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acerbic
sour or bitter in taste
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acute
ending in a sharp point
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adagio
slowly
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addle
mix up or confuse
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adherent
someone who believes and helps to spread the doctrine of another
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amnesty
a warrant granting release from punishment for an offense
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aspiring
desiring or striving for recognition or advancement
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beget
make children
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bland
lacking taste or flavor or tang
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brevity
the attribute of being brief or fleeting
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cacophony
loud confusing disagreeable sounds
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chary
characterized by great caution and wariness
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chicanery
the use of tricks to deceive someone (usually to extract money from them)
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chronic
being long-lasting and recurrent or characterized by long suffering
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circuitous
deviating from a straight course
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circumscribe
to draw a geometric figure around another figure so that the two are in contact but do not intersect
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circumvent
surround so as to force to give up
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clandestine
conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods
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clemency
leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice
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cloying
overly sweet
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coalesce
fuse or cause to grow together
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coerce
to cause to do through pressure or necessity, by physical, moral or intellectual means :"She forced him to take a job in the city"
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cogent
powerfully persuasive
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cognition
the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning
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coherent
marked by an orderly, logical, and aesthetically consistent relation of parts
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coiffure
the arrangement of the hair (especially a woman's hair)
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collusion
secret agreement
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comestible
suitable for use as food
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compendium
a publication containing a variety of works
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complicity
guilt as an accomplice in a crime or offense
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concise
expressing much in few words
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concord
a harmonious state of things in general and of their properties (as of colors and sounds); congruity of parts with one another and with the whole
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cornucopia
a goat's horn filled with grain and flowers and fruit symbolizing prosperity
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crucible
a vessel made of material that does not melt easily; used for high temperature chemical reactions
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elegy
a mournful poem; a lament for the dead
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endemic
native to or confined to a certain region
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enervate
weaken mentally or morally
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enigma
something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
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ensue
issue or terminate (in a specified way, state, etc.); end
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ephemeral
anything short-lived, as an insect that lives only for a day in its winged form
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epicurean
devoted to pleasure
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equanimity
steadiness of mind under stress
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equivocal
open to two or more interpretations; or of uncertain nature or significance; or (often) intended to mislead
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erudite
having or showing profound knowledge
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esoteric
confined to and understandable by only an enlightened inner circle
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eulogy
a formal expression of praise for someone who has died recently
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euphony
any agreeable (pleasing and harmonious) sounds
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facetious
cleverly amusing in tone
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fungible
of goods or commodities; freely exchangeable for or replaceable by another of like nature or kind in the satisfaction of an obligation
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hubbub
loud confused noise from many sources
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inane
devoid of intelligence
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inerrant
not liable to error
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inherit
receive from a predecessor
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malleable
capable of being shaped or bent or drawn out
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obdurate
stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing
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patron
someone who supports or champions something
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pervade
spread or diffuse through
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portray
represent abstractly, for example in a painting, drawing, or sculpture
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precise
sharply exact or accurate or delimited
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rapacious
living by preying on other animals especially by catching living prey
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rapacity
reprehensible acquisitiveness; insatiable desire for wealth (personified as one of the deadly sins)
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saccharine
overly sweet
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scofflaw
one who habitually ignores the law and does not answer court summonses
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sinuous
curved or curving in and out
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spurious
plausible but false
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symbiosis
the relation between two different species of organisms that are interdependent; each gains benefits from the other
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verbosity
an expressive style that uses excessive or empty words
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vocation
the particular occupation for which you are trained
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ruminate
reflect deeply on a subject
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fringe
an ornamental border consisting of short lengths of hanging threads or tassels
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predate
be earlier in time; go back further
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conceit
the trait of being unduly vain and conceited; false pride
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render
give or supply
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herbivorous
feeding only on plants
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pallid
abnormally deficient in color as suggesting physical or emotional distress
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imperiousness
the trait of being imperious and overbearing
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perspicacity
the capacity to assess situations or circumstances shrewdly and to draw sound conclusions
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permeability
the property of something that can be pervaded by a liquid (as by osmosis or diffusion)
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vapidity
the quality of being vapid and unsophisticated
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piquancy
a tart spicy quality
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carnal
of or relating to the body or flesh
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elated
exultantly proud and joyful; in high spirits
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polemicist
a writer who argues in opposition to others (especially in theology)
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diminish
decrease in size, extent, or range
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docile
easily handled or managed
obedient, easy to lead
"docile child"
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disparity
inequality or difference in some respect
distance, separation - dis + parity
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wanton
lewd or lascivious woman
random, thoughtless "wanton spending" "wanton destruction"
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cosmopolitan
of worldwide scope or applicability
worldly
cosmo=universe
polis=city, state, society
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exude
release (a liquid) in drops or small quantities
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catalyst
(chemistry) a substance that initiates or accelerates a chemical reaction without itself being affected
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catharsis
purging the body by the use of a cathartic to stimulate evacuation of the bowels
purification by release
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stature
(of a standing person) the distance from head to foot
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perfunctory
hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough
mechanical
per= through function=motion, action
going throug the motions
"perfunctory thanks"
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perjury
criminal offense of making false statements under oath
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bovine
any of various members of the genus Bos
cow-like
compare: equine (horse) feline (cat) canine (dog)
ursine (bear)
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bravado
a swaggering show of courage
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stipulate
specify as a condition or requirement in a contract or agreement; make an express demand or provision in an agreement
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pedantic
marked by a narrow focus on or display of learning especially its trivial aspects
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peevish
easily irritated or annoyed
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penchant
a strong liking