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20 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Accost |
(v.) to approach and speak to first; to confront in a challenging or aggressive way syn: buttonhole, approach ant: avoid, shun |
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Animadversion |
(n.) a comment indicating strong criticism or disapproval syn: rebuke, reproof ant: praise, compliment |
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Avid |
(adj.) desirous of something to the point of greed; intensely eager syn: keen, enthusiastic, grasping ant: reluctant, indifferent, unenthusiastic |
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Brackish |
(adj.) having a salty taste and unpleasant to drink syn: saline ant: clear, sweet |
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Celerity |
(n.) swiftness, rapidity of motion or action syn: promptness, speed ant: slowness, sluggishness, dilatoriness |
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Devious |
(adj.) straying or wandering from a straight or direct course; done or acting in a shifty or underhanded way syn: roundabout, indirect, tricky, sly, artful ant: direct, straightforward, open, aboveboard |
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Gambit |
(n.) in chess, an opening move that involves risk or sacrifice of a minor piece in order to gain a latter advantage; any opening move of this type syn: ploy, ruse, maneuver |
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Halcyon |
(n.) a legendary bird identified with the kingfisher; (adj.) of or relating to the halcyon; calm, peaceful; happy, golden; prosperous, affluent syn: (adj.) tranquil, placid, palmy ant: (adj.) turbulent, tumultuous |
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Histrionic |
(adj.) pertaining to actors and their techniques; theatrical, artificial; melodramatic syn: affected, stagy ant: muted, nontheatrical, subdued |
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Incendiary |
(adj.) deliberately setting or causing fires; designed to start fires; tending to stir up strife or rebellion; (n.) one who deliberately sets fires, arsonist; one who causes strife syn: (adj.) inflammatory, provocative; (n.) firebrand ant: (adj.) soothing, quieting; (n.) peacemaker |
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Maelstrom |
(n.) a whirlpool of great size and violence; a situation resembling a whirlpool in violence and destruction syn: chaos, turbulence, tumult |
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Myopic |
(adj.) nearsighted; lacking a broad, realistic view of a situation; lacking foresight or discernment syn: shortsighted ant: farsighted |
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Overt |
(adj.) open, not hidden, expressed or revealed in a way that is easily recognized syn: clear, obvious, manifest, patent ant: clandestine, covert, concealed |
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Pejorative |
(adj.) tending to make worse; expressing disapproval or disparagement, derogatory, deprecatory, belittling ant: complimentary, ameliorative |
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Propriety |
(n.) the state of being proper, appropriateness; (pl.) standards of what is proper or socially acceptable syn: fitness, correctness ant: unseemliness, inappropriateness |
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Sacrilege |
(n.) improper or disrespectful treatment of something held sacred syn: desecration, profanation, defilement |
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Summarily |
(adj.) without delay or formality; briefly, concisely syn: promptly, peremptorily |
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Suppliant |
(adj.) asking humbly and earnestly; (n.) one who makes a request humbly and earnestly, a petitioner, suitor |
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Talisman |
(n.) an object that serves as a charm or is believed to confer magical powers, an amulet, fetish |
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Undulate |
(v.) to move in waves or with a wavelike motion; to have a wavelike appearance or form syn: fluctuate, rise and fall |