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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. antagonize
    provoke the hostility of
    Mrs. Fairbanks acquiesced in her son's theories, but was timorous about further antagonizing their enemy. Chapman, Allen
  2. amiable
    diffusing warmth and friendliness
    She’s amiable, forward thinking, witty and even tempered. New York Times (Aug 5, 2012)
  3. belligerent
    characteristic of an enemy or one eager to fight
    Angel Haze rocketed through her most belligerent tough-gal rhymes, slinging polysyllables at top speed.
  4. irk
    irritate or vex
    He complains about a few things that also irk me. Salon (Nov 19, 2012)
  5. adhere
    follow through or carry out a plan without deviation
    Fully automated cars will adhere to speed restrictions and never block junctions.
  6. famished
    extremely hungry
    As soon as I purged, I would be famished again and exhausted from the pure physical violence of repeated vomiting.
  7. authentic
    not counterfeit or copied
    The firm said the speedboat would also come with an authentic Olympic Torch.
  8. distorted
    so badly formed or out of shape as to be ugly
    Rotor vibrations distorted the pictures, and sometimes even cracked the transmitter’s vacuum tubes.
  9. retaliate
    make a counterattack and return like for like
    Dhoni said his side needed to "retaliate" in Thursday's final Test after being comprehensively outplayed in Kolkata. BBC (Dec 9, 2012)
  10. aspiration
    a cherished desire
    His buildings made the city a statement about not only 20th-century design but the developing world’s futurist aspirations.
  11. grotesque
    distorted and unnatural in shape or size
    Beauty is best appreciated buried in the grotesque.
  12. tepid
    feeling or showing little interest or enthusiasm
    My tepid announcement was greeted by awkward silence. Chicago Tribune (Nov 23, 2012)
  13. chronic
    habitual
    The drug is commonly used to relieve conditions such as chronic pain and cancer. Seattle Times (Dec 7, 2012)
  14. inconspicuous
    not prominent or readily noticeable
    The flowers open in early spring, but are inconspicuous, and hidden by the foliage. Anonymous
  15. dupe
    fool or hoax
    "People will be duped, but that happens in every currency," he says.
  16. initiate
    set in motion, start an event or prepare the way for
    But only a few U.S. ports have initiated such efforts. Scientific American (Nov 19, 2012)
  17. diligent
    characterized by care and perseverance in carrying out tasks
    This should come as no huge surprise — irony alert — given how diligent graduates have been about paying off their student loans. Forbes (Sep 12, 2012)
  18. obstinate
    stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing
    The poor fellow was obstinate enough to abide by what he said at first. Webster, Noah
  19. rift
    a personal or social separation
    But internal rifts over how the rule should be shaped may cause further delays.
  20. lax
    without rigor or strictness
    But legal experts say enforcement is often lax, particularly inside China.
  21. laborious
    characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion
    Shuffling Endeavour through city streets was a laborious undertaking — nearly a year in the making. Salon (Oct 14, 2012)
  22. agnostic
    a person who claims the existence of God is unknowable
    Nearly one in five Americans say they are atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular.”
  23. conclusive
    forming a decisive end or resolution
    Nonetheless, conclusive evidence about a treatment's effectiveness is rarely found in a single study.
  24. innumerable
    too many to be counted
    But there are innumerable other avenues of access, as well. Forbes (Nov 26, 2012)
  25. salutation
    an acknowledgment or expression of good will
    “Happy days,” as it turns out, is a commonly used salutation in these parts. New York Times (Aug 27, 2012)
  26. anarchy
    a state of lawlessness and disorder
    "The alarming fact is that many streets across the country are besieged by anarchy and violence."
  27. abdicate
    give up power, duties, or obligations
    He abdicates all right to be his own governor. Webster, Noah
  28. contempt
    lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
    Contempt of court rules aim to ensure fair trials by limiting juries' exposure to prejudicial material.
  29. abstract
    existing only in the mind
    Ms. Savage regards those identifiable images as symbolic facets of an abstracted composition.
  30. legacy
    a gift of personal property by will
  31. empathy
    understanding and entering into another's feelings
  32. urbane
    showing a high degree of refinement
  33. eccentric
    conspicuously or grossly unconventional or unusual
  34. irreverent
    showing lack of due respect or veneration
    Within minutes, it was trending on Twitter and, within hours, it had spawned at least one irreverent parody.
  35. rigorous
    strict; allowing no deviation from a standard
  36. procrastinate
    waste time or postpone doing what one should be doing
  37. superficial
    of, affecting, or being on or near the surface
  38. ruthless
    without mercy or pity
  39. apathetic
    showing little or no emotion or animation
    Scoff if you want, but in the maddeningly apathetic South Beach sports community, kitschy gimmicks are part of doing business.
  40. adamant
    impervious to pleas, persuasion, requests, or reason
    But the government remains adamant: the airport will go ahead.
  41. assuage
    provide physical relief, as from pain
  42. affable
    diffusing warmth and friendliness
  43. accede
    yield to another's wish or opinion
  44. astute
    marked by practical hardheaded intelligence
  45. arduous
    difficult to accomplish
  46. blatant
    conspicuously and offensively loud
  47. benediction
    a blessing or ceremonial prayer invoking divine protection
  48. agrarian
    relating to rural matters
  49. acrid
    strong and sharp, as a taste or smell
  50. antebellum
    belonging to a period before a war
  51. abstemious
    sparing in consumption of especially food and drink
  52. abet
    assist or encourage, usually in some wrongdoing
  53. banal
    repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse
  54. abysmal
    so deep as to be immeasurable
  55. bigoted
    blindly and obstinately attached to some creed or opinion
  56. avarice
    extreme greed for material wealth
  57. autocratic
    characteristic of an absolute ruler or absolute rule
  58. capitulate
    surrender under agreed conditions
  59. concur
    happen simultaneously
  60. copious
    large in number or quantity
  61. circuitous
    deviating from a straight course
  62. cache
    a hidden storage space
  63. callous
    emotionally hardened
  64. complacent
    contented to a fault with oneself or one's actions
  65. chaff
    material consisting of seed coverings and pieces of stem
  66. concession
    the act of yielding
  67. cacophonous
    having an unpleasant sound
Created on Mon Dec 10 23:54:57 EST 2012 (updated Tue Dec 11 23:38:21 EST 2012)

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