 | Term | Definition |
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askance |
(adv.) with suspicion, distrust, or disapproval |
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attenuate |
(v.) to make thin or slender; to weaken or lessen in force, intensity, or value |
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benign |
(adj.) gentle, kind; forgiving, understanding; having a favorable or beneficial effect; not malignant |
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cavil |
(v.) to find fault in a petty way, carp; (n.) a trivial objection or criticism |
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charlatan |
(n.) one who feigns knowledge or ability; a pretender, impostor, or quack |
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decimate |
(v.) to kill or destroy a large part of |
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foible |
(n.) a weak point, failing, minor flaw |
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forgo |
(v.) to do without, abstain from, give up |
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fraught |
(adj.) full of or loaded with; accompanied by |
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inure |
(v.) to toughen, harden; to render used to something by long subjection or exposure |
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luminous |
(adj.) emitting or reflecting light, glowing; illuminating |
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obsequious |
(adj.) marked by slavish attentiveness; excessively submissive, often for purely self-interested reasons |
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obtuse |
(adj.) blunt, not coming to a point; slow or dull in understanding; measuring between 90 and 180 degrees; not causing a sharp impression |
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oscillate |
(v.) to swing back and forth with a steady rhythm; to fluctuate or waver |
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penitent |
(adj.) regretful for one's sins or mistakes, (n.) one who is sorry for wrongdoing |
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peremptory |
(adj.) having the nature of a command that leaves no opportunity for debate, denial, or refusal; offensively self-assured, dictatorial; determined, resolute |
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rebuff |
(v.) to snub; to repel, drive away; (n.) a curt rejection, a check |
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reconnoiter |
(v.) to engage in reconnaissance; to make a preliminary inspection |
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shambles |
(n.) a slaughterhouse; a place of mass bloodshed; a state of complete disorder and confusion, mess |
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sporadic |
(adj.) occuring at irregular intervals, having no set plan or order |
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