Difficult GRE Words

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Difficult GRE Words (Group 2)

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Word List Card Flashcard Pronounce
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avuncular
axiom
azure
bacchanalian
badinage
bailiff
baleful
bang
barbarous
batter
bead
beamline
beatific
beatitude
bedeck
beforehand
beget
beguile
behemoth
beleaguer
bellicose
benediction
besiege
bevy
bilious
bitumen
blare
blaze
bleak
blench
blindside
blithe
boisterous
bolster
bombastic
bonny
booth
boson
botnet
bounteous
bounty
bovine
breach
bridle
brimful
brindled
broil
brood
bucolic
bulwark
burgeon
burnish
bursary
buttress
buxom
bygone
cactus
cadaverous
cajole
callow
calumny
canister
canker
cannibalize
cantankerous
cantata
capacious
caper
capitalize
capitulate
capsize
captious
captivate
captivity
carapace
cardiovascular
careen
caribou
carnage
cartel
cartographer
castigate
cataclysm
catapult
cataract
categorical
caulk
cavil
cede
celerity
censorious
centrifugal
centripetal
cerebral
cerebration
cession
chagrin
chary
chasten
chastise
chicanery
chide
chimerical
choleric
chortle
christening
chug
churlish
circa
circuitous
circumlocution
circumscribe
circumspect
cistern
clamorous
clamour
clan
cloister
cloying
coagulate
coalesce
coffer
cogency
cogent
cogitate
cognate
colander
collate
collateral
commentariat
commodious
complaisant
compunction
computation
concave
conceit
concoct
concomitant
concubine
concurrent
condescension
condole
conduit
confetti
conflagration
congregate
congruent
congruity
conifer
conscientious

Word and Definition List
avuncular
Pronounce   a. in manner of uncle, pertaining to uncle; kind, genial, benevolent or tolerant
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axiom
Pronounce   n. self-evident truth requiring no proof
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azure
Pronounce   a. sky blue; light purplish-blue
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bacchanalian
Pronounce   a. drunken; relating to reveling and drunkenness
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badinage
Pronounce   n. teasing conversation; good-humored, playful conversation
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bailiff
Pronounce   n. legal officer to whom some degree of authority
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baleful
Pronounce   a. portending evil; harmful in intent or effect.
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bang
Pronounce   n. sudden loud noise, as of an explosion; sudden loud blow or bump; sudden burst of action
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barbarous
Pronounce   a. being in the state of a barbarian; uncivilized; rude
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batter
Pronounce   v. hit heavily and repeatedly with violent blows
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bead
Pronounce   n. small, often round piece of material, such as glass, plastic, or wood, that is pierced for stringing or threading
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beamline
Pronounce   n. line traveled by a particle beam in an accelerator
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beatific
Pronounce   a. completely happy and contented; showing or producing exalted joy
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beatitude
Pronounce   n. blessedness; state of extreme happiness
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bedeck
Pronounce   v. adorn or ornament in a showy fashion
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beforehand
Pronounce   ad. in advance; early; at an earlier or preceding time
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beget
Pronounce   v. produce; give rise to
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beguile
Pronounce   v. mislead; delude; deceive by guile
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behemoth
Pronounce   n. something enormous in size or power
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beleaguer
Pronounce   v. besiege or attack; harass; surround with troops
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bellicose
Pronounce   a. warlike or hostile in manner or temperament; showing or having impulse to be combative
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benediction
Pronounce   n. blessing; invocation of divine blessing; expression of good wishes
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besiege
Pronounce   v. surround with hostile forces; crowd around; cause to feel distressed or worried
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bevy
Pronounce   n. large group; a group of animals or birds, especially larks or quail
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bilious
Pronounce   a. suffering from indigestion; appearing as if affected by disorder; sickly
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bitumen
Pronounce   n. any of various naturally occurring impure mixtures of hydrocarbons
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blare
Pronounce   n. loud, harsh roar or screech; dazzling blaze of light
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blaze
Pronounce   n. brilliant burst of fire; flame
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bleak
Pronounce   a. depressing, sombre, cold
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blench
Pronounce   v. draw back, from lack of courage or resolution; turn pale, as if in fear
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blindside
Pronounce   v. to take by surprise
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blithe
Pronounce   a. gay; joyous; carefree and lighthearted
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boisterous
Pronounce   a. rough and stormy; loud, noisy, and lacking in restraint or discipline
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bolster
Pronounce   v. support or prop up with or as if with a long narrow pillow or cushion
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bombastic
Pronounce   a. pompous; using inflated language; high-sounding but with little meaning
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bonny
Pronounce   a. handsome; beautiful; pretty; attractively lively and graceful
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booth
Pronounce   n. small enclosed compartment with a window, used to separate the occupant from others; small stall for the display and sale of goods
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boson
Pronounce   n. any particle that obeys Bose-Einstein statistics but not the Pauli exclusion principle
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botnet
Pronounce   n. a collection of compromised computers that is slowly built up then unleashed as a DDOS attack or used to send very large quantities of spam
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bounteous
Pronounce   a. liberal in charity; disposed to give freely; generously liberal; beneficent; free in bestowing gifts
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bounty
Pronounce   n. liberality in giving; something that is given liberally; goodness, kindness
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bovine
Pronounce   a. dull, slow-moving, and stolid, like an ox; placid and dull
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breach
Pronounce   n. an opening or tear; breaking of waves; a gap or rift
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bridle
Pronounce   n. headgear with which a horse is directed and which carries a bit and reins
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brimful
Pronounce   a. full to the brim; completely full; ready to overflow
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brindled
Pronounce   a. of brownish, tawny colour, with streaks, spots, or patterns
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broil
Pronounce   v. cook by direct exposure to heat over fire; subject to great heat; be subjected to the action of heat; be greatly heated
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brood
Pronounce   n. children in one family; young of certain animals
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bucolic
Pronounce   a. rustic; pastoral; agricultural; relating to country affairs, or to shepherd's life and occupation
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bulwark
Pronounce   n. earthwork or other strong defense; person who defends
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burgeon
Pronounce   v. to develop or grow rapidly
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burnish
Pronounce   v. make shiny by rubbing; polish
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bursary
Pronounce   n. treasury, especially of a public institution or religious order; scholarship granted to a university student in need
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buttress
Pronounce   v. support physically; prop up; support something or someone by supplying evidence
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buxom
Pronounce   a. healthily plump and ample of figure; full-bosomed; vigorous; jolly
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bygone
Pronounce   a. past; gone by
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cactus
Pronounce   n. any of various succulent, spiny, usually leafless plants native mostly to arid regions
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cadaverous
Pronounce   a. like corpse; pale; Having appearance or color of dead human body
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cajole
Pronounce   v. influence or urge by gentle urging or flattering
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callow
Pronounce   a. youthful; immature; inexperienced; without feathers
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calumny
Pronounce   n. false statement maliciously made to injure another's reputation; slander
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canister
Pronounce   n. small box or case for tea, coffee, etc
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canker
Pronounce   n. corroding or sloughing ulcer; anything which corrodes, corrupts, or destroy; disease incident to trees, causing the bark to rot and fall off
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cannibalize
Pronounce   v. remove parts of machine for use in other similar machines; consume another of one's own type or kind
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cantankerous
Pronounce   a. ill humored; irritable; marked by ill-tempered contradiction or opposition; ugly; malicious
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cantata
Pronounce   n. story or poem set to music that can be sung by chorus
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capacious
Pronounce   a. capable of containing a large quantity; spacious or roomy
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caper
Pronounce   n. crime, especially theft, or a narrative about such a crime
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capitalize
Pronounce   v. to use something to one's benefit for advantage
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capitulate
Pronounce   v. surrender; end all resistance; give up; go along with or comply
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capsize
Pronounce   v. overturn or cause to overturn; turn over or upset
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captious
Pronounce   a. intended to confuse in an argument
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captivate
Pronounce   v. charm; enthrall; seize by force, as an enemy in war, or anything belonging to enemy
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captivity
Pronounce   n. state or period of being imprisoned, confined, or enslaved
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carapace
Pronounce   n. hard outer covering or case of certain organisms such as arthropods and turtles
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cardiovascular
Pronounce   a. of, relating to, or involving the heart and the blood vessels
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careen
Pronounce   v. lean to one side, as a ship under press of sail; sway from side to side
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caribou
Pronounce   n. large reindeer native to northern North America
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carnage
Pronounce   n. massive slaughter, as in war; massacre; corpses, especially of those killed in battle
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cartel
Pronounce   n. a combination of independent business organizations formed to regulate production, pricing, and marketing of goods by the members
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cartographer
Pronounce   n. one who makes maps or charts
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castigate
Pronounce   v. criticize severely; punish; revise or make corrections to publication
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cataclysm
Pronounce   n. an event resulting in great loss and misfortune; deluge or overflowing of water
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catapult
Pronounce   v. increase the status of something rapidly; shoot forth or launch
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cataract
Pronounce   n. disease of the eye causing its opacity and, unless treated, leading to blindness
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categorical
Pronounce   a. absolute; having no exception; of using category or categories
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caulk
Pronounce   v. make watertight by filling in cracks
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cavil
Pronounce   v. criticise for petty or frivolous reasons; raise trivial objections
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cede
Pronounce   v. yield or formally resign and surrender to another
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celerity
Pronounce   n. swiftness of action or motion; speed
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censorious
Pronounce   a. critical; addicted to censure; severe in making remarks on others, or on their writings or manners; implying or expressing censure
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centrifugal
Pronounce   a. radiating; departing from the center
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centripetal
Pronounce   a. tending toward center; moving or directed toward center or axis
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cerebral
Pronounce   a. intellectual rather than emotional
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cerebration
Pronounce   n. act of cerebrating; thinking, mental activity
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cession
Pronounce   n. yielding to another; ceding or surrendering
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chagrin
Pronounce   n. anxiety caused by humiliation or injured pride; disappointment
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chary
Pronounce   a. cautious; sparing or restrained about giving
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chasten
Pronounce   v. rid of excess; refine or purify; correct by punishment or reproof
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chastise
Pronounce   v. punish, as by beating; criticize severely; rebuke
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chicanery
Pronounce   n. mean or unfair artifice to obscure truth; deception by trickery or sophistry
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chide
Pronounce   v. scold mildly so as to correct or improve; express disapproval
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chimerical
Pronounce   a. fantastically improbable; highly unrealistic; imaginative
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choleric
Pronounce   a. hot-tempered; easily angered; bad-tempered; expressing anger
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chortle
Pronounce   v. chuckle with delight; joyful laugh or chuckle; laugh quietly or with restraint
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christening
Pronounce   n. a Christian ceremony involving baptizing and naming an infant
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chug
Pronounce   v. dull explosive sound, usually short and repeated, made by or as if by a laboring engine
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churlish
Pronounce   a. difficult to work with; rude; unyielding; unmanageable
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circa
Pronounce   ad. approximately, about; commonly abbreviated ca. -- used especially before dates and numerical measures.
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circuitous
Pronounce   a. being or taking a roundabout, lengthy course; going round in a circuit; not direct
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circumlocution
Pronounce   n. indirect or roundabout expression; evasion in speech or writing
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circumscribe
Pronounce   v. limit narrowly; confine; draw a line around; encircle
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circumspect
Pronounce   a. carefully aware of all circumstances; cautious
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cistern
Pronounce   n. reservoir or water tank; vessel to hold water for household uses
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clamorous
Pronounce   a. speaking and repeating loud words; full of clamor; calling or demanding loudly or urgently; vociferous; noisy; bawling; loud
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clamour
Pronounce   a. loud outcry; loud sustained noise
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clan
Pronounce   n. a large group of relatives, friends, or associates; a traditional social unit, consisting of a number of families claiming a common ancestor
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cloister
Pronounce   n. place, especially a monastery or convent, devoted to religious seclusion; secluded, quiet place
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cloying
Pronounce   a. distasteful because excessive; excessively sweet or sentimental
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coagulate
Pronounce   v. cause transformation of liquid into or as if into soft, semisolid, or solid mass
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coalesce
Pronounce   v. combine; fuse; grow together; come together so as to form one whole; unite
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coffer
Pronounce   n. casket, chest, or trunk, especially, one used for keeping money or other valuables
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cogency
Pronounce   n. power of proving or of producing belief; quality of being highly probable or convincing; force; credibility
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cogent
Pronounce   a. reasonable and convincing; based on evidence; forcefully persuasive
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cogitate
Pronounce   v. think earnestly or studiously; meditate; ponder; think deeply
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cognate
Pronounce   a. related by blood; having common ancestor; related or analogous in nature, character, or function
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colander
Pronounce   n. bowl-shaped strainer, used to wash or drain foods
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collate
Pronounce   v. to assemble something in a logical sequence
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collateral
Pronounce   n. guarantee, usually in the form of an asset, for the repayment of a loan if one cannot procure enough funds to repay
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commentariat
Pronounce   n. all commentators of the news media collectively
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commodious
Pronounce   a. spacious and comfortable; fit; proper; convenient
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complaisant
Pronounce   a. trying to please; showing cheerful willingness to do favors for others
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compunction
Pronounce   n. feeling of deep regret; strong uneasiness caused by a sense of guilt
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computation
Pronounce   n. calculation
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concave
Pronounce   a. hollow; curved like inner surface of sphere
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conceit
Pronounce   n. overly high self-esteem; feelings of excessive pride
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concoct
Pronounce   v. prepare by mixing ingredients, as in cooking; devise, using skill and intelligence
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concomitant
Pronounce   a. in conjunction with; accompanying; associated with
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concubine
Pronounce   n. in certain societies, such as imperial China, a woman contracted to a man as a secondary wife, often having few legal rights and low social status
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concurrent
Pronounce   a. simultaneous; coincident; occurring or operating at the same time
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condescension
Pronounce   n. act of condescending; voluntary descent from one's rank or dignity in intercourse with an inferior; courtesy toward inferiors
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condole
Pronounce   v. grieve; express sympathy; speak sympathetically to one in pain, grief, or misfortune
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conduit
Pronounce   n. pipe or channel for conveying fluids; tube for enclosing electric wires or cable
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confetti
Pronounce   n. small pieces of colored paper generally thrown about at festive occasions
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conflagration
Pronounce   n. large destructive fire
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congregate
Pronounce   v. assemble; convene; gather
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congruent
Pronounce   a. possessing congruity; suitable; agreeing; corresponding
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congruity
Pronounce   n. relation or agreement between things; fitness; harmony; correspondence; consistency.
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conifer
Pronounce   n. any gymnospermous tree or shrub bearing cones
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conscientious
Pronounce   a. thorough, careful, or vigilant; implies a desire to do a task well; characterized by extreme care and great effort
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