GRE 1st 100 Vocabulary Study Words
Terms
undefined, object
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to lessen in intensity or degree
(verb) - abate
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deviating from the norm
(adjective) - aberrant
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to depart clandestinely; to steal away and hide
(verb) - abscond
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an expression of praise
(noun) - accolade
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having a sour or bitter taste or character
(adjective) - acerbic
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quick, keen, or accurate knowledge or insight
(noun) - acumen
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excessive praise; intense adoration
(noun) - adulation
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to reduce purity by combining with inferior ingredients
(verb) - adulterate
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dealing with, appreciate of, or responsive to art or the beautiful
(adjective) - aesthetic
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to increase in intensity, power, or prestige
(verb) - aggrandize
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eager and enthusiastic willingness
(noun) - alacrity
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a medieval science aimed at the transmutation of metals, especially base metals, into gold
(noun) - alchemy
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to combine several elements into a whole
(verb) - amalgamate
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to make better or more tolerable
(verb) - amelioroate
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agreeable; responsive to suggestion
(adjective) - amenable
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something or someone out of place in terms of its historical or chronological context
(Noun) - anachronism
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deviation from the normal order, form, or rule; abnormality
(noun) - anomaly
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an expression of approval or praise
(noun) - approbation
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outdated; associated with an earlier, perhaps more primitive time
(adjective) - archaic
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strenuous, taxing, requiring significant effort
(adjective) - arduous
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one who practices rigid self-denial, especially as an act of religious devotion
(noun) - ascetic
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to ease or lessen; to appease or pacify
(verb) - assuage
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having a tightening effect on living tissue; harsh, severe
(adjective) - astringent
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daring and fearless; recklessly bold
(adjective) - audacious
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without adornment; bare; severely simple; ascetic
(adjective) - austere
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greed, especially for wealth
(noun) - avarice
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to state as a fact; to confirm or support
(verb) - aver
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a universally recognized principle; taken as a given; possessing self-evident truth
(noun/adjective) - axiom/axiomatic
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to provide support or reinforcement
(bolster) - verb
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self-evident or pompous writing or speech; pompous; grandiloquent
(noun/adjective) - bombast/bombastic
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rustic and pastoral; characteristic of rural areas and their inhabitants
(adjective) - bucolic
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to grow rapidly; to flourish
(verb) - burgeon
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harsh, jarring, discordant sound; dissonance
(noun) - cacophony
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an established set of prinicples or code of laws, often religious in nature
(noun) - canon
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following or in agreement with orthodox requirements
(adjective) - canonical
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inclined to change one's mind impulisvely; erratic; unpredictable
(adjective) - capricious
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severe criticism or punishment
(noun) - castigation
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a substance that accelerates the rate of a chemical reaction without itself changing; a person or thing that causes change
(adjective) - catalyst
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burning or stinging; causing corrosion
(adjective) - caustic
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to criticize severely; to officialy rebuke
(verb) - censure
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wary; cautious
(adjective) - chary
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trickery or subterfuge
(noun) - chicanery
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appealing forcibly to the mind on reason; convincing
(adjective) - cogent
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the willingness to comply with the wishes of others
(noun) - complaisance
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an informed and astute judge in matters of taste; expret
(noun) - connoisseur
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argumentative; quarrelsome; causing controversy or disagreement
(adjective) - contentious
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regretful; penitent; seeking forgiveness
(adjective) - contrite
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a generally agreed-upon practice or attitude
(noun) - convention
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complex or complicated
(adjective) - convoluted
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tending to believe too readily; gullible
(adjective) - credulous
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deserving blame
(adjective) - culpable
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an attitude or quality of belief that all people are motivated by selfishness
(noun) - cynicism
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smallness of quantity or number; scarcity; a lack
(noun) - dearth
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polite or appropriate conduct or behavior
(noun) - decorum
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to question or oppose
(verb) - demur
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scorn, ridicule, contemptuous treatment
(noun) - derision
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to dry out or dehydrate; to make dry or dull
(verb) - dessicate
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a harsh denunciation
(noun) - diatribe
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intended to teach or instruct
(adjective) - didactic
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one with an amateurish or superficial interest in the arts or a branch of knowledge
(noun) - dilettante
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to undeceive; to set right
(verb) - disabuse
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conflicting; dissonant or harsh in sound
(adjective) - discordant
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cautious reserve in speech; ability to make responsible decisions
(noun) - discretion
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indifferent; free from self-interest
(adjective) - disinterested
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to slight or belittle
(verb) - disparage
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fundamentally distinct or dissimiliar
(adjective) - disparate
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to disguise or conceal; to mislead
(verb) - dissemble
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to disclose something secret
(verb) - divulge
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stubbornly oppinionated
(adjective) - dogmatic
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the quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings
(noun) - ebullience
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departing from norms or conventions
(adjective) - eccentric
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composed of elements drawn from various sources
(adjective) - eclectic
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extreme boldness; presumptuousness
(noun) - effrontery
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a mournful poem, especially one lamenting the dead
(noun) - elegy
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well-spoken; expressive; articluate
(adjective) - eloquent
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soothing, especially to the skin; making less harsh; mollifying
(adjective) - emollient
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based on observation or experiment
(adjective) - empirical
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characteristic of or often found in a particular locality, region, or people
(adjective) - endemic
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to weaken; to reduce in vitality
(verb) - enervate
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mysterious; obscure; difficult to understand
(adjective) - enigmatic
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dissatisfaction and restlessness resulting from boredom or apathy
(noun) - ennui
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brief; fleeting
(adjective) - ephemeral
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to use ambiguous language with a deceptive intent
(verb) - equivocate
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very learned; scholarly
(adjective) - erudite
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intended for or understood by a small, specific group
(adjective) - esoteric
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a speech honoring the dead
(noun) - eulogy
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tending to dissapear like vapor; vanishing
(adjective) - evanescent
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to make worse or more severe
(verb) - exacerbate
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exonerate; to clear of blame
(verb) - exculpate
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urgent; pressing; requiring immediate action or attention
(adjective) - exigent
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to remove blame
(verb) - exonerate
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improvised; done without preparation
(adjective) - extemporaneous
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playful; humorous
(adjective) - facetious
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an invalid or incorrect notion; a mistaken belief
(noun) - fallacy
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to flatter or praise excessively
(verb) - fawn
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greatly emotional or zealous
(adjective) - fervent
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intentional obstruction, especially using prolonged speechmaking to delay legislative action
(noun) - filibuster
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to demonstrate contempt for, as in a rule or convention
(verb) - flout
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happening by fortunate accident or chance
(adjective) - fortuitous
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to loudly attack or denounce
(verb) - fulminate
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marked by stealth; covert; surreptitious
(adjective) - furtive
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pointlessly talkative, talking too much
(adjective) - garrulous
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relevant to the subject at hand; appropriate in subject matter
(adjective) - germane
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marked by ease or informality; nonchalant; lacking in depth; superficial
(adjective) - glib
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pompous speech or expression
(noun) - grandiloquence
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sociable; outgoing; enjoying the company of other people
(adjective) - gregarious
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rendered trite or commonplace by frequent usage
(adjective) - hackneyed
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calm and peaceful
(adjective) - halcyon
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to deliver a pompous speech or tirade
(verb) - harangue
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devotion to pleasurable pursuits, especially to the pleasures of the senses
(noun) - hedonism
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the consistent dominance of one state or ideology over others
(noun) - hegemony
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violating accepted dogma or convention
(adjective) - heretical
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arrogant presumption or pride
(noun) - hubris
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an exaggerated statement, often used as a figure of speech
(noun) - hyperbole
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one who attacks or undermines traditional conventions or institutions
(noun) - iconoclast
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given to intense or excessive devotion to something
(adjective) - idolatrous
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about to happen; impending
(adjective) - imminent
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not capable of change
(adjective) - immutable
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revealing no emotion
(adjective) - impassive
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lacking funds; without money
(adjective) - impecunious
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marked by extreme calm, impassivity, and steadiness
(adjective) - imperturbable
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hastily or rashly energetic; impulsive and vehement
(adjective) - impetuous
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not capable of being appeased or significantly changed
(adjective) - implacable
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immunity from punishment or penalty
(noun) - impunity
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in an initial stage; not fully formed
(adjective) - inchoate
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beginning to come into being or to become apparent
(adjective) - incipient
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having no interest or concern; showing no bias or prejudice
(adjective) - indifferent
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unmoving; lethargic; sluggigh
(adjective) - inert
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unfortunate; inappropriate
(adjective) - infelicitous
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artless; frank and candid; lacking in sophistication
(adjective) - ingenuous
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damaging; harmful; malevolent
(adjective) - inimical
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harmless; causing no damage
(adjective) - innocuous
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without taste or flavor; lacking in spirit; bland
(adjective) - insipid
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not easily managed or directed; stubborn, obstinate
(adjective) - intractable
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refusing to compromise
(adjective) - intransigent
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steadfast and courageous
(adjective) - intrepid
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accustomed to accepting something undesirable
(adjective) - inured
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to obtain by deception or flattery
(verb) - inveigle
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easily angered; prone to temperamental outbursts
(adjective) - irascible
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using few words; terse
(adjective) - laconic
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to praise highly
(verb) - laud
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extremely talkative
(adjective) - loquacious
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clear; easily understood
(adjective) - lucid
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characterized by brightness and the emission of light
(adjective) - luminous
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the quality of being generously noble in mind and heart, especially in forgiving
(noun) - magnanimity
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having or showing often vicious ill will, spite, or hatred
(adjective) - malevolent
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capable of being shaped or formed; tractable; pliable
(adjective) - malleable
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associated with war and the armed forces
(adjective) - martial
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an independent individual who does not go along with a group or party
(noun) - maverick
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the condition of being untruthful; dishonesty
(noun) - mendacity
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characterized by rapid and unpredictable change in mood
(adjective) - mercurial
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characterized by extreme care and precision; attentive to detail
(adjective) - meticulous
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one who hates all other humans
(noun) - misanthrope
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to make or become less severe or intense; to moderate
(verb) - mitigate
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to calm or soothe; to reduce in emotional intensity
(verb) - mollify
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sad; sullen; melancholy
(adjective) - morose
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of the world; typical of or concerned with the ordinary
(adjective) - mundane
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coming into being; in early developmental stages
(adjective) - nascent
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vague; cloudy; lacking clearly defined form
(adjective) - nebulous
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a new word, expression, or usage; the creation or use of new words or senses
(noun) - neologism
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a recent convert; a beginner; novice
(noun) - neophyte
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harmful; injurious
(adjective) - noxious
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unyielding; hardhearted; intractable
(adjective) - obdurate
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to deliberately obscure; to make confusing
(verb) - obfuscate
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exhibiting a fawning attentiveness
(adjective) - obsequious
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stubborn; hardheaded; uncompromising
(adjective) - obstinate
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lacking sharpness of intellect; not clear or precise in thought or expression
(adjective) - obtuse
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to anticipate and make unnecessary
(verb) - obviate
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to obstruct or block
(verb) - occlude
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evoking intense aversion or dislike
(adjective) - odious
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troubling; burdensome
(adjective) - onerous
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impenetrable by light; not reflecting light
(adjective) - opaque
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disgrace; contempt; scorn
(noun) - opprobrium
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the act or state of swinging back and forth with a steady, uninterrupted rhythm
(noun) - oscillation
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characterized by or given to pretentiousness
(adjective) - ostentatious
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a song or hymn of praise and thanksgiving
(noun) - paean
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a humorous imitation intended for ridicule or comic effect, especially in literature and art
(noun) - parody
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the art or profession of training, teaching, or instructing
(noun) - pedagogy
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the parading of learning; excessive attention to minutiae and formal rules
(adjective) - pedantic
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penny-pinching; excessively thrifty; ungenerous
(adjective) - penurious
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poverty; destitution
(noun) - penury
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recurrent through the year or many years; happening repeatedly
(adjective) - perennial
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intentional breach of faith; treachery
(noun) - perfidy
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cursory; done without care or interest
(adjective) - perfunctory
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extremely harmful; potentially causing death
(adjective) - pernicious
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acutely perceptive; having keen discernment
(adjective) - perspicacious
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to examine with great care
(verb) - peruse
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to permeate throughout
(verb) - pervade
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having the tendency to permeate or spread throughout
(adjective) - pervasive
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calm; sluggish; unemotional
(adjective) - phlegmatic
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to yearn intensely; to languish; to lose vigor
(verb) - pine
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extremely reverent or devout; showing strong religious devotion
(adjective) - pious
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to illegally use or reproduce
(verb) - pirate
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the essential or central part; precise and brief
(noun/adjective) - pith/pithy
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to appease; to calm by making concessions
(verb) - placate
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a superficial remark, especially one offered as meaningful
(noun) - platitude
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an overabundance; a surplus
(noun) - plethora
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to plunge or drop straight down
(verb) - plummet
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controversial; argumentative
(adjective) - polemical
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practical rather than idealistic
(adjective) - pragmatic
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to babble meaninglessly; to talk in an empty and idle manner
(verb) - prattle
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to cause or to happen before anticipated or required; acting with excessive haste or impulse
(verb/adjective) - precipitate
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one that indicates or announces someone or something to come
(noun) - precursor
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a disposition in favor of something; preference
(noun) - predilection
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to dress up; to primp; to groom oneself with elaborate care
(verb) - preen
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foreknowledge of events; knowing of events prior to their occuring
(noun) - prescience
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overstepping due bounds (as of propriety or courtesy); taking liberties
(adjective) - presumptuous
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to deliberately avoid the truth; to mislead
(verb) - prevaricate
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pure; uncorrupted; clean
(adjective) - pristine
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adherence to highest principles; uprightness
(noun) - probity
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a natural predisposition or inclination
(noun) - proclivity
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recklessly wasteful; extravagant; profuse; lavish
(adjective) - prodigal
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abundant in size, force, or extent; extraordinary
(adjective) - prodigious
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excessively wasteful; recklessly extravagant
(adjective) - profligate
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given or coming forth abundantly; extravagant
(adjective) - profuse
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to grow or increase swiftly and abundantly
(verb) - proliferate
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producing large volumes or amounts; productive
(adjective) - prolific
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a natural inclination or tendency; penchant
(noun) - propensity
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dull; unimaginative
(adjective) - prosaic
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characterize by a strong, sharp smell or taste
(adjective) - pungent
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to rot; to decay and give off a foul odor
(verb) - putrefy
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to drink deeply
(verb) - quaff
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misgiving; reservation; cause for hesitancy
(noun) - qualm
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prone to complaining or grumbling; quarrelsome
(adjective) - querulous
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question; inquiry; doubt in the mind; reservation
(noun) - query
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stillness; motionlessness; quality of being at rest
(noun) - quiescence
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foolishly impractical; marked by lofty romantic ideals
(adjective) - quixotic
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occurring or recurring daily; commonplace
(adjective) - quotidian
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characterized by bitter, long-lasting resentment
(adjective) - rancorous
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to make or become thin, less dense; to refine
(verb) - rarefy
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obstinately defiant of authority; difficult to manage
(adjective) - recalcitrant
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to retract, especially a previously held belief
(verb) - recant
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hidden; concealed; difficult to understand; obscure
(adjective) - recondite
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awe-inspiring; worthy of honor
(adjective) - redoubtable
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raidant; shiny; brilliant
(adjective) - refulgent
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to disprove; to successfully argue against
(verb) - refute
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to forcibly assign, especially to a lower place or position
(verb) - relegate
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to fail to honor a commitment; to go back on a promise
(verb) - renege
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to refuse to have anything to do with; disown
(verb) - repudiate
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to invalidate; to repeal; to retract
(verb) - rescind
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quiet; reserved; reluctant to express thoughts and feelings
(adjective) - reticent
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marked by, feeling, or expressing profound awe and respect
(adjective) - reverent
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the art or study of effective use of language for communication and persuasion
(noun) - rhetoric
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promoting health or well-being
(adjective) - salubrious
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authoritative permission or approval; a penalty intended to enforce compliance
(noun) - sanction
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a literary work that ridicules or criticized a human vice through humor or derision
(noun) - satire
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diligent; persistent; hardworking
(adjective) - sedulous
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a piece of broken pottery or glass
(noun) - shard
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concerned and attentive; eager
(adjective) - solicitous
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able to meet financial obligations; able to dissolve another substance
(adjective) - solvent