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Anomaly
Deviation from what is normal
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Abate
to reduce in amount, degree, or severity
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Abscond
To leave secretly
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Abstain
to choose not to do something
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Abyss
an extremely deep hole
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Adulterate
to make impure
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Advocate
to speak in favor of
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Aesthetic
Concerning the appreciation of beauty
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Aggrandize
to increase in power, influence, and reputation
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Alleviate
To make more bearable
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Amalgamate
to combine; to mix together
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Ambiguous
doubtful or uncertain; able to be interpreted several ways
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Ameliorate
to make better; to improve
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Anachronism
something out of place in time
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Analogous
similar to alike in some way; equivalent to
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Antagonize
to annoy or provoke to anger
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Antipathy
Extreme dislike
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Apathy
lack of interest or emotion
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Arbitrate
to judge a dispute between two opposing parties
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Archaic
Ancient, old-fashioned
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Ardor
intense and passionate feeling
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Articulate
able to speak clearly and expressively
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Assuage
to make something unpleasant less severe
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Attenuate
to reduce in force or degree; to weaken
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Audacious
fearless and daring
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Austere
Severe or stern in appearance; undecorated
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Banal
predictable, cliched, boring
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Bolster
to support; to prop up
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Bombastic
pompous in speech and manner
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Cacophony
harsh, jarring noise
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Candid
impartial and honest in speech
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Capricious
changing one's mind quickly and often
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Castigate
to punish or criticize harshly
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Catalyst
something that brings about a change in something else
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Chaos
great disorder or confusion
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Chauvinist
someone prejudiced in favor of a group to which he or she belongs
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Chicanery
deception by means of craft or guile
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Cogent
convincing and well reasoned
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Condone
to overlook, pardon, or disregard
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Convoluted
intricate and complicated
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Corroborate
to provide supporting evidence
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Credulous
too trusting; gullible
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Crescendo
steadily increasing volume or force
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Decorum
appropriateness of behavior or conduct; propriety
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Deference
respect, courtesy
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Deride
to speak of or treat with contempt; to mock
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Desiccate
to dry out thoroughly
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Desultory
jumping from one thing to another; disconnected
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Diatribe
an abusive, condemnatory speech
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Diffident
Lacking self-confidence
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Dilate
to make larger; to expand
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Dilatory
intended to delay
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Dilettante
Someone with an amateurish and superficial interest in a topic
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Dirge
a funeral hymn or mournful speech
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Disabuse
to set right; to free from error
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Discern
to perceive; to recognize
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Disparate
fundamentally different; entirely unlike
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Dissemble
to present a false appearance; to disguise one's real intentions or chracter
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Dissonance
a harsh and disagreeable combination, often of sounds
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Dogma
a firmly held opinion, often a religious belief
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Dogmatic
dictatorial in one's opinions
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Dupe
to deceive; a person who is easily deceived
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Eclectic
selecting from or made up from a variety of sources
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Elegy
a sorrowful poem or speech
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Eloquent
persuasive and moving, especially in speech
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Emulate
to copy; to try to equal or excel
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Enervate
to reduce in strength
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Engender
to produce, cause, or bring about
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Enigma
a puzzle; a mystery
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Enumerate
to count, list, or itemize
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Ephemeral
lasting a short time
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Equivocate
to use expressions of double meaning in order to mislead
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Erratic
wandering and unpredictable
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Erudite
learned, scholarly, bookish
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Esoteric
known or understood by only a few
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Eulogy
speech in praise of someone
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Euphemism
use of an inoffensive word or phrase in place of a more distasteful one
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Exculpate
to clear from blame; prove innocent
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Exigent
urgent; requiring immediate action
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Exonerate
to clear of blame
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Explicit
clearly stated or shown; frothright in expression
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Fanatical
acting excessively enthusiastic; filled with extreme, unquestioned devotion
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Fervid
intensely emotional; feverish
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Florid
intensely emotional; feverish
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Foment
to arouse or incite
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Frugality
a tendency to be thrifty or cheap
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Garrulous
tending to talk a lot
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Gregarious
outgoing, sociable
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Homogenous
of a similar kind
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Iconoclast
one who opposes established beliefs, customs, and institutions
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Imperturbable
not capable of being disturbed
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Impervious
impossible to penetrate; incapable of being affected
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Impetuous
quick to act without thinking
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Implacable
unable to be calmed down or made peaceful
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Inchoate
not fully formed; disorganized
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Ingenuous
showing innocence or childlike simplicity
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Inimical
hostile, unfriendly
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Insipid
lacking interest or flavor
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Intransigent
Uncompromising; refusing to be reconciled
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Inundate
to overwhelm; to cover with water
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Irascible
easily made angry
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Lament
to express sorrow; to grieve
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Laud
to give praise; to glorify
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Lavish
to give unsparingly (v.); extremely generous or extravagant (adj.)
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Lethargic
acting in an indifferent or slow, sluggish manner
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Lucid
clear and easily understood
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Luminous
bright, brilliant, flwoing
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Malinger
to evade responsibility by pretending to be ill
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Malleable
capable of being shaped
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Metaphor
a figure of speech comparing two different things; a symbol
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Meticulous
extremely careful about details
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Misanthrope
a person who dislikes others
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Mitigate
to soften; to lessen
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Mollify
to calm or make less severe
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Monotony
lack of variation
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Naive
lacking sophistication or experience
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Obdurate
hardened in feeling; resistant to persuasion
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Obsequious
overly submissive and eager to please
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Obstinate
stubborn, unyielding
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Obviate
to prevent; to make unnescessary
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Occlude
to stop up; prevent the passage of
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Onerous
troublesome and oppressive; burdensome
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Opaque
impossible to see through; preventing the passage of light
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Opprobrium
public disgrace
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Ostentation
excessive showiness
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Paradox
a contradiction or dilemma
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Paragon
model of excellence or perfection
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Pedant
someone who shows off learning
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Perfidious
willing to betray one's trust
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Perfunctory
done in a routine way; indifferent
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Philanthropy
charity; a desire or effort to promote goodness
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Placate
to soothe or pacify
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Plastic
able to be molded, altered, or bent
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Pragmatic
practical as opposed to idealistic
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Precipitate
to throw violently or bring about abruptly; lacking deliberation
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Prevaricate
to lie or deviate from the truth
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Pristine
fresh and clean; uncorrupted
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Prodigal
lavish, wasteful
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Proliferate
to increase in number quickly
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Propitiate
to conciliate; to appease
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Propriety
correct behavior; obedience to rules and customs
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Prudence
wisdom, caution, or restraint
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Pungent
sharp and iritating to the senses
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Rarefy
to make thinner or sparser
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Repudiate
to reject the validity of
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Reticent
silent, reserved
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Rhetoric
effective writing or speaking
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Satiate
to satisfy fully or overindulge
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Soporific
causing sleep or lethargy
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Specious
deceptively attractive; seemingly plausible but fallacious
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Stigma
a mark of shame or discredit
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Stolid
Unemotional; lacking sensitivity
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Tacit
done without using words
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Taciturn
silent, not talkative
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Tirade
long, harsh speech or verbal attack
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Torpor
Extreme mental and physical sluggishness
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Transitory
temporary, lasting a brief time
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Vacillate
to sway physically; to be indecisive
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Venerate
to respect deeply
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Veracity
filled with truth and accuracy
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Volatile
easily aroused or changeable; lively or explosive
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Waver
to fluctuate between choices
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Whimsical
acting in a fanciful or capricious manner; unpredicatable
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