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37 Cards in this Set
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- Back
- 3rd side (hint)
Appreciate
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V. to increase in value
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The Browns bought their house twenty years ago for a hundred dollars, but it appreciated considerably since then; today it is worth almost a million dollars.
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Apprehensive
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adj. worried; anxious
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The apprehensive child clung to his father's leg as the two of them walked into the main circus tent to watch the lion tamer.
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Approbation
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N. approval; praise
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The ambassador's actions met with the approbation of his commander in chief.
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Aptitude
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N. capacity for learning; natural ability
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The Princeton Review students have a marked aptitude for taking the SAT. They earn high scores.
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Arbiter
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N. one who decides; a judge
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An arbiter of fashion determines what other people will wear by wearing it herself.
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Arbitrary
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Adj. random; capricious
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The old judge was arbitrary in sentencing criminals; there was no sensible pattern to the sentences he handed down.
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Arcane
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Adj. mysterious; known only to a select few
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The rites of the secret cult were arcane; no one outside the cult knew what they were.
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Archaic
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Adj. extremely old; ancient; outdated
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The tribe's traditions are archaic. They have been in force for thousands of years.
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Archetype
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N. an original model or pattern
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Plato is the archetype of all philosophers.
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Ardent
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Adj. passionate; enthusiastic
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Larry's ardent wooing finally got on Cynthia's nerves, and she told him to get lost.
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Arduous
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Adj. hard; difficult
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Climbing the mountain was arduous. We were so exhausted when we got to the top that we forgot to enjoy the view.
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Aristocratic
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Adj. of noble birth; snobbish
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Polo, which Prince Charles enjoys, is often said to be an aristocratic sport because it is typically played by privileged people.
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Artful
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Adj. crafty; wily; sly
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After dinner, the artful counselor told the campers that there was a madman loose in the woods, thus causing them to lie quietly in the tent.
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Artifice
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N. a clever trick; cunning
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The Trojan Horse was an artifice designed to get the soldiers inside the walls.
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Ascendancy
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N. supremacy; domination
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Small computers have been in ascendancy for the past few years.
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Ascetic
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Adj. hermitlike; practicing self-denial
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The college professor's apartment, which contained no furniture except a single tattered mattress, was uncomfortably ascetic.
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Assiduous
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Adj. hardworking; busy; quite diligent
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The workmen were assiduous in their effort to got nothing done; instead of working, they drank coffee all day long.
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Assimilate
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V. to take in; to absorb; to learn thoroughly
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Margaret didn't have any friends when she first went to the new school, but she gradually assimilated-- she became part of the new community.
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Arraign
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V. to bring to court to answer an indictment; to accuse
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The suspect was indicted on Monday, arraigned on Tuesday, tried on Wednesday, and hanged on Thursday.
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Arrant
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Adj. utter; unmitigated; bad
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Arrant nonsense is complete, total, no-doubt-about-it nonsense.
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Arrears
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N. the state of being in debt; unpaid debts
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Amanda was several months in arrears with the rent on her apartment, and her landlord threatened to evict her.
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Arsenal
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N. a collection of armaments; a facility for storing or producing armament; a supply of anything useful.
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The nation's nuclear arsenal is large enough to destroy the world several times over,
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Articulate
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V. to pronounce clearly; to express clearly
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Sissy had a lisp and could not articulate the s sound; she called herself Thithy.
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Artisan
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N. a person skilled in a craft
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The little bowl-- which the Anderson's dog knocked off the table and broke into a million pices-- had been meticulously handmade by a charming old artisan who had used a glazing technique passed down for generations.
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Ascertain
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V. to determine with certainty; to find out definitely
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With a quick flick of his tongue, Wendy ascertained that the pie that had just landed on her face was indeed lemon meringue.
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Ascribe
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V. to credit to or assign; to attribute
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Mary was a bit of a nut; she ascribed powerful properties to the gravel in her driveway.
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Askance
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Adv. with suspicion or disapproval
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When Herman said that he had repaired the car by pouring apple cider into its gas tank, Jerry looked at him askance.
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Aspersion
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N. a slanderous or damning remark
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The local candidate had no legitimate criticisms to make of his opponent's record, so he resorted to aspersions. His opponent resented this asperity.
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Assail
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V. to attack vigorously
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We hid behind the big maple tree and assailed passing cars with salvos of snowballs.
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Assert
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V. to claim strongly; to affirm
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When Buzz asserted that the UFO was a hoax, the little green creature pulled out a ray-gun and incinerated him.
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Assess
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V. to evaluate; to estimate; to appraise
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After assessing his chances in the election-- only his parents would promise to vote for him-- the candidate dropped out of the race.
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Astringent
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Adj. harsh; severe; withering
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The coach's remarks tot he team after losing the game were astringent but apparently effective: The team won the next three games in a row.
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Asylum
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N. a mental hospital or similar institution; refuge; a place of safety
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"The woods are my asylum," Mary said. "I go there to escape from the insanity of the world."
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Atone
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V. to make amends
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In the view of the victim's family, nothing the murderer did could atone for the crime he had committed.
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Atrophy
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V. to wither away; to decline from disuse
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The students' interest in algebra had atrophied to the point at which they could scarcely keep their eyes open in class.
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Attest
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V. to give proof of; to declare to be true or correct; to give testimony
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Helen's skillful guitar playing attested to the endless hours she had spent practicing.
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Attribute
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V. to credit to or assign; to ascribe
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The scientist, who was always making excuses, attributed the failure of his experiment to the fact that it had been raining that day in Phoenix, Arizona.
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