hint)
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amenities
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n. convenient features; courtesies
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In addition to the customary amenities for the business traveler--fax machines, modems, a health club--the hotel offers the services of a bulter versed in the social amenities.
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amiable
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adj. agreeable; lovable; warmly friendly.
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In Little Women, Beth is the amiable daughter whose loving disposition endears her to all who know
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amicable
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adj. politely friendly; not quarrelsome.
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Beth's sister Jo is the hot-tempered tomboy who has a hard time maintaining amicable relationships with those around her. Jo's quarrel with her friend Laurie finally reaches an amicable settlement, but not because Jo turns amiable overnight
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amiss
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adj. wrong; faulty.
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Seeing her frown, he wondered if anythig were amiss. also adv.
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amity
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n. friendship
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Student exchange programs such as the Experiment in International Living were established to promote international amity.
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amnesia
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n. loss of memory.
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Because she was suffering from amnesia, the police could ont get the young girl to identify herself.
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amnesty
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n. pardon
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When his first child was born, the king granted amnesty to all in prison.
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amoral
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adj. nonmoral
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The amoral individual lacks a code of ethics; he cannot tell right from wrong. The immoral person can tell right from wrong; he chooses to do something he knows is wrong
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amorous
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adj. moved by sexual love; loving.
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"love them and leave them" was the motto of the amorous Don Juan
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amorphous
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adj. formless; lacking shape or definition
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As soon as we have decided on our itinerary, we shall send you a copy; right now, our plans are still amorphous
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ample
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adj. abundant
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Bond had ample opportunity to escape. Why, then, did he let us capture him?
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amplify
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v. boraden or clarify by expanding; intensify; make stronger.
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Charlie Brown tried to amplify his remarks but he was drowned out by jeers from the audience. Lucy was smarter: she used a loudspeaker to amplify her voice.
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amputate
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v. cut off part of body; prune.
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When the doctors had to amputate Ted Kennedy's leg to prevent the spread of cancer, he did not let the loss of his leg keep him from participating in sports.
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amok (also amuck)
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adv. in a state of rage
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The police had to be called in to restrain him after he ran amok in the department store.
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amulet
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n. charm; talisman
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Around her neck she wore the amulet that the witch doctor had given her
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anachronism
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n. something or someone misplaced in time.
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Shaespeare's reference to clocks in Julius Caesar is an anachronism; no clocks existed in Caesar's time.
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analgesic
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adj. causing insensitivity to pain
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The analgesic qualities of his lotion will provide temporary relief.
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analogous
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adj. comparable
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She called our attention to the things that had been done in an analogous situation and recommended that we do the same.
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analogy
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n. similarity; parallelism
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A well-known analogy compares the body's immune system with an army whose defending troops are the lymphocytes or white blood cells
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anarchist
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n. person who seeks to overturn the established government; advocate of abolishing authority
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Denying she was an anarchist, Kaya maintained she wished only to make changes in our government, not to destroy it entirely.
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anarchy
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n. absence of governing body; state of disorder.
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The assassination of the leaders led to a period of anarchy
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anathema
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n. solemn curse; someone or something regarded as a curse.
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The Ayatolla Khomeini heaped anathema upon the "the Great Satan," that is, the united States. To the Ayatolla, America and the West were anathema; he loathed the democratic nations, cursing them in his dying words. anathematize, v.
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ancestry
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n. family descent
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David can trace his ancestry as far back as the seventeenth century, when one of his ancenstors was a court trumpeter somewhere in Germany. ancestral, adj.
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anchor
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v. secure or fasten firmly; be fixed in place.
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We set the post in concrete to anchor it in place. anchorage, n.
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ancillary
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adj. serving as an aid or accessory; auxillary.
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In an ancillary capacity Doctor Watson was helpful; however, Holmes could not trust the good doctor to solve a perplexing case on his own. also n
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anecdote
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n. short account of an amusing or interesting event
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Rather than make concrete proposals for welfare reform, President Reagan told anecdotes about poor people who became wealthy despite their impoverished backgrounds.
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anemia
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n. condition in which blood lacks red corpuscles.
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The doctor ascribes her tiredness to anemia. anemic, adj.
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anesthetic
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n. substance that removes sensation with or without loss of consciousness
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His monotonous voice acted like an anesthetic; his audience was soon asleep. anesthesia, n.
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anguish
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n. acute pain; extreme suffering.
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Visiting the site of the explosion, the president wept to see the anguish of the victims and their families
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angular
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adj. sharp-cornered; stiff in manner.
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Mr. Spock's features, though angular, were curiously attractive, in a Vulcan way.
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animadversion
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n. critical remark.
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He resented the animadversions of his critics, particularly because he realized they were true.
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animated
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adj. lively; spirited.
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Jim Carrey's facial expressions are highly animated: when he played Ace Ventura, he was pratically rubber-faced.
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animosity
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n. active enmity.
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He incurred the animosity of the ruling class because he advocated limitations of their power
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animus
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n. hostile feeling or intent
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The animus of the speaker became obvious to all when he began to indulge in sarcastic and insulting remarks
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annals
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n. records; history.
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In the annals of this period, we find not mention of democratic movements
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anneal
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v. reduce brittleness and improve toughness by heating and cooling.
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After the glass is annealed, it will be less subject to chipping and cracking
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annex
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v. attach; take possesion of
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Mexico objected to the United States' attempts to annex the territory that later became the state of Texas
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annihilate
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v. destroy
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The enemy in its revenge tried to annihilate the entire population
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annotate
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v. comment; make explanatory notes.
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In the appendix to the novel, the critic sought to annotate many of the more esoteric references
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annuity
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n. yearly allowance
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The annuity she set up with the insurance company supplements her social security benefits so that she can live very comfortably without working
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annul
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v. make void
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The parents of the eloped couple tried to annul the marriage.
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anodyne
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n. drug that relieves pain; opiate.
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His pain was so great that no anondyne could relieve it
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anoint
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v. consecrate
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The prophet Samuel anointed David with oil, crowning him king of Israel.
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anomalous
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adj. abnormal; irregular.
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She was placed in the anomalous position of seeming to approve procedures that she despised
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anomaly
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n. iregularity
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A bird that cannot fly is an anomaly
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anonymity
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n. state of being nameless; anonymousness.
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The donor of the gift asked the college not to mention her by name; the dean readily agreed to respect her anonymity. anonymous, adj.
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antagonism
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n. hostility; active resistance
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Barry showed his antagonism toward his new stepmother by ignoring her whenever she tried talking to him. antagonistic, adj.
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antecede
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v. precede.
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The invention of the radiotelgraph anteceded the development of television by a quarter of a century
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antecedents
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n. preceding events or circumstances that influence what comes later; ancestors of early background
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Susi Bechhofer's ignorance of her Jewish background had its antecedents in the chaos of World War II. Smuggled out of Germany and adopted by a Christian family, she knew nothing of her birth and antecedents until she was reunited with her Jewish family in 1989
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antediluvian
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adj. antiquated; extremely ancient.
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Looking at his great-aunt's antique furniture, which must have been cluttering up her attic since before Noah's flood, the young heir exlaimed, "heavens! How positvely antediluvian!"
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anthem
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n. song of praise or patriotism
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Let us now all join in singing the national anthem
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anthology
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n. book of literary selections by various authors.
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This anthology of science fiction was compiled by the late Isaac Asimov. anthologize, v.
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anthropoid
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adj. manlike.
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The gorilla is the strongest of the anthropoid animals. also n
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anthropologist
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n. student of the history and science of humankind
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Anthropologists have discovered seeral relics of prehistoric humans in this area
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anthropomorphic
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adj.. having human form or characterstics
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Primitive religions often have deities with anthropomorphic characteristics
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antic
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adj. extravagantly odd
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Putting on an antic disposition, Hamlet acts so odd that the Danish court thinks him mad. also n
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anticlimax
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n. letdown in thought or emotion
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After the fine performance in the first act, the rest of the play was an anticlimax. anticlimatic, adj.
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antidote
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n. remedy to counteract a poison or disease
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When Marge's child accidentally swallowed some cleaning fluid, the lcoal poison control hotline instructed Marge how to adminster the antidote.
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antipathy
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n. aversion; dislike
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Tom's extreme antipathy for disputes keeps him from getting into arguments with his temperamental wife. Noise in any form is antipathetic to him. among his other antipathies are honking cars, boom boxes, and heavy metal rock.
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antiquated
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adj. obsolete; outdated
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Accustomed to editing his papers on word processors, Philip thought typewriters were too antiquated for him to use
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antispetic
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n. substance that prevents infection
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It is adviable to apply an antiseptic to any wound, no matter how slight or insignificant. also adj.
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antithesis
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n. contrast; direct opposite of or to.
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This tryanny was the antithesis of all that he had hoped for, and he fought it with all his strength. antihetical or antithetic, adj.
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anvil
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n. iron block used in hammering out metals
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After heating the iron horseshoe in the forge, the blacksmith picked it up with his tongs and set it on the anvil.
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apathy
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n. lack of caring; indifference
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A firm believer in democratic government, she could not understand the apathy of people who never bothered to vote. apathetic
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ape
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v. imitate or mimic
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In the comedy Young Frankenstein, when the servant Igor limps off, saying, "Walk this way," the hero apes him, hobbling after Igor in an imitation of his walk.
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aperture.
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n. opening; hole
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She discovered a small aperture in the wall, through which the insects had entered the room
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apex
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n. tip; summit; climax
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At the apex of his career, the star received offers of leading roles daily; two years later, he was reduced to taking bit parts in B-movies.
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aphasia
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n. loss of speech due to injury or illness
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After the automobile accident, the victim had periods of aphasia when he could not speak at all or could only mumble incoherently.
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aphorism
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n. pithy maxim or saying.
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An aphorism is usually philosphic or scientific, as compared to an adage, which is usually more homely and concrete. "Absolute power corrupts absolutely" is an aphorism. "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink" is an adage. aphoristic
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apiary
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n. a place where bees are kept
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Although he spent many hours daily in the apiary, he was very seldom stung by a bee.
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aplomb
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n. poise; assurance
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Gwen's aplomb in hadling potentially embarassing moments was legendary around the office; when one of her clients broke a piece of her best crystal, she cooly picked up her own goblet and hurled in into the fireplace.
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apocalyptic
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adj. prophetic; pertaining to revelations.
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The crowd jeered at the street preacher's apocalyptic preditions of doom.
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apocryphal
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adj. spurious; not authentic; invented rather than true.
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Although many versions exist of the famous story of Emerson's visit to Thoreau in jail, in his writings Thoreau never mentions any such visit by Emerson, and so the tale is most likely apocryphal.
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apogee
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n. highest point.
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When the moon in its orbit is furthest away from the earth, it is at its apogee.
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apolitical
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adj. having an aversion or lack of concern for political affairs
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It was hard to remain apolitical during Vietnam war; even people who generally ignored public issues felt they had to take political stands
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apologist
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n. one who writes in defense of a cause or institution.
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Rather than act as an apologist for the curent regime in Beijing and defend its brutal actions, the young diplomat decided to defect to the West
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apostate
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n. one who abandons his religious faith or political beliefs
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Because he switched from one party o another, his former friends shunned him as an apostate.
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apothecary
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n. durggist
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In Holland, apothecaries still sell spices as well as ointments and pills.
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