-ic
like,of
Usage
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politic
To be politic in a decision is to be socially wise and diplomatic.
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aesthetic
The word aesthetic is used to talk about art, beauty, the study of beauty, and the appreciation of beautiful things.
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rubric
A rubric is a set of instructions at the beginning of a document, such as an examination or term paper, that is usually printed in a different style so as to highlight its importance.
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canonical
Something that is canonical is accepted as being accurate and authoritative—it possesses all the qualities that a thing of its kind should have.
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allegorical
An allegorical poem or story employs allegory, that is, a literary device that uses literal events and characters to represent abstract ideas or deeper meanings.
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empirical
Empirical evidence or study is based on real experience or scientific experiments rather than on unproven theories.
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bombastic
When a person is speaking or writing in a bombastic fashion, they are very self-centered, extremely showy, and excessively proud.
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mimetic
If you engage in mimetic behavior, you copy the movements or appearance of someone or something else.
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enigmatic
Someone or something that is enigmatic is mysterious and difficult to understand.
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catatonic
A catatonic person is in a state of suspended action; therefore, they are rigid, immobile, and unresponsive.
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lackadaisical
If you do something in a lackadaisical way, you do it carelessly and without putting much effort into it—thereby showing that you are not really interested in what you're doing.
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laconic
A person who is being laconic uses very few words to say something.
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acerbic
If you take an acerbic tone with someone, you are criticizing them in a clever but critical and mean way.
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semantic
The word semantic is used to describe that which pertains to meaning, especially the meaning of words and phrases.
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prophylactic
A prophylactic is used as a preventative or protective agent to keep someone free from disease or infection.
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plastic
A person who is plastic can be easily influenced and molded by others.
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panegyric
A panegyric is a speech or article that praises someone or something a lot.
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myopic
A myopic person is unable to visualize the long-term negative consequences of their current actions; rather, they are narrowly focused upon short-term results.
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intrinsic
An intrinsic characteristic of something is the basic and essential feature that makes it what it is.
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topical
The adjective topical describes something that is related to a subject of current interest.
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endemic
Something that is endemic to a place, such as a disease or life form, is very frequently found in and restricted to that area or region.
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schematic
A schematic diagram or picture shows the main parts of something in a simple drawing that helps people understand it.
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bucolic
The adjective bucolic is used to describe things that are related to or characteristic of rural or country life.
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prosaic
Something prosaic is dull, boring, and ordinary.
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nostalgic
If you feel nostalgic about a happy time in the past, you are feeling sad when you think about it and wish that things had not changed or long for their return.
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chronic
A chronic illness or pain is serious and lasts for a long time; a chronic problem is always happening or returning and is very difficult to solve.
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pyrrhic
A Pyrrhic victory is one that comes at a high cost for the winners of a battle.
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skeptic
A skeptic is a person who doubts popular claims or facts about things that other people believe to be true.
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eccentric
If someone is eccentric, they behave in a strange and unusual way that is different from most people.
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dogmatic
Someone is being dogmatic when they express opinions in an assertive and often overly self-important manner.
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autocratic
An autocratic person rules with complete power; consequently, they make decisions and give orders to people without asking them for their opinion or advice.
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vitriolic
Vitriolic words are bitter, unkind, and mean-spirited.
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somatic
If you say that something is somatic, you mean that it relates to or affects the body and not the mind.
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meteoric
If you describe someone's path through life as meteoric, it means that they have become very successful extremely quickly.
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phlegmatic
Someone who is phlegmatic stays calm and unemotional even in dangerous or exciting situations.
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frenetic
Frenetic activity is done quickly with lots of energy but is also uncontrolled and disorganized; someone who is in a huge hurry often displays this type of behavior.
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choleric
A choleric person becomes angry very easily.
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sardonic
Someone's sardonic smile, expression, or comment shows a lack of respect for what someone else has said or done; this occurs because the former thinks they are too important to consider or discuss such a supposedly trivial matter of the latter.
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thematic
Something is thematic when it is related to a particular theme, that is, a carefully developed message or central idea.
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sporadic
Sporadic occurrences happen from time to time but not at constant or regular intervals.
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eclectic
An eclectic assortment of things or people comes from many varied sources; additionally, it usually includes the best of those sources.
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pedantic
If someone is pedantic, they give too much importance to unimportant details and formal rules.
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didactic
Didactic speech or writing is intended to teach something, especially a moral lesson.
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prophetic
Something or someone that is prophetic has the quality or ability to predict the future.
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peripatetic
If someone leads a peripatetic life, they travel from place to place, living and working only for a short time in each place before moving on.
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caustic
A caustic remark is unkind, critical, cruel, and mocking.
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dialectic
Dialectic is a dialogue between two people who present logical arguments in order to persuade each other of the truth of their opinion; during this interchange, the debaters arrive at a truth, which often involves parts of each debater's opinion.
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idiosyncratic
Idiosyncratic tendencies, behavior, or habits are unusual and strange.
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lethargic
If you are lethargic, you are tired, lack energy, and are unwilling to exert effort.
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generic
A generic description or attribute is not specific to any one thing but applies to all members of an entire class or group.
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esoteric
Something esoteric is known about or understood by very few people.
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diabolical
If you say something is diabolical, you are emphasizing that it is evil, cruel, or very bad.
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archaic
Something that is archaic is out of date or not currently used anymore because it is no longer considered useful or efficient.
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quixotic
Quixotic plans or ideas are not very practical or realistic; they are often based on unreasonable hopes for improving the world.
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polemic
A polemic is a strong written or spoken statement that usually attacks or less often defends a particular idea, opinion, or belief.
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rhetoric
Rhetoric is the skill or art of using language to persuade or influence people, especially language that sounds impressive but may not be sincere or honest.
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synoptic
When you are presented with a synoptic view of a written work or subject, you receive a summary or general overview of the entirety of its contents.
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whimsical
A whimsical idea or person is slightly strange, unusual, and amusing rather than serious and practical.
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histrionic
If you describe someone's behavior as histrionic, you disapprove of it because it is overly loud, dramatic, emotional, and insincere.
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stoic
A stoic person does not show their emotions and does not complain when bad things happen to them.
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anthropomorphic
Something anthropomorphic is not human, but is shaped like a human or has human characteristics, such as behavior.
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chronological
A chronological history arranges events in the order that they happened.
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concentric
Concentric circles, gradually increasing in size, spread out from a common central point.
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cynical
A cynical person thinks that people in general are most often motivated by selfish concerns; therefore, they doubt, mistrust, and question what people do.
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demographic
A demographic study describes the characteristics of part of a population that is usually used for purposes of marketing.
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ecstatic
When you are ecstatic about something, you are overjoyed or extremely happy about it.
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egotistical
An egotistical person thinks about or is concerned with no one else other than themself.
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emphatic
When you make an emphatic declaration, you are insistent and absolute about it.
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erratic
Erratic behavior is irregular, unpredictable, and unusual.
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fanaticism
Fanaticism is the condition of being overly enthusiastic or eager about a cause to the point of being extreme and unreasonable about it.
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ironic
An ironic statement means something the opposite of that which is expressed, sometimes giving humor or a grim twist to the situation at hand.
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kinetic
Something kinetic is moving, active, and using energy.
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melodramatic
When you are acting in a melodramatic way, you are overreacting to something in an overly dramatic and exaggerated way.
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monastic
A monastic lifestyle is very simple—it is not given to excess in any way; rather, it is a lifestyle of self-denial.
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neurotic
A neurotic person is too anxious or worried about events in everyday life.
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panoramic
A panoramic view of a landscape is a sweeping or wide-ranging view of it.
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parenthetical
A parenthetical remark further explains or qualifies information.
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pathological
If you have a pathological condition, you are extreme or unreasonable in something that you do.
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chaotic
A chaotic state of affairs is in a state of confusion and complete disorder.
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pragmatic
If you handle something in a pragmatic way, you deal with it in a realistic and practical manner rather than just following unproven theories or ideas.
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dynamic
A dynamic person is full of energy and life, making them very active.
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authentic
An authentic object or person is actual or real; it or they are not fake.
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methodical
If you are methodical while doing a task, you use a logical and organized system to complete it.
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epidemic
An epidemic problem, such as a disease or unpleasant development of some kind, spreads quickly over a widespread area.
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exotic
If something is exotic, it is viewed as unusual, very different, or from a culture that is unfamiliar.
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polyphonic
The adjective polyphonic refers to something that consists of many sounds or voices.
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rhapsodic
If you are rhapsodic about something, you are very happy, ecstatic, passionate, or highly enthusiastic about it.
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democratic
Democratic government is based on the idea that all people are equal; therefore, a country’s people should help decide how to rule it.
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technique
A technique is a special way or skill to do something.
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gigantic
Something gigantic is huge or very big.
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economic
An economic plan or problem has to do with money, such as the spending or making of it.
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academic
Academic subjects are those learned in classes at school, such as math, history, languages, and science.
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basic
Basic skills are the simplest ones that everyone needs to know, such as learning how to add 1 + 1 or how to dress yourself.
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automatic
Something automatic works by itself without needing a person to do anything.
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criticism
Criticism is the finding of fault with people because their actions are thought of as wrong or bad in some way.
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dramatic
Something dramatic is exciting, filled with energy, and can sometimes have surprising and interesting things happen.
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tropical
Tropical weather is hot and wet most of the time.
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topic
A topic is a subject that a book or a teacher wants you to think about.
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publication
A publication is a piece of writing for all people to read, such as a book or magazine.
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typical
A typical thing that happens is the usual or normal thing.
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acoustic
of or relating to the science of acoustics
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alcoholic
characteristic of or containing alcohol
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angelic
marked by utter benignity
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gothic
characteristic of the style of type commonly used for printing German
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photographic
relating to photography or obtained by using photography
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polysyllabic
having or characterized by words of more than three syllables
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volcanic
relating to or produced by or consisting of volcanoes
Related Word Sums
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