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(adj) artless; frank and candid; lacking in sophistication; naive
Her fears about childbirth seemed ____ to the women at the baby shower.
guileless, innocent, trusting |
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(adj) ingrained within one's nature
Even though lumpectomies are common, there are still dangers ____ to any surgery.
intrinsic |
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(adj) damaging, harmul, or injurious; hostile, adverse, or unfriendly
It has been proven that asbestos has _____ effects on respiratory health.
deleterious |
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(n) gross injustice; wickedness
The _______ of the government bailouts angers me; large corporations are being saved, while public schools are struggling for funding.
sin |
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(adj) harmless; causing no damage
The movie is ____ entertainment suitable for all ages.
inoffensive |
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(adj) incapable of being discovered or understood
The secrets of hte _____ Sphinx are likely to remain undiscovered forever.
unfathomable |
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(adj) inconscoius; unresponsive
The boxer dropped his denfenses just long enough for his opponent to land a right hook that left him ____ on the canvas for a few minutes.
indifferent |
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(adj) without taste or flavor; lacking in spirit
Without any seasoning or sauce, chicken can often be _____ and dry.
bland |
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(adj) unconcerned; carefree; heedless
The _____ cyclist sang along with his headphones as he wove in and out of the busy downtown traffic.
nonchalant |
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(adj) provincial; narrow-minded
The baod was so ____ in its thinking that its members were shocked to hear criticism of its policies from stockholders.
isolated |
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(adj) not easily managed or directed
The financical crisis has created ____ problems for the new government in power.
stubborn, obstinate |
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(adj) refusing to compromise
Otto's _____ stance made an out-of-court settlement unlikely.
inflexible |
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(adj) steadfast and courageous
The _______ eater will try any regional dish wherever she travels.
fearless |
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(adj) accustomed to accepting something undesirable
The explorer was _____ to the cold wind; she no longer noticed her chapped skin.
numbed, habituated, hardened |
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(v) to obtain by deception or flattery
the salesperson _______d the woman to buy the outlandish and expensive hat.
manipulate |
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(adj) easily angered; prone to tempermental outburtsts
the hot-headed coach frequently shouted ____ comments at the referees.
touchy, testy, irritable |
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(adj) traveling from place to place
Long before newspapers, telephones, and the Internet, ______ salesmen were once valuable sources of news.
roving |
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(adj) vapid; uninteresting; immature
Critics slammed the author's first novel for being ____; hopefully her second will be more mature.
childish |
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(v) to throw overboard
The CEO of the failing company _______ed the entire product development department and hired a new team.
discard |
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(v) to agree; to be in accord
Despite out very different backgrounds, Richard's political views ____ rather closely with my own.
conform |
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(adj) humorous; joking
His ____ attitude and hilarious take on things made him a pleasure to work with.
jesting |
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(adj) characterized by motion
the ____ choreography had audience members gasping during hte performance.
dynamic |
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(adj) using few words
The exhausted babysitter's ____ response was simply, "No."
terse |
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(verb) to excoriate; to berate
the coach ______ed his platers at halftime for their bad attitude, bad decisions, and exceptionally bad performance.
scold |
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(v) to praise highly
The sea-weary creq _____ed the captain's decision to stay in port for an extra day.
acclaim, extol |
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(n) someone unrestrained by morality or convention
________s challenge society's understanding of morality and sexuality.
swinger |
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(v) to draw; to outline in detail
The artist _____ed the Parisian market scene so perfectly that I could imagine myself in the painting.
describe |
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(adj) transparent; serene; untroubled
I looked into my ailing grandmother's ____ eyes and understood that she was at peace with her life.
clear |
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(adj) supple; graceful
The ballerina's ____ form does not come easily; she spends hours practicing every day.
lithe |
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(adj) extremely talkative
My aunt is annoyingly _____; she speaks at great length abotu minor occureneces in her life.
garrulous |
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(adj) lewd; wanton; slippery
The _____ stare from the strange man in the park left me disgusted.
salacious |
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(adj) characterized by brightness and the emission of light
Sirius is considered the most ______ star in the northern sky.
brilliant, radiant |
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(adj) marked with spots or blotches; impure
After the unruly holiday feast, we all laughed over the _____ tablecloth.
stained |
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(adj) generous and noble in mind and heart, especially in forgiving
Giving the employees Fridays off during the summer was a _______ gesture.
altruistic, beneficient, high-minded |
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(adj) having or showing often vicious ill will, spite, and hatred
Once the intruder revealed his gun, it was clear that he had _____ intentions.
evil |
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(v) to feign illness to avoid work
She _________ed so often that when she actually fell ill, she had used up all of her sick days.
dodge |
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(adj) capable of being shaped or formed; tractable
Mabel kneaded the _____ clay into a work of art.
pliable |
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(adj) associated with war and the armed forces
During the riots, the National Guard was called in to enforce _____ law.
military, soldierly |
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(n) an independent individual who does not go along with a group
The candidate was once considered a _____, but now most people agree that he just follows the party line.
nonconformist |
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(adj) sweetly flowing, often used to describe a voice
The grandmother's _______ voice soothed the crying child.
smooth |
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(n) the condition of being untruthful
When his lies became public, Will lost many friends because of his ____.
dishonesty |
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(n) beggar; supplicant
The humble ____ spent his days collecting money to help others.
pauper |
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(adj) characterized by rapid and unpredictable change in mood
You can never tell what mood the director will be in because of his ________ personality.
inconstant |
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(adj) flashy; gaudy
The ________ stretch limousine looked out of place in the church parking lot.
tawdry |
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(adj) characterized by extreme care and precious; attentive to detail
Maury is a ________ editor who will find every last typo and mistake.
conscientious |
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(n) strength of spirit; courage
The weeks of physical competition tested his ____ in unforeseen ways.
fortitude |
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(adj) menacing; threatening
The territorial dog gave a ____ look at the mail carrier.
intimidating |
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