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churlish
- (adjective) rude or irritable
- "They invited me to dinner and I thought it would be _________ to refuse."
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vernacular
- (noun) (used in) everyday speech
- "The French I learnt in school is very different from the local ___________ of the village I"m now living in."
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remittance
- (noun) payment sent to a party in another place
- "He worked as a builder in Chicago and received ____________s from his bank in Chicago."
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disparage
- (verb) express a negative opinion of
- "The actor's work for charity has recently been _____________d in the press as an attempt to get publicity."
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ostensible
- (adjective) of motives or facts that are apparent but not necessarily real or true
- "Their _________ goal was to clean up government corruption, but their real aim was to unseat the government."
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encapsulate
- (verb) contain the essential truths in
- "It was very difficult to __________ the story of the revolution in a single one-hour documentary."
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guise
- (noun) deceptive outward appearance
- "The men who arrived in the _______ of drug dealers were actually undercover police officers."
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pragmatic
- (adjective) practical
- "In business, the _________ approach to problems is often more successful than an idealistic one."
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aphorism
- (noun) expression of a general truth in a short witty saying
- "Oscar Wilde was famous for such __________s as 'Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes'."
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semblance
- (noun) appearance of things that is deceptive
- "The city has now return to some _________ of normality after last night's celebrations."
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spurious
- (adjective) not genuine
- "Some of the arguments in favor of shutting the factory are questionable and others downright _________."
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nefarious
- (adjective) wicked
- "The director of the company seems to have been involved in some _______ practices/activities."
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impetus
- (noun) force that keeps something moving
- "The recent publicity surrounding homelessness has given (a) fresh ________ to the cause."
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viable
- (adjective) able to continue living or being used
- "In order to make the company ______, it will unfortunately be necessary to reduce staffing levels."
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posterity
- (noun) future generations of people
- "Every attempt is being made to ensure that these works of art are preserved for ________."
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disparate
- (adjective) vastly different
- "The two cultures were so utterly _______ that she found it hard to adapt from one to the other."
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vindicate
- (verb) shown to be correct or innocent
- "The decision to include Morris in the team was completely ________d when he scored three goals."
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unflappable
- (adjective) not easily shocked
- "She's totally _______ - you have to be when working in such a highly-pressured environment."
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virulent
- (adjective) very poisonous or infectious
- "A particularly _________ strain of flu has recently claimed a number of lives in the US."
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unprecedented
- (adjective) of events where nothing similar has happened in the past
- "This century has witnessed environmental destruction on an __________ scale."
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intersperse
- (verb) break up the flow of something
- "The documentary __________s graphical animations with film clips of the actual event."
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auspicious
- (adjective) seen to show good luck
- "They won their first match of the season 5-1 which was a(n) ____________ start/beginning."
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untenable
- (adjective) unable to be believed
- "If three people in four no longer support the government, isn't this a(n) ___________ situation?"
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dissent
- (noun) disagreement within an organization
- "When the time came to approve the proposal, there were one or two voices of _________."
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probate
- (noun) put an offender on probation by suspending his sentence
- "Before ____________ can be granted, all business assets have to be identified and valued."
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influx
- (noun) flowing in
- "Turkey is expecting a(n) _________ of several thousand refugees over the next few days."
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ubiquitous
- (adjective) (seeming to be) present everywhere
- 'Leather is very much in fashion this season, as of course is the ___________ denim."
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paradigm
- (noun) standard example
- "Some of these educators are hoping to produce a change in the current cultural ________."
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bucolic
- (adjective) of the countryside
- "The painting shows a typically _________ scene with peasants harvesting crops in a field."
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detriment
- (noun) damage to
- "Are you sure that I can follow this diet without ________ to my health?"
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acerbic
- (adjective) bitter or sour
- "The letters show the _______ wit for which Parker was both admired and feared."
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chicanery
- (noun) fraud
- "The investigation revealed political ________ and corruption at the highest levels."
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exacerbate
- (verb) make a situation worse or more severe
- "This attack will __________ the already tense relations between the tow communities."
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unfounded
- (adjective) not based on fact
- "I'm pleased to see that our fears about the weather proved totally _________."
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veritable
- (adjective) true (often used to intensify a noun)
- "My garden had become a _________ jungle by the time I came back from holiday."
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sycophant
- (noun) someone who is excessively eager to please in order to get something
- "There was _________ic laughter from the audience at every one of his terrible jokes."
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verdant
- (adjective) covered with green plants
- "Much of the region's _______ countryside has been destroyed in the hurricane."
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capitulate
- (verb) surrender under agreed conditions
- "Their forces ________d five hours after the Allied bombardment of the city began."
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typify
- (verb) have the essential qualities of
- "Her dishonesty _________(replace "y" with "ies") the trustworthiness of the police."
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placate
cause to be less angry or fearful
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