ACT Vocab
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| abstract adj | not like anything physical; not representing a physical object; related to thought or imagination as opposed to nature. Opposite of concrete.
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| absurdity n | the state of being ridiculously impossible
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| acknowledge vt | to admit to be true
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| acute adj | 1. in geometry, less that 90° and therefore pointed and sharp; keen 2. immediate and in need of attention; said of a disease. Opposite of chronic
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| aesthetic adj | artsy; related to beauty or excellence
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| aesthetic n | a standard for judging something’s goodness
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| affluence n | wealth
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| agenda n | plan of accomplishments and the time needed to perform them
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| allegedly adv | according to what people say but unproven
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| ambiguity n | ability to be understood in either of two ways
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| ample adj | adequate; plentiful; abundant
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| analogy n | comparison; a way to show how one thing is like another
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| anomaly n | something that doesn’t fit or belong and can’t be explained
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| apathy n | lack of feeling
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| arbitrary adj | chosen at random; having no pattern
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| articulate v | to say something clearly and in detail
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| assert vi | to state strongly
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| assertion n | a statement made strongly
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| authoritative adj | confident; sounding as if an expert had said it
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| auxiliary adj | additional; used as a substitute in case of need
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| breadth n | width, wide range or extent
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| chaos n | complete confusion or disorder
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| chronic adj | ongoing; across time. Opposite of acute
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| chronological adj | arranged in date or time order
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| cite v | to show the source of
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| coherence n | logical connection and clearness
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| coherent adj | logically connected
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| collaborating vi | to work together with
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| commendable adj | worthy of praise
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| compellingly adv | in a manner that causes someone to consider believing
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| concede vt | to admit
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| concise adj | efficient with words; saying what needs to be said in as few words as possible.
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| concrete adj | looking like something physical; representing a physical object; related to nature, as opposed to thought or imagination. Opposite of abstract.
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| condescension n | the act of lowering oneself to do something considered too “low”
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| confer vi | to talk with on a particular subject
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| conformity n | the act of going along with what everybody else is doing
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| connote vt | to cause to think about, as opposed to plainly stating. Opposite of denote.
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| consequence n | result; what follows due to something that went before
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| consequently adv | as a result
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| consistent adj | 1. the same throughout; fair 2. in harmony; having the same principles
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| contemporary n | someone who lived at the same time
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| context n | the sentence that surround the words
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| controversial adj | causing much discussion or scandal
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| conversely adv | in the opposite order
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| convey vt | to make known; to serve as a means of communication
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| correlate vt | to show how one thing relates to another
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| cosmopolitan adj | worldly; educated in the ways of the world
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| counter vt | to oppose in response
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| criterion n | a standard or reason for judgment.
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| cryptic adj | with a hidden meaning (its root word is crypt, meaning “hiding place”)
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| defiantly adv | with an oppositional attitude.
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| definitive adj | 1. the qualities that make something what it is 2. the most nearly complete and accurate
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| delete vt | to take out; remove (said of words)
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| deletion n | the act of marking something out
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| denote vt | to state plainly; to give an exact meaning. Opposite of connote.
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| derive vt | to arrive at by computing or thinking
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| deterrence n | something that keeps people from doing something
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| detached adj | neither on one side nor the other; objective; without bias; not “attached” to one side of an argument
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| deterrence n | something that keeps people from doing something
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| detract vi | to reduce the quality of
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| dialect n | a form of language used by people of a certain region or group
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| dilemma n | a choice between two confusing alternatives
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| diligent adj | hard-working
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| discern vt | to recognize as separate or different
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| disdainful adj | showing lack of respect
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| dispel vt | to get rid of
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| dissonance n | unmatched, disturbing sounds; lack of harmony
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| distract vt | to draw attention away
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| diverse adj | having parts that are unlike each other
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| drawback n | disadvantage of doing something; reason not to do something
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| dry adj | reserved and subtle, as opposed to broad and obvious (said of a sense of humor)
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| eclectic adj | having components from a wide variety of sources
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| editorial adj | having the qualities an editor might add, as opposed to fact-based news stories
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| eloquent adj | graceful and skillful of speech
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| eminent adj | famous; outstanding
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| emphatically adv | with great emphasis
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| enumerate vt | to count out one by one
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| escapist adj | literature or art that rejects the routine of the real world
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| establishment n | “The powers that be”—those who by their wealth or power make the social rules
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| evaluative adj | helping to judge
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| evoke vt | to bring to the mind or the senses
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| explanatory adj | explaining; giving details about something in order to make it easier to understand
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| explicit adj | obvious and detailed
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| extent n | a place as far as
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| façade n | false face; front; shallow covering of the real thing
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| facet n | a particular side, as of a jewel; aspect
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| factual adj | based on proven knowledge
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| faculty n | individual parts that make up a whole person or institution
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| feign vt | to pretend; to fake
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| fictitious adj | made up, as opposed to factual
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| figuratively adv | in a way; so to speak; in a way that people understand but not literally true
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| finding n | what someone has found after much research. Usually plural: findings
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| foresight n | the ability to understand beforehand, to “foresee”
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| formality n | “dressed-up”-ness; the degree to which something follows social rules
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| format n | shape, size, and general arrangement of a book, magazine, or other presentation
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| frenzied adj | with hysterical agitation; wild
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| frivolous adj | not serious; silly
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| furthermore adv | in addition
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| generalities n | the big ideas or qualities that smaller ideas share
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| generalization n | an overall big idea drawn from a bunch of smaller ideas
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| generalize vi | to state the qualities that different things or ideas have in common
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| generate vt | to cause to be made
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| genre n | category
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| glib adj | quick-witted; smooth-tongued
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| humanitarian adj | having to do with those who serve mankind
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| hypothesis n | the unproven idea you start out with before you prove something
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| idealistic adj | expecting the best; identified by ideals, rather than dreads
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| ideological adj | having to do with ideas, their nature and source
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| Idiomatic adj | unique in language and thought; setting its own standard
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| illogical adj | lacking logic; not making sense
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| illustrative adj | so descriptive that it draws a mental picture
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| imminent adj | on its way; about to arrive
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| implication n | the idea a person gives without saying it directly
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| imply vt | to give an idea indirectly, without coming out and saying
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| impose vt | to cause unnecessary trouble to
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| inaccurate adj | wrong; faulty
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| inadvertently adv | without having been planned; by not being careful
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| incentive n | a reward or prize offered to get someone to behave a certain way
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| Inclination n | leaning; tendency
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| inconsistency n | lack of “sameness”; difference in substance or texture
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| inconstant adj | unsteady; wavering
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| indication n | hint; sign
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| Indifference n | absence of caring
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| inevitable adj | unavoidable
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| inexplicably adv | “un-explain-ably”
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| infer v | to come up with an idea based on what someone said
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| inference n | an idea that comes from what someone else said
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| influential adj | having influence; having “pull”
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| ingenious adj | clever and inventive
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| ingenuous adj | innocent, trusting, simple
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| inherent adj | built-in naturally
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| initial adj | first; at the beginning
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| inquiry n | question-asking
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| insight n | ability to see or understand the inner nature
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| insignificant adj | unimportant; too small to matter
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| insinuate vt | to hint or suggest indirectly
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| insistently adv | refusing to give up
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| Insufficient adj | not enough
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| intent adj | determined to; focused
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| intent n | purpose
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| intently adv | with great concentration
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| interpretation n | way of saying something in a different language or for a different listener
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| intolerant adj | unwilling or unable to put up with
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| intricacies n | complicated details
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| intricate adj | delicate and complicated
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| intrigue vt | to fascinate
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| irreconcilable adv | un-matchable; that cannot be brought into agreement
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| irrelevant adj | unrelated; not important to the matter at hand
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| irrevocable adj | unchangeable
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| likewise adv | in the same way
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| longstanding adj | having been established a long time
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| lyricism n | graceful, musical quality
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| mainstream n | majority; common idea
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| mandate v | to cause to be demanded
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| means n | stuff needed; way
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| mediocre adj | neither high- nor low-quality; in-between; average
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| melancholy adj | sad and thoughtful; gloomy
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| mere adj | only; nothing more or other than
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| meticulous adj | picky and extremely careful
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| minuscule adj | very tiny
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| mischievous adj | fond of playing jokes and causing harmless trouble
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| misconception n | mistaken idea
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| momentous adj | important in a life-changing way
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| mutual adj | as much from one side as the other; agreeable to both sides; from both sides
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| narrative n | the telling of a story
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| nevertheless adv | unlike what you might expect; nonetheless
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| nonetheless adv | unlike what you might expect; nevertheless
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| nostalgia n | an emotional feeling about the past
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| noteworthy adj | worth paying attention to
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| notion n | small part of an idea
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| obscure adj | hard to find
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| obscure vt | to hide
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| obtuse adj | dull; not sharp; said of an angle that is greater than 90° because it isn’t “sharp”
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| omission n | the leaving out of something
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| omit vt | to leave out
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| on behalf of prep | for the sake of; to represent
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| one-dimensional adj | having neither depth nor width; a spot only, without any development
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| onus n | burden
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| outset n | beginning; the place from which one “sets out”
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| paradox n | the relationship between two statements that do not seem to be able to be true at the same time
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| parenthetical adj | 1. inside parentheses: words inside curved marks (like those around these words) 2. that which is said off to the side; not the main idea but one that is worth sneaking in
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| perceptual adj | relying on the senses, as opposed to the mind
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| phenomenal adj | like nothing else; unique
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| philosophy n | way of thinking that guides other thoughts and actions
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| plagiarism n | the using of someone else’s words or ideas without giving that person credit; stealing words or ideas
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| populace n | the people of a region or group
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| populous n | having a large population
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| portray vt | to display from a certain viewpoint
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| preceding adj | the one that went before; previous
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| precisely adv | exactly
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| preconceived adj | already thought of
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| previous adj | that which came before; preceding
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| progressive adj | socially or culturally different from a mainstream idea
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| quasi prefix | sort of; somewhat
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| quintessential adj | the absolute basic
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| randomly adv | not in any predictable order
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| rational adj | based on thought, not feeling; reasonable
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| redundancy n | words that are unnecessary because they have been stated in another way
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| redundant adj | unnecessary because they have been stated in another way
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| reinforce vt | to make stronger
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| relevant adj | related to the important idea
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| reluctantly adv | not wanting to
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| remnant n | leftover piece
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| remote adj | away from everything else
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| replenish vt | to fill back up; to restore to its original volume
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| resemblance n | “looking-alike-ness”
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| resistant to adj | able to avoid being infected or taken in by
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| resolution n | strength of will
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| resonate vi | to spread a sound or an idea
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| resources n | qualities or material that can be used
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| respectively adv | in the same order as the items on the other list
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| revel v | to enjoy indulgently
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| reverent adj | treating with great respect, as if holy
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| revisionist adj | trying to change the accepted idea
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| rift n | a space that divides
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| rudimentary adj | just enough to get by
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| sacrilege n | a supreme insult to something held holy
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| sanctuary n | 1. a place that provides protection and safety because it has been set aside by a religious authority 2. the status of someone who depends on the protection of a sanctuary
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| sapling n | a young tree
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| satellite n | something that orbits around something else
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| saturation n | being so full that it is impossible to hold any more
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| scholarly adv | like someone who enjoys school; academic; bookish
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| scrutinize vt | to examine closely
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| scrutiny n | careful observation
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| seascape n | a painting or drawing of the sea and features in it or nearby; compare to landscape
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| seemingly adv | apparently; giving the appearance of
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| selectively adv | in a picky, careful way
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| seminal adj | a basic part of what comes after
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| sensory adj | having to do with seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, or feeling (as opposed to thinking)
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| sentiment n | an expression of feeling; an opinion colored by emotion
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| serenity n | the state of being serene: beautifully calm
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| shrill adj | high, piercing, and grating on the ear
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| shrub n | any bushy plant, smaller than a tree, often used for decoration or as a fence
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| shun vt | to avoid deliberately and systematically
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| simultaneous adj | occurring at the same time
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| singular adj | unusual; not like anything else
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| site n | a place where something happened or is planned to be
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| sit-in n | a form of protest in which participants sit in a targeted place until their demands are met.
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| sizable adj | big
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| skepticism n | tendency to doubt
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| slogan n | a saying that identifies a movement or person
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| social order n | “the way things are”; the unwritten rules for how a society works
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| solace n | emotional comfort
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| sovereign adj | all-powerful; in control of the entire unit
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| specific adj | exact; of a particular kind
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| speculate vi | to invest money or ideas in something you aren’t sure about; to gamble
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| spin-off n | a TV show originated as a feature of another TV show
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| stable adj | staying the same; neither getting better nor worse
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| stationary adj | staying in one place
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| stationery n | specialized, fine quality paper for writing letters and notes
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| status n | current state of being
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| stereotypical adj | matching what people expect because of one trait
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| stifle vt | to repress; to hold down
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| subjective adj | based on feelings and not on fact
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| succession n | a series
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| succumb vi | to fall a victim (to)
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| superficial adj | only on the surface; not deep
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| superimpose vt | to lay (something) on top of something else
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| sustenance n | that which sustains; the stuff that keeps something alive
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| syndicated adj | a group of similar businesses owned by one company
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| syringe n | a device for putting a small amount of a liquid into a small space, like a medicine into a vein
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| taut adj | tightly stretched
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| taxed with vt | given the responsibility for
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| tenet n | any opinion , principle, or doctrine that a person or group holds
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| terra firma n | Latin for “solid earth”
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| terrestrial adj | having to do with the earth
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| theorize vi | to propose an explanation for
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| thereafter adv | from then on; starting at that point and then going on
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| thus adv | 1. like this; in this way 2. therefore; because of what has just been said
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| timber n | trees that have been felled and are to be used for wood for furniture, paper, etc.
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| tirade n | a long speech in which the speaker fusses or complains
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| toxin n | a poison that comes from a plant or animal
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| trajectory n | the curved path of something hurtling through space
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| transcend vt | to go beyond or above
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| transition n | a graceful easing from one thing to another
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| translucent adj | able to let light through but diffusing it enough to conceal any object behind it
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| treason n | an act of betrayal against one’s own country
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| typesetting n | the art of placing tiny metal letters and numbers in place to be covered with ink and pressed against paper to make a printed page
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| tyranny n | any government controlled by a single person
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| tyrant n | one who has absolute power over a country
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| uncanny adj | “un-explainable”; something for which no one knows the reason
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| unparalleled adj | unmatched; too extreme to be equaled
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| unprecedented adj | original; having nothing similar that came before
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| unsolicited adj | “un-asked-for”
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| urgency n | need for action
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| urn n | a large vase, sometimes with a lid
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| vaccine n | a preventive medicine made from the disease-causing essence itself; by introducing a small amount of the germ into the body, the body forms antibodies to fight the disease, and can thus resist further exposure to the disease.
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| vindicate vt | to prove innocent after having been blamed
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| visionary n | one who imagines how the future can be
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| vivid adj | strongly colored; standing out from the background
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| voluptuous adj | heavily fleshed in a beautiful way
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| vulnerable adj | easily wounded or hurt
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| wherefore conj | why; for what reason
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| whimsy n | a lighthearted, playful attitude
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| withdrawn adj | shy; staying away from people
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| worldview n | an overall way of looking at the world
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Or sort by any of the columns using the down arrow next to any column heading.
If you know all the data on any row, you can temporarily remove it by tapping the trash can to the right of the row.
To hide a column, click on the column name.
To hide the entire table, click on the "Hide All" button.
You may also shuffle the rows of the table by clicking on the "Shuffle" button.
Or sort by any of the columns using the down arrow next to any column heading.
If you know all the data on any row, you can temporarily remove it by tapping the trash can to the right of the row.
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Created by:
serverge
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