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joking (often inappropriately); humorous.
"I'm serious about this project; I don't need any facetious, smart-alecky cracks about do-good little rich girls." |
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to help bring about; to make less difficult.
"Rest and proper nourishment should facilitate the patient's recovery." |
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false or misleading.
"Paradoxically, fallacious reasoning does not always yield erroneous results; even though your logic may be faulty, the answer you get may be correct." |
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brainless; inane; foolish yet smug.
"Attacking the notion that women should defer to men's supposedly superior intelligence, Germaine Greer wrote that she was sick of pretending that some fatuous male's self-important pronouncements were the objects of her undivided attention."
"Fatheads are by definition fatuous." |
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trying to please by behaving obsequiously, flattering, or cringing.
"In Pride and Prejudice, Mr. Collins is the archetypal fawning clergyman, wholly dependent for his living on the goodwill of his patron, Lady Catherine, whom he flatters shamelessly."
"Courtiers fawn upon princes; groupies fawn upon rock stars." |
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apt; suitably expressed; well chosen.
"He was famous for his felicitous remarks and was called upon to serve as master-of-ceremonies at many a banquet." |
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glowing ardor; intensity of feeling.
"At the protest rally, the students cheered the strikers and booed the dean with equal fervor." |
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to droop or grow feeble.
"When the opposing hockey team scored its third goal only minutes into the first period, the home team's spirits flagged." |
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inexperienced.
"The folk dance club set up an apprentice program to allow fledgling dance callers a chance to polish their skills." |
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to reject; mock, to show contempt for.
"The painter Julian Schnabel is known for works that flout the conventions of high art, such as paintings on velvet or linoleum." |
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to stir up; instigate.
"Cher's archenemy Heather spread some nasty rumors that fomented trouble in the club. Do you think Cher's foe meant to foment such discord?" |
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to prevent by taking action in advance.
"By setting up a prenuptial agreement, the prospective bride and groom hoped to forestall any potential arguments about money in the event of a divorce." |
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thrift; economy.
"In economically hard times, anyone who doesn't learn to practice frugality risks bankruptcy." |
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thrift; economy.
"In economically hard times, anyone who doesn't learn to practice frugality risks bankruptcy." |
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useless; hopeless; ineffectual.
"It is futile for me to try to get any work done around here while the telephone is ringing every 30 seconds." |
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