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d
Arable
adj. suitable for growing crops (of land)
Provenance
n. place or source of origin
Rebuke
v. to criticize sharply
Advocate
v. to speak in support of something
Equivocal
adj. capable of multiple interpretations; unclear
Facade
n. outward appearance; the face of a building
Abrade
v. to wear down a surface by or as if by scraping
Cavalcade
n. an order of events; a procession
Antithesis
n. direct contrast; opposition
Opportunist
n. one who takes advantage of every opportunity, whether or not it is moral to do so
Solicitous
adj. showing anxious concern
Dire
adj. warning of or having terrible consequences
Assimilate
v. to take in as one's own; to absorb; to adapt or adjust to the customs, etc. of a group
Downtrodden
adj. badly and unfairly treated; oppressed
Jilt
v. to reject or cast off
Burnish
v. to polish
Allegory
n. a literary work in which the characters represent abstract ideas; a symbolic representation
Blight
n. a plant disease; something that impairs growth, progress, or prosperity
Itinerant
adj. traveling from place to place, esp. for work
Concur
v. to agree
Improvident
adj. not preparing for the future; incautious
Robust
adj. strong and full of health
Reprehensible
adj. deserving to be severely criticized
Transient
adj. passing with time; remaining only briefly
Dismay
v. to destroy courage or resolution; to cause to lose enthusiasm, to disillusion
Germane
adj. fitting and appropriate
Effrontery
n. bold and insulting behavior
Disconsolate
adj. extremely unhappy; seemingly beyond comforting
Ensue
v. to happen subsequently
Hubris
n. excessive pride
Laudable
adj. worthy of praise
Hallmark
n. any mark or symbol of genuineness or high quality
Emulate
v. to copy someone; to imitate
Mnemonic
adj. pertaining to or assisting the memory
Apogee
n. the highest point; the farthest point in a satellite's orbit
Phlegmatic
adj. having a calm, sluggish temperament; unemotional
Antiseptic
adj. free from germs; thoroughly cleann. a substance that inhibits the growth of germs
Recur
v. to repeat; to occur again
Austere
adj. stern or severe in appearance; without luxury
Repose
n. relaxation; a state of rest
Burgeon
v. to sprout or grow rapidly
Reticence
n. the quality or state of being silent or uncommunicative
Inculcate
v. to teach or impress by frequent repetition; to instill
Posterity
n. future generations
Extricate
v. to remove from an entanglement or difficulty
Emphatic
adj. done or expressed with force
Repel
v. to drive or force back; to drive off
Incoherent
adj. not sticking together; not logically connected
Engender
v. to beget; to cause; to promote
Sequester
v. to move or set apart; to quarantine
Ascertain
v. to discover with certainty, as through examination
Bondage
n. slavery; servitude
Disseminate
v. to scatter widely; (of information) to make known
Inordinate
adj. excessive, unrestrained
Doctrine
n. a set of principles (religious, political, etc.); a rule of law, esp. as established by precedent
Recede
v. to go back; to withdraw
Impinge
v. to have an effect on something, esp. a negative one; to encroach
Allege
v. to assert to be true, esp. without or before proof
Epitome
n. a representative example of a type
Hoodwink
v. to deceive; to mislead
Moribund
adj. approaching death; nearly obsolete
Tract
n. an area of land or water; a brief written work, usually on a religious or political topic
Venerable
adj. worthy of honor and respect by reason of dignity, age, etc.
Berate
v. to scold severely and at length
Alienate
v. to make unfriendly or hostile
Panacea
n. a cure-all or an all-purpose solution
Affluence
n. wealth
Contrite
adj. feeling sorry for what one has done
Excruciating
adj. severely painful
Melancholy
adj. sad, esp. a lingering or habitual state of mind
Redress
v. to set right; to remedy
Impoverished
adj. without money; deprived of natural resources
Deplete
v. to gradually use up (resources, strength, etc.)
Vantage
n. a position that gives a wide view
Regimen
n. a set of rules, usually followed for therapeutic effect
Precarious
adj. dangerously insecure or unstable
Cordial
adj. warm and friendly; hearty
Abdicate
v. to willingly give up ht eposition of king, queen, etc.; to choose not to fulfill a role or duty
Voracious
adj. devouring; extremely hungry
Banish
v. to drive away; to force to leave a place by official decree
Surly
adj. sullen and rude
Obsolete
adj. no longer working or in use; out-of-date
Magnanimous
adj. generous; noble in mind
Subterfuge
n. a sneaky or devious method for avoiding difficulty or unpleasantness
Vernacular
n. informal speech; native language
Claustrophobia
n. fear of confined spaces
Congenial
adj. suited to one's needs or nature; friendly; sympathetic
Acrid
adj. harsh; sarcastic; bitter to the taste
Dogmatic
adj. arrogantly asserting unproved principles
Catharsis
n. purging of the emotions
Manifest
adj. obvious; very clear; evident
Terse
adj. without unnecessary words; succinct
Amorphous
adj. without definite shape; shapeless; unorganized
Choleric
adj. easily angered; bad-tempered
Coherent
adj. logically consistent and orderly
Halcyon
adj. calm; peaceful
Sullen
adj. showing silent anger and unwillingness to be pleasant to people
Defer
v. to delay; to put off
Crevice
n. a crack or narrow fissure
Coax
v. to persuade or obtain by pleading or flattery
Indefatigable
adj. tireless, unceasing
Tandem
n. a relationship between two people or things involving cooperative action
Explicate
v. to give a detailed, usually learned explanation or analysis
Lugubrious
adj. sad or mournful, esp. in a way that seems exaggerated or ridiculous
Moratorium
n. suspension of activity; authorized delay
Ulterior
adj. lying beyond what is evident, revealed, or claimed
Camaraderie
n. loyalty; a warm, friendly feeling among members of a group
Affable
adj. friendly; easy to talk to
Acrimony
n. bitter, sharp hostility in speech or behavior
Cantankerous
adj. bad-tempered; quarrelsome
Improvise
v. to do without preparation
Premonition
n. a sense of a future event; a warning in advance
Putrid
adj. in a foul state, as of decaying flesh; rotten
Abide
v. to tolerate
Avocation
n. a hobby
Propaganda
n. material distributed by those in favor of a specific caues and reflecting their point of view
Sanguine
adj. optimistic, cheerful
Edifice
n. a building; architectural monument
Sinecure
n. a paid position that requires little or no work
Squander
v. to spend wastefully
Ubiquitous
adj. present everywhere
Sully
v. to dirty or tarnish, esp. by disgracing
Diffident
adj. lacking self-confidence; timid; shy
Quintessence
n. a pure substance or essence of something