Barron's SAT High-Frequency Word List

Click to edit Master subtitle style Word List 1

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Abate

Abate v. subside or moderate. Rather than leaving immediately, they aited !or the storm to abate. Abatement, N.

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Aberrant

Aberrant adj. abnor a! or de"iant. #i"en the aberrant nature of the data, we came to doubt the validity of the entire experiment.

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Abrasive

Abrasi"e adj. rubbing a$ay% tending to grind do$n. &ust as abrasive cleaning powders can wear away a shiny finish, abrasive remarks can wear away a listener's patience. Abrade v.

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Abridge

Abridge ". condense or shorten. Because the 'ub!ishers (e!t the 'ub!ic $anted a shorter version o! "ar and #eace, they 'roceeded to abridge the novel.

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Absolute

Abso!ute adj. s'aring in eating and drin)ing% te 'erate. *oncerned $hether her "egetarian son's abste ious diet 'ro"ided hi $ith su((icient 'rotein+ the $orried other 'ressed (ood on hi .

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Abstemious

Abste ious adj. s'ring in eating and drin)ing% te 'erate. *oncerned $hether her "egetarian son's abste ious diet 'ro"ided hi $ith su((icient 'rotein+ the $orried other 'ressed (ood on hi .

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Abstract

Abstract adj. theoretica!% not concrete% nonre'resentationa!. To hi + hunger $as an abstract conce't% he had ne"er issed a ea!.

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Abstruse

Abstruse adj. obscure% 'ro(ound% di((icu!t to understand. She carries around abstruse $or)s o( 'hi!oso'hy+ not because she understands the but because she $ants her (riends to thin) she does.

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Accessible

Accessib!e adj. easy to a''roach% obtainab!e. We as)ed our guide $hether the ruins $ere accessib!e on (oot. Acdai ". a''!aud%

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Acclaim

Acc!ai ". a''!aud% announce $ith great a''ro"a!. The ,B* s'ortscasters acc!ai ed . e"ery A erican "ictory in the -!y 'ics and !a ented e"ery A erican de(eat acc!a ation+ acc!ai + n.

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Accolade

Acco!ade n. a$ard o( erit. .n the $or!d o( 'ub!ic re!ations a "Clio" is the highest acco!ade an ad"ertising ca 'aign can recei"e.

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Ac)no$!edge

Ac)no$!edge ". recogni/e% ad it. A!though . ac)no$!edge that the Beate!s0 tunes sound 'retty dated no$adays+ . sti!! 're(er the to the 1gangsta2 ra' songs y brothers '!ay.

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Acquiesce

Acquiesce ". assent% agree $ithout 'rotesting. When $e as)ed her to 'artici'ate in the '!ay+ she i ediate!y acquiesced. Acquiescence+ n.% acquiescent+ adj.

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Acrimonious

Acrimonious ad$. bitter in ords or manner. %he candidate attacked his o&&onent in highly acrimonious terms. Acrimony, n.

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Acute

Acute adj. quic)!y 'erce'ti"e% )een% brie( and se"ere. The acute young doctor rea!i/ed i ediate!y that the gradua! deterioration o( her 'atient's once-acute hearing $as due to a chronic i!!ness+ not an acute one.

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Adherent

Adherent n. su''orter% (o!!o$er. .n the $a)e o( the scanda!+ the senator's oneti e adherents quiet!y deserts hi .

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Ad$acent

Ad$acent ad$. neighboring' ad$oining. (ou ill !ind )uestions based on this reading &assage located on the ad$acent &age.

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Adroit

Adroit ad$. skill!ul' nimble. %he $uggler*s admirers &articularly en$oyed his adroit handling o! di!!icult balancing tricks.

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Adulation

Adulation n. !lattery' admiration. %he rock star relished the adulation she received !rom her grou&ies and yes+ men.

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Adversary

Adversary n. o&&onent. %he young restler struggled to overcome his adversary.

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Adverse
Adverse ad$. un!avorable' hostile. %he recession had a highly adverse e!!ect on ,ather*s investment &ort!oliohe lost so much money that he could no longer a!!ord the butler and the u&stairs maid. Adversity, n.

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Advocate
Advocate v. urge' &lead !or. .oted abolitionists such as ,rederick /ouglass and 0o$ourner %ruth advocated the eradication o! the 0outhern institution o! slavery. Also n.

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Aesthetic
Aesthetic ad$. artistic' dealing ith or ca&able o! a&&reciation o! the beauti!ul. %he beauty o! %i!!any*s stained glass a&&ealed to 1sther*s aesthetic sense. Aesthete, n.

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A!!able
A!!able ad$. easily a&&roachable' armly !riendly Accustomed to cold' aloo! su&ervisors .icholas, as ama2ed at ho a!!able his ne em&loyer as.

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A((inity
A((inity n. natura! !i)ing% )inshi'% si i!arity. -cta"ia (e!t an i ediate a((inity (or the (o!) dancers she et% their !o"e o( dance $as hers as $e!!.

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A((ir ation
A((ir ation n. 'ositi"e assertion% con(ir ation% so!e n '!edge by one $ho re(uses to ta)e an oath. 3es'ite To 's a((ir ations o( innocence+ Aunt 4o!!y sti!! sus'ected he had eaten the 'ie.

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Aggressor
Aggressor n. attacker. 3e!ore you &unish both boys !or !ighting, see eather you can determine hich one as the aggressor.

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Alienate
Alienate v. make hostile' se&arate. 4eather*s attem&ts to alienate Amy !rom 1llen !ailed because the t o !riends had com&lete !aith in one another.

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Alleviate
Alleviate v. relieve. %he doctor*s reassuring remarks alleviated 5une*s !ears !or the baby' though he*d been born &rematurely, he as ra&idly gaining home in a cou&le o! 4/23/12 eeks. eight and could go

Aloo!
Aloo! ad$. a&art' reserved' stando!!ish. 4is classmates thought 5ames as a snob because, instead o! $oining in their conversations, he remained silent and aloo!.

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Altruistic

Altruistic ad$. unsel!ishly generous' concerned !or others. 6n &roviding tutorial assistance and college scholarshi&s !or hundreds o! economically disadvantaged youths, 1ugene 7ang &er!ormed a truly altruistic deed. Altruism, n.

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Ambiguous
Ambiguous ad$. unclear or doubt!ul in meaning. %he &roctor*s ambiguous instructions thoroughly con!used us' e didn*t kno hich columns e should mark and hich e should leave blank. Ambiguity, n.

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Ambivalence
Ambivalence n. the state o! having contradictory or con!licting emotional attitudes. %orn bet een loving her &arents on minute and hating them the ne8t, she as con!used by ambivalence o! her !eelings. Ambivalent, ad$.

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Ameliorate
Ameliorate v. im&rove' make more satis!actory. Carl became a union organi2er because he anted to $oin the !ight to ameliorate the orking conditions in the !actory.

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A end

A end ". correct% change+ genera!!y (or the better. Ho'ing to a end his circu stances+ Luong !(t 5ietna (or the 6nited States.

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A or'hous
A or'hous adj. (or !ess% !ac)ing sha'e or de(inition. As soon as $e ha"e decided on our itinerary+ $e sha!! send you a co'y% right no$+ our '!ans are sti!! a or'hous.

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Am&le

Am&le ad$. abundant. 3ond had am&le o&&ortunity to esca&e. "hy did he let us catch him9

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Analogy

Analogy m. similarity' &arallelism. A ell+kno n ,analogy com&ares the body*s immune system to an army hose *de!ending troo&s are the lym&hocytes or hite blood cells. Analogous,ad$.

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Anarchist
Anarchist n. &erson ho seeks to overturn the established government' advocate o! abolishing authority. /enying she as an anarchist, :atya maintained she ished only to make changes in our government, not to destroy entirely. Anarchy, n.

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Anecdote
Anecdote n. short account o! an amusing or interesting event. Rather than make concrete &ro&osals !or el!are re!orm, #resident Ronald Reagan told anecdotes about &oor &eo&le ho became ealthy des&ite their im&overished backgrounds. Anecdotal, ad$.
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Animosity
Animosity n. active enmity. 3y advocating cuts in cam&aign s&ending and limits on congressional &o ers, the re!orm candidate seemed almost to invite the animosity o! the &arty*s leaders.

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Antagonistic
Antagonistic ad$. hostile' o&&osed. /es&ite his la yers* best e!!orts to sto& him, the angry &risoner continued to make antagonistic remarks to the $udge. Antagonism, n.

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Antidote
Antidote n. medicine to counteract a &oison or disease. "hen Marge*s child accidentally s allo ed some cleaning !luid, the local &oison control hotline told Marge ho to minister the antidote.

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Anti)uated

Anti)uated ad$. old+!ashioned' obsolete. #hili& had gro n so accustomed to editing his articles on ord &rocessor that he thought ty&e riters ere to anti)uated !or him to use. Anti)uity, n.

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Antithesis

Antithesis n. contrast' direct o&&osite o! or to. ;ood is the antithesis o! evil, innocence the antithesis o! guilt.

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A&athy
A&athy n. lack o! caring' indi!!erence. A !irm believer in democratic government, she could not understand the a&athy o! &eo&le ho never bothered to vote. A&athetic, ad$.

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A&ocry&hal
A&ocry&hal ad$. untrue' made u&. %o im&ress his !riends, %ed invented a&ocry&hal tales o! his adventures in the big city.

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A''ease
A''ease v. 'aci(y or soothe% re!ie"e. To and &ody tried to a''ease their crying baby by o((ering hi one toy a(ter another. Ho$e"er+ they cou!dn't ca! hi unti! they a''eased his hunger by gi"ing hi a bott!e.

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A&&reciate
A&&reciate v. be thank!ul !or' increase in orth' be thoroughly conscious o!. 7ittle <r&han Annie truly a&&reciated the stocks /addy "arbucks gave her, hich a&&reciated in value considerably over the years.

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A''rehension
A''rehension n. (ear% discern ent% ca'ture. The tourist re(used to dri"e his renta! car through do$nto$n 7ia i because he (e!t so e a''rehension that he ight be carjac)ed. A''rehension+ adj.

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Arable
Arable ad$. !it !or gro ing cro&s. %he !irst settlers rote home glo ing re&orts o! the .e "orld, &raising its vast acres o! arable+land ready !or the &lo .

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Arbitrary
Arbitrary ad$. unreasonable or ca&ricious' randomly selected ithout any reason' based solely on one*s unrestricted ill or $udgment. %he coach claimed the team lost because the um&ire made some arbitrary calls.

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Archaic
Archaic ad$. anti)uated. =Methinks,> ?thee,= and >thou? are archaic ords that are no longer &art o! our standard vocabulary.

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Ardor
Ardor n. heat' &assion' 2eal. :atya*s ardor as catching' soon all her !ello demonstrators ere busily making &osters and handing out !lyers, ins&ired by her enthusiasm !or the cause. Ardent, ad$.

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Arid
Arid ad$. dry' barren. %he cactus has ada&ted to survive in an arid environment.

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Arrogance
Arrogance n. 'ride% haughtiness. *on"inced that 8 a thought she $as better than anyone e!se in the c!ass+ 8d rebu)ed her (or her arrogance. arrogant+ adj.

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Articulate
Articulate ad$. e!!ective' distinct. 4er articulate &resentation o! the advertising cam&aign im&ressed her em&loyers so much that they &ut her in charge o! the &ro$ect. Also v.

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Arti!act
Arti!act n. ob$ect made by human beings, either handmade or mass+ &roduced. Archaeologists debated the signi!icance o! the arti!acts. discovered in the ruins o! Asia Minor but came to no conclusion about the culture they re&resented.

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Artisan
Artisan n. manually skilled orker' cra!tsman, as o&&osed to artist. 1lderly artisans !rom 6taly trained 4arlem teenagers to carve the stone !igures that ould decorate the ne ing o! the cathedral

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Ascendancy
Ascendancy n. controlling in!luence. leaders o! religious cults maintain ascendancy over their !ollo ers by methods that can verge on brain ashing.

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Ascetic
Ascetic ad$. &racticing sel!+denial' austere. %he ealthy, sel!+indulgent young man !elt oddly dra n to the ascetic li!e led by members o! some monastic orders. Also n.

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As&ire
As&ire v. seek to attain' long !or. 3ecause he as&ired to a career in &ro!essional s&orts, #hili& enrolled in a graduate &rogram in s&orts management. As&iration, n.

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Assuage
Assuage v. ease or lessen@&ainA' satis!y @hungerA' soothe @angerA. 5ilted by 5ane, /ick, tried to assuage his heartache by indulging in ice cream. <ne gallon later, he had assuaged his a&&etite but not his grie!.

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Astute
Astute ad$. ise' shre d. 18&ecting Miss Mar&le to be oolly+headed old lady, 6ns&ector Craddock as startled by the astute observations she made.

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Atro&hy
Atro&hy v. aste a ay. A!ter three months in a cast, 0tan*s bice&s had atro&hied some hat' ho ever, he as sure that i! he &um&ed iron !or a hile he ould soon build them u&. Also, n.

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Attentive
Attentive ad$. considerate' thought!ul' &aying attention. %huy is very attentive to her Bietnamese+s&eaking &arents, acting ,as their inter&reter and hel&ing them deal American society.
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ith

Attribute
Attribute v. ascribe' e8&lain. 6 attribute her success in science to the encouragement she received !rom her &arents.

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Audacious
Audacious ad$. daring' bold. Audiences cheered as luke 0ky alker and #rincess leia made their audacious, death+de!ying lea& to !reedom, esca&ing /arth Bader*s troo&s. Audacity, n.

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Augment
Augment v. increase' add to. 3eth augmented her inade)uate, salary by selling %u&&er are at &arties and at !riends* homes.

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Austerity
Austerity n. sternness' severity' strict economy' lack o! lu8uries. %he bisho&s charged ith conducting the heresy in)uiry ere a solemn, some hat !orbidding grou&' their demeanor re!lected their austerity. Austere, ad$.

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Authoritarian
Authoritarian ad$. !avoring or e8ercising total control' nondemocratic. ,orced to obey the dictates o! the authoritarian regime, the &eo&le had no control over their on destiny. Also n.

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Autonomous
Autonomous ad$. sel!+governing. Although the Cniversity o! Cali!ornia at 3erkeley is $ust one &art o! the state university system, in many ays Cal 3erkeley is autonomous, !or it runs several &rograms that are not sub$ect 4/23/12

Aversion
Aversion n. !irm dislike. %heir mutual aversion as so great that they re!used to s&eak to one another.

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3anal
3anal ad$. hackneyed' common&lace' trite. "as it #endleton*s stale &lot or his cliche+ridden dialogue that made his &lay seem so banal9 3anality, n.

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3ane
3ane n. cause o! ruin. lack o! &ublic trans&ortation is the bane o! urban li!e.

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3elie
3elie v. contradict' give a !alse im&ression. 4is coarse, hard+bitten e8terior belied his inner sensitivity

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3elittle
3elittle v. dis&arage' make !un o!. #arents should not belittle their children*s early attem&ts at dra ing, but should encourage their e!!orts

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3elligerent
3elligerent ad$. )uarrelsome. "henever he had too much to drink, ,he became belligerent and tried to &ick !ights ith strangers.

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3enevolent
3enevolent ad$. generous' charitable. Mr. ,e22i ag as a benevolent em&loyer ho ished to make Christmas merrier !or young 0crooge and his other em&loyees.

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3enign
3enign ad$. kindly' !avorable' not malignant. %hough her benign smile and gentle bearing made Miss Mar&le seem a s eet little old lady, in reality she as a tough+minded, shre d observer o! human nature.

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3e)ueath
3e)ueath v. leave to someone by a ill' hand do n. Although Maud had intended to be)ueath the !amily home to her ne&he , she died be!ore changing her ill. 3e)uest n.

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3iased
3iased ad$. slanted' &re$udiced. 3ecause the $udge &layed gold regularly ith the district attorney*s !ather, e !eared he might be might be biased.

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3land
3land ad$. soothing' mild' dull. Cnless you ant your stomach lining to be eaten a ay, stick to a bland diet. 3landness, n.

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3las&hemy
3las&hemy n. irreverence' sacrilege' cursing. 6n my !ather*s house, the /odgers ere the holiest o! holies' to cheer !or another team as to utter ords o! blas&hemy. 3las&hemous, ad$.

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3olster
3olster v. su&&ort' rein!orce. %he debaters amassed !ile bo8es !ull o! evidence to bolster their arguments.

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3raggart
3raggart n. boast!ul &erson. 6 ouldn*t mind 3ob*s being such a braggart i! 6 !elt he*d done anything orth bragging about.

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3ra n
3ra n n. muscular strength' sturdiness. 6t takes bra n to become a cham&ion eight li!ter. 3ra ny, ad$.

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3revity
3revity n. conciseness' brie!ness. 3revity is essential hen you send a telegram or cablegram' you are charged !or every ord.

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3uttress
3uttress v. su&&ort' &ro& u&. %he attorney came u& ith several !ar+ !etched arguments in a vain attem&t to buttress his eak case. Also n.

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Caco&honous
Caco&honous ad$. discordant' inharmonious. /o the students in the orchestra en$oy the caco&honous sounds they make hen they*re tuning u&9 6 don*t kno ho they can stand the racket. Caco&hony, n.

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Ca$ole
Ca$ole v. coa8' heedle. /iane tried to ca$ole her !ather into letting her drive the !amily car. Ca$olery, n.

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Calculated

Calculated ad$. deliberately &lanned' likely. 7e8yDs choice o! clothes to ear to the debate tournament as care!ully calculated. 4er conventional suit as one calculated to a&&eal to the conservative $udges.

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Candor
Candor n. !rankness. %he candor ith hich ;ene s&oke during the $ob intervie im&ressed us all' it as clear he held nothing back, candid, ad$.

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Ca&ricious
Ca&ricious ad$. !ickle' incalculable. %he storm as ca&ricious, changing its course constantly.

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Caricature
Caricature n. distortion' burles)ue. %he caricatures he dre em&hasi2ed a a ay

&ersonal eakness o! the &eo&le he burles)ued also v.

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Censorious
Censorious ad$. critical. Censorious &eo&le delight in casting blame.

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Censure
Censure v. blame' critici2e. %he senator as censured !or his ina&&ro&riate behavior. Also n.

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Certitude
Certitude n. certainty. %hough there as no certitude o! his getting the $ob, 7ou thought he had a good chance o! doing so.

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Charlatan
Charlatan n. )uack' &retender to kno ledge. "hen they reali2ed that the "i2ard didn*t kno ho to get them back to :ansas, /orothy and her com&anions ere indignant that they*d been du&ed by a charlatan.

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Chronicle
Chronicle v. re&ort' record @in chronological orderA. %he gossi& columnist as &aid to chronicle the latest esca&ades o! socially &rominent celebrities. Also n.

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Civil
Civil ad$. having to do ith citi2ens or the state' courteous and &olite. Although 6nternal Revenue 0ervice agents are civil servants, they are not al ays civil to sus&ected ta8 cheats. Civility, n

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Clamor
Clamor n. noise. %he clamor o! the children at &lay outside made it im&ossible !or her to take a na&. Also v.

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Clemency
Clemency n. dis&osition to be lenient' mildness, as o! the eather. "hy did the de!ense la yer look &leased hen his case as sent to 5udge 3land*s chambers9 3land as kno n !or her clemency to ard !irst o!!enders. Clemency, ad$.

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Coercion
Coercion n. use o! !orce to get someone*s com&liance. %hey !orced him to obey, but only by using great coercion, coerce, v.

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Commemorate
Commemorate v. honor the memory o!. %he statue o! the Minuteman commemorates the valiant soldiers ho !ought in the Revolutionary "ar.

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Com&elling
Com&elling ad$. over&o ering' irresistible in e!!ect. %he &rosecutor &resented a ell reasoned case, but the de!ense attorney*s com&elling arguments !or leniency on over the $ury.

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Com&ile
Com&ile v. assemble' gather' accumulate. "e &lanned to com&ile a list o! the ords most !re)uently used on the 0A% e8aminations.

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Com&liance
Com&liance n. readiness to yield' con!ormity in !ul!illing re)uirements. "hen 6 give an order, 6 e8&ect com&liance, not de!iance. %he design !or the ne school had to be in com&liance ith the local building code. Com&ly, v.

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Com&osure
Com&osure n. mental calmness. 1ven the latest crisis at ork !ailed to shake .ancy*s com&osure.

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