Kaplan GRE Vocabulary – Flashcards
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Abase
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to humble; disgrace
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Abate
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to reduce in amount, degree, or severity
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Abdicate
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to give up a position, right, or power
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Aberrant
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deviating from what is normal or expected
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Abeyance
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temporary suppression or suspension
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Abjure
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to reject; abandon formally
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Abscond
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to leave secretly
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Abstemious
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moderate in appetite
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Accretion
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a growth in size; increase in amount
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Acidulous
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sour in taste or manner
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Acme
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highest point; summit; the highest level or degree attainable
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Aerie
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a nest built high in the air; an elevated, often secluded, dwelling
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Affected
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phony; artificial
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Aggrandize
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to increase in power, influence, and reputation
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Alacrity
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speed or quickness
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Ameliorate
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to make better; to improve
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Anachronism
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something out of place in time
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Analgesia
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a lessening of pain without loss of consciousness
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Anodyne
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something that calms or soothes pain
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Antipathy
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extreme dislike
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Approbation
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approval and praise
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Ardor
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intense and passionate feeling
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Arrogate
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to claim without justification; to claim for oneself without right
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Attenuate
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to reduce in force or degree; weaken
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Augury
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prophecy; prediction of events
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August
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dignified; grandiose
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Austere
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severe or stern in appearance; undecorated
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Banal
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predictable; cliched; boring
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Bevy
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group
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Bilk
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to cheat; defraud
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Blight
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to afflict; destroy
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Blithe
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joyful; cheerful; or without appropriate thought
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Bombastic
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pompous in speech and manner
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Bonhomie
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good-natured geniality; atmosphere of good cheer
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Boor
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crude person, one lacking manners or taste
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Burgeon
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to grow and flourish
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Cabal
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a secret group seeking to overturn something
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Cacophony
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harsh, jarring noise
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Canard
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a lie
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Capricious
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changing one's mind quickly and often
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Catholic
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universal broad and comprehensive
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Caustic
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biting in wit
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Chicanery
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deception by means of craft or guile
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Circumspect
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cautious; aware of potential consequences
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Cloying
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sickly sweet; excessive
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Cogent
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convincing and well-reasoned
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Contrite
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deeply sorrowful and repentant for a wrong
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Contumacious
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rebellious
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Corroborate
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to support with evidence
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Cosset
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to pamper; treat with great care
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Coterie
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an intimate group of persons with a similar purpose
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Craven
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lacking courage
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Credulous
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too trusting; gullible
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Cupidity
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greed; strong desire
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Curmudgeon
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cranky person, usually old
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Declivity
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downward slope
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Decorous
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proper; tasteful; socially correct
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Deference
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respect; courtesy
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Deleterious
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subtly or unexpectedly harmful
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Demagogue
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a leader or rabble-rouser, usually appealing to emotion or prejudice
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Demur
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to express doubts or objections
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Desiccate
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to dry out thoroughly
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Desultory
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jumping from one thing to another; disconnected
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Diaphanous
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allowing light to show through; delicate
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Diatribe
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an abusive, condemnatory speech
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Dictum
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authoritative statement
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Diffident
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lacking self-confidence
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Dilatory
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intended to delay
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Dilettante
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someone with an amateurish and superficial interest in a topic
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Dirge
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a funeral hymn or mournful speech
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Disabuse
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to set right; free from error
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Discern
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to perceive or recognize
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Disparate
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fundamentally different; entirely unlike
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Dissemble
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to present a false appearance; to disguise one's real intentions or character
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Dissonance
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a harsh and disagreeable combination, especially of sounds
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Distaff
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the female branch of a family
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Distend
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to swell, inflate, or bloat
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Dither
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to act confusedly or without clear purpose
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Diurnal
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existing during the day
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Doctrinaire
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rigidly devoted to theories without regard for practicality; dogmatic
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Dogmatic
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dictatorial in one's opinions
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Droll
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amusing in a wry, subtle way
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Dyspeptic
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suffering from indigestion; gloomy and irritable
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Ebullient
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exhilarated; full of enthusiasm and high spirits
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Edify
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to instruct morally and spiritually
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Efficacy
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effectiveness
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Effigy
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stuffed doll; likeness of a person
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Effrontery
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impudent boldness; audacity
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Elegy
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a sorrowful poem or speech
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Encomium
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warm praise
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Endemic
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belonging to a particular area; inherent
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Enervate
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to reduce in strength
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Engender
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to produce, cause, or bring about
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Enigma
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a puzzle; a mystery
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Ephemeral
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lasting a short time
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Epicure
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person with refined taste in food and wine
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Equivocate
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to use expressions of double meaning in order to mislead
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Ersatz
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fake
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Erudite
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learned; scholarly; bookish
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Esoteric
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known or understood only by a few
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Estimable
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admirable
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Ethos
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beliefs or character of a group
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Euphony
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pleasant, harmonious sound
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Exculpate
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to clear from blame; prove innocent
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Exigent
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urgent; requiring immediate action
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Exponent
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one who champions or advocates
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Exprugate
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to censor
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Fallow
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dormant; unused
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Fatuous
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stupid; foolishly self-satisfied
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Fawn
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to grovel
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Fecund
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fertile; fruitful; productive
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Fervid
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intensely emotional; feverish
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Fetid
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foul-smelling; putrid
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Flag
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to decline in vigor; strength; or interest
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Florid
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excessively decorated or embellished
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Ford
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to cross a body of water by wading
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Fractious
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unruly; rebellious
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Frenetic
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frantic; frenzied
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Furtive
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secret; stealthy
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Gambol
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to dance or skip around playfully
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Garner
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to gather and store
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Garrulous
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tending to talk a lot
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Glib
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fluent in an insincere manner; offhand; casual
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Glower
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to glare or stare angrily and intensely
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Guile
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deceit; trickery
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Hapless
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unfortunate; having bad luck
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Hegemony
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the domination of one state or group over its allies
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Hermetic
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tightly sealed
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Hoary
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very old; whitish or gray from age
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Husband
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to manage economically; to use sparingly
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Hyperbole
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purposeful exaggeration for effect
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Iconoclast
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one who opposes established beliefs, customs, and institutions
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Ignoble
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having low moral standards; not noble in character; mean
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Imbue
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to infuse, dye, wet, or moisten
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Impecunious
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poor; having no money
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Impetuous
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quick to act without thinking
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Impious
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not devout in religion
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Implacable
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unable to be calmed down or made peaceful
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Imprecation
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a curse
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Impugn
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to call into question; to attack verbally
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Incarnadine
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blood-red in color
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Inchoate
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no fully formed; disorganized
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Inculcate
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to teach; impress in the mind
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Indolent
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habitually lazy or idle
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Inexorable
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inflexible; unyielding
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Ingenuous
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showing innocence or childlike simplicity
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Ingratiate
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to gain favor with another by deliberate effort; to seek to please somebody so as to gain an advantage
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Inimical
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hostile; unfriendly
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Innocuous
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harmless
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Inquest
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an investigation; an inquiry
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Insipid
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lacking interest or flavor
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Inter
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to bury
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Interregnum
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period between reigns
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Intractable
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not easily managed or manipulated
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Intransigent
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uncompromising; refusing to be reconciled
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Intrepid
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fearless; resolutely courageous
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Inure
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to harden; accustom; become used to
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Invective
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abusive language
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Invidious
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envious, obnoxious, or offensive, likely to promote ill-will
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Irascible
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easily made angry
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Itinerant
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wandering from place to place; unsettled
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Jingoism
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belligerent support of one's country
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Jocular
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playful; humorous
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Kindle
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to set fire to or ignite; excite or inspire
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Knell
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sound of a funeral bell; omen of death or failure
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Lachrymose
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tearful
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Laconic
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using few words
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Lampoon
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to ridicule with satire
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Languid
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lacking energy; indifferent
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Lapidary
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relating to precious stones or the art of cutting them
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Larceny
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theft of property
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Largess
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generous giving (as of money) to others who may seem inferior
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Lassitude
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a state of diminished energy
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Legerdemain
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trickery
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Libertine
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a free thinker, usually used disparagingly; one without moral restraint
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Licentious
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immoral; unrestrained by society
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Limpid
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clear; transparent
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Lionize
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to treat as a celebrity
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Lissome
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easily flexed; limber; agile
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Listless
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lacking energy and enthusiasm
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Livid
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discolored from a bruise; pale; reddened with anger
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Loquacious
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talkative
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Lugubrious
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sorrowful; mournful; dismal
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Lumber
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to move slowly and awkwardly
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Machination
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plot or scheme
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Maelstrom
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whirlpool; turmoil; agitated state of mind
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Magnate
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powerful or influential person
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Malediction
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a curse; a wish of evil upon another
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Malinger
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to evade responsibility by pretending to be ill
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Mannered
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artificial or stilted in character
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Mar
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to damage or deface; spoil
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Martinet
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strict disciplinarian; one who rigidly follows rules
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Maudlin
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overly sentimental
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Mendacious
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dishonest
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Mendicant
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beggar
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Mercurial
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quick, shrewd, and unpredictable
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Meretricious
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gaudy; falsely attractive
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Militate
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to operate against; work against
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Mirth
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frivolity; gaiety; laughter
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Misanthrope
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a person who dislikes others
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Missive
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a written note or letter
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Mitigate
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to soften; to lessen
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Mollify
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to calm or make less severe
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Molt
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to shed hair, skin, or an outer layer periodically
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Mores
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fixed customs or manners; moral attitudes
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Multifarious
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diverse
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Nadir
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lowest point
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Neologism
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new word or expression
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Neophyte
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novice; beginner
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Nettle
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to irritate
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Noisome
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stinking; putrid
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Numismatics
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coin collecting
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Obdurate
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hardening in feeling; resistant to persuasion
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Oblique
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indirect or evasive; misleading or devious
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Obsequious
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overly submissive and eager to please
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Obviate
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to prevent; to make unnecessary
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Occlude
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to stop up; prevent the passage of
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Officious
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too helpful; meddlesome
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Onerous
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troublesome and oppressive; burdensome
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Opine
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to express an opinion
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Opprobrium
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public disgrace
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Orotund
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pompous
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Ostensible
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apparent
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Ostentation
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excessive showiness
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Overwrought
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agitated; overdone
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Palliate
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to make less serious; ease
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Pallid
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lacking color or liveliness
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Panache
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flamboyance or dash in style and action; verve
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Panegyric
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elaborate praise; formal hymn of praise
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Panoply
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impressive array
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Paragon
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model of excellence or perfection
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Pare
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to trim off excess; reduce
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Pastiche
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piece of literature or music imitating other works
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Peccadillo
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minor sin or offense
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Pedant
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someone who shows off learning
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Pejorative
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having bad connotations; disparaging
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Penury
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an oppressive lack of resources (as money); severe poverty
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Peregrinate
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to wander fro place to place; to travel; especially on foot
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Perfidious
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willing to betray one's trust
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Perfunctory
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done in a routine way; indifferent
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Peripatetic
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wandering from place to place, especially on foot
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Perspicacious
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shrewd, astute, or keen-witted
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Phalanx
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a compact or close-knit body of people, animals, or things
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Philistine
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a person who is guided by materialism and is disdainful of intellectual or artistic values
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Phlegmatic
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calm and unemotional in temperament
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Pithy
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profound or substantial yet concise, succinct and to the point
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Placate
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to soothe or pacify
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Plastic
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able to be molded, altered, or bent
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Plebeian
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crude or coarse; characteristic of commoners
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Plethora
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excess
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Plucky
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courageous; spunky
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Polemic
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controversy; argument; verbal attack
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Politic
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shrewd and practical in managing or dealing with things; diplomatic
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Posit
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to assume as real or conceded; propose as an explanation
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Potentate
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a monarch or ruler with great power
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Prattle
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meaningless, foolish talk
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Precipitate
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to throw violently or bring about abruptly; lacking deliberation
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Precis
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short summary of facts
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Prescient
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having foresight
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Prevaricate
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to lie or deviate from the truth
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Probity
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complete honesty and integrity
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Proclivity
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a natural inclination or predisposition
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Profligate
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corrupt; degenerate
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Propitiate
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to conciliate; to appease
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Puerile
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childish, immature, or silly
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Pulchritude
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beauty
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Pusillanimous
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cowardly; without courage
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Querulous
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inclined to complain; irritable
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Quiescent
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motionless
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Quixotic
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overly idealistic; impractical
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Quotidian
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occurring daily; commonplace
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Raconteur
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witty, skillful storyteller
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Rejoinder
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response
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Repast
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meal or mealtime
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Replete
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abundantly supplied, complete
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Restive
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impatient, uneasy, or restless
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Reticent
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silent; reserved
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Ribald
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humorous in a vulgar way
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Rococo
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very highly ornamented; relating to an 18th century artistic style of elaborate ornamentation
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Rustic
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rural
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Sagacious
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shrewd; wise
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Salient
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prominent; of notable significance
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Salubrious
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healthful
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Sanguine
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ruddy; cheerfully optimistic
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Satiate
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to satisfy fully or overindulge
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Sedition
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behavior that promotes rebellion or civil disorder against the state
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Sinecure
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a well-paying job or office that requires little or no work
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Slake
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to calm down or moderate
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Sobriquet
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nickname
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Solecism
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grammatical mistake; blunder in speech
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Soporific
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causing sleep or lethargy
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Spartan
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highly self-disciplined; frugal; austere
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Specious
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deceptively attractive; seemingly plausible but fallacious
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Sportive
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frolicsome; playful
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Stasis
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a state of static balance or equilibrium; stagnation
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Stentorian
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extremely loud
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Stolid
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unemotional; lacking sensitivity
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Stratagem
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trick designed to deceive an enemy
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Supplant
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to replace (another) by force; to take the place of
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Surfeit
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excessive amount
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Surly
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rude and bad-tempered
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Sybarite
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a person devoted to pleasure and luxury
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Sycophant
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a self-serving flatterer; yes-man
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Symbiosis
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cooperation; mutual helpfulness
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Tacit
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done without using words
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Taciturn
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silent; not talkative
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Talon
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claw of an animal, especially a bird of prey
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Tangential
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digressing; diverting
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Tawdry
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gaudy, cheap, or showy
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Tome
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book, usually large and academic
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Torpor
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extreme mental and physical sluggishness
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Trenchant
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acute, sharp, or incisive; forceful; effective
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Turgid
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swollen as from a fluid; bloated
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Tyro
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beginner; novice
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Umbrage
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offense; resentment
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Unequivocal
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absolute; certain
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Usury
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the practice of lending money at exorbitant rates
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Variegated
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varied; marked with different colors
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Venerable
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respected because of age
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Venerate
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to respect deeply
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Veracity
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filled with truth and accuracy
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Verdant
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green with vegetation; inexperienced
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Vestige
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a trace; remnant
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Vex
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to annoy; irritate; puzzle; confuse
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Vicissitude
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a change or variation; ups and downs
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Vituperate
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to abuse verbally; berate
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Voluble
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talkative; speaking easily; glib
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Wan
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sickly pale
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Wily
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clever; deceptive
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Winsome
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charming; happily engaging
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Wizened
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shriveled; withered; wrinkled
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Xenophobia
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a fear or hatred of foreigners or strangers
