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elucidate (v)
- DEFINITION: to make clear or plain; esp. by explanation
- SENTENCE: Please, elucidate me. I'm a little confused.
- SYNONYMS: decode, enlighten, explicate
- ANTONYMS: cloud, complicate, obscure
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effusive (adj)
- DEFINITION: unrestrained, esp. in the sense of praise
- SENTENCE: Critics showered the movie with effusive praise because they loved it so much.
- SYNONYMS: extravagant, lavish, exuberant
- ANTONYMS: apathetic, disinterested, quiet
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prolific (adj)
- DEFINITION: very productive
- SENTENCE: The prolific writer wrote a great deal of books.
- SYNONYMS: abounding, generative
- ANTONYMS: barren, fruitless, impotent
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furor (n)
- DEFINITION: a general commotion; an uproar
- SENTENCE: The furor caused by 9/11 left people wondering what had happened.
- SYNONYMS: commotion, ruckus, frenzy, hysteria
- ANTONYMS: calm, harmony, peace
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paranoia (n)
- DEFINITION: irrational fear
- SENTENCE: He was filled with paranoia because he thought a monster was living in his closet.
- SYNONYMS: insanity, delusions, phobia
- ANTONYMS: confidence, trusting
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marginal (adj)
- DEFINITION: of secondary importance; not central
- SENTENCE: Hannah Abbott was a marginal character in the Harry Potter series.
- SYNONYMS: insignificant, minimal, minor, negligible
- ANTONYMS: important, major, significant
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obfuscate (v)
- DEFINITION: to deliberately confuse; to make something extremely confusing
- SENTENCE: I obfuscated the truth a little when the policeman questioned me.
- SYNONYMS: baffle, befuddle, bewilder
- ANTONYMS: clarify, explain, explicate
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flummox (v)
- DEFINITION: to confuse; perplex
- SENTENCE: The convoluted plots of the series flummoxed me.
- SYNONYMS: baffle, bewilder, confound
- ANTONYMS: clarify, explain
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spate (n)
- DEFINITION: a large number or amount
- SENTENCE: Studios produced a spate of popular action films.
- SYNONYMS: deluge, outpouring, string, torrent
- ANTONYMS: trickle, drip, scarceness
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ineffable (adj)
- DEFINITION: indescribable
- SENTENCE: Giselle's ineffable moment occurred when she shared true love's first kiss.
- SYNONYMS: ethereal, transcendent, unspeakable
- ANTONYMS: definable, describable, utterable
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histrionic (adj)
- DEFINITION: excessively dramatic
- SENTENCE: Your histrionic performance made me cringe; don't take yourself too seriously.
- SYNONYMS: melodramatic, overacting, theatrical
- ANTONYMS: untheatrical
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placate (v)
- DEFINITION: to soothe or calm
- SENTENCE: I tried to placate the crying baby, but my efforts were in vain.
- SYNONYMS: appease, assuage, mollify, pacify
- ANTONYMS: agitate, incite, irritate, provoke
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eschew (v)
- DEFINITION: to avoid; shun
- SENTENCE: I eschewed conformity in my attempt to be different, but ended up just becoming a wannabe hipster.
- SYNONYMS: abandon, avoid, forgo, renounce
- ANTONYMS: face, keep, meet, embrace
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stopgap (n)
- DEFINITION: a temporary solution designed to meet an urgent need
- SENTENCE: New Deal programs were stopgap measures that provided short-term relief.
- SYNONYMS: makeshift, resource, substitute
- ANTONYMS: permanent, solution
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flotsam (n)
- DEFINITION: the floating wreckage of a ship
- SENTENCE: The flotsam from the shipwreck went to shore.
- SYNONYMS: debris, junk, cargo
- ANTONYMS:
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restitution (n)
- DEFINITION: the act of making good or compensating for a loss
- SENTENCE: The U.S. government approved a restitution payment of $20,000 to each Japanese internment camp survivor.
- SYNONYMS: payment, rebate, recompense
- ANTONYMS: fee, penalty, taking
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churlish (adj)
- DEFINITION: ill-tempered; rude; lacking civility
- SENTENCE: Landon Carter was a churlish character who ultimately became more mature.
- SYNONYMS: sullen, surly, grumpy
- ANTONYMS: happy, nice, polished, refined
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disquieting (adj)
- DEFINITION: causing unease
- SENTENCE: Jamie revealed some disquieting information about her health that made me worry.
- SYNONYMS: disturbing, upsetting, annoying, bothersome
- ANTONYMS: calming, pleasing, settling, soothing
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ornate (adj)
- DEFINITION: characterized by elaborate and expensive decorations
- SENTENCE: The ornate palace built by Louis XIV was astoundingly beautiful.
- SYNONYMS: baroque, beautiful, elegant, fancy
- ANTONYMS: dull, offensive, plain, ugly
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odious (adj)
- DEFINITION: detestable; extremely bad
- SENTENCE: Your odious personality is poisonous; go away.
- SYNONYMS: execrable, repugnant, repulsive, abhorrent
- ANTONYMS: attractive, delightful, good, likeable
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perspicacious (adj)
- DEFINITION: insightful and preceptive
- SENTENCE: Cynthia is extremely perspicacious in that she is extremely insightful. Also, she is extremely beautiful.
- SYNONYMS: prescient, discerning, alert, astute
- ANTONYMS: ignorant, unobservant, unperceptive
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vertiginous (adj)
- DEFINITION: having vertigo
- SENTENCE: After the roller coaster, I felt extremely vertiginous and wanted to throw up.
- SYNONYMS: dizzy, unstable
- ANTONYMS: stable, steady
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cupidity (n)
- DEFINITION: Excessive greed, especially for wealth
- SENTENCE: The man coveted more and more treasure as his cupidity grew.
- SYNONYMS: acquisitiveness, avidity, covetousness
- ANTONYMS: apathy, generosity, indifference
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underwrite (v)
- DEFINITION: to assume financial responsibility for
- SENTENCE: The Gates Millennium Scholars fund underwrites a one billion dollar program to provide scholarships for minorities.
- SYNONYMS: approve, finance, provide
- ANTONYMS: disapprove, take, hurt
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discomfited (adj)
- DEFINITION: uneasy; in a state of embarrassment
- SENTENCE: Alex feels discomfited around Alyssa and Max sometimes-- and by sometimes I mean all the time.
- SYNONYMS: demoralize, disconcert, perplex
- ANTONYMS: comfort, soothe, abet
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