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100 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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circumlocutory
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"–noun 1. a roundabout or indirect way of speaking; the use of more words than necessary to express an idea. 2. a roundabout expression.
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bombastic
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"adjective (of speech, writing, etc.) high-sounding; high-flown; inflated; pretentious.
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verbose
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"adjective characterized by the use of many or too many words; wordy: a verbose report.
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alexithymia
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–nounPsychiatry. difficulty in experiencing, expressing, and describing emotional responses
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squalor
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"–noun the condition of being squalid; filth and misery.
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pillory
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verb (used with object) 2. to set in the pillory. 3. to expose to public derision, ridicule, or abuse: The candidate mercilessly pilloried his opponent
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salutary
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"–adjective 1. favorable to or promoting health; healthful. 2. promoting or conducive to some beneficial purpose; wholesome.
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earnest
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–adjective 1. serious in intention, purpose, or effort; sincerely zealous: an earnest worker. 2. showing depth and sincerity of feeling: earnest words; an earnest entreaty. 3. seriously important; demanding or receiving serious attention. –noun 4. full seriousness, as of intention or purpose: to speak in earnest.
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heed
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"verb (used with object) and noun 1. to give careful attention to: He did not heed the warning.
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clarion
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"adjective 1. clear and shrill: the clarion call of a battle trumpet.
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trenchant
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–adjective 1. incisive or keen, as language or a person; caustic; cutting: trenchant wit. 2. vigorous; effective; energetic: a trenchant policy of political reform. 3. clearly or sharply defined; clear-cut; distinct.
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raucous
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–adjective 1. harsh; strident; grating: raucous voices; raucous laughter. 2. rowdy; disorderly: a raucous party.
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compendium
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"–noun, plural -di·ums 1. a brief treatment or account of a subject, esp. an extensive subject; concise treatise: a compendium of medicine. 2. a summary, epitome, or abridgment.
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succumb
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verb (used without object) 1. to give way to superior force; yield: to succumb to despair
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brothel
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–noun a house of prostitution
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putrescent/putrid
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–adjective 1. becoming putrid; undergoing putrefaction. 2. of or pertaining to putrefaction.
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confaternity
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"–noun, plural -ties. 1. a lay brotherhood devoted to some purpose, esp. to religious or charitable service. 2. a society or organization, esp. of men, united for some purpose or in some profession.
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benefaction
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"noun 1. an act of conferring a benefit; the doing of good; a good deed: He is known throughout the region for his many benefactions. 2. the benefit conferred; charitable donation: to solicit benefactions for earthquake victims.
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conversely
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"–adjective 1. opposite or contrary in direction, action, sequence, etc.; turned around. –noun 2. something opposite or contrary.
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platitude
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–noun 1. a flat, dull, or trite remark, esp. one uttered as if it were fresh or profound. 2. the quality or state of being flat, dull, or trite: the platitude of most political oratory.
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recrudescence
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–noun breaking out afresh or into renewed activity; revival or reappearance in active existence.
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opprobrious
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–adjective 1. conveying or expressing opprobrium, as language or a speaker: opprobrious invectives. 2. outrageously disgraceful or shameful: opprobrious conduct
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adroit/deft/nimble/adept
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4W –adjective 1. expert or nimble in the use of the hands or body. 2. cleverly skillful, resourceful, or ingenious: an adroit debater
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harried
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"–verb (used with object) 1. to harass, annoy, or prove a nuisance to by or as if by repeated attacks; worry: He was harried by constant doubts. 2. to ravage, as in war; devastate: The troops harried the countryside.
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contumelious
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–noun, plural -lies. 1. insulting display of contempt in words or actions; contemptuous or humiliating treatment. 2. a humiliating insult.
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supercilious
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–adjective arrogant, stuck-up; condescending; cocky
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contemptuous
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–adjective showing or expressing contempt or disdain; scornful
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prowess
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–noun 1. exceptional valor, bravery, or ability, esp. in combat or battle. 2. exceptional or superior ability, skill, or strength: his prowess as a public speaker
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mussitate
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–verb (used without object), -tat·ed, -tat·ing. Obsolete . to mutter; mumble
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importunate
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–adjective 1. urgent or persistent in solicitation, sometimes annoyingly so. 2. pertinacious, as solicitations or demands
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luciferous
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adjective 1. bringing or providing light. 2. providing insight or enlightenment.
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lucifugous
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" adj avoiding light
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nihilism
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–noun 1. total rejection of established laws and institutions. 2. anarchy, terrorism, or other revolutionary activity.
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merriment/gaiety/hilarity/mirth/felicity
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5W noun 1. cheerful or joyful gaiety; mirth; hilarity; laughter. 2. Obsolete . a cause of mirth; a jest, entertainment,
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congeal
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verb (used with object), verb (used without object) 1. to change from a soft or fluid state to a rigid or solid state, as by cooling or freezing: The fat congealed on the top of the soup. 2. to curdle; coagulate, as a fluid
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malady
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noun, plural -dies. 1. any disorder or disease of the body, esp. one that is chronic or deepseated. 2. any undesirable or disordered condition: social maladies; a malady of the spirit.
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recidivist
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noun 1. repeated or habitual relapse, as into crime.
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massagist
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Slang . to treat with special care and attention; coddle or pamper: The store massages its regular customers with gifts and private sales. 5. Informal . a. to manipulate, maneuver, or handle skillfully: to massage a bill through the Senate
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ameliorate
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"–verb (used with object), verb (used without object), -rat·ed, -rat·ing. to make or become better, more bearable, or more satisfactory; improve; meliorate.
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diaphanous
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"adjective 1. very sheer and light; almost completely transparent or translucent. 2. delicately hazy.
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booty
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–noun, plural -ties. 1. spoil taken from an enemy in war; plunder; pillage. 2. something that is seized by violence and robbery.
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injunction
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noun 1. Law . a judicial process or order requiring the person or persons to whom it is directed to do a particular act or to refrain from doing a particular act. 2. an act or instance of enjoining.
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itinerant
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adjective 1. traveling from place to place, esp. on a circuit, as a minister, judge, or sales representative; itinerating; journeying. 2. characterized by such traveling: itinerant preaching
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ambrosian/palatable
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adjective 1. exceptionally pleasing to taste or smell; especially delicious or fragrant. 2. worthy of the gods; divine
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imago
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" an adult sexually mature insect produced after metamorphosis 2. psychoanal an idealized image of another person, usually a parent, acquired in childhood and carried in the unconscious in later life
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cartesian
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–adjective 1. of or pertaining to Descartes, or his philosophy, esp. with regard to its emphasis on logical analysis and its mechanistic interpretation of physical nature
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emend/amend
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"2W –verb (used with object) 1. to edit or change (a text). 2. to free from faults or errors; correct.
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dilapidated
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adjective reduced to or fallen into partial ruin or decay, as from age, wear, or neglect.
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errant/inerrant
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–adjective 1. deviating from the regular or proper course; erring; straying. 2. journeying or traveling, as a medieval knight in quest of adventure; roving adventurously
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equanimity/aplomb
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2W–noun mental or emotional stability or composure, esp. under tension or strain; calmness; equilibrium.
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undulate
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–verb (used without object) 1. to move with a sinuous or wavelike motion; display a smooth rising-and-falling or side-to-side alternation of movement: The flag undulates in the breeze. 2. to have a wavy form or surface; bend with successive curves in alternate directions
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repungance/abhorrence/antipathy
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3W noun 1. the state of being repugnant. 2. strong distaste, aversion, or objection; antipathy. 3. contradictoriness or inconsistency
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jactation/popinjay/supercilious
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–noun 1. boasting; bragging. 2. Pathology . a restless tossing of the body
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conglomerate/amalgam/heterogenous/olio
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"4W noun 1. anything composed of heterogeneous materials or elements. 2. a corporation consisting of a number of subsidiary companies or divisions in a variety of unrelated industries, usually as a result of merger or acquisition.
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endearing
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–adjective 1. tending to make dear or beloved. 2. manifesting or evoking affection: an endearing smile.
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spurious
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"adjective 1. not genuine, authentic, or true; not from the claimed, pretended, or proper source; counterfeit. 2. Biology . (of two or more parts, plants, etc.) having a similar appearance but a different structure.
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anecdote
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"noun a short account of a particular incident or event of an interesting or amusing nature, often biographical.
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tittle
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noun 1. a dot or other small mark in writing or printing, used as a diacritic, punctuation, etc. 2. a very small part or quantity; a particle, jot, or whit: He said he didn't care a tittle.
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quandary
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noun, plural -ries. a state of perplexity or uncertainty, esp. as to what to do; dilemma
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connate/innate
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2W adjective 1. existing in a person or thing from birth or origin; inborn: a connate sense of right and wrong. 2. associated in birth or origin. 3. allied or agreeing in nature; cognate.
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cachinnate
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verb (used without object), -nat·ed, -nat·ing. to laugh loudly or immoderately
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purlieu
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–noun 1. purlieus, environs or neighborhood. 2. a place where one may range at large; confines or bounds. 3. a person's haunt or resort. 4. an outlying district or region, as of a town or city.
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conjure
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"–verb (used with object) 1. to affect or influence by or as if by invocation or spell. 2. to effect, produce, bring, etc., by or as by magic: to conjure a miracle. 3. to call upon or command (a devil or spirit) by invocation or spell.
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tumescence
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adjective 1. swelling; slightly tumid. 2. exhibiting or affected with many ideas or emotions; teeming. 3. pompous and pretentious, esp. in the use of language; bombastic.
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fallacious
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"–adjective 1. containing a fallacy; logically unsound: fallacious arguments. 2. deceptive; misleading: fallacious testimony.
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variance
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noun 1. the state, quality, or fact of being variable, divergent, different, or anomalous. 2. an instance of varying; difference; discrepancy.
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quarantine
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–noun 1. a strict isolation imposed to prevent the spread of disease.
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equable
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–adjective 1. free from many changes or variations; uniform: an equable climate; an equable temperament. 2. uniform in operation or effect, as laws.
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insouciance/nonchalant
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2W –noun the quality of being insouciant; lack of care or concern; indifference; easygoing
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distrain
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–verb (used with object) 1. to constrain by seizing and holding goods, etc., in pledge for rent, damages, etc., or in order to obtain satisfaction of a claim. 2. to levy a distress upon.
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impeccable
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–adjective 1. faultless; flawless; irreproachable: impeccable manners. 2. not liable to sin; incapable of sin
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monastic
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adjective of, pertaining to, or characteristic of a secluded, dedicated, or austere manner of living. noun 4. a member of a monastic community or order, esp. a monk
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hue
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"–noun 1. a gradation or variety of a color; tint: pale hues. 2. the property of light by which the color of an object is classified as red, blue, green, or yellow in reference to the spectrum.
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inception
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"–noun 1. beginning; start; commencement.
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sophistry
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noun, plural -ries. 1. a subtle, tricky, superficially plausible, but generally fallacious method of reasoning. 2. a false argument; sophism
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casuistry
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"— n , pl -ries 1. philosophy the resolution of particular moral dilemmas, esp those arising from conflicting general moral rules, by careful distinction of the cases to which these rules apply 2. reasoning that is specious, misleading, or oversubtle
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resurgence
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–adjective rising or tending to rise again; reviving; renascent
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carousal/revelry/fracas
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3W –noun a noisy or drunken feast or social gathering; revelry
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creed
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noun 1. any system, doctrine, or formula of religious belief, as of a denomination. 2. any system or codification of belief or of opinion.
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impedimenta
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plural noun baggage or other things that retard one's progress, as supplies carried by an army: the impedimenta of the weekend skier.
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suffusion
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"verb (used with object), -fused, -fus·ing. to overspread with or as with a liquid, color, etcpervade, diffuse, bathe, flood.
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squelch
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–verb (used with object) 1. to strike or press with crushing force; crush down; squash. 2. to put down, suppress, or silence, as with a crushing retort or argument.
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vespertine
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"adjective 1. of, pertaining to, or occurring in the evening: vespertine stillness. 2. Botany . opening or expanding in the evening, as certain flowers.
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vituperate
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—Synonyms censure, vilify, berate
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agnosia
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"n loss or diminution of the ability to recognize familiar objects or stimuli usually as a result of brain damage see visual agnosia
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proffer
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Synonyms proffering 1. volunteer, propose, sugges tverb (used with object) 1. to put before a person for acceptance
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janus
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" n the Roman god of doorways, passages, and bridges. In art he is depicted with two heads facing opposite ways
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hunky dory
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"fine; okay. : As a matter of fact, everything is just hunky-dory.
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commensurate
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"–adjective 1. having the same measure; of equal extent or duration. 3. proportionate; adequate.
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exculpatory/absolve/exonerate/emend
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4W adjective tending to clear from a charge of fault or guilt.
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quixotical
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extravagantly chivalrous or romantic; visionary, impractical, or impracticable.
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consternate
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" vb ( tr; usually passive ) to fill with anxiety, dismay, dread, or confusion
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haptic/palpate
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Function: adj 1 : relating to or based on the sense of touch haptic mode of perception — Colin Gordon > 2 : characterized by a predilection for the sense of touch haptic person>
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insurgent/mutiny/revolt/coo day tah
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"4W rebellious, revolutionary, mutinous.
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grotesque
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odd or unnatural in shape, appearance, or character; fantastically ugly or absurd; bizarre
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amok
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" n 1. a state of murderous frenzy, originally observed among Malays adj 2. run amok to run about with or as if with a frenzied desire to kill
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remiss
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–adjective 1. negligent, careless, or slow in performing one's duty, business, etc.: He's terribly remiss in his work. 2. characterized by negligence or carelessness. 3. lacking force or energy; languid; sluggish
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oleaginous
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"— adj resembling or having the properties of oil 2. containing or producing oil
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threnody
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noun, plural -dies. a poem, speech, or song of lamentation, esp. for the dead; dirge; funeral song.
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rectitude.
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"noun 1. rightness of principle or conduct; moral virtue: the rectitude of her motives. 2. correctness: rectitude of judgment.
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