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Abstruse
- (adj.) extremely difficult to understand
- S: arcane, recondite, occult
- A: simple, straightforward
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Affront
- (n.) an open or intentional insult; a slight;
- (v.) to insult to one's face; to face in defiance , confront
- S: offense, offend
- A: compliment, praise
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Canard
- (n.) a false rumor, fabricated story
- S: Hoax
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captious
- (adj.) excessively ready to find fault; given to petty criticism; intended to trap, confuse, or show up
- S: faultfinding, carping
- A: uncritical
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cognizant
- (adj.) aware, knowledgeable, informed; having jurisdiction
- S: acquainted,
- A: unaware, unconscious, oblivious
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contrite
- (adj.) regretful for some misdeed or sin; plagued by a sense of guilt; thoroughly penitent
- S: remorseful, rueful
- A: unapologetic, impenitent
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cynosure
- (n.) the center of attraction, attention, or interest; something that serves to guide or direct
- S: focus
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decorous
- (adj.) well behaved, dignified, socially proper
- S: seemly, becoming, tasteful
- A: unbecoming, improper, tasteless
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deign
- (v.) to think it appropriate or suitable to one's dignity to do something; to condescend
- S: deem
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desiccated
- (adj.) thoroughly dried out; arid and uninteresting; divested of spirit or vitality
- S: dehydrated, shriveled
- A: sodden, waterlogged, drenched
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efficacy
- (n.) the power to produce a desired result
- S: effectiveness, potency, reliability
- A: impotence
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engender
- (v.) to bring into existence, give rise to, produce; to come into existence, assume form
- S: generate, cause, form
- A: stop, deter
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ethereal
- (adj.) light, airy, delicate; highly refined; suggesting what is heavenly (not earthbound)
- S: heavenly, celestial, gossamer
- A: infernal, hellish, thick, heavy
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facade
- (n.) the front of a building; a surface appearance
- S: exterior, surface, mask
- A: interior
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ghoulish
- (adj.) revolting in an unnatural or morbid way; suggestive of someone who robs graves or preys on the dead.
- S: barbarous, monstrous
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incongruous
- (adj.) not in keeping, unsuitable, incompatible
- S: discordant
- A: compatible, harmonious, consistent
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machination
- (n.) a crafty, scheming, or underhanded action designed to accomplish some (usually evil) end
- S: plot, maneuver
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mesmerize
(v.) to hypnotize, entrance; to fascinate, enthrall, bewitch
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opprobrium
- (n.) disgrace arising from shameful conduct; contempt, reproach
- S: infamy, dishonor, odium
- A: acclaim, honor, glory, renown
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putative
- (adj.) generally regarded as such; reputed; inferred, hypothesized
- S: supposed, presumed
- A: corroborated, confirmed
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Beatific
- (adj.) blissful; rendering or making blessed
- S: rapturous, ecstatic
- A: disconsolate, dejected, doleful
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behemoth
- (n.) a creature of enormous size, power, or appearance
- S: whale, elephant, colossus
- A: dwarf, pygmy, midget
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blandishment
- (n.) anything designed to flatter or coax; sweet talk, apple-polishing
- S: allurement, cajolery
- A: intimidation
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cacophonous
- (adj.) harsh-sounding, raucous, discordant, dissonant
- A: harmonious, melodious, mellifluous
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chicanery
- (n.) trickery, deceptive practices or tactics, double-dealing
- A: fair dealing
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consign
- (v.) to give over to another's care, charge, or control; to entrust, deliver; to set apart for a special use
- S: remit, convey
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coup
- (n.) a highly successful stroke, masterstroke, tour de force, act, plan, or stratagem; a sudden takeover of power or leadership
- A: blunder, faux pas, gaffe
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euphemism
(n.) a mild or inoffensive expression used in place of harsh or unpleasant one; a substitute
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febrile
- (adj.) feverish; pertaining to or marked by fever; frenetic
- A: leisurely
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gainsay
- (v.) to deny, contradict, controvert; to dispute, oppose
- A: confirm, corroborate, support, admit
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imminent
- (adj.) about to happen, threatening
- S: looming
- A: distant, remote, faraway
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innate
- (adj.) natural, inborn, inherent; built-in
- S: congenital
- A: learned, acquired, extrinsic, accidental
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loath
- (adj.) unwilling, reluctant, disinclined
- S: averse, indisposed
- A: eager, inclined
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manifest
- (adj.) clear, evident to the eyes or mind;
- (v.) to show plainly, exhibit, evince;
- (n.) a list of cargo and/or passengers
- S: apparent, reveal, disclose
- A: unrevealed, hidden, hide, conceal
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minutiae
- (pl. n.) small or trivial details, trifling matters
- S: trifles
- A: essentials
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moratorium
- (n.) a suspension of activity; an official waiting period; an authorized period of delay
- S: postponement, stoppage
- A: escalation
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nostrum
- (n.) an alleged cure-all; a remedy or scheme of questionable effectiveness
- S: elixir
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pariah
- (n.) one who is rejected by a social group or organization
- S: untouchable, persona non grata
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visionary
- (adj.) not practical, lacking in realism; having the nature of a fantasy or dream;
- (n.) one given to far fetched ideas; a dreamer or seer characterized by vision or foresight
- S: Utopian, idealistic, impractical
- A: practical
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Wizened
- (adj.) dry, shrunken, and wrinkled (often as the result of aging)
- S: withered, shriveled
- A: bloated, distended
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amenity
- (n.) that which is pleasant or agreeable
- (pl.) attractive features, customs, etc.
- A: unpleasantness, disagreeableness
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aperture
- (n.) an opening, gap, hole; orifice
- A: closure, blockage, occlusion
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dissidence
- (n.) a difference of opinion; discontent
- S: disagreement, disaffection
- A: harmony, concord
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epicurean
- (adj.) devoted to the pursuit of pleasure; fond of good food;comfort and ease;
- (n.) a person with discriminating taste
- S: sybaritic, discriminating
- A: ascetic, self-denying, abstemious
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improvident
- (adj.) not thrifty, failing to plan ahead
- S: prodigal, spendthrift, extravagant
- A: frugal, economical, cautious
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iniquity
- (n.) wickedness, sin; a grossly immoral act
- S: evil, crime
- A: probity, rectitude, uprightness
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inviolable
- (adj.) sacred; of such a character that it might not be broken, injured, or profaned
- S: unassailable
- A: vulnerable, assailable
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mutable
- (adj.) open to or capable of change; fickle
- S: changeable, variable
- A: changeless, steadfast, constant
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nascent
- (adj.) just beginning to exist or develop; having just come into existence
- S: incipient, embryonic
- A: dying, moribund, senescent
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obeisance
- (n.) a deep bow or other body movement indicating respect or submission; homage, deference
- S: honor
- A: disrespect, irreverence
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panegyric
- (n.) formal or elaborate praise; a tribute
- S: tribute, encomium, testimonial
- A: tirade, philippic
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pillory
- (n.) a device for publicly punishing offenders; a means for exposing one to public contempt or ridicule
- (V.) to expose to public contempt or ridicule
- A: extol, laud, acclaim
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pittance
- (n.) a woefully meager allowance, wage, or portion
- S: trifle
- A: fortune
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presage
- (v.) to foreshadow and point to a future event; to predict;
- (n.) a warning or indication of the future
- S: augur, foretell
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progeny
- (n.) descendants, offspring, children, followers, disciples
- S: issue, posterity
- A: forbears, antecedents
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promulgate
- (v.) to explain or issue officially; to make known far and wide
- S; announce
- A: withdraw, retract, abrogate, nullify
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rectitude
- (n.) uprightness, righteousness; correctness
- S: probity, integrity
- A: iniquity, heinousness
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restive
- (adj.) restless, hard to manage, balky
- S: uneasy, recalcitrant
- A:serene, unruffled, docile
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seraphic
- (adj.) angelic, heavenly, celestial
- S: cherubic
- A: devilish
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subsist
- (v.) to have existence; to remain alive, manage to make a living or maintain life; to persist or continue
- S: last, sustain
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