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Amorphous

The program he suggested was so barren of guiding ideas and specific proposals that I felt justified in referring to it as ______.

Resilient

This jacket is made of a material so ______ that it sheds wrinkles and keeps its shape even when one has worn it for days.

Contraband

Under the latest regulations, any shipment of arms to those countries is illegal and may be seized as ______.

Scurrilous

His attempts to discredit her by belittling her ability and character were nothing more than ______ abuse.

Irrevocable

The commitment you have made is ______ without the consent of the other party to the agreement.

Reverberated

The sharp crack of the rifle shot ______ through the hills.

Aura

On his combat uniform he wore absolutely no insignia of rank, but he was surrounded with an unmistakable ______ of authority.

Aggrandize

He used his admittedly remarkable talents only to ______ himself, not to benefit the society that was so kind to him.

Repudiate

I am not going to ______ the ideas and standards by which I have guided my life just because they have become unpopular.

Erudite

As my opponent cited facts and figures without once referring to notes, I became aware of how ______ she was.

Gossamer

The drops of dew sparkled like diamonds on the ______ threads of the spider web.

Remonstrate

Since our efforts to ______ with the factory managers about pollution of the lake have been ineffective, we are now considering legal action.

Querulous

He is really insufferable when he gets into one of those ______ moods in which nothing in the world pleases him.

Affable

If you happen to have a(n) ______ seatmate on a long airplane flight, you may find yourself talking more freely about personal matters than you would under other circumstances.

Inscrutable

He tried in vain to guess what surprise he might expect next from that ______ power, Lady Luck.

Infer

Am I to ______ from what you just said that you were not present at the scene of the accident?

Insular

While tsarist Russia's vast territories were almost purely continental, the British Empire included numerous ______ possessions.

Propensity

Because of his ______ for gossiping, we tried not to let him learn anything about our personal affairs.

Sleazy

______ dives full of disreputable and dangerous-looking characters have given the waterfront areas of many cities a bad reputation.

Sedulous

Perhaps she had less native ability than some of her classmates, but her powers of concentration and ______ study program enable her to finish first in the class.

Precept

Her approach to the problem seems to have been guided by the time-honored ______ that "Force is the remedy for nothing."

Autonomy

Since the close of World War II, almost 100 former colonies have gained full ______ and joined the family of nations.

Extricate

She has made so many contradictory promises to so many people that I don't see how she can ______ herself from the situation.

Sepulchral

Shivers went up and down our spines as, in a(n) ______ voice, the teacher spoke to us of ghosts, vampires, and the "living dead."

Axiomatic

It is ______ that democracy, more than any other form of government, calls for the active participation of all the people in public affairs.

Equitable

The decision was a disappointment to me, but after thinking it over, I had to agree that it was ______.

Amnesty

The new government, seeking to restore normal conditions, declared a(n) ______ for all political prisoners.

Scourge

It was Lincoln who said: "Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty ______ of war may speedily pass away."

Straitlaced

The standards of behavior generally accepted in Victorian times would probably be rejected today as excessively ______.

Caveats

I tried to ward them of the dangers involved in such an undertaking, but all my ______ and admonitions fell on deaf ears.

Unwieldy

The carton was not heavy, but it was so ______ that it took four of us to carry it to the shed.

Vapid

Even the most talented actors could not breathe life and credibility into ______ lines of that silly play.

Filch

Who would have thought that the new treasurer could sink so low as to ______ money from the club's petty cash fund?

Scathing

My teacher's criticism of my term paper was so ______ that after reading it I felt thoroughly crushed.

Fractious

It became clear that the squad of policemen would be unable to control the small but ______ crowd of angry protesters.

Transient

His fame as a football star proved to be ______, and he found himself just another young man looking for a job.

Salutary

Failures are always unpleasant, but if you learn from them, they may haven a(n) ______ effect on your future career.

Flout

Any unit of government - national or local - that ______ sound economic principles is headed for disaster.

Blazon

The fighter planes of World War II sometimes had the pictures of famous movie stars, like Betty Grable, ______ on the fuselage.

Soporific

The ______ effect of his droning lectures surpasses that of any sleeping pill now in use.

surreptitious

The _____ way in which they planned the undertaking shows that they were aware of its illegal character

heinous

Is there any other crime in history as _____ as the attempt of the Nazis to annihilate so called "inferior" racial groups?

insurgents

Although the _____ were defeated by the government's forces, a small group escaped into the mountains, where they kept the spirit of rebellion alive.

vicarious

Although most of us lead a quiet, humdrum sort of life, we can all get a(n) _____ thrill from the achievements of our astronauts.

fetters

The Emancipation Proclamation once and for all broke the _____ that bound Southern black to a life of servitude and humiliation.

contrive

I find it hard to understand how they were able to _____ such an elaborately underhanded scheme is so short a time.

ennui

His endless talk about himself and his interests is truly unexcelled for producing _____ in others.

bizarre

Wearing _____ masks at Halloween is a tradition that goes back many centuries.

cajoled

Resorting to rather far fetched promises, I finally _____ Tina into going to the prom with me.

disabuse

At the very outset of the term, I urged you to _____ yourself of the idea that you can pass this course without hard, regular work.

immutable

The one fact about nature that seems completely _____ is that everything is subject to change.

megalomania

His conceit is so great and so immune to the lessons of experience that this must be considered a kind of _____.

sinecure

Anyone who refers to my job as a(n) _____ should spend just one day in my place!

transmute

The alchemists of the Middle Ages, who were both skilled magicians and primitive chemists, hoped to _____ base metals into gold.

demagogue

The speaker's blatant appeal to the emotions of the crowd smacked more of the _____ than the true leader of the people.

castigated

Since he had always been quiet and retiring, we were amazed when he stood up at the meeting and _____ the chairperson for failing to give everyone a chance to speak.

anomalous

Can you imagine anything as _____ as a successful drama coach who has never acted on the stage?

transgressed

In his determination to be blunt and honest, he has _____ the limits of good taste.

brusque

Rude questions call for _____ answers, and mine is "No!"

aspersions

I welcome honest criticism, but I deeply resented their _____ on my sincerity and good faith.