abase

v. humiliate; lower or depress in rank or esteem
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abash

v. embarrass; make ashamed or uneasy; disconcert
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abbreviate

v. make shorter; reduce to shorter form intended to represent full form, as for word or phrase
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abdicate

v. give up, renounce, abandon, lay down, or withdraw from, as a right or claim
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abdication

n. the act of giving up or renouncing a right, office, or position of power etc.
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abet

v. aid, usually in doing something wrong; encourage
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abhorrent

a. disgusting, loathsome
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abjure

v. renounce upon oath; abandon forever
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ablution

n. washing or cleansing of the body, especially as part of religious rite
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abnegate

v. give up or surrender; deny something to oneself
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abnegation

n. repudiation; self-sacrifice; renouncing your own interests in favor of interests of others
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abrade

v. wear away by friction; scrape; erode
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abridge

v. condense; shorten; reduce length of written text
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abrogate

a. abolish, do away with, or annul, especially by authority
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abscond

v. leave quickly and secretly and hide oneself, often to avoid arrest or prosecution
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abstemious

a. sparing or moderation in eating and drinking; temperate
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acclimate

v. accustom or become accustomed to a new environment or situation; adapt
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acclivity

n. upward slope, as of hill
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accolade

n. award of merit; expression of approval; praise
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accost

v. approach and speak to boldly or aggressively, as with demand or request
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accouter

v. equip; provide with military equipment
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accretion

n. growth or increase in size by gradual external addition, fusion, or inclusion
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acerbity

n. bitterness of speech and temper; sourness or acidness of taste, character, or tone
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acetic

a. having properties of vinegar; sour
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acidulous

a. slightly sour in taste or in manner; sharp; caustic
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acquisition

n. the act of acquiring or gaining possession
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acrimonious

a. bitter and sharp in language, tone, or manner
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acrimony

n. animosity, sharp or bitter hatred
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acrophobia

n. fear of heights; abnormal fear of high places
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actuarial

a. calculating; pertaining to insurance statistics
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actuate

v. put into motion or action; activate
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acuity

n. sharpness; acuteness of vision or perception; keenness
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adage

n. an old saying, that has obtained credit by long use
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addle

v. muddle; drive crazy; become confused
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adjoin

v. be next to; be contiguous to; border on
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adjudicate

v. hear and settle a case by judicial procedure
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adjunct

n. something added on or attached generally nonessential or inferior
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adjure

v. appeal to or entreat earnestly; command or enjoin solemnly, as under oath
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admonition

n. gentle or friendly reproof; cautionary advice or warning
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adulation

n. excessive flattery or admiration; unmerited praise
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adulterate

v. make impure by adding inferior or tainted substances
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adumbrate

v. give hint or indication of something; disclose partially or guardedly; overshadow; shade
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adventitious

a. accidental; casual; not inherent but added extrinsically
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advert

n. advertisement an ad; public promotion of some product or service
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aerie

n. nest of bird, such as eagle, built on a cliff or other high place
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affix

v. fasten; append; add on; secure to something
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affluence

n. abundance; a plentiful supply of material goods; wealth
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agglomeration

n. collection; heap; act or process of gathering into a mass
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aggrandize

v. increase scope of; extend; intensify; make greater in power, influence, stature, or reputation
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agnostic

n. one who is skeptical of existence of a god or any ultimate reality
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aka

ad. as known or named at another time or place; also known as
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alacrity

n. cheerful promptness or willingness; eagerness; speed or quickness
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algorithm

n. established procedure for solving problem
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alimentary

a. providing nourishment; concerned with food, nutrition, or digestion
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allay

v. calm; pacify; reduce the intensity of; relieve
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allege

v. to assert to be true
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allegory

n. symbolic representation of abstract ideas or principles in narrative, dramatic, or pictorial form
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alliteration

n. repetition of beginning sound in poetry
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allocate

v. assign; distribute according to plan
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allusion

n. an indirect reference
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altar

n. elevated place or structure before which religious ceremonies may be enacted or upon which sacrifices may be offered
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amalgam

n. a combination of many different things; an alloy of mercury and other metals
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amalgamate

v. combine; unite in one body; mix or alloy a metal with mercury
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amass

v. collect; gather for oneself, as for one's pleasure or profit
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ambidextrous

a. capable of using either hand with equal ease
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ambivalence

n. state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes, such as love and hate
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amble

n. moving at an easy pace; walk slowly or leisurely
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ambulatory

a. able to walk; formed or adapted for walking; not stationary
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ameliorate

v. make or become better; improve; grow better
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amity

n. friendship; peaceful relations, as between nations
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amorphous

a. formless; lacking shape or definition
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amphitheater

n. oval building with tiers of seats from central open space or arena
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amplify

v. broaden or clarify by expanding; intensify; make larger or more powerful; increase
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amputee

n. a person who has had one or more limbs removed by amputation
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anachronistic

a. having time error in story; erroneous in date; in wrong time
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analgesic

a. serving to reduce sensibility to pain without loss of consciousness
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anathema

n. solemn curse; someone or something regarded as a curse
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ancestry

n. family descent; series or line of ancestors; lineage
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ancillary

a. serving as aid or accessory; auxiliary
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anew

ad. once more; again; in a new and different way
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angular

a. sharp-cornered; consisting of an angle or angles; stiff in manner
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animus

n. feeling of animosity
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annotate

v. comment; make explanatory notes
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anodyne

n. source of relaxation or comfort; medicine that relieves pain
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antecede

v. precede; go before in time, and sometimes in place, rank, or logical order
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antecedents

n. preceding events or circumstances that influence what comes later; ancestors or early background
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antediluvian

a. antiquated; extremely old and ancient; belonging to very ancient times
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anthology

n. book of literary selections by various authors
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anthropocentric

a. regarding human beings as the center of the universe
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anthropoid

a. manlike; resembling a human, especially in shape or outward appearance
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anthropomorphic

a. having human form or characteristics
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anticlimax

n. letdown in thought or emotion; decline viewed in disappointing contrast with previous rise
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antipathy

n. strong feelings of aversion or dislike
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apartheid

n. South Africa's policy of racial separation, in place from 1948 to 1990.
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aphasia

n. loss of speech due to injury or illness
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aphorism

n. definition or concise statement of principle; tersely phrased statement of truth or opinion
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apiary

n. place where bees and beehives are kept, especially where bees are raised for their honey
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aplomb

n. poise; self-confident assurance
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apogee

n. the highest point; point in orbit most distant from the body being orbited
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apolitical

a. having aversion or lack of concern for political affairs
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apologist

n. person who argues in defense or justification of something, such as doctrine, policy, or institution
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apostate

n. one who abandons his religious faith or political beliefs
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apotheosis

n. elevation to godhood; fact or action of becoming a god; an ideal example of something
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appall

v. depress or discourage with fear; grow faint or become weak
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append

v. attach; add as supplement or appendix
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apposite

a. strikingly appropriate and relevant; well-suited
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appraise

v. estimate value of; evaluate, especially in official capacity
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apprenticeship

n. term during which one learns a trade from skilled worker; service or legal condition of an apprentice
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apprise

v. inform; give notice to; make aware
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aquifer

n. underground bed or layer yielding ground water for wells and springs etc
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archetype

n. prototype; original model or type after which other similar things are patterned
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archipelago

n. a large group of islands; a sea, containing a large number of scattered islands
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arena

n. an enclosed area, often outdoor, for the presentation of sporting events or other spectacular events
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aristocracy

n. hereditary nobility; privileged class
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arraign

v. officially charge someone in a court of law
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arrogate

v. claim without justification; claim for oneself without right
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artisan

n. manually skilled worker; craftsman, as opposed to artist
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aseptic

a. preventing infection; having cleansing effect
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ashen

a. ash-colored; very pale; consisting of ashes
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askance

a. with sideways or indirect look; Turned to side, especially of eyes
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aspect

n. look, or particular appearance of the face; the visual percept of a region
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asperity

n. harshness of manner, roughness
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aspirant

n. one who aspires, as to advancement, honors, or a high position
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assay

v. analyze; evaluate; examine by trial or experiment; put to test
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assimilate

v. to make similar, to incorporate or absorb into
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astigmatism

n. eye defect that prevents proper focus
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astringent

a. causing contraction; having the effect of drawing tissue together; stern or austere
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asymmetric

a. not identical on both sides of a dividing central line
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at loggerheads

ad. engaged in a dispute
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atavism

n. resemblance to remote ancestors rather than to parents; deformity returning after passage of two or more generations
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atavistic

a. displaying characteristics of previous cultural era or of previous ancestral form
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atheistic

a. denying existence of God; godless
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atrocity

n. extreme criminality or cruelty; quality of being shockingly cruel and inhumane
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attenuate

v. make slender, fine, or small; weaken; lessen density of
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attrition

n. gradual decrease in numbers; reduction in work force without firing employees; wearing away of opposition by means of harassment
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atypical

a. not normal; unusual or irregular; not representative of a group, class, or type
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aura

n. an invisible breath; distinctive atmosphere or quality associated with something
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aureole

n. the outermost region of the sun's atmosphere; halo
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auroral

a. characteristic of dawn; dawning, eastern, like new beginning; relating to the atmospheric phenomenon auroras
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austerity

n. severe and rigid economy; severe or rigorous simplicity; absence of adornment or luxury
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authenticate

v. prove genuine; establish authenticity of
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authoritarian

a. expecting absolute obedience; completely dominating another's will
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autocrat

n. dictator; ruler having unlimited power
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autocratic

a. having absolute, unchecked power; dictatorial
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automaton

n. mechanism that imitates actions of humans
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autonomous

a. self-governing; not controlled by others or by outside forces; independent
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avalanche

n. fall or slide of a large mass, as of snow or rock, down a mountainside
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aviation

n. art or act of flying; specifically, the science or art of directing and controlling flying-machines
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avocation

n. activity taken up in addition to one's regular work or profession, usually for enjoyment
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avuncular

a. in manner of uncle, pertaining to uncle; kind, genial, benevolent or tolerant
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