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Aversion
Repugnance or antipathy
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Abase
Behave in a way that belittles or degrades someone
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Abash
Make someone feel embarrassed or ashamed
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Abate
To reduce in amount
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Aberrant
Deviating from the ordinary
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Abet
Give aid or approval
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Abeyance
Temporary inactivity or suspension
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Abject
Utterly hopeless and distressing
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Abjure
To renounce or repudiate
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Ablution
Act of washing yourself
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Abnegate
To renounce or reject something
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Abominable
Detestable, loathsome
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Abomination
Something which is greatly disliked
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Abrade
To scrape or wear away by friction or erosion
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Abridge
Shorten without losing the sense
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Abrogate
To abolish summarily
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Abstemious
Moderate with food and drink diet
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Abstention
Holding off or refraining
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Abstruse
Difficult to understand
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Abusage
Improper use of words
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Abysmal
Very bad, appalling
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Accession
The act of coming into the possession of a right or office
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Acclamation
A shout or other demonstration of welcome
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Accolade
Recognition of merit
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Accoutrement
Additional items of dress or equipment
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Acculturation
Process of borrowing between cultures
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Accusatory
Containing an accusation
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Acentric
Having no centre
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Acephalous
Without a leader
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A fortiori
For a still stronger reason, even more certain, all the more
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A posteriori
From effect to cause on relating to or derived by reasoning from observed facts
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A priori
From cause to effect and in philosophy validly independent of observation
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Ab initio
From the beginning
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Autodidact
A self- taught person
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Auspicious
Betokening success and favour
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Anecdote
Short narrative of a particular incident
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Anachronism
Thing belonging or appropriate to a period other than that which it exists
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Aggrandise
To make greater in power, wealth etc
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Afficionado
An ardent devotee or someone very knowledgeable about something
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Affectation
Striving for the appearance of a quality not really or fully possessed
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Aesthete
Someone who is appreciative of & sensitive to art & beauty
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Aesthetic
Concerned with beauty or appreciation of beauty
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Aeon
Indefinitely long period of time
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Aegis
Protection, sponsorship
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Adventitious
Happening as a result of an external factor or chance rather than design or inherent nature
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Adverb
Word used to modify or limit a verb
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Adulterate
Reduce quality by adding inferior materials
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Adroit
Expert in the use of the hand or mind
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Admonish
Counsel against something
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Admonition
The act of admonishing
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Adduce
To bring forward in an argument
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Acuity
Sharpness or keenness of thought, vision or hearing
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Acuminate
To make sharp or keen
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Actualise
Make a reality of
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Actuate
Make someone act in a positive way, motivate
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Actus reus
Series of acts which constitute a crime
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Acolyte
Assistant or follower
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Acme
The point at which something is at its best or most highly developed
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Acronym
Word formed from the initial letters of a series of words
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Acrophobia
Fear of heights
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Ad hoc
For this special purpose
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Ad hocery
Use of ad hoc or improvised reasoning
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Adhocracy
System of flexible and informal organisation and management
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Ad hominem
Attacking the person
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Ad infinitum
To infinity without limit
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Ad lib
Freely, in an impromptu manner
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Ad litteram
To the letter exactly
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Ad nausem
To a sickening extent
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Ad rem
Relevant to the matter or thing
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Ad valorem
In proportion to the value
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Ad verbum
To the word exactly
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Adage
Proverb expressing a general truth
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Addendum
A thing to be added
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Adept
Highly skilled or proficient at something
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Adjunct
Something added to another thing but not necessarily part of it
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Adjure
To request or urge someone solemnly or earnestly to do something
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Adscititious
Forming an addition or supplement; not integral
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Affable
Friendly, good natured or easy to talk to
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Affaire de coeur
A love affair
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Affect
Have an effect on; make a difference to
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Affinity
A natural liking for & understanding of someone or something
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Afflatus
A divine creative impulse or inspiration
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Afflict
Cause mental or physical pain to; affect adversely
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Afflux
A flow of something
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Agent provocateur
Person who tries to incite illegal action
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Aggress
To initiate a conflict
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Agiotage
Speculative dealing in securities
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Agonistic
Combative, striving to overcome in argument
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Allegory
A story, poem or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one
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Altruism
Selfless concern for the welfare of others
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Amanuensis
A person employed to type or write whilst another dictates
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Ambrosial
Exceptionally pleasing to taste or smell
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Amiable
Having or displaying a friendly and pleasant manner
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Amorphous
Lacking definite form or shape
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Amulet
Object superstitiously worn to ward off evil
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Anagram
Rearranging of the letters of a word or sentence to form a new word or sentence
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Ancien regime
A political or social system that have been displaced with another
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Anodyne
Not likely to cause disagreement or offence and somewhat dull
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Anomie
Lack of the usual social or ethical standards in a particular group
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Antediluvian
Ridiculously old fashioned
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Anthropogenic
Pollution caused by humans
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Antiquity
The quality of being ancient or the time before the Middle Ages
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Apathy
Lack of interest, enthusiasm or concern
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Aphorism
Observation embodying a general truth
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Apocryphal
A story or statement of doubtful authenticity, although widely circulated as being true.
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Apogee
The highest point in the development of something, a climax or culmination
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Apologist
A person who offers an argument in defence of something controversial
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Apostasy
Abandonment or renunciation of a religious or political belief or principle
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Apparatchik
Official in a large political organisation
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Apparatchik
Official in a large political organisation
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Apposite
Apt in the circumstances or in relation to something
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Approbation
Approval, commendation or praise
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Apropos
- Preposition: with reference to; concerning
- Adjective: Very appropriate to a particular situation
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Arcadian
An idealised pastoral or rustic experience
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Arcane
Mysterious, secret, obscure and understood by a few
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Archetype
A model or first form OR a very typical example of a person or thing
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Archipelago
Any large body of water with many islands
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Argot
The peculiar language or jargon of any class or group
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Arriviste
An ambitious person, social climber or careerist
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Askance
With an attitude or look of suspicion, mistrust or disapproval
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Assiduous
Showing great care and perserverence
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Assignation
Illicit love meeting
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Assuage
To make milder or less severe
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Attenuate
To weaken or reduce in force of value
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Augur
Portend a good or bad outcome
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Auspice
Favouring influence, patronage
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Auspicious
Conducive to success, favourable
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Automaton
A person who acts in a mechanical and unemotional way
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Aversion
A strong dislike or disinclination
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Avuncular
Kind and friendly towards a younger or less experienced person
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Axiom
Statement or proposition which is regarded as being established, accepted or self-evidently true
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