SAT Essay Vocabulary

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SAT Essay Vocabulary 1

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abate
aberration
abhor
abstruse
accost
acrimony
acumen
adamant
adept
adroit
affected
alacrity
aloocate
altruistic
amenable
amiable
amicable
antediluvian
anthropology
antipathy
apathetic
apt
arcane
ascendancy
ascetic
aspire
assail
assiduous
assuage
atrophy
attenuate
august
aura
auspicious
autocrat
automaton
avarice
banal
barrage
belie
belligerent
benevolent
bequeath
berate
bitartisanship
blighted
bog
bolster
bombastic
boorish
buoyant
burgeon
buttress
byzantine
cacophonous
cajole
callous
cantankerous
capricious
castigate
caustic
censorious
censure
cerebral
chagrin
charlatan
chastise
chide
churlish
circuitous
circumscribe
circumvent
clandestine
coalesce
compendious
complacency
compliant
conciliate
concur
conflagration
confluence
congenial
conscientious
consternation
contempt
contemptible
contentious
convivial
copious
corroborate
cosmopolitan
credulity
culpable
cursory
dauntless
dearth
debacle
debilitate
debunk
decimate
decorum
deference
degredation
deleterious
delineate
demonstrative
demure
demystify
denigrate
depose
depravity
deprecate
depreciation
deride
derivative
derogatory
desecration
despondent
despot
destitute
deterrent
devoid
didactic
diffident
diffuse
digress(ion)
dilatory
diminutive
dire
discern
discomfited
discount
disheartening
disillusionment
disingenuous
disparage
dispassionate
dispel
disputatious
disquiet
disseminate
distaste
divergent
divisive
divulge
doctrine
dormant
dupe
duplicitous
ebullient
eclectic
efface
effervesce
egalitarian
elated
elicit
elucidate
elude
elusive
embitter
embroiled
empathetic
empirical
encompass
encroaching
encumbrance
enigma
enumerate
ephemeral
epiphany
epitome
equanimity
equitable
equivocal
erudite
esoteric
estrange
eulogy
evoke
exacting
excavate
exemplar
exhibitionist
exhort
exorbitant
expedient
expose
extol
extricate
facile
faction
fallacious
fallacy
fanaticism
fastidious
fathom
felicitious
finesse
flagrant
flippant
florid
flummox
folly
foolhardy
forlorn
fortitude
fortuitous
fraudulent
frugal
furor
furtive
futile
gait
gallant
gargantuan
garish
genial
germinate
glutton
grandiose
hackneyed
hamper
hardy
hasten
heresy
histrionic
hubris
Word and Definition List
abate   Speak
subside; decrease; become less in amount or intensity
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aberration   Speak
deviation, not normal
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abhor   Speak
fill with horror and loathing; horrify; hate
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abstruse   Speak
obscure; profound; difficult to understand.
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accost   Speak
approach and speak to boldly or aggressively, as with demand or request
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acrimony   Speak
bitter animosity
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acumen   Speak
mental keenness; quickness of perception
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adamant   Speak
extremely hard; inflexible; stubbornly unyielding
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adept   Speak
expert at; very skilled; having or showing knowledge and skill and aptitude
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adroit   Speak
skillful and adept under pressing conditions
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affected   Speak
speaking or behaving in artificial way; emotionally stirred or moved; infected or attacked
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alacrity   Speak
cheerful promptness or willingness; eagerness; speed or quickness
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aloocate   Speak
assign, portion
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altruistic   Speak
unselfishly generous; concerned for others
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amenable   Speak
responsive to advice or suggestion; responsible to higher authority; willing to comply with; agreeable
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amiable   Speak
good-natured and likable; lovable; warmly friendly
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amicable   Speak
exhibiting friendliness or goodwill; not quarrelsome
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antediluvian   Speak
antiquated; extremely old and ancient; belonging to very ancient times
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anthropology   Speak
social science that studies origins and social relationships of human beings
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antipathy   Speak
strong feeling of aversion; dislike
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apathetic   Speak
feeling or showing a lack of interest or concern; indifferent
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apt   Speak
likely; exactly suitable; appropriate; quick to learn or understand
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arcane   Speak
secret; mysterious; known only to the initiated
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ascendancy   Speak
superiority or decisive advantage; domination
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ascetic   Speak
leading a life of self-discipline and self-denial; austere
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aspire   Speak
seek to attain; long for; strive toward an end
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assail   Speak
assault; attack with or as if with violent blows
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assiduous   Speak
constant in application or attention; diligent; unceasing or persistent
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assuage   Speak
ease or lessen pain; satisfy or appease
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atrophy   Speak
wasting away; decrease in size; reduction in the functionality of an organ caused by disease
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attenuate   Speak
make slender, fine, or small; weaken; lessen density of
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august   Speak
impressive; majestic; inspiring awe or admiration
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aura   Speak
air, feeling
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auspicious   Speak
attended by favorable circumstances; marked by success; prosperous
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autocrat   Speak
dictator; ruler having unlimited power
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automaton   Speak
mechanism that imitates actions of humans
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avarice   Speak
greediness for wealth; insatiable desire of gain
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banal   Speak
obvious and dull; commonplace; lacking originality
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barrage   Speak
artificial obstruction; heavy curtain of artillery fire; rapid, concentrated discharge of missiles
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belie   Speak
contradict; give a false impression
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belligerent   Speak
inclined or eager to fight; aggressive
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benevolent   Speak
generous in providing aid to others; charitable
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bequeath   Speak
leave to someone by a will; hand down
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berate   Speak
rebuke or scold angrily and at length
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bitartisanship   Speak
supported by two opposing parties
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blighted   Speak
suffering from a disease; destroyed, ruined, or spoiled
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bog   Speak
marsh, swamp
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bolster   Speak
support or prop up with or as if with a long narrow pillow or cushion
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bombastic   Speak
pompous; using inflated language; high-sounding but with little meaning
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boorish   Speak
rude and clumsy in behavior; ungentlemanly; awkward in manners
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buoyant   Speak
able to float; cheerful and optimistic
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burgeon   Speak
grow forth; send out buds; grow or develop rapidly
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buttress   Speak
support physically; prop up; support something or someone by supplying evidence
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byzantine   Speak
convoluted, complex
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cacophonous   Speak
discordant; inharmonious; sounding harshly; ill-sounding
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cajole   Speak
influence or urge by gentle urging or flattering
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callous   Speak
emotionally hardened; unfeeling; toughened
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cantankerous   Speak
ill humored; irritable; marked by ill-tempered contradiction or opposition; ugly; malicious
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capricious   Speak
fickle; impulsive and unpredictable; apt to change opinions suddenly
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castigate   Speak
criticize severely; punish; revise or make corrections to publication
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caustic   Speak
capable of burning, corroding, dissolving, or eating away by chemical action
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censorious   Speak
critical; addicted to censure; severe in making remarks on others, or on their writings or manners; implying or expressing censure
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censure   Speak
expression of strong disapproval or harsh criticism; blame
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cerebral   Speak
relating to the brain or cerebrum; intellectual rather than emotional
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chagrin   Speak
anxiety caused by humiliation or injured pride; disappointment
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charlatan   Speak
quack; one who pretends to knowledge, skill, or importance
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chastise   Speak
punish, as by beating; criticize severely; rebuke
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chide   Speak
scold mildly so as to correct or improve; express disapproval
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churlish   Speak
difficult to work with; rude; unyielding; unmanageable
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circuitous   Speak
being or taking a roundabout, lengthy course; going round in a circuit; not direct
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circumscribe   Speak
limit narrowly; confine; draw a line around; encircle
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circumvent   Speak
surround an enemy; enclose or entrap; beat by cleverness and wit
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clandestine   Speak
secret; conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods
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coalesce   Speak
combine; fuse; grow together; come together so as to form one whole; unite
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compendious   Speak
succinct
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complacency   Speak
feeling of contented self-satisfaction, especially when unaware of upcoming trouble
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compliant   Speak
yielding to request or desire; ready to accommodate; disposed or willing to comply
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conciliate   Speak
compromising, apologizing
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concur   Speak
agree
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conflagration   Speak
large destructive fire; burning; large-scale military conflict
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confluence   Speak
act of two things flowing together; junction or meeting place where two things meet
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congenial   Speak
compatible
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conscientious   Speak
diligent; responsible; reliable
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consternation   Speak
intense state of fear or dismay; astonishment combined with terror
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contempt   Speak
state of being despised or dishonored; disgrace; disobedience to, or open disrespect of
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contemptible   Speak
worthy of contempt; deserving of scorn or disdain; mean
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contentious   Speak
quarrelsome; disagreeable; marked by heated arguments or controversy
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convivial   Speak
festive; occupied with or fond of the pleasures of good company
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copious   Speak
plentiful; containing plenty; affording ample supply
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corroborate   Speak
establish or strengthen as with new evidence or facts; support with evidence
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cosmopolitan   Speak
sophisticated; of worldwide scope
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credulity   Speak
readiness of belief; disposition to believe on slight evidence
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culpable   Speak
blameworthy
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cursory   Speak
casual; brief or broad; not cautious, nor detailed
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dauntless   Speak
bold; incapable of being discouraged; fearless
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dearth   Speak
scarcity; shortage of food; famine from failure or loss of crops
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debacle   Speak
sudden downfall; complete disaster
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debilitate   Speak
make weak; enfeeble; impair the strength of
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debunk   Speak
expose as false, exaggerated, worthless; ridicule
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decimate   Speak
destroy or kill a large part of; select by lot and kill one in every ten of
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decorum   Speak
propriety in manners and conduct; good taste in manners; conventions or requirements of polite behavior
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deference   Speak
willingness to carry out the wishes of others; great respect
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degredation   Speak
humiliation
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deleterious   Speak
having harmful effect; injurious; having quality of destroying life; noxious; poisonous
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delineate   Speak
portray; depict; draw or trace outline of; sketch out
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demonstrative   Speak
openly emotional
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demure   Speak
modest and reserved in manner or behavior
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demystify   Speak
clarify; free from mystery or obscurity
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denigrate   Speak
blacken; defame; attack reputation of; degrade
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depose   Speak
force to leave; remove from office
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depravity   Speak
extreme corruption or degradation; wickedness
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deprecate   Speak
express disapproval of; protest against; belittle
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depreciation   Speak
devaluation; decrease in price or value
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deride   Speak
ridicule; make fun of; laugh at with contempt
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derivative   Speak
unoriginal; derived from another source
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derogatory   Speak
expressing low opinion; disparaging; belittling
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desecration   Speak
violate the sacredness of
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despondent   Speak
in low spirits from loss of hope or courage
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despot   Speak
tyrant; harsh, authoritarian ruler; eastern Orthodox bishop
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destitute   Speak
extremely poor; utterly lacking; devoid
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deterrent   Speak
something that discourages; tending to deter
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devoid   Speak
completely lacking; barren or empty
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didactic   Speak
excessively morally instructive
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diffident   Speak
shy
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diffuse   Speak
spread out widely; scatter freely; pour out and cause to spread freely
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digress(ion)   Speak
stray from the subject at hand
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dilatory   Speak
tending to waste time
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diminutive   Speak
below the average size; very small; little
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dire   Speak
urgent, dreadful
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discern   Speak
detect; perceive
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discomfited   Speak
disappointed, defeated
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discount   Speak
give reduction in price on
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disheartening   Speak
discouraging
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disillusionment   Speak
disenchantment, disappointment
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disingenuous   Speak
giving a false appearance of frankness; not straightforward or candid; insincere or calculating
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disparage   Speak
belittle; speak of in a slighting or disrespectful way; reduce in esteem or rank
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dispassionate   Speak
calm; impartial; unaffected by strong emotion or prejudice
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dispel   Speak
scatter; drive away; cause to vanish
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disputatious   Speak
argumentative; fond of arguing; inclined to dispute
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disquiet   Speak
make uneasy or anxious; trouble
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disseminate   Speak
distribute; spread; scatter like seeds
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distaste   Speak
dislike, aversion
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divergent   Speak
differing; tending to move apart in different directions
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divisive   Speak
creating conflict
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divulge   Speak
reveal; make known to public
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doctrine   Speak
principles presented for belief, as by religious; principle of law; act of teaching; instruction
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dormant   Speak
sleeping; not active but capable of becoming active
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dupe   Speak
easily deceived person; duplicate of photographic image
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duplicitous   Speak
deliberately deceptive
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ebullient   Speak
showing excitement; overflowing with enthusiasm
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eclectic   Speak
composed of elements from a variety of sources
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efface   Speak
rub or wipe out; make indistinct as if by rubbing
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effervesce   Speak
bubble, fizz
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egalitarian   Speak
belief in equality
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elated   Speak
overjoyed; extremely happy and excited
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elicit   Speak
draw out; bring forth or to light; generate or provoke as response or answer
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elucidate   Speak
make clear or plain, especially by explanation; clarify
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elude   Speak
avoid cleverly; escape perception of
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elusive   Speak
difficult to describe; difficult to detect or grasp by mind
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embitter   Speak
make worse
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embroiled   Speak
throw into confusion; deeply involved especially in something complicated
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empathetic   Speak
compassionate
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empirical   Speak
derived from experiment and observation rather than theory
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encompass   Speak
surround; form a circle or ring around; enclose; envelop
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encroaching   Speak
intrusive
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encumbrance   Speak
burden
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enigma   Speak
puzzle; difficult problem
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enumerate   Speak
list each one; mention one by one
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ephemeral   Speak
short-lived; enduring a very short time
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epiphany   Speak
sudden realization
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epitome   Speak
representative or perfect example of a class or type; brief summary, as of a book or article
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equanimity   Speak
calmness of temperament; steadiness of mind under stress.
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equitable   Speak
marked by or having equity; just and impartial
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equivocal   Speak
open to two or more interpretations and often intended to mislead
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erudite   Speak
learned; scholarly, with emphasis on knowledge gained from books
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esoteric   Speak
hard to understand; known only in a particular group
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estrange   Speak
alienate
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eulogy   Speak
expression of praise, often on the occasion of someone's death
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evoke   Speak
bring out; arouse; call forth
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exacting   Speak
making severe demands; rigorous; requiring great care, effort, or attention
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excavate   Speak
unearth; dig out; make a hole in; hollow out
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exemplar   Speak
representative example
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exhibitionist   Speak
deliberately behaving a certain way to attract attention
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exhort   Speak
urge on or encourage, especially by shouts; make urgent appeal
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exorbitant   Speak
greatly exceeding bounds of reason or moderation; exceeding proper limits
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expedient   Speak
suitable; appropriate to a purpose; serving to promote your interest
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expose   Speak
set forth; set out to public view
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extol   Speak
praise highly; glorify; celebrate
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extricate   Speak
free, as from difficulties or perplexities; cause to be emitted or evolved
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facile   Speak
done or achieved with little effort or difficulty; ready or fluent
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faction   Speak
a party of persons having a common end in view
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fallacious   Speak
false; tending to mislead; deceptive
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fallacy   Speak
deceptive or false appearance; false notion; deception
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fanaticism   Speak
excessive zeal; extreme devotion to a belief or cause
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fastidious   Speak
difficult to please; having complicated requirements; excessively particular demanding about details
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fathom   Speak
measure the depth; come to understand
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felicitious   Speak
well-suited, happy
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finesse   Speak
refinement and delicacy of performance; skillful, subtle handling
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flagrant   Speak
obvious and offensive, blatant, scandalous; flaming into notice
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flippant   Speak
lacking proper seriousness; speaking freely; talkative; communicative
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florid   Speak
reddish; elaborately or excessively ornamented
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flummox   Speak
confuse
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folly   Speak
foolishness; lack of good sense, understanding, or foresight
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foolhardy   Speak
rash; marked by unthinking boldness
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forlorn   Speak
sad and lonely; wretched; abandoned or left behind
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fortitude   Speak
bravery; force; power to attack or to resist attack
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fortuitous   Speak
accidental; by chance; coming or occurring without any cause
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fraudulent   Speak
cheating; deceitful; planning or using fraud; given to practice of fraud
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frugal   Speak
sparing; economical; costing little; inexpensive
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furor   Speak
great excitement; public disorder or uproar
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furtive   Speak
marked by quiet and caution and secrecy
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futile   Speak
useless; having no useful result; vain
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gait   Speak
manner of walking or stepping; bearing or carriage while moving; walk; rate of moving
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gallant   Speak
courtly; lively and spirited; having or displaying great dignity or nobility
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gargantuan   Speak
huge; of a tremendous size, volume, degree
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garish   Speak
over-bright in color; tastelessly showy
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genial   Speak
friendly; cordial; having a pleasant or friendly disposition or manner
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germinate   Speak
cause to sprout or grow; come into existence
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glutton   Speak
person who eats too much food and drink
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grandiose   Speak
impressive from inherent grandeur; large and impressive, in size, scope or extent
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hackneyed   Speak
repeated too often; over familiar through overuse
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hamper   Speak
put at disadvantage; prevent progress or free movement of
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hardy   Speak
in robust and good health; able to survive under unfavorable conditions
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hasten   Speak
accelerate; quicken
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heresy   Speak
opinion contrary to popular belief; opinion contrary to accepted religion
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histrionic   Speak
characteristic of acting or stage performance
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hubris   Speak
excessive pride or self-confidence
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