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187 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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abash
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to make ashamed or uneasy
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abate
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to reduce
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abide
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to remain; continue; stay; endure
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ablution
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a cleansing with water or other liquid, especially as a religious ritual; the liquid used in such an act
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abstract
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difficult to understand; impersonal; theoretical
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accountable
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expected to answer for one's actions; responsible, liable, answerable
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adherent
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a follower of a leader; supporter
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adroit
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skillful; deft
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aesthetic
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having to do with artistic beauty
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agog
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highly excited by eagerness
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ambivalence
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indecision; experiencing contradictory emotions
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ambulatory
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of or for walking; capable of walking
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ancillary
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helping; providing assistance; subordinate
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animated
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having life; alive; filled with activity, vigor, or spirit
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annals
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descriptive record; history
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appease
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to soothe; to pacify or relieve by giving into
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armament
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military supplies and weapons; the process of arming for war
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ascribe
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to attribute to a specific cause, source, or origin
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asinine
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silly; stupid
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atone
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to make amends
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attrition
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a gradual reduction or weakening; a rubbing away
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augment
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to make or become greater
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baleful
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threatening; hurtful; malignant; ominous
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barrage
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a curtain of artillery fire; any overwhelming attack, as of words or blows
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bauble
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a small, inexpensive trinket
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bland
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lacking flavor or zest; dull
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bombastic
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high sounding; use of language without much real meaning
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boon
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a timely benefit; a blessing
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boor
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a rude person; someone that is unrefined
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bootleg
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to smuggle; to make, sell, or transport for sale illegally
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booty
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loot; the spoils of war; goods or property seized by force; a valuable prize
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bovine
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of, relating to, or resembling an animal such as an ox, cow or buffalo; solid; dull
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brazen
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bold, shameless; impudent; also like brass
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camaraderie
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comradeship; friendship
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carnivore
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a flesh-eating animal
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carrion
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dead or rotting flesh
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cascade
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a waterfall; anything resembling a waterfall
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cataclysm
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a violent upheaval or change
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cataract
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a large waterfall; a deluge; an eye abnormality
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cavalier
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casual; carefree and nonchalant; arrogant disregard; n, a gallant gentleman
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choleric
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hot-tempered; quick to anger
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circumspect
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cautious; heedful of situations and potential consequences
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circumvent
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to surround; enclose; bypass
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clone
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an exact duplicate
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coerce
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to force someone by threatening or physically overpowering him
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continuum
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a continuous whole without clear division into parts
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conundrum
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a dilemma; any problem or puzzle
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copious
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abundant; plentiful
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corpulent
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fat, obese
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courier
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a messenger
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covert
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secret; hidden; concealed
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cryptic
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having an ambiguous or hidden meaning
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cursory
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rapid and superficial; performed with haste and scant attention to detail
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defunct
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dead or inactive; having ceased to exist
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deploy
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to arrange strategically
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despot
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an absolute ruler
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devoid
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entirely without; lacking
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diatribe
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a bitter verbal attack
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diffident
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lacking self-confidence; timid
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diminution
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the act or process of diminishing; reduction
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dishevel
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to make untidy; to disarrange the hair or clothing of
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diverse
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different; varied
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dogmatic
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characterized by an authoritative, often arrogant, assertion of opinions or beliefs
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doleful
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sorrowful; melancholy
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dolt
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a stupid person
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edification
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enlighten; instruct
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egg
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to encourage or incite to action
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elite
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the best or most skilled members of a group
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elocution
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the art of public speaking
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eloquent
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extremely expressive in speech, writing, or movement
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embroil
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to involve in argument or hostile action; to throw in disorder
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embullience
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enthusiastic; bubbling with excitement
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eminent
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standing out, renowned; distinguished; prominent
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emphatic
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forcibly expressive
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enhance
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to improve; to intensify
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escapade
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an adventurous unconventional act
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eschew
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to avoid or shun
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ethereal
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very light; airy; delicate; heavenly
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exodus
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a mass departure
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fetter
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to restrain; to hamper
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fiasco
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a complete or humiliating failure
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forbearance
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patience
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forebode
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to predict or foretell
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forthright
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frank; going straight to the point
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frank
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straightforward; open and sincere in expression
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fray
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fight or scuffle; brawl
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fusillade
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a rapid outburst or barrage
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gambit
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to take a risk for some advantage
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gradient
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a rate of inclination; a slope
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gregarious
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seeking and enjoying the company of others; sociable
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gullible
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easily cheated or fooled
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iconoclast
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one who attacks and seeks to overthrow traditional or popular ideas or institutions
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idolatry
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blind or excessive devotion to something
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idyllic
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charming in a rustic way; naturally peaceful
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impair
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to cause to diminish, as in strength, value, or quality
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incessant
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continuing without interruption; nonstop
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influx
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a mass arrival or incoming; a continuous coming
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intrepid
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fearless; bold
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jaunt
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a short pleasure trip
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jetsam
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cargo or equipment thrown overboard to lighten an imperiled vessel; discarded odds and ends
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kismet
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fate
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lackadaisical
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showing lack of interest; listless
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lambaste
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to give a thrashing; scold
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lampoon
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a light, good-humored satire
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languid
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lacking energy; weak; showing little interest in anything
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latent
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laying hidden or undeveloped; potential
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lithe
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bending easily and gracefully
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logistics
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the management of the details of an operation
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maladroit
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clumsy; inept
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malaise
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a vague feeling of bodily discomfort, as at the beginning of an illness
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malcontent
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dissatisfied with existing conditions
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malice
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a desire or intention to harm others or see them suffer
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malodor
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a bad odor
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mammoth
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huge; gigantic
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maritime
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near the sea; concerning with shipping or navigation
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mawkish
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excessively and objectionably sentimental
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mete
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to distribute by or as if by measure; allot
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mogul
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a very rich or powerful person; a magnate
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mottle
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to mark with spots or blotches of different shades or colors
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nemesis
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an opponent that cannot be beaten or overcome
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nettle
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to irritate; vex
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nullify
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to make useless; cancel; undo
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offal
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waste parts especially of a butchered animal; rubbish
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officious
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ready to serve; eager in offering unwanted services or advice
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onerous
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troublesome or oppressive; burdensome
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opaque
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having no luster; dull; hard to understand
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ostensible
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apprearing as such; offered as genuine or real
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palisade
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a fortification of timbers set in the ground; an extended cliff
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palpable
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capable of being touched or felt
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panache
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dashing elegance of manner or style
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panorama
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an unbroken view of a wide area
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parable
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a simple story illustrating a moral or religious lesson
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paradigm
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a pattern that serves as a model or example
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paragon
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a model or pattern of excellence
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parley
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a conference, especially between enemies
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patriarch
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the leader of a family or tribe
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peccadillo
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a slight or trifling sin; a minor offense
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pecuniary
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consisting of or relating to money
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pedestrian
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ordinary; moving on foot
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pendemic
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widespread; general
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philippic
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a verbal denunciation characterized by harsh, insulting language; a tirade
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pinguid
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fat
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pinion
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bind the wings so as not to fly; confine
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pious
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devout or virtuous; holy
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plethora
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a state of excessive fullness; superabundance
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pliable
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receptive to change; easily persuaded or controlled; easily bent or twisted
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poltroon
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a coward
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portal
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an entrance, door or gate
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predatory
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victimizing or destroying others for one's own gain; pillaging
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presentiment
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a sense that something is about to occur; a premonition
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prodigious
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enormous in size, quantity, degree; marvelous, amazing
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profound
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intellectually deep or penetrating; reaching to, rising from, or effecting the depths of one's nature
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prudent
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cautious; discreet; exercising good judgment
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purblind
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having poor vision; nearly or partly blind
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raffish
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cheaply vulgar in apprearance or nature; tawdry; disreputable
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ransack
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to search thoroughly; pillage
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replete
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full or supplied to the utmost; gorge
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rhetoric
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the art or study of using language effectively and persuasively; over-elaborate language
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saga
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a long story, often telling the history of a family
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sage
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a person of wisdom and prudence
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scrupulous
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careful of small details; honest; conscientious
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sedentary
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characterized by or requiring much sitting; accustomed to little exercise
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serene
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clear; calm; tranquil
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skullduggery
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trickery; underhandedness
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spawn
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to give rise to; to produce in large numbers
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specter
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a ghost or phantom
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spurious
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not genuine; false
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strife
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bitter conflict; quarrel; fight
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sublime
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impressive; inspiring awe; majestic
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succinct
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brief and to the point; concise and terse
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supine
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lying on the back with the face turned upward; inclined
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surreptitious
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done or acting in a secret, sly manner
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symmetry
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exact correspondence of form on opposite sides of a dividing line
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tawdry
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gaudy and cheap in appearance or nature
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tenacious
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tough; stubborn; not letting go
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terse
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brief and to the point; concise
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throng
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a large group of people gathered closely together
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tome
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a large book
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torpid
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dormant; inactive; lethargic
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torrid
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intensely hot; burning; passionate; rapid
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travail
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strenuous physical or mental labor or effort; the labor of childbirth
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vent
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a means of escape or release; an outlet; a small hole
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voracious
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an insatiable appetite for an activity or pursuit; eager to consume great amounts of food
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waffle
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to speak or write evasively
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wince
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to flinch; to shrink back or start aside, as from a blow or pain
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winnow
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to rid of undesirable parts
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writhe
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to cause to twist or bend; to suffer acutely, as in pain or embarrassment
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