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502 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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abashed |
embarrassed
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abdicate |
relinquish
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ablutions |
washings
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absolute |
operating without restrictions / definite / pure / complete
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abstain |
decline to vote / refrain
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acme |
high point
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addled |
confused / rotten
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adherent |
supporter
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adulterate |
to make impure
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aerie |
nest
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affirm |
assert
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affluent |
wealthy
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agnostic |
asserting that the existence of God cannot be known or proven
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alloy |
mixture of metals
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alluring |
enticing
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alto |
person singing second-to-highest part in a four-part harmony
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altruism |
unselfish concern for others
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ambidextrous |
able to use both hands with equal ease
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ambivalence |
simultaneous conflicting feelings
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ameliorate |
to improve
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amenable |
responsive
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amity |
friendship
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amnesia |
loss of memory
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amnesty |
pardon
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amoral |
unconcerned with questions of right and wrong
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amulet |
charm
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anarchy |
complete political disorder
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anneal |
toughen by heating and then cooling
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annuity |
fixed yearly payment
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apiary |
place where bees are kept
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apologist |
defender of a policy or action
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aqueous |
made by water
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arbiter |
person able to judge or decide
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arbitrate |
to try to settle
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arboreal |
tree-dwelling
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articulate |
clearly spoken / jointed
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ascetic |
of rigorous self-denial
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assonance |
similarity in vowel
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assuage |
lessen
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attune |
bring into agreement
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augury |
omen
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automaton |
self-regulating machine
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autonomous |
self-governing
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autopsy |
examination to determine the cause of death
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avarice |
greed for money
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bauble |
trinket
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bayonet |
steel blade that clips onto a rifle
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becoming |
pleasingly suitable
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bedeviled |
tormented
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belligerent |
hostile / nations at war
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benison |
blessing
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bestial |
brutal
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biannual |
twice a year
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bigot |
narrow-minded, prejudiced person
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bivouac |
temporary military camp
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bizarre |
fantastic
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blatant |
offensively obvious
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bloated |
swollen
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bluff |
fool / frank / steep cliff
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bombastic |
pompous
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bourgeois |
respectably middle-class
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boycott |
to refuse to have dealings with
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buoyant |
able to float / cheerful
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butte |
isolated steep sided hill
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buttress |
supporting structure / strengthen
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cadaver |
dead body
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canker |
spreading sore / evil influence
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cant |
insincere talk / slang / tilted
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cartel |
combine of business firms
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cataclysm |
sudden violent change
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cauterize |
burn with a hot iron
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cede |
to surrender (an object, land etc)
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censer |
vessel for burning incense
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censor |
official who looks for objectionable material in what is written or produced
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chary |
cautious
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chaste |
morally pure / severely plain
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chattel |
on movable property
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chronometer |
extremely accurate timepiece
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collate |
to compare for accuracy / to put in order
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collusion |
secret agreement
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comestible |
food
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complacent |
self satisfied
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complaisant |
obliging
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compunction |
remorse
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conception |
general idea / the beginning of pregnancy
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condolence |
sympathy
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confluence |
coming together / crowd
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congenital |
present from birth
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congestion |
overcrowding / overaccumulation of matter
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constrain |
to restrict / forced
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conundrum |
puzzle
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courser |
horse
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covey |
flock
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cranium |
top of the skull
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crass |
coarsely stupid
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cremate |
burn to ashes
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criterion |
standard used in judging
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cuisine |
cooking
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culpable |
blameworthy
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curfew |
time to be off the streets
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curtail |
reduce
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debut |
first appearance
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deciduous |
that sheds its leaves
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decorum |
correctness and good taste
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decry |
denounce
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defame |
attack the reputation of
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default |
fail to do what is required / fail to make payment
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deficit |
amount of money short
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defile |
narrow pass / made unclean
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definitive |
final
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demoralize |
weaken the spirit of
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demote |
reduce in rank
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depreciate |
to decrease in value / belittle
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desiccate |
remove the water from / drained of vitality
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designate |
appoint / point out / described
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desultory |
aimless
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devise |
work out
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devotee |
ardent supporter
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diagnose |
to determine the nature of
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diatribe |
bitterly abusive speech
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dilemma |
situation involving a difficult choice
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dilettante |
person who dabbles in the arts
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disconcert |
suddenly confuse
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discredit |
throw doubt on
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discreet |
cautiously tactful
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discursive |
rambling
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disheveled |
rumpled
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disinterested |
impartial
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dismantle |
take apart
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dismember |
cut up
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disparage |
belittle
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disperse |
to break up / to spread
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dissertation |
formal essay
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divers |
various
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dogged |
determined
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dogmatic |
asserted strongly but without proof
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dossier |
collection of documents giving a detailed report
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effervesce |
give off bubbles / lively
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elective |
chosen by vote / optional
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elemental |
having to do with great forces of nature
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emancipate |
free
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emote |
express emotions dramatically
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endorse |
express support of / sign the back of
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ennui |
boredom
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enormity |
outrageous nature of
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entail |
make necessary / restrict the sale of
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entourage |
group of attendants
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entreat |
beg
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enumerate |
list / count
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enunciate |
speak clearly / set forth
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environs |
surrounding areas
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epaulet |
tasseled shoulder decoration
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equitable |
fair
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eradicate |
get rid of
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ethnic |
racial
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euphonious |
pleasant sounding
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euthanasia |
killing as an act of mercy
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excavate |
unearth / dig
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exhale |
breathe out / give off
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exodus |
departure
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exonerate |
declare blameless
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exploit |
to make full use of / to take unfair advantage of / a daring deed
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expository |
explanatory
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expound |
state in detail
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expunge |
remove
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extant |
still in existence
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extenuating |
that make something seem less serious
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extinct |
no longer in existence
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extraneous |
not really belonging
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extremist |
person who holds immoderate views
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extrovert |
person whose thoughts are directed outward
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facet |
polished sides
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facetious |
inappropriately funny
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facsimile |
an exact copy
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faction |
group working against other groups / quarreling
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fastidious |
difficult to please
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fathoms |
units of depth
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fatuous |
foolish
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feign |
to pretend
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fiasco |
ridiculous failure
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filial |
of a child for its parents
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finesse |
skill / trick
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finite |
limited
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fissure |
split
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floes |
large floating sheets of ice
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flora |
plants
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florid |
red
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fluster |
confuse
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flux |
change / flow / substance used in joining metals
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forego |
do without / precede
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forte |
particular skill / loudly
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fractious |
unruly
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franchise |
right granted by a government of company / right to vote
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freebooter |
pirate
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frowzy |
slovenly
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funereal |
gloomy
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gala |
festive
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gamester |
gambler
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gamut |
entire range
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garb |
clothes
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garner |
gather in
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generic |
inclusive
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genre |
kind / paintings that depict everyday life realistically
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genteel |
polite and refined
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genus |
class of living things
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germinate |
begin to develop
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gesticulate |
to make gestures
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ghastly |
horrible
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ghoul |
person who enjoys what most people find unpleasant / evil spirit that robs graves
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gibbet |
gallows
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gibe |
sneer
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gird |
encircle / to fasten with a belt
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gist |
main point
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glutinous |
sticky
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gourmets |
experts on fine foods
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granary |
building for storing grain
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graphic |
vivid / pictorial
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gregarious |
enjoying the company of others
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grimace |
make faces
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grotesque |
wildly distorted
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grueling |
severely demanding
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gruesome |
horrible
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guillotine |
machine for beheading people
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hallmark |
stamp on gold or silver objects / distinguishing characteristic
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hallucination |
sight existing only in the mind
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harangue |
long, scolding speech
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hemp |
plant fiber used in rope
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herald |
announce
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heresy |
holding views contrary to those officially taught
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heterogeneous |
dissimilar
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hierarchy |
grouping in order of rank
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hindmost |
farthest back
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histrionics |
theatrical behavior
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homage |
respect and honor
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homily |
lecture on a moral theme
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hostelry |
inn
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humus |
decayed vegetable matter
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hypochondriac |
person unduly worried over his or her own health
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ideology |
set of beliefs
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idiom |
phrase not meant literally / style of speaking
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immutable |
unchanging
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impeccable |
faultless
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impediment |
obstacle
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imperative |
used in command
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imperial |
by an emperor / small, pointed beard / majestic
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imperturbable |
calm
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impious |
lacking reverence
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impolitic |
unwise
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imprecations |
curses
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impromptu |
unrehearsed
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improvident |
wasteful
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inadvertent |
unintended
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incandescent |
glowing with intense heat / brilliant
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incapacitate |
disable
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inception |
beginning
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inclement |
stormy / unkind
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incognito |
with one's identity concealed
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incoherent |
confused
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indict |
charge with a crime
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indignity |
insulting treatment
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inebriated |
drunken
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inevitable |
unavoidable
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infatuated |
foolishly in love
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inferno |
intense heat / hell
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infidelity |
lack of faithfulness
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inherent |
that is a natural part of one(a person)
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innovation |
introduction of something new
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inopportune |
unsuitable
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insidious |
treacherous
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instantaneous |
immediate
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instill |
impart / introduce drop by drop
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interim |
intervening period
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intermediary |
go-between
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interpolate |
insert
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intimate |
suggest / small / thorough / deeply private
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intrigue |
interests / plot
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intrinsic |
belonging to the thing itself
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introspective |
given to examining one's own thoughts
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introvert |
person preoccupied with his or her own thoughts
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invalid |
without legal force / unwell
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invective |
abusive language
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inveterate |
habitual
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invoke |
request help from / call forth
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ire |
anger
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irrational |
not governed by reason
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irrefutable |
that cannot be disputed
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irrevocable |
unalterable
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jettison |
throw overboard
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lackey |
a servile follower
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lancet |
surgeon's knife
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largesse |
generous gifts
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lassitude |
weariness
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legendary |
famous in story
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limbo |
condition of oblivion
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lionize |
hold in great esteem
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lisle |
cotton
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literate |
educated / able to read and write
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lope |
move easily
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loquacious |
talkative
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luminous |
giving off light / clear
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lyrical |
emotionally enthusiastic / song-like
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magnitude |
greatness
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maladroit |
clumsy
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malcontent |
dissatisfied person
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mania |
excessive enthusiasm
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marathon |
prolonged / footrace of about 26 miles
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marauder |
attacker
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martinet |
strict disciplinarian
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mausoleum |
monumental tomb
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mediate |
work for a settlement of
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melodrama |
unrealistic play in which good and evil are exaggerated
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mendicants |
beggars
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mercenary |
hired soldier / concerned only with making money
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mettle |
spirit
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microcosm |
miniature world
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militant |
aggressively active
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minimum |
smallest amount
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minion |
loyal follower
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moral |
standards of behavior / spiritual rather than physical / having to do with right and wrong
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munificent |
generous
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munitions |
war supplies
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naturalist |
person who studies plants and animals
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neo- |
a new form of
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nominal |
slight / in name only
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nucleus |
the central part
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nutriment |
nourishing substance
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obligatory |
required
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oblivion |
lack of awareness
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obnoxious |
thoroughly unpleasant
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obsolescent |
outdated but still usable
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octagon |
eight sided figure
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ocular |
of the eye
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ogle |
glance flirtatiously at
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opiate |
soothing drug
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opulence |
wealth
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ornithologist |
expert on birds
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outlandish |
peculiar
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overwrought |
suffering from nervous strain / too elaborate
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pacific |
peaceful
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pacify |
soothe / bring peace to
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paean |
song of praise
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pallatiative |
that ease without curing
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palpitate |
beat rapidly
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panorama |
comprehensive view
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paroxysm |
sudden outburst
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parsimonious |
miserly / unwilling to spend money
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partake |
eat one's share
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partiality |
liking
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pasteurize |
destroy bacteria in
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paucity |
scarcity
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pecuniary |
financial
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pedagogue |
schoolteacher
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pejorative |
that tend to give an unfavorable impression
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penury |
extreme poverty
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pernicious |
harmful
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perpetrate |
be guilty of
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petition |
solemn earnest request
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philistine |
uncultured and narrow-minded person
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philtre |
love potion
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pied |
multi-colored
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pillory |
wooden frame with holes for confining the head and hands / to scorn publicly
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plateau |
broad stretch of high level land / a temporary halt in progress
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plebian |
commonplace
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potable |
drinkable
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practicable |
capable of being put into use
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pragmatic |
practical
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prate |
talk foolishly
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predicament |
trying situation
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prefatory |
introductory
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presentiment |
feeling of impending misfortune
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primordial |
earliest
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proclivity |
inclination
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procrastinate |
delay
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prodigious |
enormous
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progenitors |
ancestors
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propaganda |
deliberately spreading ideas that will help one's own cause or injure an enemy's
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prosaic |
dull
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provocation |
cause for anger
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prowess |
ability / bravery and skill
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proxy |
a person authorized to act for another
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psyche |
mind
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punctilious |
exact
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punitive |
punishing
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quadruple |
increase fourfold
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qualm |
misgiving
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quandary |
state of perplexity
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raillery |
lighthearted teasing
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rationalize |
seek reasons to justify
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rebut |
oppose by argument
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recapitulate |
restate briefly
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recession |
moving backward
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recluse |
hermit
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recourse |
source of help
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redoubtable |
formidable
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regale |
entertain
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relegate |
dropped / assign
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replete |
filled
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requite |
repay / return
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residue |
remainder
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resilient |
springy
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reticent |
disinclined to speak
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retinue |
train of attendants
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retrogress |
worsen
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retrospective |
looking back on the past
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revelry |
merrymaking
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revoke |
withdraw or cancel
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roue |
person who leads a dissipated life
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russet |
reddish-brown color
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sabotage |
deliberate destruction
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salutary |
beneficial
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sanctimonious |
falsely pious
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sanction |
to authorize / punitive measures against a nation
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scapegoat |
person who takes the blame for others
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scathing |
bitingly severe
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scenario |
motion picture script
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scintillate |
sparkle
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scrip |
paper entitling the bearer to receive something
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scuttle |
a coal bucket / to move quickly / to sink a ship deliberately
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secular |
non-religious
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sedition |
rebelliousness
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sibling |
brother-sister
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sinecure |
easy, well paying job
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sinuous |
winding
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slapstick |
crude comedy
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sojourn |
stay
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somatic |
bodily
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somnambulist |
sleepwalker
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spate |
large number
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species |
kinds of plants and animals
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spectral |
ghostly
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speculate |
think reflectively / (noun) gambler on risky business deals
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spinster |
woman who remains unmarried
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sporadic |
irregularly occuring
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stalactite |
hanging, icicle-like formation
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stalemate |
deadlock
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stamina |
staying power
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stark |
bleak / utter / stiff
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statutory |
fixed by law
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sterilize |
make free of germs / make incapable of reproduction
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stevedores |
dockworkers
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stickler |
person who makes strict demands
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stint |
limitation / period of work / spend very sparingly
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stipend |
salary
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strategic |
to do with military planning
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substantial |
solid / large / wealthy
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substantiate |
show to be true
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succor |
to aid
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succumb |
give in / to die
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suffrage |
voting rights
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supercilious |
haughty
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supplant |
take the place of
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suppliant |
humbly begging
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surfeited |
given too much of something
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surveillance |
observation
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survey |
measure / detailed study / look closely at
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swath |
sweep of a cutting machine
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symmetrical |
balanced
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tacit |
unspoken
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taciturn |
habitually silent
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tariff |
tax on imports / scale of charges
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tarpaulin |
waterproof canvas covering
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tedium |
monotony
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telepathy |
thought transference
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temperate |
neither hot nor cold
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tenet |
principle
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testimonial |
token of esteem
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thermal |
having to do with heat
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thespian |
actor
|
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thrall |
bondage / slave
|
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throng |
crowd of people
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tome |
book
|
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toothsome |
tasty
|
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torso |
body minus arms and legs
|
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transition |
change
|
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traverse |
travel over / that extends across
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travesty |
crude and mocking imitation
|
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triumvirate |
ruling body of three
|
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tundra |
treeless arctic wasteland
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tureen |
dish
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turnkey |
jailer
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twit |
tease
|
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ulterior |
hidden / future or coming
|
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ultimatum |
final demand
|
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ultra |
extreme / beyond
|
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umber |
earth color used in artists' paints
|
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unctuous |
showing false concern / oily
|
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unremitting |
unending
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untenable |
indefensible
|
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unwitting |
unaware / not intended
|
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vainglorious |
boastful
|
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valedictory |
farewell address
|
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vegetate |
lead a dull life
|
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vendetta |
feud
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verbatim |
word for word
|
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verbiage |
excess of words
|
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verve |
enthusiasm
|
|
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virtuoso |
skilled musical performer
|
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vitriolic |
vicious / sulfuric acid
|
|
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waft |
is carried by air
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wayward |
willful
|
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whimsical |
full of odd notions
|
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wizened |
wrinkled
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