Friday, December 26, 2014

Vocabulary - List 2 (C-D)



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 VOCAB LIST - 2
( C - D )
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   {C}
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** cabal
(n.) a group of persons joined by a secret
* The very idea that there could be a cabal cast suspicion on the whole operation.
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** cache
(n.) stockpile; store; heap; hiding place for goods
* The cache for his jewelry was hidden under the bed.
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** cacophonous
(adj.) sounding jarring
*The cacophonous sound from the bending metal sent shivers up our spines.
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** cacophony
(n.) a harsh, inharmonious collection of sounds; dissonance

* The amateur band created more cacophony than beautiful sound.
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** cajole
(v.) to coax with insincere talk
* To cajole the disgruntled employee, the manager coaxed him with lies and sweet talk.
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** calamity
(n.) disaster
The fire in the apartment building was a great calamity.
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** caliber
(n.) quality
* The caliber of talent at the show was excellent.
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** callow
(adj.) being young or immature
* With the callow remark the young man demonstrated his age. 
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** calumny
(n.) slander, a malicious statement
* I felt it necessary to speak against the calumny of the man’s good reputation.
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** canard
(n.) a false statement or rumor
* The canard was reported in a scandalous tabloid.
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** candid
(adj.) honest; truthful; sincere
* People trust her because she’s so candid.
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** cant
(n.) insincere or hypocritical statements of high ideals; the jargon of a particular group or occupations
* The theater majors had difficulty understanding the cant of the computer scientists.
* The remarks by the doctor were cant and meant only for his associates.
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** caprice
(n.) a sudden, unpredictable or whimsical change

* The caprice with which the couple approached the change of plans was evidence to their young age.
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** capricious
(adj.) changeable; fickle
* The capricious bride-to-be has a different church in mind for her wedding every few days.
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** captious
(adj.) disposed to find fault
* A captious attitude often causes difficulties in a relationship.
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** carte blanche
(n.) unlimited authority
* The designer was given carte blanche to create a new line for the fall.
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** cascade
(n.) waterfall;
(v.) pour; rush; fall
* (n.) The hikers stopped along the path to take in the beauty of the rushing cascade.
* (v.)The water cascaded down the rocks into the pool.

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** castigate
(v.) to punish through public criticism
* The mayor castigated the police chief for the rash of robberies.
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** cataclysm
(n.) an extreme natural force
* The earthquake has been the first cataclysm in five years.
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** catalyst
(n.) anything which creates a situation in which change
can occur
* The low pressure system was the catalyst for the nor’easter.
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** catharsis
(n.) a purging or relieving of the body or soul
* He experienced a total catharsis after the priest absolved his sins. 
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** caustic
(adj.) eating away at; sarcastic words
* The girl harmed her mother with her caustic remarks.
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** cavil
(v.) to bicker
* The children are constantly caviling.
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** censor
(v.) to examine and delete objectionable material
* The children were allowed to watch the adult movie only after it had been censored. 
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** censure
(n.) a disapproval; an expression of disapproval
(v.) to criticize or disapprove of
* (n.) His remarks drew the censure of his employers. 
* (v.) Her parents censured her idea of dropping out of school.
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** ceremonious
(adj.) very formal or proper
* The black-tie dinner was highly ceremonious.
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** cessation
(n.)ceasing; a stopping
* The cessation of a bad habit is often difficult to sustain. 
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** chafe
(v.) to annoy, to irritate; to wear away or make sore by rubbing
* He doesn’t wear pure wool sweaters because they usually chafe his skin.
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** chaffing
(n.) banter; teasing
* The king was used to his jesters good-natured chaffing.
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* chagrin
(n.) a feeling of embarrassment due to failure or disappointment
* She turned red-faced with chagrin when she learned that her son had been caught shoplifting.
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** charisma
(n.) appeal; magnetism; presence
* She has such charisma that everyone likes her the first time they meet her.
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** charlatan
(n.) a person who pretends to have knowledge; an impostor; fake
* It was finally discovered that the charlatan sitting on the throne was not the real king.
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** chary
(adj.) cautious; being sparing in giving
* Be chary when driving at night.
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** chaste
(adj.) virtuous; morally pure in conduct; virginal.
* Because the woman believed in being chaste, she would not let her boyfriend into the house.
* It is important for nuns to be chaste.
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** chastise
(v.) to punish; discipline; admonish
* The dean chastised the first-year student for cheating on the exam.
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** cherish
(v.) to feel love for
* The bride vowed to cherish the groom for life.
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** chicanery
(n.) trickery or deception, dishonest practice, the use of tricks to deceive someone (usually to extract money)
* The swindler (cheater) was trained in chicanery.
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** chimera
(n.) an impossible fancy
* Perhaps he saw a flying saucer, but perhaps it was only a chimera.
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** choleric
(adj.) cranky; cantankerous; easily moved to feeling displeasure
* Rolly becomes choleric when his views are challenged.
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** chortle
(v.) to make a gleeful, chuckling sound
The chortles emanating from the audience indicated it wouldn’t be as tough a crowd as the stand-up comic had expected.
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** churlishness
(n.) crude or surly behavior; behavior of a peasant
* The churlishness of the teenager caused his employer to lose faith in him. 
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** circumlocution
(n.) a roundabout or indirect way of speaking; not to the point
* The man’s speech contained so much circumlocution that I was unsure of the point he was trying to make.
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** circumlocutory
(adj.) being too long, as in a description or expression; a roundabout, indirect, or ungainly way of expressing something
* It was a circumlocutory documentary that could have been cut to half its running time to say twice as much.
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** circumspect
(adj.) considering all circumstances
* A circumspect decision must be made when so many people are involved.
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** citadel
(n.) a fortress set up high to defend a city
* A citadel sat on the hill to protect the city below.
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** clandestine
(adj.) secret
* The clandestine plan must be kept between the two of us
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** clemency
(n.) mercy toward an offender; mildness
* The governor granted the prisoner clemency. 
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** cloture
(n.) a parliamentary procedure to end debate and begin to vote
* Cloture was declared as the parliamentarians readied to
register their votes.
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** cloying (adj.)
too sugary; too sentimental or flattering
* After years of marriage the husband still gave cloying gifts to his wife. 
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** coagulate
(v.) to become a semisolid, soft mass; to clot
* The liquid will coagulate and close the tube if left standing.
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** coalesce
(v.) to grow together
* The bride and groom coalesced their funds to increase their collateral.
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** coda
(n.) in music, a concluding passage
* By the end of the coda, I was ready to burst with excitement over the thrilling performance.
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** coddle
(v.) to treat with tenderness
* A baby needs to be coddled.
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** codify
(v.) to organize laws or rules into a systematic collection
* The intern codified all the city’s laws into a computerized filing system.
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** coffer
(n.) a chest where money or valuables are kept
* The coffer that contained the jewels was stolen.
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** cogent
(adj.) to the point; clear; convincing in its clarity and presentation

* He made a short, cogent speech which his audience easily understood.
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** cogitate
(v.) to think hard; ponder; meditate
* It is necessary to cogitate on decisions which affect life goals. 
* The room was quiet while every student cogitated during the calculus exam. 
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** cognate
(adj.) having the same family;
(n.) a person related through ancestry
* (adj.) English and German are cognate languages. 
* (n.) The woman was a cognate to the royal family.
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** cognitive
(adj.) possessing the power to think or meditate; meditative; capable of perception
* Cognitive thought makes humans adaptable to a quickly changing environment.
* Once the toddler was able to solve puzzles, it was obvious that her cognitive abilities were developing.
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** cognizant
(adj.) aware of; perceptive
* She became alarmed when she was cognizant of the man following her. 
* It was critical to establish whether the defendant was cognizant of his rights.
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** coherent
(adj.) sticking together; connected; logical; consistent
* The course was a success due to its coherent information. 
* If he couldn’t make a coherent speech, how could he run for office?
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** cohesion
(n.) the act of holding together
* The cohesion of the group increased as friendships were formed.
* The cohesion of different molecules forms different substances.
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** cohort
(n.) a group; band
* The cohort of teens gathered at the athletic field.
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** collaborate
(v.) to work together; cooperate
* The two builders collaborated to get the house finished.
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** colloquial
(adj.) having to do with conversation; informal speech
* The colloquial reference indicated the free spirit of the group. 
* When you listen to the difference between spoken colloquial
conversation and written work, you realize how good an ear a novelist must have to write authentic dialogue.
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** collusion
(n.) secret agreement for an illegal purpose
* The authority discovered a collusion between the director and treasurer. 
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** comeliness
(n.) beauty; attractiveness in appearance or behavior
* The comeliness of the woman attracted everyone’s attention.
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** commiserate
(v.) to show sympathy for
* The hurricane victims commiserated about the loss of their homes.
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** commodious
(adj.) spacious and convenient; roomy
* The new home was so commodious that many new pieces of furniture needed to be purchased.
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** communal
(adj.) shared or common ownership
* The communal nature of the project made everyone pitch in to help.
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** compatible
(adj.) in agreement with; harmonious
* When repairing an automobile, it is necessary to use parts compatible with that make and model.
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** complacent
(adj.) content; self-satisfied; smug
* The CEO worries regularly that his firm’s winning ways will make it complacent.
* The candidate was so complacent with his poll numbers that he virtually stopped campaigning. 
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** complaisance
(n.) the quality of being agreeable or eager to please
* The complaisance of the new assistant made it easy for the managers to
give him a lot of work without worrying that he may complain.
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* compliant
(adj.) complying; obeying; yielding
* Compliant actions should be reinforced.
* The slave was compliant with every order to avoid being whipped.
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** comport
(v.) fitting in
* It was easy to comport to the new group of employees.
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** comprehensive
(adj.) all-inclusive; complete; thorough
* It’s the only health facility around to offer comprehensive care.
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** compromise
(v.) to settle by mutual adjustment
* Labor leaders and the automakers compromised by agreeing to a starting wage of $16 an hour in exchange for concessions on health-care premiums. 
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** concede
(v.) to acknowledge; admit; to surrender; to abandon one’s position
* Satisfied with the recount, the mayor conceded graciously.
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** conceit
(n.) an exaggerated personal opinion
* The man’s belief that he was the best player on the team was pure conceit.
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** conciliation
(n.) an attempt to make friendly or placate
* Tanya used her womanly charm to conciliate an angry competitor.
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** conciliatory
(adj.) to reconcile
* The diplomat sought to take a conciliatory approach to keep the talks going.

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** concise
(adj.) in few words; brief; condensed
* The concise instructions were printed on two pages rather than the customary five. 
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** conclave
(n.) any private meeting or closed assembly
* The conclave was to meet in the executive suite. 
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** condescend
(v.) to come down from one’s position ordignity
* The arrogant, rich man was usually condescending towards his servants.
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** condone
(v.) to overlook; to forgive
* The loving and forgiving mother condoned her son’s life of crime.
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** confluence
(n.) a thing which is joined together
* Great cities often lie at the confluence of great rivers. 
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** confound
(v.) to lump together, causing confusion; to damn
* The problem confounded our ability to solve it. 
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** conglomeration
(n.) a collection or mixture of various things
* The soup was a conglomeration of meats and vegetables.
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** conjoin
(v.) to combine
* The classes will conjoin to do the play.
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** conjure
(v.) to call upon or appeal to; to cause to be, appear, come
* The smell of the dinner conjured images of childhood. 
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** connivance
(n.) secret cooperation in wrongdoing
* With the guard’s connivance, the convict was able to make his escape. 
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** connoisseur
(n.) expert; authority (usually refers to a wine or food expert)
* They allowed her to choose the wine for dinner since she was the connoisseur. 
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** connotative
(adj.) containing associated meanings in addition to the primary one
* Along with the primary meaning of the word, there were two connotative meanings.
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** consecrate
(v.) to declare sacred; to dedicate
* The park was consecrated to the memory of the missing soldier.
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** consequential
(adj.) following as an effect; important
* His long illness and consequential absence set him behind in his homework.
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** consort
(n.) a companion, spouse;
(v.) to associate
* (n.) An elderly woman was seeking a consort.
* (v.) They waited until dark to consort under the moonlight.
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** conspicuous
(adj.) easy to see; noticeable
* The diligent and hardworking editor thought the obvious mistake was conspicuous. 
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** consternation
(n.) amazement or terror that causes confusion
* The look of consternation on the child’s face caused her father to panic.
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** constrain
(v.) to force, compel; to restrain
* The student was constrained to remain in her seat until the teacher gave her permission to leave.
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** consummation
(n.) the completion; finish
* Following the consummation of final exams, most of the students graduated.

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** contemporary
(adj.) living or happening at the same time; modern
* Contemporary furniture will clash with your traditional sectional.
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** contempt
(n.) scorn; disrespect
* The greedy, selfish banker was often discussed with great contempt.
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** contentious
(adj.) quarrelsome
* The contentious student was asked to leave the classroom. 
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** contest
(v.) to attempt to disprove or invalidate
* I will attempt to contest the criminal charges against me.
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** contiguous
(adj.) touching; or adjoining and close, but not touching
* There are many contiguous buildings in the city because there is no excess land to allow space between them. 
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** contravene
(v.) to act contrary to; to oppose or contradict
* The story of the accused contravened the story of the witness. 
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** contrite
(adj.) regretful;sorrowful; having repentance
* Regretting his decision not to attend college, the contrite man did not lead a very happy life.
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** contumacious
(adj.) resisting authority
* The man was put in jail for contumacious actions. 
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** contusion
(n.) a bruise; an injury where the skin is not broken
* The man was fortunate to receive only contusions from the crash.
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** conundrum
(n.) a puzzle or riddle
* I spent two hours trying to figure out the conundrum. 
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** conventional
(adj.) traditional; common; routine
* The bride wanted a conventional wedding ceremony, complete with white dresses, many flowers, and a grand reception party. 
 
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** converge
(v.) to move toward one point 
* It was obvious that an accident was going to occur as the onlookers watched the two cars converge.
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** conviviality
(n.) a fondness for festiveness or joviality
* His conviviality makes him a welcome guest at any social gathering.
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** convoke
(v.) a call to assemble
* The teacher convoked her students in the auditorium to help prepare them for the play.
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** copious
(adj.) abundant; in great quantities
* Her copious notes touched on every subject presented in the lecture.
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** corpulence
(n.) obesity
* The corpulence of the man kept him from fitting into the seat.
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** correlate
(v.) to bring into mutual relation
* The service man was asked to correlate the two computer demonstration pamphlets.
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** corroborate
(v.) to confirm the validity
* The witness must corroborate the prisoner’s story if she is to be set free. 
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** coterie
(n.) a clique; a group who meet frequently, usually socially
* Every day after school she joins her coterie on the playground and they go out for a soda.
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** covenant
(n.) a binding and solemn agreement
* With the exchange of vows, the covenant was complete.
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** covetous
(adj.) greedy; very desirous
* Lonnie, covetous of education, went to almost every lecture at the university.
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** cower
(v.) to huddle and tremble
* The tellers cowered in the corner as the bandit ransacked the bank.
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** coy
(adj.) modest; bashful; pretending shyness to attract
* He’s not really that shy, he’s just being coy.
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** crass
(adj.) stupid or dull; insensitive; materialistic
* My respect for the man was lowered when he made the crass remark.
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** craven
(n.) coward; abject person;
(adj.)cowardly
* (n.) While many fought for their rights, the craven sat shaking, off in a corner somewhere.
* (adj.) Craven men will not stand up for what they believe in.
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** culpable
(adj.) deserving blame; guilty
* The convicted criminal still denies that he is culpable for the robbery.
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** curb
(n.) a restraint or framework
* A curb was put up along the street to help drainage.
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** curmudgeon
(n.) an ill-tempered person
* The curmudgeon asked the children not to play near the house.
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** cursory
(adj.) hasty; slight
* The detective’s cursory examination of the crime scene caused him to overlook the lesser clues. 
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** cynic
(n.) one who believes that others are motivated entirely by selfishness. 
* The cynic felt that the hero saved the man to become famous.
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   {D}
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** dais
(n.) a raised platform at one end of a room
* The dais was lowered to make the speaker look taller.
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** dally
(v.) to loiter; to waste time
* Please do not dally or we will miss our appointment.
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** dank
(adj.) damp and chilly
* The cellar became very dank during the winter time.
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** dauntless
(adj.) fearless; not discouraged
* The dauntless ranger scaled the mountain to complete the rescue.
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** dearth
(n.) scarcity; shortage
* A series of coincidental resignations left the firm with a dearth of talent.
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** debacle
(n.) disaster; collapse; a rout
* The Securities and Exchange Commission and the stock exchanges implemented numerous safeguards to head off another debacle on Wall Street.
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** debase
(v.) to make lower in quality
* The French are concerned that “Franglais,” a blending of English and French, will debase their language.
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** debauchery
(n.) indulgence in one’s appetites
* The preacher decried debauchery and urged charity.
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** debilitate

(v.) to enfeeble; to wear out
* The illness will debilitate the muscles in his legs. 
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** debonair
(adj.) having an affable manner; carefree; genial
Opening the door for another is a debonair action.
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** decadence
(n.) a decline in morals or art
* Some believe the decadence of Nero’s rule led to the fall of the empire.
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** deciduous
(adj.) shedding; temporary
* When the leaves began to fall from the tree we learned that it was deciduous.
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** decisiveness
(n.) an act of being firm or determined
* Decisiveness is one of the key qualities of a successful executive.
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** decorous
(adj.) showing decorum; propriety, good taste
* The decorous suit was made of fine material.
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** decry
(v.) to denounce or condemn openly
* The pastor decried all forms of discrimination against any minority group.
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** defamation
(n.) to harm a name or reputation; to slander
* The carpenter felt that the notoriousness of his former partner brought defamation to his construction business. 
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** deference
(n.) a yielding of opinion; courteous respect for
* To avoid a confrontation, the man showed deference to his friend. 
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** deferential
(adj.) yielding to the opinion of another
* After debating students living in the Sixth Ward for months, the mayor’s deferential statements indicated that he had come to some understanding with them.
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** defunct
(adj.) no longer living or existing
* The man lost a large sum of money when the company went defunct.
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** deign
(v.) condescend; stoop
* He said he wouldn’t deign to dignify her statement with a response.
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** deleterious
(adj.) harmful; hurtful; noxious
* Deleterious fumes escaped from the overturned truck. 
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** deliberate
(v.);  to consider carefully; weigh in the mind;
(adj.) intentional
* (v.) The jury deliberated for three days before reaching a verdict. 
* (adj.) The brother’s deliberate attempt to get his sibling blamed for his mistake was obvious to all.
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** delineate
(v.) to outline; to describe
* She delineated her plan so that everyone would have a basic understanding of it.
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** deliquesce
(v.) to dissolve
* The snow deliquesced when the temperature rose.
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** delusion
(n.) a false belief or opinion
* The historian suffered from the delusion that he was Napoleon.
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** demise
(n.) ceasing to exist as in death
* The demise of Gimbels followed years of decline.
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** demur
(v.); to object;
(n.) objection; misgiving
* (v.) She hated animals, so when the subject of buying a cat came up, she demurred.
* (n.) She said yes, but he detected a demur in her voice.
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** denigrate
(v.) to defame, to blacken or sully; to belittle
* Her attempt to denigrate the man’s name was not
successful.
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** denounce
(v.) to speak out against; condemn
* A student rally was called to denounce the use of drugs on campus.
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** depict
(v.) to portray; describe
* The mural depicts the life of a typical urban dweller.
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** deplete
(v.) to reduce; to empty, exhaust
* Having to pay the entire bill will deplete the family’s savings.
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** deposition
(n.) a removal from office or power; a testimony
* Failing to act lawfully could result in his deposition.  She met with her lawyer this morning to review her deposition.
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** depravity
(n.) moral corruption; badness
* Drugs and money caused depravity throughout the once decorous community.
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** deprecate
(v.) to express disapproval of; to protest against
* The organization will deprecate the opening of the sewage plant.
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** depredation
(n.) a plundering or laying waste
* The pharaoh’s once rich tomb was empty after centuries of depredation from grave robbers.
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** deride
(v.) to laugh at with contempt; to mock
* No matter what he said, he was derided.
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** derision
(n.) the act of mocking; ridicule, mockery
* Constant derision from classmates made him quit school.
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** derisive
(adj.) showing disrespect or scorn for
* The derisive comment was aimed at the man’s life long enemy.
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** derogatory
(adj.) belittling; uncomplimentary
* He was upset because his annual review was full of derogatory comments.
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** descant
(v.) lengthy talking or writing
* The man will descant on the subject if you give him too much speaking time.
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** desecrate
(v.) to profane; violate the sanctity of
* The teenagers’ attempt to desecrate the church disturbed the community.
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** desist
(v.) to stop or cease
* The judge ordered the man to desist from calling his ex-wife in the middle of the night.
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** desolate
(adj.) to be left alone or made lonely
* Driving down the desolate road had Kelvin worried that he wouldn’t reach a gas station in time.
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** despoil
(v.) to take everything; plunder
* The Huns despoiled village after village.
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** despotism
(n.) tyranny; absolute power or influence
* The ruler’s despotism went uncontested for 30 years.
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** destitute
(adj.) poor; poverty-stricken
* Many of the city’s sections are destitute.
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** desultory
(adj.) moving in a random, directionless manner
* The thefts were occurring in a desultory manner making them difficult to track.
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** detached
(adj.) separated; not interested; standing alone
* Detached from modern conveniences, the islanders live a simple, unhurried life.
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** deter
(v.) to prevent; to discourage; hinder
* He deterred the rabbits by putting down garlic around the garden.
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** determinate
(adj.) distinct limits
* The new laws were very determinate as far as what was allowed and what was not allowed.
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** devoid
(adj.) lacking; empty
* The interplanetary probe indicated that the planet was devoid of any atmosphere.
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** dexterous
(adj.) skillful, quick mentally or physically
* The dexterous gymnast was the epitome of grace on the balance beam.
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** diatribe
(n.) a bitter or abusive speech
* During the divorce hearings she delivered a diatribe full of the emotion pushing her away from her husband.
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** dichotomy
(n.) a division into two parts or kinds
* The dichotomy within the party threatens to split it. 
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** dictum
(n.) a formal statement of either fact or opinion
Computer programmers have a dictum: garbage in, garbage
out.
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** didactic
(adj.) instructive; dogmatic; preachy
* Our teacher’s didactic technique boosted our scores.
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** diffidence
(n.) a hesitation in asserting oneself
* A shy person may have great diffidence when forced with a problem.
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** diffident
(adj.) timid; lacking self-confidence
* The director is looking for a self-assured actor, not a diffident one. 
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** digress

(v.) stray from the subject; wander from topic
* It is important to not digress from the plan of action.
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** dilettante
(n.) an admirer of the fine arts; a dabbler
* Though she played the piano occasionally, she was more of a dilettante.
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** diligence
(n.) hard work
* Anything can be accomplished with diligence and commitment. 
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** diminutive

(adj.) smaller than average;

(n.) a small person; a word, expressing smallness, formed when a suffix is added
* (adj.) They lived in a diminutive house.
* (n.) The diminutive woman could not see over the counter.
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** din
(n.) a noise which is loud and continuous
* The din of the jackhammers reverberated throughout the concrete canyon.
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** dint
(n.) strength
* The dint of the bridge could hold trucks weighing many tons. 
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** dirge
(n.) a hymn for a funeral; a song or poem expressing lament
* The mourners sang a traditional Irish dirge .
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** disapprobation
(n.) disapproval
* Her disapprobation of her daughter’s fiancZ’ divided the family.
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** disarray
(n.) (state of) disorder
* The thief left the house in disarray.
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** disavow
(v.) to deny; to refuse to acknowledge
* The actor has disavowed the rumor.
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** discerning
(adj.) distinguishing one thing from another; having good judgment
* He has a discerning eye for knowing the original from
the copy. 
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** discomfit
(v.) to frustrate the expectations of
* The close game discomfited the number one player.
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** discord
(n.) disagreement; lack of harmony
* There was discord amidst the jury, and therefore a decision could not be made. 
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** discourse
(v.) to converse; to communicate in an orderly fashion
* The interviewee discoursed so fluently, she was hired on the spot.
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** discreet
(adj.) showing good judgment in conduct; prudent
* We confided our secret in Mary because we knew she’d be discreet.
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** discrete
(adj.) separate; individually distinct; composed of distinct parts
* There were four discrete aspects to the architecture of the home.
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** discriminate
(v.) distinguish; demonstrate bias
* Being a chef, he discriminated carefully among ingredients. 
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** disdain
(n) intense dislike;
(v) look down upon; scorn
* (n) She showed great disdain toward anyone who did not agree with her.
* (v) She disdains the very ground you walk upon.
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** disentangle
(v.) to free from confusion
* We need to disentangle ourselves from the dizzying variety of choices.
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** disheartened
(adj.) discouraged; depressed
* After failing the exam, the student became disheartened and wondered if he would ever graduate.
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** disingenuous
(adj.) not frank or candid; deceivingly simple (opposite: ingenious)
* He always gives a quick, disingenuous response; you never get a straight answer.
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** disinterested
(adj.) neutral; unbiased
(alternate meaning; uninterested)
* He never takes sides; he’s always disinterested.
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** disparage
(v.) to belittle; undervalue; to discredit
* After she fired him she realized that she had disparaged the value of his assistance.
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** disparate
(adj.) unequal; dissimilar; different
* They came from disparate backgrounds, one a real estate magnate, the other a custodian.
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** disparity
(n.) difference in form, character, or degree
* There is a great disparity between a light snack and a great feast.
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** dispassionate
(adj.) lack of feeling; impartial
* She was a very emotional person and could not work with such a dispassionate employer.
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** disperse
(v.) to scatter; separate
* The pilots dispersed the food drops over a wide area of devastation.
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** disputatious
(adj.) argumentative; inclined to disputes
* The child was so disputatious he needed to be removed from the room. 
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** dissemble
(v.) to pretend; to feign; to conceal by pretense
* Agent 007 has a marvelous ability to dissemble his real intentions.
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** disseminate
(v.) to circulate; scatter
* He was hired to disseminate newspapers to everyone in the town.
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** dissent
(v.) to disagree; differ in opinion
* They agreed that something had to be done, but dissented on how to do it. 
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** dissonance
(n.) musical discord; a mingling of inharmonious sounds; nonmusical; disagreement; lack of harmony
* Much twentieth-century music is not liked by classical music lovers because of the dissonance it holds and the harmonies it lacks.
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** dissonant
(adj.) not in harmony; in disagreement
* Despite several intense rehearsals, the voices of the choir members continued to be dissonant.
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** distention
(n.) inflation or extension
* The bulge in the carpet was caused by the distention of the wood underneath.
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** dither
(v.) to act indecisively;
(n.) a confused condition
* (v.) She dithered every time she had to make a decision. 
* (n.) Having to take two tests in one day left the student in a dither.
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** diverge
(v.) separate, split
* The wide, long river diverged into two distinct separate rivers, never again to join.
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** divestiture
(n.) being stripped
* When it was found the team cheated, there was a divestiture of their crown.
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** docile
(adj.) manageable; obedient; gentle
* We needed to choose a docile pet because we hadn’t the patience for a lot of training.
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** doggerel
(n.) verse characterized by forced rhyme and meter
* Contrary to its appearance, doggerel can contain some weighty messages.
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** dogma
(n.) a collection of beliefs
* The dogma of the village was based on superstition.
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** dogmatic
(adj.) stubborn; biased; opinionated
* The student’s dogmatic presentation annoyed his classmates as well as his instructor.
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** dormant
(adj.) as if asleep
* The animals lay dormant until the spring thaw.
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** doughty
(adj.) brave and strong
* The doughty fireman saved the woman’s life.
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** dowdy
(adj.) shabby in appearance
* The dowdy girl had no buttons on her coat and the threads were falling apart.
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** dubious
(adj.) doubtful; uncertain; skeptical; suspicious
* The new information was dubious enough to re-open the case.
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** duplicity
(n.) deception
* She forgave his duplicity but divorced him anyway.
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** duress
(n.) imprisonment; the use of threats
* The policewoman put the man under duress in order to get a confession. 
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