Hard Words with Meaning and Sentence

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Hard Words with Meaning and Sentence (Group 1)

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abjure
abrogate
acumen
adumbrate
alacrity
anathema
antipathy
approbation
arrogate
ascetic
assiduous
boon
brusque
burnish
buttress
cajole
calumny
capricious
clemency
cogent
concomitant
conflagration
conundrum
credulity
cupidity
cursory
decry
defile
deleterious
demure
deprecate
deride
desecrate
discursive
dissemble
ebullient
effrontery
egregious
enervate
ephemeral
eschew
evanescent
evince
exculpate
execrable
expiate
expunge
extant
extol
fallacious
fastidious
fatuous
feral
fetid
florid
fractious
garrulous
gregarious
hackneyed
hapless
harangue
hegemony
impassive
imperious
impertinent
impervious
impetuous
impinge
implacable
inchoate
incontrovertible
indefatigable
ineffable
inexorable
ingenuous
inimical
iniquity
insidious
inure
invective
inveterate
jubilant
juxtaposition
laconic
languid
largess
latent
legerdemain
licentious
limpid
maelstrom
magnanimous
malediction
malevolent
manifold
maudlin
mawkish
mendacious
mercurial
modicum
multifarious
myriad
nadir
nascent
nefarious
neophyte

Word and Definition List
abjure   Speak
/æb'dʒʊə(r)/ v. Syn. renounce; abandon
renounce upon oath; abandon forever
He will abjure his allegiance to the king.
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abrogate   Speak
/'æbroʊgeɪt/ a. Syn. abolish
abolish, do away with, or annul, especially by authority
He intended to abrogate the decree issued by his predecessor.
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acumen   Speak
/'ækjʊmɛn, ə'kju:mɛn/ n. Syn. acuteness; insight
mental keenness; quickness of perception
However, her team's political acumen is clearly beyond mine, an Ivy League Medical Science Professor and NOT a Political "Science" Professor.
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adumbrate   Speak
/'ædʌmbreɪt/ v. Syn. overshadow; shade
give hint or indication of something; disclose partially or guardedly; overshadow; shade
Her constant complaining about the job would adumbrate her intent to leave.
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alacrity   Speak
/ə'lækrɪtɪ/ n.
cheerful promptness or willingness; eagerness; speed or quickness
Phil and Dave were raring to get off to the mountains; they packed up their ski gear and climbed into the van with alacrity.
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anathema   Speak
/ə'næθəmə/ n.
solemn curse; someone or something regarded as a curse
To the Ayatolla, America and the West were anathema; he loathed the democratic nations, cursing them in his dying words.
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antipathy   Speak
/æn'tɪpəθɪ/ n. Syn. aversion; dislike
strong feeling of aversion; dislike
Tom's extreme antipathy for disputes keeps him from getting into arguments with his temperamental wife.
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approbation   Speak
/æprə'beɪʃ(ə)n/ n. Syn. approval
expression of warm approval; praise
She looked for some sign of approbation from her parents, hoping her good grades would please them.
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arrogate   Speak
/'æroʊgeɪt/ v.
claim without justification; claim for oneself without right
Lynn watch in astonishments as her coworkers arrogate the credit for her brilliant work in the project.
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ascetic   Speak
/ə'sɛtɪk/ a. Syn. austere; severe
leading a life of self-discipline and self-denial; austere
The wealthy, self-indulgent young man felt oddly drawn to the strict, ascetic life led by members of some monastic orders.
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assiduous   Speak
/ə'sɪdjʊəs/;/ə'sɪdʒʊəs/ a. Syn. diligent; persistent
constant in application or attention; diligent; unceasing or persistent
He was assiduous, working at this task for weeks before he felt satisfied with his results.
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boon   Speak
/bu:n/ n. Syn. blessing; benefit
blessing; benefit bestowed, especially in response to a request
The recent rains that filled our empty reservoirs were a boon to the whole community.
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brusque   Speak
/brʊsk/;/brʌsk/ a. Syn. blunt; abrupt
abrupt and curt in manner or speech; rudely abrupt, unfriendly
Was Bruce too brusque when he brushed off Bob's request with a curt "Not now!"?
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burnish   Speak
/'bɜrnɪʃ/ v. Syn. polish
make shiny by rubbing; polish
I burnish the brass fixtures until they reflect the lamplight.
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buttress   Speak
/'bʌtrɪs/ v. Syn. support
support physically; prop up; support something or someone by supplying evidence
The attorney came up with several far-fetched arguments in a vain attempt to buttress his weak case.
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cajole   Speak
/kə'dʒoʊl/ v.
influence or urge by gentle urging or flattering
Diane tried to cajole her father into letting her drive the family car.
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calumny   Speak
/'kæləmnɪ/ n. Syn. slander
false statement maliciously made to injure another's reputation; slander
He could endure his financial failure, but he could not bear the calumny that his foes heaped upon him.
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capricious   Speak
/kə'prɪʃəs/ a. Syn. unpredictable; fickle; arbitrary
fickle; impulsive and unpredictable; apt to change opinions suddenly
The storm was capricious: it changed course constantly.
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clemency   Speak
/'klɛmənsɪ/ n.
mildness, as of the weather; merciful, kind, or lenient act
The lawyer was pleased when the case was sent to Judge Smith's chambers because Smith was noted for her clemency toward first offenders.
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cogent   Speak
/'koʊdʒənt/ a. Syn. convincing
reasonable and convincing; based on evidence; forcefully persuasive
It was inevitable that David chose to go to Harvard: he had several cogent reasons for doing so, including a full-tuition scholarship.
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concomitant   Speak
/kən'kɒmɪtənt/ a. Syn. accompanying
in conjunction with; accompanying; associated with
These two-sided attributes are known as concomitant characteristics.
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conflagration   Speak
/kɒnflə'greɪʃ(ə)n/ a.
large destructive fire; burning; large-scale military conflict
After the conflagration had finally died down, the city center was nothing but a mass of blackened embers.
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conundrum   Speak
/kə'nʌndrəm/ n. Syn. riddle
riddle; difficult problem; dilemma
For this reason, the best way out of this conundrum is a political compromise.
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credulity   Speak
/krɪ'dju:lɪtɪ/;/krɪ'du:lɪtɪ/ n.
readiness of belief; disposition to believe on slight evidence
The rascal lives on the credulity of the people.
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cupidity   Speak
/kju:'pɪdɪtɪ/ n. Syn. greed
greed; excessive desire, especially for wealth
The defeated people could not satisfy the cupidity of the conquerors, who demanded excessive tribute.
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cursory   Speak
/'kɜrsərɪ/ a. Syn. casual
casual; brief or broad; not cautious, nor detailed
Because a cursory examination of the ruins indicates the possibility of arson, we believe the insurance agency should undertake a more extensive investigation of the fire's cause.
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decry   Speak
/dɪ'kraɪ/ v. Syn. disparage
express strong disapproval of; disparage
The founder of the Children's Defense Fund, Marian Wright Edelman, would strongly decry the lack of financial and moral support for children in America today.
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defile   Speak
/di:'faɪl/ v. Syn. pollute
pollute; make dirty or spotty
The hoodlums defile the church with their scurrilous writing.
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deleterious   Speak
/dɛlɪ'tɪərɪəs/ a. Syn. harmful
having harmful effect; injurious; having quality of destroying life; noxious; poisonous
If you believe that smoking is deleterious to your health, then quit!.
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demure   Speak
/dɪ'mjʊə(r)/ a. Syn. grave; serious
modest and reserved in manner or behavior
She was demure and reserved, a nice modest girl whom any young man would be proud to take home to his mother.
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deprecate   Speak
/'dɛprɪkeɪt/ v. Syn. belittle
express disapproval of; protest against; belittle
A firm believer in old-fashioned courtesy, Miss Post must deprecate the modern tendency to address new acquaintances by their first names.
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deride   Speak
/dɪ'raɪd/ v. Syn. ridicule
ridicule; make fun of; laugh at with contempt
The critics deride his pretentious dialogue and refused to consider his play seriously.
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desecrate   Speak
/'dɛsɪkreɪt/ v.
violate with violence, especially to sacred place
Shattering the altar and trampling the holy objects underfoot, the invaders desecrate the sanctuary.
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discursive   Speak
/dɪ'skɜrsɪv/ a.
tending to depart from main point or cover a wide range of subjects
As the lecturer wandered from topic to topic, we wondered what if any point there was to his discursive remarks.
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dissemble   Speak
/dɪ'sɛmb(ə)l/ v. Syn. disguise; pretend
disguise or conceal behind a false appearance; make a false show of
Even though John tried to dissemble his motive for taking modern dance, we all knew he was there not to dance but to meet girls.
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ebullient   Speak
/ɪ'bʌlɪənt/ a.
showing excitement; overflowing with enthusiasm
Amy's ebullient nature could not be repressed; she' was always bubbling over with excitement.
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effrontery   Speak
/ɛ'frʌntərɪ/ n.
shameless or brazen boldness; insolent and shameless audacity
She had the effrontery to insult the guest.
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egregious   Speak
/ɪ'gri:dʒəs/ a. Syn. notorious
notorious; conspicuously bad or shocking
She was an egregious liar; we all knew better than to believe a word she said.
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enervate   Speak
/'ɛnəveɪt/ v. Syn. weaken
weaken or destroy strength or vitality of; remove a nerve or part of a nerve
She was slow to recover from her illness; even a short walk to the window would enervate her.
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ephemeral   Speak
/ɪ'fɛmərəl/ a.
short-lived; enduring a very short time
The mayfly is an ephemeral creature: its adult life lasts little more than a day.
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eschew   Speak
/ɪs'tʃu:/ v. Syn. avoid; escape
avoid; refuse to use or participate in; stand aloof from
Hoping to present himself to his girlfriend as a totally reformed character, he tried to eschew all the vices, especially chewing tobacco and drinking bathtub gin.
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evanescent   Speak
/i:və'nɛs(ə)nt/;/ɛv-/ a. Syn. fleeting; vanishing
fleeting; vanishing or likely to vanish like vapor
Brandon's satisfaction in his new job was evanescent, for he immediately began to notice its many drawbacks.
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evince   Speak
/ɪ'vɪns/ v. Syn. manifest
show or demonstrate clearly; overcome; conquer
When he tried to answer the questions, I heard he evince his ignorance of the subject matter.
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exculpate   Speak
/'ɛkskʌlpeɪt/ v.
pronounce not guilty of criminal charges
The court will exculpate him of the crime after the real criminal confesses.
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execrable   Speak
/'ɛksɪkrəb(ə)l/ a.
very bad; extremely inferiorl; intolerable; very hateful
The anecdote was in such execrable taste that it revolted the audience.
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expiate   Speak
/'ɛkspɪeɪt/ v. Syn. atone
make amends or pay the penalty for; relieve or cleanse of guilt
He tried to expiate his crimes by a full confession to the authorities.
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expunge   Speak
/ɛk'spʌndʒ/ v. Syn. cancel; remove
cancel; remove; erase or strike out
If you behave, I will expunge this notation from your record.
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extant   Speak
/ɛk'stænt/ a.
still in existence; not destroyed, lost, or extinct
Although the book is out of print, some copies are still extant. Unfortunately, all of them are in libraries or private collections; none are for sale.
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extol   Speak
/ɪk'stɔl/ v. Syn. praise; glorify
praise highly; glorify; celebrate
In his speech, the president will extol the astronauts, calling them the pioneers of the Space Age.
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fallacious   Speak
/fə'leɪʃəs/ a. Syn. false; deceptive
false; tending to mislead; deceptive
Paradoxically, fallacious reasoning does not always yield erroneous results: even though your logic may be faulty, the answer you get may nevertheless be correct.
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fastidious   Speak
/fæ'stɪdɪəs/ a.
difficult to please; having complicated requirements; excessively particular demanding about details
Bobby was such a fastidious eater that he would eat a sandwich only if his mother first cut off every scrap of crust.
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fatuous   Speak
/'fætjʊəs/ a. Syn. foolish
foolish or silly, especially in self-satisfied way
He is far too intelligent to utter such fatuous remarks.
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feral   Speak
/'fɪər(ə)l/ a. Syn. wild
not domestic; wild; existing in wild or untamed state
Abandoned by their owners, dogs may revert to their feral state, roaming the woods in packs.
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fetid   Speak
/'fɛtɪd/ a. Syn. stinking
unpleasant-smelling; having offensive smell; stinking
These dogs are housed in fetid, dark sheds and barns or left outside in cages exposed to the cold, the heat, the rain and the snow.
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florid   Speak
/'flɒrɪd/;/'flɔ:rɪd/ a. Syn. ruddy; reddish
reddish; elaborately or excessively ornamented
If you go to beach and get a sunburn, your complexion will look florid.
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fractious   Speak
/'frækʃəs/ a. Syn. unruly; disobedient; irritable
inclined to make trouble; disobedient; irritable
Bucking and kicking, the fractious horse unseated its rider.
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garrulous   Speak
/'gærʊləs/ a. Syn. wordy; talkative
talking much and repetition of unimportant or trivial details
My Uncle Henry can outtalk any three people I know. He is the most garrulous person in Cayuga County.
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gregarious   Speak
/grɪ'gɛərɪəs/ a. Syn. sociable
sociable; seeking and enjoying the company of others
Natural selection in gregarious animals operates upon groups rather than upon individuals.
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hackneyed   Speak
/'hæknɪd/ a. Syn. commonplace
repeated too often; over familiar through overuse
When the reviewer criticized the movie for its hackneyed plot, we agreed; we had seen similar stories hundreds of times before.
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hapless   Speak
/'hæplɪs/ a.
without hap or luck; luckless; unfortunate; unlucky; unhappy
His hapless lover was knocked down by a car.
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harangue   Speak
/hə'ræŋ/ n.
noisy speech; speech or piece of writing with strong feeling or expression
In her lengthy harangue, the principal berated the offenders.
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harangue   Speak
/hə'ræŋ/ n.
noisy speech; speech or piece of writing with strong feeling or expression
In her lengthy harangue, the principal berated the offenders.
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hegemony   Speak
/hɪ'gɛmənɪ/;/'hɛdʒɛmoʊnɪ/ n.
domination, influence, or authority over another, especially by political group or nation over others
When Germany claimed hegemony over Russia, Stalin was outraged.
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impassive   Speak
/ɪm'pæsɪv/ a.
without feeling; revealing little emotion or sensibility; not easily aroused or excited
Refusing to let the enemy see how deeply shaken he was by his capture, the prisoner kept his face impassive.
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imperious   Speak
/ɪm'pɪərɪəs/ a. Syn. dictatorial
urgent or pressing; able to deal authoritatively; dictatorial
Jane rather liked a man to be masterful, but Mr. Rochester seemed so bent on getting his own way that he was actually imperious!
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impertinent   Speak
/ɪm'pɜrtɪnənt/ a. Syn. rude
improperly forward or bold; rude
His neighbors' impertinent curiosity about his lack of dates angered Ted; it was downright rude of them to ask him such personal questions.
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impervious   Speak
/ɪm'pɜrvɪəs/ a. Syn. impenetrable
impenetrable; incapable of being damaged or distressed
The carpet salesman told Simone that his most expensive brand of floor covering was warranted to be impervious to ordinary wear and tear.
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impetuous   Speak
/ɪm'pɛtjʊəs/ a. Syn. violent; hasty; rash.
marked by sudden and violent force; hasty; impulsive and passionate
I don't believe that "Leap before you look" is the motto suggested by one particularly impetuous young man.
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impinge   Speak
/ɪm'pɪndʒ/ v. Syn. infringe; touch
infringe; advance beyond usual limit; make physical impact on; touch
How could they be married not to impinge on one another's freedom?.
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implacable   Speak
/ɪm'plækəb(ə)l/ a.
incapable of being pacified; not to be relieved;
Madame Defarge was the implacable enemy of the Evremonde family.
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inchoate   Speak
/'ɪnkoʊət/ a. Syn. rudimentary; elementary
recently begun; imperfectly formed or developed; elementary
Before the Creation, the world was an inchoate mass.
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incontrovertible   Speak
/ɪnkɒntrə'vɜrtɪb(ə)l/ a. Syn. indisputable
indisputable; not open to question
Unless you find the evidence against my client absolutely incontrovertible, you must declare her not guilty of this charge.
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indefatigable   Speak
/ɪndɪ'fætɪgəb(ə)l/ a. Syn. tireless
tireless; showing sustained enthusiastic action
Although the effort of taking out the garbage tired Wayne out for the entire morning, when it came to partying, he was indefatigable.
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ineffable   Speak
/ɪn'ɛfəb(ə)l/ a. Syn. unutterable
unutterable; cannot be expressed in speech
Such ineffable joy must be experienced; it cannot be described.
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inexorable   Speak
/ɪn'ɛksərəb(ə)l/ a. Syn. unyielding; implacable
not capable of being swayed; unyielding; implacable
The judge was inexorable and gave the convicted man the maximum punishment allowed by law.
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ingenuous   Speak
/ɪn'dʒɛnjʊəs/ a. Syn. young; unsophisticated
naive and trusting; young; unsophisticated
The woodsman had not realized how ingenuous Little Red Riding Hood was until he heard that she had gone off for a walk in the woods with the Big Bad Wolf.
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inimical   Speak
/ɪ'nɪmɪk(ə)l/ a. Syn. unfriendly; hostile; harmful; detrimental
unfriendly; hostile; harmful; detrimental
I've always been friendly to Martha. Why is she so inimical to me?.
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iniquity   Speak
/ɪ'nɪkw(ə)tɪ/ n.
absence of, or deviation from, just dealing; want of rectitude or uprightness; gross injustice; unrighteousness; wickedness
He thought of New York as a den of iniquity.
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insidious   Speak
/ɪn'sɪdɪəs/ a. Syn. treacherous; stealthy; sly
spreading harmfully in a subtle manner; designed or adapted to entrap
More insidious is the whole issue of the second amendment.
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inure   Speak
/ɪ'njʊə(r)/ v. Syn. harden; habituate
apply in use; use or accustom till no pain or inconvenience; harden; habituate
Then as it relates to the benefits that we expect to inure from the system itself, let me turn that over to Stan to give you some highlights.
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invective   Speak
/ɪn'vɛktɪv/ n. Syn. abuse
abusive language used to express blame or ill will
He had expected criticism but not the invective that greeted his proposal.
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inveterate   Speak
/ɪn'vɛtərət/ a. Syn. habitual
deep-rooted; firmly and long established; habitual
An inveterate smoker, Bob cannot seem to break the habit, no matter how hard he tries.
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jubilant   Speak
/'dʒu:bɪlənt/ a. Syn. exultant; happy; merry
happy; merry; joyful and proud especially because of triumph or success
Arriving in Rome to a jubilant crowd and tearful relatives, the women said they had been treated well.
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juxtaposition   Speak
/dʒʌkstəpə'zɪʃən/ n. Syn. apposition
act of positioning close together; side-by-side position
It is the result of the juxtaposition of contrasting colors.
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laconic   Speak
/lə'kɒnɪk/ a. Syn. concise
brief; effectively cut short; marked by use of few words
Many of the characters portrayed by Clint Eastwood are laconic types: strong men of few words.
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languid   Speak
/'læŋgwɪd/ a. Syn. weak; sluggish
lacking energy or vitality; weak; sluggish; lacking spirit or liveliness
Her siege of illness left her languid and pallid.
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largess   Speak
/lɑrdʒɪs/ n.
generous gift; money or gifts bestowed
Lady Bountiful distributed largess to the poor.
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latent   Speak
/'leɪtənt/ a. Syn. dormant; hidden
present or potential but not evident or active; dormant; hidden
Existing arrangements contain latent functions that can be neither seen nor replaced by the reformer.
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legerdemain   Speak
/lɛdʒədə'meɪn/ n.
show of skill or deceitful cleverness, considered magical by naive observers
The magician demonstrated his renowned legerdemain.
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licentious   Speak
/laɪ'sɛnʃəs/ a. Syn. amoral; unrestrained
amoral; unrestrained; lacking moral discipline or ignoring legal restraint
Unscrupulously seducing the daughter of his host, Don Juan felt no qualms about the immorality of his licentious behavior.
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limpid   Speak
/'lɪmpɪd/ a. Syn. clear
clear, transparent or bright; calm, untroubled, and without worry
A limpid stream ran through his property.
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maelstrom   Speak
/'meɪlstrəm/ n. Syn. whirlpool
whirlpool; powerful circular current of water
The canoe was tossed about in the maelstrom, it had to leave the dangerous water quickly.
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magnanimous   Speak
/mæg'nænɪməs/ a. Syn. generous; noble
generous; high-minded; chivalrous
The last area where Obama should be magnanimous is on Defense policy.
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malediction   Speak
/mælɪ'dɪkʃ(ə)n/ n. Syn. curse
curse; evil speaking; utterance of curse or execration
When the magic mirror revealed that Snow White was still alive, the wicked queen cried out in rage and uttered dreadful malediction.
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malevolent   Speak
/mə'lɛvələnt/ a. Syn. malicious
having or exhibiting ill will; wishing harm to others; malicious
Lago is a malevolent villain who takes pleasure in ruining Othello.
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manifold   Speak
/'mænɪfoʊld/ a.
various in kind or quality; many in number; numerous; multiplied; complicated
The same threat is repeated in manifold forms to awaken the careless.
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maudlin   Speak
/'mɔ:dlɪn/ a. Syn. sentimental
tearfully sentimental; over-emotional; sickly-sentimental
One moment he was in maudlin tears and the next he was cracking some miserable joke about the disaster.
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mawkish   Speak
/'mɔ:kɪʃ/ a. Syn. maudlin
insincerely emotional; showing a sickly excess of sentiment
Whenever Gigi and her boyfriend would sigh and get all lovey-dovey, her little brother would shout, "Yuck!" protesting their mawkish behavior.
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mendacious   Speak
/mɛn'deɪʃəs/ a. Syn. lying
lying; habitually dishonest; speaking falsely
Distrusting Huck from the start, Miss Watson assumed he was mendacious and refused to believe a word he said.
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mercurial   Speak
/mɜrkjʊərɪəl/ a. Syn. capricious
capricious; liable to sudden unpredictable change; quick and changeable in temperament
Quick as quicksilver to change, he was mercurial in nature and therefore unreliable.
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modicum   Speak
/'mɒdɪkəm/ n.
limited quantity; small or moderate amount; any small thing
Although his story is based on a modicum of truth, most of the events he describes are fictitious.
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multifarious   Speak
/mʌltɪ'fɛərɪəs/ a. Syn. varied
varied; greatly diversified; made up of many differing parts
A career woman and mother, she was constantly busy with the multifarious activities of her daily life.
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myriad   Speak
/'mɪrɪəd/ a. Syn. innumerable; many; countless; numberless
of very large or indefinite number; of ten thousand
In China, for example, where a number of different dialects are spoken, the same character can be pronounced in myriad ways.
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nadir   Speak
/'neɪdɪə(r)/ n.
lowest point; point on sphere opposites zenith diametrically
Although few people realized it, the Dow-Jones averages had reached their nadir and would soon begin an upward surge.
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nascent   Speak
/'næsənt/ a. Syn. incipient
incipient; coming into existence; emerging
If we could identify these revolutionary movements in their nascent state, we would be able to eliminate serious trouble in later years.
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nefarious   Speak
/nɪ'fɛərɪəs/ a. Syn. abominable
very wicked; infamous by being extremely wicked
Our elected leaders, movie stars and sports heroes sometimes engaged in nefarious activities but rarely were they headlined in the daily newspapers.
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neophyte   Speak
/'ni:oʊfaɪt/ n. Syn. beginner
recent convert to a belief; one newly initiated
This mountain slope contains slides that will challenge anyone, either expert or neophyte.
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