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300 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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aberrant
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adj. deviating from what is normal
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abeyance
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n. temporary suppression or suspension
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abscond
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v. to depart secretly
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abstemious
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adj. moderate in appetite
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admonish
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v. to caution or reprimand
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aesthetic
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adj. relating to beauty or art
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aggregate
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adj. amounting to a whole; total
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alacrity
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n. cheerful willingness; eagerness; speed
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amalgamate
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v. to combine into a unified whole
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ambiguous
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adj. unclear or doubtful in meaning
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ambivalence
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n. the state of having conflicting emotional attitudes
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ameliorate
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v. improve
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anachronism
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n. something out of proper time
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analogous
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adj. comparable
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anomalous
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adj. irregular; deviating from the norm
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antipathy
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n. dislike; hostility
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apprise
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v. to inform
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approbation
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n. praise; approval
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appropriate
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v. to take possession for ones own use; confiscate
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artless
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adj. guileless; natural
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ascetic
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n. one who practices self denial
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assiduous
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adj. diligent; hardworking
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assuage
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v. to make less sever
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attenuate
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v. to weaken
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audacious
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adj. bold; daring
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austere
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adj. stern; unadorned
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autonomous
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adj. self-governing; independent
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aver
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v. to affirm; declare to be true
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*banal
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adj. commonplace; trite
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belie
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v. to contradict; misrepresent; give a false impression
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beneficent
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adj. kindly; doing good
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bombastic
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adj. pompous; using inflated language
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boorish
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adj. rude; insensitive
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burgeon
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v. to flourish
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burnish
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v. to polish
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buttress
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v. to reinforce; support
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cacophonous
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adj. unpleasant or harsh sounding
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capricious
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adj. fickle
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castigation
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n. punishment; chastisement; criticism
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catalyst
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n. something causing change
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causality
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adj. involving a cause
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chicanery
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n. trickery; fraud
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coagulate
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v. thicken; congeal
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coda
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n. concluding part of a literary or musical composition; something that summarizes or concludes
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commensurate
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adj. proportional
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compendium
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n. brief, comprehensive summary
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complaisant
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adj. overly polite; willing to please; obliging
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conciliatory
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adj. overcoming distrust or hostility
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confound
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v. to baffle; perplex; mix-up
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connoisseur
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n. a person possessing expert knowledge or training; a person of informed or discriminating taste
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contention
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n. assertion
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contentious
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adj. quarrelsome; causing quarrels
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conundrum
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n. riddle; puzzle with no solution
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conventional
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adj. customary; commonplace
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convoluted
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adj. twisted; complicated
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craven
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adj. cowardly
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decorum
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n. proper behavior
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deference
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n. respect; regard for another's wish
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delineate
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v. to represent or depict
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denigrate
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v. to slur someones reputation
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derivative
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n. something derived; unoriginal
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desiccate
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v. to dry completely
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desultory
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adj. random; disconnected; rambling
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diatribe
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n. bitter verbal attack
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dichotomy
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n. division into two usually contradictory parts
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diffidence
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n. shyness; lack of confidence
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diffuse
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v. to spread out
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digression
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n. act of straying from the main point
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dirge
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n. funeral hymn
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disabuse
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v. to free from a misconception
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discerning
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adj. perceptive; exhibiting keen insight and good judgement
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discordant
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adj. not in tune
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discredit
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v. to dishonor; disgrace; cause to be doubted
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discrepancy
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n. difference between
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discrete
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adj. constituting a separate thing; distinct
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disingenuous
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adj. not candid; crafty
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disinterested
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adj. unprejudiced; objective
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disjointed
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adj. lacking order or coherence; dislocated
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dismiss
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v. put away from consideration; reject
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disparage
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v. to belittle
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disparate
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adj. dissimilar
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dissemble
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v.to pretend; disguise ones motive
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disseminate
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v. to spread; scatter; disperse
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dissolution
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n. disintegration; debauchery
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dissonance
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n. discord; lack of harmony
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distend
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v. to expand; swell out
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distill
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v. extract the essential elements
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doctrinaire
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adj. relating to a person who cannot compromise about points of a theory or doctrine; dogmatic; unyielding
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dogmatic
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adj. stating opinions without proof
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dupe
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v. to deceive; trick
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ebullient
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adj. exhilarated; enthusiastic
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eclectic
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adj. selecting from various sources
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efficacy
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n. efficiency; effectiveness
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effrontery
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n. shameless boldness; presumptuousness
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elegy
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n. a poem or song expressing lamentation
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elicit
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v. to provoke; draw out
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embellish
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v. to adorn; decorate; enhance; make more attractive by adding details
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empirical
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adj. derived from observation or experiment
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emulate
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v. to imitate; copy
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endemic
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adj. inherent; belonging to an area
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enervate
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v. to weaken
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engender
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v. to cause; produce
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ephemeral
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adj. short-lived; fleeting
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equanimity
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n. composure; calmness
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equivocate
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v. to intentionally use vague language
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erudite
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adj. learned; scholarly
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esoteric
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adj. hard to understand; known only to a few
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eulogy
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n. a high praise, especially of a person who has recently died
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euphemism
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n. use of agreeable or inoffensive language in place of unpleasant or offensive language
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exacerbate
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v. to aggravate; make worse
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exculpate
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v. to clear of blame; vindicate
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exigency
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n. crisis; urgent requirements
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extraneous
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adj. not essential
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facetious
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adj. humorous
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facilitate
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v. to make less difficult
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fallacious
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adj. based on a false idea or fact; misleading
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fatuous
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adj. foolishly self-satisfied
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fawning
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adj. seeking favor by flattery
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felicitous
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adj. suitably expressed; appropriate; well-chosen
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flag
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v. to droop; grow weak
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fledgling
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n. beginner; novice
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flout
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v. to treat scornfully
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foment
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v. to incite; arouse
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forestall
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v. to prevent; delay
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frugality
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n. thrift
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*gainsay
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v. to deny; dispute; oppose
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garrulous
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adj. very talkative; wordy
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goad
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v. to prod; urge on
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gouge
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v. to tear out; scoop out; overcharge
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grandiloquent
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adj. pompous; bombastic
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gregarious
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adj. sociable
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guileless
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adj. free of cunning or deceit; artless
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gullible
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adj. easily deceived
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harangue
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n. long pompous speech; tirade
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homogeneous
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adj. composed of identical parts; uniform in composition
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hyperbole
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n. purposeful exaggeration for effect
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iconoclastic
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adj. attacking cherished traditions
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idolatry
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n. idol worship; blind or excessive devotion
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immutable
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adj. unchangeable
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impair
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v. to damage; injure
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impassive
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adj. showing no emotion
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impede
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v. to hinder; block
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impermeable
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adj. impossible to penetrate
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imperturbable
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adj. not easily disturbed
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impervious
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adj. impossible to penetrate; incapable of being affected
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implacable
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adj. inflexible; incapable of being pleased
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implicit
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adj. implied; understood but not stated
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implode
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v. to collapse inward violenty
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inadvertently
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adv. carelessly; unintentionally
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inchoate
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adj. imperfectly formed or formulated
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incongruity
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n. state of not fitting
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inconsequential
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adj. insignificant; unimportant
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incorporate
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v. to introduce something into another thing already in existence; combine
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indeterminate
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adj, uncertain; indefinite
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indigence
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n. poverty
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indolent
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adj. habitually lazy; idle
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inert
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adj. unable to move; sluggish
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ingenuous
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adj. naive and trusting; lacking sophistication
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inherent
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adj. firmly established by nature or habit
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innocuous
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adj. harmless
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insensible
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adj. unconscious; unresponsive
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insinuate
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v. to suggest; say indirectly; imply
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insipid
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adj. lacking in flavor; dull
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insularity
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n. narrow-mindedness; isolation
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intractable
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adj. not easily managed
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intransigence
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n. stubbornness; refusal to compromise
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inundate
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v. to cover with water; to overwhelm
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inured
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v. hardened; accustomed; used to
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invective
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n. verbal abuse
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irascible
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adj. easily angered
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irresolute
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adj. unsure of how to act; weak
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laconic
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adj. using few words
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lassitude
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n. lethargy; sluggishness
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laud
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v. to praise
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lethargic
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adj. inactive
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levee
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n. an embankment that prevents a river from overflowing
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levity
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n. light manner or attitude
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log
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n. record of a voyage or daily activities
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loquacious
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adj. talkative
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lucid
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adj. bright; clear; intelligible
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magnanimity
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n. generosity; nobility
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malinger
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v. to feign illness to escape duty
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malleable
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adj. capable of being shaped by pounding; impressionable
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maverick
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n. dissenter
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mendacious
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adj. dishonest
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metamorphosis
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n. change; transformation
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meticulous
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adj. very careful; fastidious
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misanthrope
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n. one who hates humanity
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mitigate
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v. to cause to become less harsh, severe, or painful; alleviate
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mollify
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v. soothe
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mundane
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adj. worldly as opposed to spiritual; concerned with the ordinary
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morose
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adj. ill-humored; sullen
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negate
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v. to cancel out; nullify
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neophyte
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n. novice; beginner
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obdurate
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adj. stubborn
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obsequious
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adj. overly submissive
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obviate
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v. to make unnecessary; to anticipate and prevent
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occlude
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v. to shut; block
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officious
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adj. too helpful; meddlesome
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onerous
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adj. burdensome
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opprobrium
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n. disgrace; contempt
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oscillate
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v. to move back and forth
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ostentatious
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adj. showy; trying to attract attention; pretentious
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paragon
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n. model of excellence or perfection
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partisan
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adj. one-sided;committed to a party, group, or cause; prejudiced
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pathological
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adj. departing from normal condition
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paucity
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n. scarcity
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pedantic
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adj. showing off learning
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penchant
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n. inclination
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penury
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n. extreme poverty
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perennial
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adj. present throughout the years; persistent
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perfidious
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adj. faithless; disloyal; untrustworthy
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perfunctory
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adj. superficial; not thorough; performed really as a duty
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permeable
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adj. penetrable
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pervasive
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adj. spread throughout every part
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phlegmatic
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calm in temperament; sluggish
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piety
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n. devoutness
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placate
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v. to lessen another's anger; to pacify
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plasticity
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n. condition of being able to be shaped or formed; pliability
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platitude
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n. stale, overused expression
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plethora
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n. excess; overabundance
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plummet
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v. to fall; plunge
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pragmatic
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adj. practical
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precarious
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adj. uncertain
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precipitate
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v. to cause to happen; to throw down from a height
adj. rash; hasty; sudden |
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precursor
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n. forerunner; predecessor
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presumptuous
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adj. rude; improperly bold
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prevaricate
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v. to quibble, evade the truth
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pristine
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adj. untouched; uncorrupted
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probity
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n. honesty; high-mindedness
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problematic
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adj. posing a problem; doubtful; unsettled
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prodigal
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adj. wasteful; extravagant; lavish
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proliferate
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v. to increase rapidly
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propensity
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n. inclination; tendency
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propitiate
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v. to win over; appease
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propriety
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n. correct conduct; fitness
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proscribe
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v. to condemn; forbid; outlaw
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pungent
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adj. strong or sharp in smell and taste; penetrating; caustic
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qualified
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adj. limited; restricted
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quibble
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v. to argue over insignificant and irrelevant details
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quiescent
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adj. inactive; still
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rarefied
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adj. refined
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recalcitrant
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adj. resisting authority or control
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recant
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v. to retract a statement or opinion
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recondite
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adj. abstruse; profound
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refractory
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adj. stubborn; unmanageable;resisting ordinary methods of treatment
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refute
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v. to contradict; to disprove
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relegate
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v. to confine to an inferior position
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reproach
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v. to find fault with; to blame
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reprobate
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n. morally unprincipled person
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repudiate
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v. reject as having no authority
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rescind
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v. to cancel
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resolution
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n. determination; resolve
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reticent
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adj. not speaking freely; reserved; reluctant
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reverent
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adj. expressing deep respect; worshipful
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sage
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adj. wise
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salubrious
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adj. healthful
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sanction
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v. to approve; ratify; permit
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satiate
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v. to satisfy
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saturate
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v. to soak thoroughly; imbue throughout
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secrete
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v. to produce and release substance into organism
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shard
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n. a piece of broken glass or pottery
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skeptic
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n. one who doubts
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solicitous
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adj. attentive; eager; concerned
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soporific
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adj. sleep producing
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specious
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adj. seeming to be logical and sound, but not really so
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spectrum
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n. band of colors produced when sunlight passes through a prism; a broad range of related ideas or objects
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sporadic
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adj. irregular
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stigma
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n. mark of disgrace or inferiority
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stint
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v. to be sparing
n. period of time spent doing something |
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stipulate
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v. to specify as an essential condition
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stolid
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adj. having or showing little emotion
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striated
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adj. marked with thin narrow grooves or channels
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strut
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v. to swagger; display to impress others
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subpoena
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n. notice ordering someone to appear in court
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substantiate
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v. to support with proof or evidence
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supersede
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v. to replace, especially to displace as inferior or antiquated
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supposition
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n. the act of assuming to be true or real
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tacit
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adj. silently understood; implied
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tangential
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adj. peripheral; digressing
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tenuous
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adj. weak; insubstantial
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tirade
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n. long, violent speech, verbal assualt
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torpor
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n. lethargy; dormancy; sluggishness
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tortuous
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adj. having many twists and turns; highly complex
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tractable
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adj. obedient; yielding
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transgression
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n. act of of trespassing or violating a law or rule
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truculence
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n. aggressiveness; ferocity
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vacillate
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v. to waver; oscillate
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venerate
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v. to adore; honor; respect
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veracious
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adj. truthful; accurate
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verbose
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adj. wordy
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viable
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adj. practicable; capable of developing
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viscous
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adj. thick, syrupy, and sticky
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vituperative
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adj. using or containing harsh, abusive censure
v. vituberate |
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volatile
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adj. tending to vary frequently; fickle
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warranted
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adj. justified
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wary
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adj. careful; cautious
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welter
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v. to wallow or roll; toss about; be in turmoil
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whimsical
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adj. fanciful; unpredictable
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zealot
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n. one who is fanatically devoted to a cause
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