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109 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Achilles' Heel
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A portion, spot, area, or the like that is especially vulnerable; A seemingly small but actually crucial weakness
Syn: deficiency, frailty, damaging weakness, flaw |
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Adonis
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A very handsome young man
Syn: Beaut, beauty, charmer |
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Bacchanal
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A drunken reveler; Someone who gets drunk and wild at parties
Syn: Merrymaking, debauch (corruption) |
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Charlatan
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A person who pretends to more knowledge or skill than he or she possesses
Syn: Quack, imposter |
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Choleric
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Extremely irritable or easily angered
Syn: Irascible, obsolete, testy |
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Siren
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A seductively beautiful or charming woman, esp. one who beguiles men
Syn: Seductress, temptress, |
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Spartan
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Brave, undaunted; Rigorously self-disciplined and self-controlled
Syn: Austere, brave, courageous, |
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Bizarre
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Markedly unusual in appearance, style, or general character and often involving incongruous or unexpected elements; Outrageously or whimsically strange; Odd
Syn: Comical, curious, eccentric, extraordinary |
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Diabolic
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Having the qualities of a devil
Syn: Atrocious, cruel |
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Fathom
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Penetrate; Come to understand
Syn: Appreciate, apprehend, |
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Iridescent
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Displaying a play of lustrous colors like those of the rainbow
Syn: Irised, lustrous |
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Irony
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The use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning; An outcome of events contrary to what was, or might have been, expected
Syn: Contrariness, criticism, derision, humor, jibe, mockery |
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Paradox
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A self-contradictory and false proposition
Syn: No win situation, absurdity, ambiguity, anomaly, opposite |
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Undermine
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To attack by indirect, secret, or underhand means; Attempt to subvert by stealth.
Syn: Attenuate, blunt, |
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Abominable
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Repugnantly hateful; Detestable
Syn: Abhorrent, atrocious, awful, bad |
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Asinine
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Foolish, unintelligent, or silly; Stupid
Syn: Absurd, stupid |
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Disparage
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To speak of or treat slightingly; Depreciate; Belittle
Syn: Abuse, belittle, chill |
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Gullible
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Easily deceived or cheated
Syn: Being a sucker, believing |
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Limbo
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An intermediate, transitional, or midway state or place
Syn: In-between place |
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Nonchalant
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Coolly unconcerned, indifferent, or unexcited
Syn: Airy, aloof, apathetic |
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Iridescent
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Displaying a play of lustrous colors like those of the rainbow
Syn: Irised, lustrous |
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Irony
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The use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning; An outcome of events contrary to what was, or might have been, expected
Syn: Contrariness, criticism, derision, humor, jibe, mockery |
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Paradox
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A self-contradictory and false proposition
Syn: No win situation, absurdity, ambiguity, anomaly, opposite |
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Undermine
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To attack by indirect, secret, or underhand means; Attempt to subvert by stealth.
Syn: Attenuate, blunt, |
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Abominable
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Repugnantly hateful; Detestable
Syn: Abhorrent, atrocious, awful, bad |
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Asinine
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Foolish, unintelligent, or silly; Stupid
Syn: Absurd, stupid |
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Disparage
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To speak of or treat slightingly; Depreciate; Belittle
Syn: Abuse, belittle, chill |
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Gullible
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Easily deceived or cheated
Syn: Being a sucker, believing |
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Limbo
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An intermediate, transitional, or midway state or place
Syn: In-between place |
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Nonchalant
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Coolly unconcerned, indifferent, or unexcited
Syn: Airy, aloof, apathetic |
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Pragmatic
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Of or pertaining to a practical point of view or practical considerations
Syn: Businesslike, commonsensical |
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Alleviate
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To make easier to endure; Lessen; Mitigate
Syn: Allay, assuage |
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Despotic
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Having absolute power; Holding that power oppressively; A tyrant
Syn: Absolute, authoritarian |
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Fervent
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Having or showing great warmth or intensity of spirit, feeling, enthusiasm, etc
Syn: Animated, ardent, blazing |
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Maverick
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An independent individual who does not go along with a group or party
Syn: Bohemian, dissenter |
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Penitent
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Feeling or expressing sorrow for sin or wrongdoing and disposed to atonement and amendment; Repentant; Contrite
Syn: Abject, apologetic, atoning |
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Remorse
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Deep and painful regret for wrongdoing; Compunction
Syn: Anguish, attrition, compassion |
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Titanic
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Of enormous size, strength, power, etc
Syn: Colossal, enormous, epic, elephantine |
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Dunce
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A dull-witted, stupid, or ignorant person; Dolt
Syn: Ass, birdbrain, blockhead |
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Farce
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Foolish show; Mockery; A ridiculous sham
Syn: Absurdity, broad comedy |
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Fetish
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Any object, idea, etc., eliciting unquestioning reverence, respect, or devotion
Syn: Obsession, bias, craze |
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Hyperbole
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An extravagant statement or figure of speech not intended to be taken literally, as “to wait an eternity”
Syn: Amplification, big talk, coloring |
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Homage
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Respect or reverence paid or rendered
Syn: Adoration, adulation, allegiance |
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Ominous
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Portending evil or harm; Foreboding; Threatening; Inauspicious
Syn:dismal, doomed,fateful, fearful, forbidding, gloomy, grim, |
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Pedigree
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An ancestral line; Line of descent; Lineage; Ancestry; Distinguished, excellent, or pure ancestry
Syn: Blood, breed |
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Accolade
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Any award, honor, or laudatory notice (praise)
Syn: Approval, award |
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Exonerate
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To clear, as of an accusation; To free from guilt or blame; To relieve, as from obligation, duty, or task
Syn: Acquit, discharge, dismiss |
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Inexorable
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Unyielding; Unalterable; Not to be persuaded
Syn: Adamant, adamantine, bound |
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Mnemonic
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Assisting or intending to assist the memory
Syn: Memory prompt, reminder |
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Plummet
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To fall straight down; plunge
Syn: Collapse, crash, decline |
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Preposterous
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Completely contrary to nature, reason, or common sense; Absurd; Senseless; Utterly foolish
Syn: Absurd, asinine, crazy |
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Recalcitrant
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Resisting authority or control; not obedient or compliant; Refractory
Syn: Contrary, contumacious, defiant |
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Adamant
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Utterly unyielding in attitude or opinion in spite of all appeals, urgings, etc.
Syn: Determined, firm, fixed |
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Cliche
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A trite, stereotyped expression; A sentence or phrase, usually expressing a popular or common thought or idea, that has lost originality, ingenuity, and impact by long overuse
Syn: Adage, banality |
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Desultory
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Lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; Fitful
Syn: Random aimless, chance |
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Hedonist
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A person whose life is devoted to the pursuit of pleasure and self-gratification
Syn: Bon vivant, debauchee, epicure |
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Lampoon
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A sharp, often virulent satire directed against an individual or institution; A work of literature, art, or the like, ridiculing severely the character or behavior of a person, society, etc
Syn: Burlesque, caricature |
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Meretricious
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Alluring by a show of flashy or vulgar attractions; Tawdry; Based on pretense, deception, or insincerity
Syn: Blatant, bogus, brazen |
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Plagiarize
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To use or closely imitate without authorization the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work
Syn: Forge, appropriate |
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Vindicate
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To clear, as from an accusation, imputation, suspicion, or the like
Syn: Absolve, acquit, advocate |
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Admonish
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To caution, advise, or counsel against something; To reprove or scold, esp. in a mild and good-willing manner
Syn: Advise, berate, call down |
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Chimerical
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Unreal; imaginary; visionary
Syn: Absurd, delusive |
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Esoteric
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Understood by or meant for only the select few who have special knowledge or interest
Syn: Recondite mysterious, obscure |
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Nadir
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The lowest point; point of greatest adversity or despair
Syn: All-time low, base, bottom |
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Pinnacle
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The highest or culminating point, as of success, power, fame, etc.
Syn: Acme, apex, apogee, climax |
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Pittance
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A small amount or share
Syn: Allowance, bit |
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Trivial
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Of very little importance or value; insignificant
Syn: Atomic, beside the point, commonplace |
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Diatribe
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A bitter, sharply abusive denunciation, attack, or criticism
Syn: Harangue, criticism, abuse |
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Draconian
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Rigorous; Unusually severe or cruel
Syn: Brutal, cruel, drastic |
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Fatal
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Causing or capable of causing death; Mortal; Deadly; Causing destruction, misfortune, ruin, or failure
Syn: Baleful, baneful, calamitous |
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Impecunious
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Having little or no money; Penniless; Poor
Syn: Poverty-stricken, beggared, broke |
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Malapropism
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An act or habit of misusing words ridiculously, esp. by the confusion of words that are similar in sound
Syn: Barbarism, misuse |
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Nihilist
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Total rejection of established laws and institutions
Syn: Skeptic, anarchist, cynic |
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Tribulation
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Grievous trouble; Severe trial or suffering
Syn: Pain, unhappiness, adversity |
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Cajole
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To persuade by flattery or promises; Wheedle; Coax
Syn: Apple polish, argue into, banter, beguile |
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Conjugal
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Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of marriage
Syn: Marital, bridal, connubial |
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Guile
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Insidious cunning in attaining a goal; Crafty or artful deception; Duplicity
Syn: Slyness, cleverness, artfulness |
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Macabre
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Weird; Gruesome and horrifying; Ghastly; Horrible
Syn: Eerie, deathlike, cadaverous |
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Melancholy
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A gloomy state of mind, esp. when habitual or prolonged; Depression; Sober thoughtfulness; Pensiveness
Syn: Blue, dejected, despondent |
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Nefarious
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Extremely wicked or villainous; Iniquitous
Syn: Bad, sinful, abominable |
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Trite
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Lacking in freshness or effectiveness because of constant use or excessive repetition; Hackneyed; Stale
Syn: Silly, commonplace, banal |
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Zenith
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A highest point or state; Culmination
Syn: Top, acme, altitude |
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Effete
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Exhausted of vigor or energy; Worn out
Syn: Spoiled, exhausted, burnt out |
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Gadfly
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A person who persistently annoys or provokes others with criticism, schemes, ideas, demands, requests, etc
Syn: Goad, nuisance, annoyance |
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Harbinger
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Anything that foreshadows a future event; Omen; Sign
Syn: Indication, augury, forerunner |
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Opportune
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Appropriate, favorable, or suitable
Syn: Advantageous, lucky |
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Pecuniary
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Of or pertaining to money
Syn: Financial, banking |
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Phlegmatic
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Not easily excited to action or display of emotion; Apathetic; Sluggish
Syn: Unemotional, along for the ride, apathetic |
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Spurn
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Disdainful rejection or contemptuous treatment
Syn: Turn away, ignore, air |
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Sadistic
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Any enjoyment in being cruel; Extreme cruelty
Syn: barbarous, brutal |
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Sanguine
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Cheerfully optimistic, hopeful, or confident; Blood-hued
Syn: Happy, optimistic |
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Skeptical
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Inclined to skepticism; having or showing doubt
Syn: Disbelieving, leery |
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Stymie
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To hinder, block, or thwart
Syn: Frustrate, hinder |
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Tally
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An account or reckoning; a record of debit and credit, of the score of a game, or the like; Anything on which a score or account is kept
Syn: Count, record, account |
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Venerate
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To regard or treat with reverence; Revere
Syn: Admire, adore, apotheosize |
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Vindictive
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Disposed or inclined to revenge; vengeful
Syn: Hateful, revengeful, avenging |
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Anachronism
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Something or someone that is not in its correct historical or chronological time, esp. a thing or person that belongs to an earlier time
Syn: Chronological error |
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Banal
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Devoid of freshness or originality; Hackneyed; Trite
Syn: Commonplace, blah, bland |
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Bellwether
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A person or thing that assumes the leadership or forefront, as of a profession or industry
Syn: Leader, doyen, forerunner |
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Serendipity
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An aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident
Syn: Accidental discovery |
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Somnolent
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Sleepy; Drowsy
Syn: Asleep, dozy, drowsy |
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Spurious
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Not genuine, authentic, or true; not from the claimed, pretended, or proper source; counterfeit
Syn: Counterfeit, fake, affected |
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Bombast
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Speech too pompous for an occasion; Pretentious words
Syn: Boasting, altiloquence, balderdash |
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Cardinal
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Of prime importance; Chief; Principal
Syn: Important, key, basal |
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Pariah
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An outcast
Syn: Social outcast, bum |
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Stentorian
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Very loud or powerful in sound
Syn: Blaring, loud, orotund, |
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Sycophant
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A person who caters to another
Syn: Adulator, backscratcher |
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Tawdry
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Gaudy; Showy and cheap; Low or mean; Base
Syn: Tasteless, blatant |
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Urbane
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Having the polish and suavity regarded as characteristic of sophisticated social life in major cities; Reflecting elegance, sophistication, etc., esp. in expression
Syn: Civilized, affable |