(n) a word, expression, or custom that distinguishes a particular group of persons from all others; a commonplace saying or truism; SYNONYMS: password, slogan, catchphrase
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tyro
(n) a beginner, novice; one with little or no background or skill; SYNONYM: neophyte; ANTONYMS: veteran, past master, expert
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unremitting
(adj) not stopping, maintained steadily, never letting up, relentless; SYNONYMS: incessant, unrelenting, constant; ANTONYMS: desultory, intermittent
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vacillate
(v) to swing indecisively from one idea or course of action to another, to waver weakly in mind or will; SYNONYMS: fluctuate, oscillate, seesaw; ANTONYMS: persevere, stabilize
(adv) with suspicion, distrust, or disapproval; SYNONYMS: distrustfully, suspiciously, skeptically
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attenuate
(v) to make thin or slender; to weaken or lessen in force, intensity, or value; SYNONYMS: thin out, dilute, water down; ANTONYMS: thicken, strengthen, bolster
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benign
(adj) gentle, kind; forgiving, understanding; having a favorable or beneficial effect; not malignant; SYNONYMS: benevolent, salubrious, harmless, salutary; ANTONYMS: malevolent, deleterious
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cavil
(v) to find fault in a petty way, carp; (n) a trivial objection or criticism; SYNONYM: (v) nitpick, quibble
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charlatan
(n) one who feigns knowledge or ability; a pretender, impostor, or quack; SYNONYMS: mountebank, fraud
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decimate
(v) to kill or destroy a large part of; SYNONYM: devastate
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foible
(n) a weak point, failing, minor flaw; SYNONYMS: shortcoming, quirk, defects; ANTONYMS: forte, virtue
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forgo
(v) to do without, abstain from, give up; SYNONYMS: refrain from, renounce; ANTONYMS: indulge in, partake of
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fraught
(adj) full of or loaded with, accompanied by; SYNONYM: charged with; ANTONYMS: devoid of, lacking, deficient in
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inure
(v) to toughen, harden; to render used to something by long subjection or exposure; SYNONYMS: accustom, acclimate
(adj) marked by slavish attentiveness; excessively submissive, often for purely self-interested reasons; SYNONYMS: fawning, servile, sycophantic, mealymouthed; ANTONYMS: assertive, bumptious, candid, frank, independent
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obtuse
(adj) blunt, not coming to a point; slow or dull in understanding; measuring between 90º and 180º; not causing a sharp impression; SYNONYMS: thick, mild, imperceptive; ANTONYMS: perceptive, quick-witted, acute
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oscillate
(v) to swing back and forth with a steady rhythm; to fluctuate or waver; SYNONYMS: vibrate, vacillate
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penitent
(adj) regretful for one’s sins or mistakes; (n) one who is sorry for wrongdoing; SYNONYMS: (adj) remorseful, regretful, rueful, sorry; ANTONYMS: (adj) remorseless, unrepentant
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peremptory
(adj) having the nature of a command that leaves no opportunity for debate, denial, or refusal; offensively self-assured, dictatorial; determined, resolute; SYNONYM: unconditional, high-handed; ANTONYMS: irresolute, mild, unassuming, tentative
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rebuff
(v) to snub; to repel, drive away; (n) a curt rejection, a check; SYNONYMS: (v) repulse, reject, spurn, (n) setback; ANTONYMS: (v) accept, welcome
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reconnoiter
(v) to engage in reconnaissance; to make a preliminary inspection; SYNONYM: scout
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shambles
(n) a slaughterhouse; a place of mass bloodshed; a state of complete disorder and confusion, mess
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sporadic
(adj) occurring at irregular intervals, having no set plan or order; SYNONYMS: intermittent, spasmodic; ANTONYMS: steady, continuous, uninterrupted
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abrogate
(v) to repeal, cancel, declare null and void; SYNONYMS: annul, revoke; ANTONYMS: renew, ratify, reaffirm
(v) to make smooth or glossy by rubbing, polish; (n) gloss, brightness, luster; SYNONYMS: (v) shine, buff; ANTONYMS: (v) dull, abrade
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cabal
(n) a small group working in secret; SYNONYMS: ring, gang, plot, conspiracy, clique
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delectable
(adj) delightful, highly enjoyable; deliciously flavored, savory; (n) an appealing or appetizing food or dish; SYNONYM: (adj) scrumptious; ANTONYMS: (adj) repugnant, repulsive, distasteful
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deprecate
(v) to express mild disapproval; to belittle; SYNONYMS: deplore, frown upon; ANTONYMS: smile on, approve, countenance
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detritus
(n) loose bits and pieces of material resulting from disintegration or wearing away; fragments that result from any destruction; SYNONYMS: wreckage, ruins, rubble, debris
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ebullient
(adj) overflowing with enthusiasm and excitement; boiling, bubbling; SYNONYMS: exhilarated, elated, exuberant; ANTONYMS: gloomy, morose, sullen, apathetic, blasé
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eclectic
(adj) drawn from different sources; (n) one whose beliefs are drawn from various sources; SYNONYMS: (adj) selective, synthetic, pick-and-choose; ANTONYMS: (adj) uniform, monolithic
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flaccid
(adj) limp, not firm; lacking vigor or effectiveness; SYNONYMS: soft, flabby; ANTONYMS: hard, solid, firm
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impecunious
(adj) having little or no money; SYNONYMS: impoverished, indigent, penniless; ANTONYMS: affluent, wealthy, prosperous, rich
(adj) dying, on the way out; SYNONYMS: obsolescent, fading; ANTONYMS: thriving, flourishing
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necromancer
(n) one who claims to reveal or influence the future through magic, especially communication with the dead; in general, a magician or wizard; SYNONYMS: sorcerer, conjurer
(n. pl.) the parts of any subject or discipline that are learned first, the earliest stages of anything; SYNONYMS: basics, fundamentals
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sequester
(v) to set apart, separate for a special purpose; to take possession of and hold in custody; SYNONYMS: segregate, isolate, closet, seclude
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winnow
(v) to get rid of something unwanted, delete; to sift through to obtain what is desirable; to remove the chaff from the wheat by blowing air on it; to blow on, fan; SYNONYMS: sift, strain, filter, sort
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aesthetic
(adj) pertaining to beauty; sensitive or responsive to beauty; SYNONYM: artistic
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defunct
(adj) no longer in existence or functioning, dead; SYNONYMS: extinct, nonexistent; ANTONYM: alive
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discomfit
(v) to frustrate, thwart, or defeat; to confuse, perplex, or embarrass; SYNONYMS: nonplus, foil, disconcert
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espouse
(v) to take up and support; to become attached to, adopt; to marry; SYNONYMS: embrace, wed; ANTONYMS: repudiate, disavow, renounce
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fetish
(n) an object believed to have magical powers; an object of unreasoning devotion or reverence; SYNONYMS: charm, obsession
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gregarious
(adj) living together in a herd or group; sociable, seeking the company of others; SYNONYMS: outgoing, extroverted; ANTONYMS: aloof, introverted, reclusive
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hapless
(adj) marked by a persistent absence of good luck; SYNONYMS: unlucky, ill-starred, unfortunate; ANTONYMS: lucky, charmed, fortunate
(v) to trouble with demands; to beg for insistently; SYNONYMS: implore, dun, tax, entreat
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interpolate
(v) to insert between other parts or things; to present as an addition or correction; SYNONYMS: interpose, introduce, interject
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irreparable
(adj) incapable of being repaired or rectified; SYNONYM: irremediable; ANTONYMS: remediable, fixable, reversible
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laconic
(adj) concise, using few words; SYNONYMS: succinct, pithy, compact, terse; ANTONYMS: garrulous, prolix, loquacious, verbose
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languish
(v) to become weak, feeble, or dull; to droop; to be depressed or dispirited; to suffer neglect; SYNONYMS: flag, fade, pine, wilt
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mendacious
(adj) given to lying or deception; untrue; SYNONYMS: untruthful, false, dishonest; ANTONYM: veracious
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nadir
(n) the lowest point; SYNONYMS: rock bottom; ANTONYMS: pinnacle, zenith
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omnipresent
(adj) present in all places at all times; SYNONYMS: ubiquitous, ever-present
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perfunctory
(adj) done in a superficial or halfhearted manner; without interest or enthusiasm; SYNONYMS: slapdash, shallow, cursory; ANTONYMS: thorough, assiduous, diligent, meticulous
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plaintive
(adj) expressive of sorrow or woe, melancholy; SYNONYMS: sad, lugubrious, doleful; ANTONYMS: cheerful, blithe, joyous, merry
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requite
(v) to make suitable repayment, as for a kindness, service, or favor; to make retaliation, as for an injury or wrong; to reciprocate; SYNONYMS: reimburse, avenge, recompense; ANTONYMS: spurn
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tantamount
(adj) equivalent, having the same meaning, value, or effect; SYNONYMS: indistinguishable from, equal
(n) an open or intentional insult; a slight; (v) to insult to one’s face; to face in defiance, confront; SYNONYMS: (n) offense; (v) offend; ANTONYMS: (n., v.) compliment, praise
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canard
(n) a false rumor, fabricated story; SYNONYM: hoax
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captious
(adj) excessively ready to find fault; given to petty criticism; intended to trap, confuse, or show up; SYNONYMS: faultfinding, carping, nit-picking; ANTONYM: uncritical
(adj) regretful for some misdeed or sin; plagued by a sense of guilt; thoroughly penitent; SYNONYMS: remorseful, rueful; ANTONYMS: unapologetic, impenitent, unrepentant
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cynosure
(n) the center of attraction, attention, or interest; something that serves to guide or direct; SYNONYM: focus
(v) to think it appropriate or suitable to one’s dignity to do something; to condescend; SYNONYMS: deem, stoop
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desiccated
(adj., part.) thoroughly dried out; divested of spirit or vitality; arid and uninteresting; SYNONYMS: dehydrated, shriveled, parched; ANTONYMS: sodden, waterlogged, drenched, soggy
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efficacy
(n) the power to produce a desired result; SYNONYMS: effectiveness, potency, reliability; ANTONYMS: impotence
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engender
(v) to bring into existence, give rise to, produce; to come into existence, assume from; SYNONYMS: generate, cause, form, beget; ANTONYMS: stop, deter
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ethereal
(adj) light, airy, delicate; highly refined; suggesting what is heavenly (rather than earthbound); SYNONYMS: heavenly, celestial, gossamer; ANTONYMS: infernal, hellish, thick, heavy
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facade
(n) the front or face of a building; a surface appearance (as opposed to what may lie behind); SYNONYMS: exterior, surface, mask; ANTONYM: interior
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ghoulish
(adj) revolting in an unnatural or morbid way; suggestive of someone who robs graves or otherwise preys on the dead; SYNONYMS: barbarous, monstrous, fiendish
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incongruous
(adj) not in keeping, unsuitable, incompatible; SYNONYMS: discordant, jarring; ANTONYMS: compatible, harmonious, consistent
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machination
(n) a crafty, scheming, or underhanded action designed to accomplish some (usually evil) end; SYNONYMS: plot, maneuver, scheme
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mesmerize
(v) to hypnotize, entrance; to fascinate, enthrall, bewitch