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67 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
ABATE (verb)
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to lessen in intensity or degree
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ACCOLADE (noun)
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an expression of praise
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ADULATION (noun)
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excessive praise; intense adoration
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AESTHETIC (adj)
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dealing with, appreciative of, or responsive to art or the beautiful
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AMELIORATE (verb)
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to make better or more tolerable
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ASCETIC (noun)
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one who practices rigid self-denial, esp. as an act of religious devotion
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AVARICE (noun)
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greed, esp. for wealth (adj form avaricious)
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AXIOM (noun)
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a universally recognized principle
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BURGEON (verb)
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to grow rapidly or flourish
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BUCOLIC (adj)
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rustic and pastoral; characteristic of rural areas and their inhabitants
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CACOPHONY (noun)
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harsh, jarring, discordant sound; dissonance
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CANON (noun)
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an established set of principles or code of laws, often religious in nature
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CASTIGATION (noun)
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severe criticism or punishment
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CAUSTIC (adj)
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burning or stinging; causing corrosion
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CHARY (adj)
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wary; cautious; sparing
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COGENT (adj)
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appealing forcibly to the mind or reason; convincing
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COMPLAISANCE (noun)
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the willingness to comply with the wishes of others
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CONTENTIOUS (noun)
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argumentative; quarrelsome; causing controversy or disgreement
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CONTRITE (adj)
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regretful; penitent; seeking forgiveness
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CULPABLE (adj)
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deserving blame (noun form culpability)
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DIDACTIC (adj)
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intended to teach or instruct
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DISCRETION (noun)
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cautious reserve in speech; ability to make responsible decisions (adj form discrete)
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DISINTERESTED (adj)
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free of bias or self-interest; impartial
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DOGMATIC (adj)
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expressing a rigid opinion based on unproved or improvable principles
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EBULLIENCE (adj)
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the quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings (adj form ebullient)
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ECLECTIC (adj)
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composed of elements drawn from various sources
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ELEGY (noun)
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a mounrful poem, esp. one lamenting the dead (adj form elegiac)
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EMOLLIENT (adj/noun)
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soothing, esp. to the skin; making less harsh; mollifying; an agent that softens or smoothes the skin
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EMPIRICAL (adj)
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based on observation or experience
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ENIGMATIC (adj)
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mysterious; obscure; difficult to understand
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EPHEMERAL (adj)
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brief; fleeting
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ESOTERIC (adj)
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intended for or understood by a small, specific group
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FACETIOUS (adj)
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playful; humorous
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FURTIVE (adj)
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marked by stealth; covert; surreptitious; expressive of hidden motives or purposes; shifty
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GREGARIOUS (adj)
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sociable; outgoing; enjoying the company of other people
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HARANGUE (verb/noun)
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to deliver a pompous speech or tirade; a long, pompous speech
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HERETICAL (adj)
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violating accepted dogma or convention (noun form heresy)
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INCIPIENT (adj)
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beginning to come into being or to become apparent
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INERT (adj)
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unmoving; lethargic; sluggish
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INNOCUOUS (adj)
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harmless; causing no damage (antonym: pernicious)
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INTRANSIGENT (adj)
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refusing to compromise (noun form intransigence)
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INVEIGLE (verb)
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to obtain by deception or flattery
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ODIOUS (adj)
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evoking intense aversion or dislike
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OPAQUE (adj)
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impenetrable by light; not reflecting light
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OSCILLATION (noun)
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the act or state of swinging back and forth with a steady, uninterrupted rhythm (oscillate)
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PENURIOUS (adj)
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penny-pinching; excessively thrifty; ungenerous
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PERNICIOUS (adj)
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extremely harmful; potentially causing death
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PERUSE (verb)
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to examine with great care (noun form perusal)
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PIOUS (adj)
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extremely reverent or devout; showing strong religious devotion (piety)
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PRECURSOR (noun)
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one that precedes and indicates or announces another
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PREEN (verb)
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to dress up; to primp; to groom oneself with elaborate care
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PRODIGIOUS (adj)
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abundant in size, force, or extent; extraordinary
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PROLIFIC (adj)
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producing large volumes or amounts; productive
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PUTREFY (verb)
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to rot; to decay and give off a foul odor (adj form putrid)
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QUAFF (verb)
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to drink deeply
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QUIESCENCE (noun)
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stillness; motionlessness; quality of being at rest (adj form quiescent)
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REDOUBTABLE (adj)
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awe-inspiring; worthy of honor
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SANCTION (noun/verb)
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authoritative permission or approval; a penalty intended to enforce compliance; to give permission or authority to
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SATIRE (noun)
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a literary work that ridicules or criticizes a human vice through humor or derision (adj form satirical)
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SQUALID (adj)
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sordid; wretched and dirty as from neglect (noun form squalor)
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STOIC (adj)
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indifferent to or unaffected by pleasure or pain; steadfast (noun form stoicism)
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SUPPLANT (verb)
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to take the place of; supercede
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TORPID (adj)
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lethargic; sluggish; dormant (noun form torpor)
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UBIQUITOUS (adj)
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existing everywhere at the same time; constantly encountered; widespread
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URBANE (adj)
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sophisticated; refined; elegant (noun form urbanity)
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VILIFY (verb)
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to defame; to characterize harshly
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VISCOUS (adj)
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thick; sticky (viscosity)
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