 | Term | Definition |
| |
Abashed |
ashamed or embarrassed; disconcerted |
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Abhorring |
to regard with extreme repugnance or aversion; detest utterly; loathe; abominate |
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Accusing |
to charge with the fault, offense, or crime |
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Acerbic |
harsh or severe, as of temper or expression |
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Admiring |
to regard with wonder, pleasure, or approval |
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Adoring |
to regard with the utmost esteem, love, and respect; honor. |
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Affectionate |
showing, indicating, or characterized by affection or love; fondly tender |
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Ambiguous |
open to or having several possible meanings or interpretations |
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Ambivalent |
uncertainty or fluctuation, esp. when caused by inability to make a choice or by a simultaneous desire to say or do two opposite or conflicting things |
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Amused |
pleasurably entertained, occupied, or diverted |
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Annoyed |
To cause slight irritation to (another) by troublesome, often repeated acts |
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Antagonistic |
acting in opposition; opposing, esp. mutually/ hostile; unfriendly |
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Anxious |
full of mental distress or uneasiness because of fear of danger or misfortune; greatly worried; solicitous/ earnestly desirous; eager |
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Apathetic |
having or showing little or no emotion/ not interested or concerned; indifferent or unresponsive |
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Apologetic |
containing an apology or excuse for a fault, failure, insult, injury |
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Appreciative |
feeling or expressive of gratitude |
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Apprehensive |
uneasy or fearful about something that might happen |
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Approving |
to speak or think favorably of; pronounce or consider agreeable or good; judge favorably |
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Audacious |
extremely bold or daring; recklessly brave; fearless |
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Authorative |
having an air of authority; accustomed to exercising authority; positive; peremptory; dictatorial |
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Baffled |
to confuse, bewilder, or perplex |
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Bantering |
Good-humored, playful conversation |
| |
Belligerent |
warlike; given to waging war |
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Bemused |
bewildered or confused/ lost in thought; preoccupied |
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Benevolent |
characterized by or expressing goodwill or kindly feelings |
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Bewildered |
completely puzzled or confused; perplexed |
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Biting |
nipping; smarting; keen/ cutting; sarcastic |
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Bitter |
having a harsh, disagreeably acrid taste, like that of aspirin, quinine, wormwood, or aloes/ characterized by intense antagonism or hostility/ hard to admit or accept |
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Blithe |
joyous, merry, or gay in disposition; glad; cheerful |
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Blunt |
abrupt in address or manner/ slow in perception or understanding; obtuse |
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Brisk |
quick and active; lively/ sharp and stimulating |
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Brusque |
abrupt in manner; blunt; rough |
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Burlesque |
an artistic composition, esp. literary or dramatic, that, for the sake of laughter, vulgarizes lofty material or treats ordinary material with mock dignity |
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Calm |
without rough motion; still or nearly still/ free from excitement or passion; tranquil |
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Candid |
frank; outspoken; open and sincere/ free from reservation, disguise, or subterfuge; straightforward |
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Casual |
without definite or serious intention; careless or offhand; passing/ |
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Celebratory |
seeming or tending to be indifferent to what is happening; apathetic; unconcerned |
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Ceremonial |
of, pertaining to, or characterized by ceremony; formal; ritual |
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Cheerful |
characterized by or expressive of good spirits or cheerfulness |
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Cheery |
in good spirits; gay |
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Childish |
of, like, or befitting a child/ puerile; weak; silly |
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Choleric |
extremely irritable or easily angered; irascible |
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Clinical |
concerned with or based on actual observation and treatment of disease in patients rather than experimentation or theory/ extremely objective and realistic; dispassionately analytic; unemotionally critical |
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Colloquial |
characteristic of or appropriate to ordinary or familiar conversation rather than formal speech or writing; informal. |
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Comforting |
To soothe in time of affliction or distress. |
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Commanding |
appreciably superior or imposing; winning; sizable |
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Compassionate |
having or showing compassion |
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Complex |
characterized by a very complicated or involved arrangement of parts, units, etc.: |
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Complicated |
composed of elaborately interconnected parts; complex |
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Complimentary |
of the nature of, conveying, or expressing a compliment, often one that is politely flattering |
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Conceited |
having an excessively favorable opinion of one's abilities, appearance, etc. |
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Concerned |
interested or affected/ troubled or anxious/ having a connection or involvement; participating |
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Conciliatory |
To overcome the distrust or animosity of; appease |
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Condemnatory |
To express strong disapproval of |
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Condescending |
showing or implying a usually patronizing descent from dignity or superiority |
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Confident |
having strong belief or full assurance; sure/ sure of oneself; having no uncertainty about one's own abilities, correctness, successfulness, etc.; self-confident; bold |
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Word |
Definition |
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Confused |
to perplex or bewilder/ to make unclear or indistinct |
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Contemptuous |
showing or expressing contempt or disdain; scornful |
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Contented |
Desiring no more than what one has; satisfied./ Ready to accept or acquiesce; willing |
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Conversational |
The spoken exchange of thoughts, opinions, and feelings; talk |
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Critical |
inclined to find fault or to judge with severity, often too readily |
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Curt |
rudely brief in speech or abrupt in manner/ brief; concise; terse; laconic |
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Cynical |
showing contempt for accepted standards of honesty or morality by one's actions, esp. by actions that exploit the scruples of others/ bitterly or sneeringly distrustful, contemptuous, or pessimistic |
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Demanding |
requiring or claiming more than is generally felt by others to be due/ calling for intensive effort or attention; taxing |
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Depressed |
sad and gloomy; dejected; downcast/ pressed down, or situated lower than the general surface |
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Depressing |
Causing especially emotional depression/ Dismal; dreary |
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Derisive |
characterized by or expressing derision; contemptuous; mocking |
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Derogatory |
tending to lessen the merit or reputation of a person or thing; disparaging; depreciatory |
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Desolate |
barren or laid waste; devastated/ deprived or destitute of inhabitants; deserted; uninhabited |
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Despairing |
To be overcome by a sense of futility or defeat/ To lose all hope |
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Desperate |
reckless or dangerous because of despair or urgency/ having an urgent need, desire, etc.: |
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Detached |
impartial or objective; disinterested; unbiased/ not involved or concerned; aloof |
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Diabolic |
having the qualities of a devil; devilish; fiendish; outrageously wicked |
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Didactic |
intended for instruction; instructive |
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Diffident |
lacking confidence in one's own ability, worth, or fitness; timid; shy |
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Direct |
to manage or guide by advice, helpful information, instruction, etc./ proceeding in a straight line or by the shortest course; straight; undeviating; not oblique |
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Disappointed |
depressed or discouraged by the failure of one's hopes or expectations |
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Disbelieving |
to have no belief in; refuse or reject belief in |
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Disdainful |
expressing extreme contempt |
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Disgusted |
To excite nausea or loathing in; sicken/ To offend the taste or moral sense of; repel |
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Disrespectful |
Having or exhibiting a lack of respect; rude and discourteous |
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Disturbed |
marked by symptoms of mental illness:/ agitated or distressed; disrupted |
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Doubtful |
of uncertain outcome or result |
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Dramatic |
of or pertaining to the drama/ Arresting or forceful in appearance or effect |
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Dreary |
causing sadness or gloom./ dull; boring |
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Earnest |
serious in intention, purpose, or effort; sincerely zealous |
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Ebullient |
overflowing with fervor, enthusiasm, or excitement; high-spirited |
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Ecstatic |
subject to or in a state of ecstasy; rapturous |
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Effusive |
unduly demonstrative; lacking reserve |
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Elated |
very happy or proud; jubilant; in high spirits |
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Elegiac |
expressing sorrow or lamentation |
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Elevated |
exalted or noble; lofty/ exalted or noble; lofty |
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Eloquent |
having or exercising the power of fluent, forceful, and appropriate speech |
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Embarrassed |
To cause to feel self-conscious or ill at ease; disconcert |
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Empathetic |
showing empathy or ready comprehension of others' states |
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Encouraging |
to inspire with courage, spirit, or confidence/ to stimulate by assistance, approval, etc/ to promote, advance, or foster |
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Enraged |
to make extremely angry; put into a rage; infuriate |
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Enthusiastic |
having or showing great excitement and interest |
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Eulogistic |
To praise highly in speech or writing, especially in a formal eulogy |
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Euphoric |
a feeling of happiness, confidence, or well-being sometimes exaggerated in pathological states as mania |
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Evasive |
deliberately vague or ambiguous/ tending or seeking to evade; characterized by evasion |
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Exhilarated |
to enliven; invigorate; stimulate/ to make cheerful or merry |
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Expectant |
marked by eager anticipation |
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Exuberant |
effusively and almost uninhibitedly enthusiastic; lavishly abundant |
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Facetious |
not meant to be taken seriously or literally/ amusing; humorous |
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Factual |
of or pertaining to facts; concerning facts |
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Familiar |
commonly or generally known or seen/ informal; easygoing; unceremonious; unconstrained |
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Fanciful |
characterized by or showing fancy; capricious or whimsical in appearance |
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Fatalistic |
the acceptance of all things and events as inevitable; submission to fate |
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Fearful |
feeling fear, dread, apprehension, or solicitude/ full of awe or reverence/ extreme in size, intensity, or badness |
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Fervent |
having or showing great warmth or intensity of spirit, feeling, enthusiasm, etc.; ardent |
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Contentious |
tending to argument or strife; quarrelsome/ causing, involving, or characterized by argument or controversy |
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Word |
Definition |
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Flippant |
frivolously disrespectful, shallow, or lacking in seriousness; characterized by levity |
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Forceful |
powerful |
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Foreboding |
a strong inner feeling or notion of a future misfortune, evil, etc.; presentiment |
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Formal |
being in accordance with the usual requirements, customs, etc.; conventional/ of, pertaining to, or emphasizing the organization or composition of the constituent elements in a work of art perceived separately from its subject matter/ marked by form or ceremony |
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Forthright |
going straight to the point; frank; direct; outspoken |
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Frantic |
desperate or wild with excitement, passion, fear, pain, etc.; frenzied |
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Frightened |
To fill with fear; alarm |
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Frivolous |
characterized by lack of seriousness or sense/ self-indulgently carefree; unconcerned about or lacking any serious purpose/ of little or no weight, worth, or importance; not worthy of serious notice |
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Frustrated |
disappointed; thwarted |
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Furious |
full of fury, violent passion, or rage; extremely angry; enraged |
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Ghoulish |
strangely diabolical or cruel; monstrous |
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Giddy |
frivolous and lighthearted; impulsive; flighty/ attended with or causing dizziness |
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Gleeful |
full of exultant joy; merry; delighted. |
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Gloomy |
dark or dim; deeply shaded/ hopeless or despairing; pessimistic |
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Grand |
impressive in size, appearance, or general effect/ stately, majestic, or dignified/ of great importance, distinction, or pretension |
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Grave |
serious or solemn; sober/ weighty, momentous, or important/ threatening a seriously bad outcome or involving serious issues; critical |
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Grim |
stern and admitting of no appeasement or compromise/ having a harsh, surly, forbidding, or morbid air |
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Harsh |
ungentle and unpleasant in action or effect/ physically uncomfortable; desolate; stark/ unpleasantly rough, ragged, or coarse to the touch |
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Haughty |
disdainfully proud; snobbish; scornfully arrogant; supercilious |
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Hilarious |
arousing great merriment; extremely funny |
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histrionic |
Over the top dramatic |
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Holier-than-thou |
obnoxiously pious; sanctimonious; self-righteous |
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Hollow |
having a space or cavity inside; not solid; empty/ having a depression or concavity/ without real or significant worth; meaningless/ insincere or false |
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Hopeful |
full of hope; expressing |
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Hopeless |
providing no hope; beyond optimism or hope; desperate |
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Hostile |
of, pertaining to, or characteristic of an enemy/ opposed in feeling, action, or character; antagonistic/ not friendly, warm, or generous; not hospitable |
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Humorous |
characterized by humor; funny; comical |
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Impartial |
not partial or biased; fair; just |
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Impatient |
not patient; not accepting delay, opposition, pain, etc., with calm or patience |
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Incisive |
penetrating; cutting; biting; trenchant/ remarkably clear and direct; sharp; keen; acute |
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Incredulous |
not credulous; disinclined or indisposed to believe; skeptical |
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Indifferent |
without interest or concern; not caring; apathetic/ having no bias, prejudice, or preference; impartial; disinterested |
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Indignant |
feeling, characterized by, or expressing strong displeasure at something considered unjust, offensive, insulting, or base |
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Indirect |
not in a direct course or path; deviating from a straight line; roundabout/ not straightforward; devious; deceitful |
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Inflammatory |
tending to arouse anger, hostility, passion, etc.: |
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Informal |
without formality or ceremony; casual/ suitable to or characteristic of casual and familiar, but educated, speech or writing/ not according to the prescribed, official, or customary way or manner; irregular; unofficial |
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Informative |
giving information; instructive/ tending to increase knowledge or dissipate ignorance |
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Insecure |
subject to fears, doubts, etc.; not self-confident or assured |
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Insipid |
without distinctive, interesting, or stimulating qualities; vapid |
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Insistent |
earnest or emphatic in dwelling upon, maintaining, or demanding something; persistent; pertinacious |
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Insolent |
boldly rude or disrespectful; contemptuously impertinent; insulting |
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Instructive |
serving to instruct or inform; conveying instruction, knowledge, or information; enlightening |
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Interested |
having the attention or curiosity engaged/ characterized by a feeling of interest |
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Intimate |
associated in close personal relations/ very private; closely personal/ detailed; deep |
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Introspective |
given to examining own sensory and perceptual experiences |
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Ironic |
containing or exemplifying irony/ coincidental; unexpected |
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Irreverent |
showing lack of due respect or veneration |
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Irritated |
angered, provoked, or annoyed |
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Jocund |
cheerful; merry; gay; blithe; glad |
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Jovial |
endowed with or characterized by a hearty, joyous humor or a spirit of good-fellowship |
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Joyful |
full of joy, as a person or one's heart; glad; delighted/ causing or bringing joy, as an event, a sight, or news; delightful |
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Joyous |
joyful; happy; jubilant |
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Laudatory |
containing or expressing praise |
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Learned |
having much knowledge; scholarly; erudite/ connected or involved with the pursuit of knowledge, esp. of a scholarly nature |
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Lighthearted |
carefree; cheerful; gay |
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Lively |
full or suggestive of life or vital energy; active, vigorous, or brisk/ animated, spirited, vivacious, or sprightly |
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Lofty |
exalted in rank, dignity, or character; eminent/ elevated in style, tone, or sentiment, as writings or speech |
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Word |
Definition |
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Ludicrous |
causing laughter because of absurdity; provoking or deserving derision; ridiculous; laughable |
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Lugubrious |
mournful, dismal, or gloomy, esp. in an affected, exaggerated, or unrelieved manner |
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Lyrical |
Expressing deep personal emotion or observations; Highly enthusiastic; rhapsodic |
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Matter–of-fact |
Not on dictionary.com |
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Meditative |
deeply or seriously thoughtful |
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Melancholic |
characterized by or causing or expressing sadness |
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Mirthful |
joyous; gay; jolly; arousing or provoking laughter |
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Mischievous |
maliciously or playfully annoying; causing annoyance, harm, or trouble; roguishly or slyly teasing, as a glance; harmful or injurious |
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Mock-heroic |
imitating or burlesquing that which is heroic, as in manner, character, or action |
| |
Mocking |
To treat with ridicule or contempt; deride; To mimic, as in sport or derision |
| |
Mock – serious |
Not in dictionary.com |
| |
Modest |
having or showing a moderate or humble estimate of one's merits, importance, etc.; free from vanity, egotism, boastfulness, or great pretensions; free from ostentation or showy extravagance |
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Moralistic |
Characterized by or displaying a concern with morality; narrowly and conventionally moral |
| |
Mournful |
feeling or expressing sorrow or grief; sorrowful; sad |
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Mysterious |
of obscure nature, meaning, origin, etc.; puzzling; inexplicable |
| |
Nervous |
highly excitable; unnaturally or acutely uneasy or apprehensive |
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Nostalgic |
unhappy about being away and longing for familiar things or persons |
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Objective |
something that one's efforts or actions are intended to attain or accomplish; purpose; not influenced by personal feelings, interpretations, or prejudice; based on facts; unbiased |
| |
Ominous |
portending evil or harm; foreboding; threatening; inauspicious |
| |
Optimistic |
disposed to take a favorable view of events or conditions and to expect the most favorable outcome |
| |
Outraged |
an act of wanton cruelty or violence; any gross violation of law or decency; anything that strongly offends, insults, or affronts the feelings |
| |
Outspoken |
uttered or expressed with frankness or without reserve |
| |
Paranoid |
Exhibiting or characterized by extreme and irrational fear or distrust of others |
| |
Passionate |
having, compelled by, or ruled by intense emotion or strong feeling; easily aroused to or influenced by sexual desire; ardently sensual; easily moved to anger; quick-tempered; irascible |
| |
Pathetic |
causing or evoking pity, sympathetic sadness, sorrow, etc.; pitiful; pitiable |
| |
Patronizing |
displaying or indicative of an offensively condescending manner |
| |
Peaceful |
not disturbed by strife or turmoil or war; quiet; calm; without worry or disturbance |
| |
Pedantic |
ostentatious in one's learning; overly concerned with minute details or formalisms, esp. in teaching |
| |
Pensive |
dreamily or wistfully thoughtful; expressing or revealing thoughtfulness, usually marked by some sadness |
| |
Pessimistic |
expecting the worst possible outcome |
| |
Petty |
of little or no importance or consequence |
| |
Placid |
pleasantly calm or peaceful; unruffled; tranquil; serenely quiet or undisturbed |
| |
Playful |
pleasantly humorous or jesting |
| |
Poignant |
keenly distressing to the feelings; keen or strong in mental appeal |
| |
Pompous |
characterized by an ostentatious display of dignity or importance |
| |
Powerful |
having or exerting great power or force; potent; efficacious |
| |
Pretentious |
characterized by assumption of dignity or importance |
| |
Proud |
feeling pleasure or satisfaction over something regarded as highly honorable or creditable to oneself; having or showing self-respect or self-esteem |
| |
Provocative |
serving or tending to provoke, excite, or stimulate; tending or serving to provoke; inciting, stimulating, irritating, or vexing |
| |
Psychotic |
Of, relating to, or affected by psychosis; A mental state caused by psychiatric or organic illness, characterized by a loss of contact with reality and an inability to think rationally. A psychotic person often behaves inappropriately and is incapable of normal social functioning |
| |
Questioning |
characterized by or indicating intellectual curiosity; inquiring |
| |
Reassuring |
to restore to assurance or confidence |
| |
Reflective |
given to, marked by, or concerned with meditation or deliberation |
| |
Relaxed |
being free of or relieved from tension or anxiety |
| |
Reminiscent |
awakening memories of something similar; suggestive |
| |
Resigned |
submissive or acquiescent |
| |
Respectful |
full of, characterized by, or showing politeness or deference |
| |
Restrained |
To hold back or keep in check; control |
| |
Reticent |
disposed to be silent or not to speak freely; reserved |
| |
Reverent |
feeling, exhibiting, or characterized by reverence; deeply respectful |
| |
Ridiculous |
causing or worthy of ridicule or derision; absurd; preposterous; laughable |
| |
Risible |
causing or capable of causing laughter; laughable; ludicrous |
| |
Romantic |
characterized by a preoccupation with love or by the idealizing of love or one's beloved; imbued with or dominated by idealism, a desire for adventure, chivalry, etc |
| |
Sanguine |
cheerfully optimistic, hopeful, or confident |
| |
Sarcastic |
expressing or expressive of ridicule that wounds |
| |
Sardonic |
characterized by bitter or scornful derision; mocking; cynical; sneering |
| |
Satiric |
exposing human folly to ridicule |
| |
Scholarly |
concerned with academic learning and research |
| |
Scornful |
expressing extreme contempt |
| |
Seductive |
tending to entice into a desired action or state |
| |
Self-assured |
Having or showing confidence and poise |
| |
Self-depreciating |
belittling or undervaluing oneself; excessively modest |
| |
Selfish |
devoted to or caring only for oneself; concerned primarily with one's own interests, benefits, welfare, etc., regardless of others |
| |
Sentimental |
weakly emotional; mawkishly susceptible or tender |
| |
Serene |
calm, peaceful, or tranquil; unruffled |
| |
Severe |
harsh; unnecessarily extreme; serious or stern in manner or appearance |
| |
Sharp |
clearly defined; distinct; keen or eager; fierce or violent |
| |
Shocked |
struck with fear, dread, or consternation |
| |
Shocking |
causing intense surprise, disgust, horror, etc |
| |
Sinister |
threatening or portending evil, harm, or trouble; ominous |
| |
Skeptical |
Marked by or given to doubt; questioning |
| |
Sly |
cunning or wily; stealthy, insidious, or secret |
| |
Solemn |
grave, sober, or mirthless, as a person, the face, speech, tone, or mood |
| |
Somber |
gloomy, depressing, or dismal; extremely serious; grave |
| |
Speculative |
theoretical, rather than practical |
| |
Sprightly |
animated, vivacious, or gay; lively |
| |
Stable |
not likely to fall or give way, as a structure, support, foundation, etc.; firm; steady |
| |
Stately |
majestic; imposing in magnificence, elegance, etc |
| |
Stern |
firm, strict, or uncompromising; hard, harsh, or severe |
| |
Stolid |
not easily stirred or moved mentally; unemotional; impassive |
| |
Straightforward |
direct; not roundabout; free from crookedness or deceit; honest |
| |
Strident |
making or having a harsh sound; grating; creaking |
| |
Subdued |
quiet; inhibited; repressed; controlled |
| |
Suspenseful |
characterized by or causing suspense |
| |
Suspicious |
openly distrustful and unwilling to confide |
| |
Sympathetic |
characterized by, proceeding from, exhibiting, or feeling sympathy; sympathizing; compassionate |
| |
Taunting |
To reproach in a mocking, insulting, or contemptuous manner |
| |
Tender |
soft or delicate in substance; not hard or tough |
| |
Tense |
stretched tight, as a cord, fiber, etc.; drawn taut; rigid; characterized by a strain upon the nerves or feelings |
| |
Terse |
neatly or effectively concise; brief and pithy, as language |
| |
Thoughtful |
showing consideration for others; considerate; occupied with or given to thought; contemplative; meditative; reflective |
| |
Threatening |
tending or intended to menace; causing alarm, as by being imminent; ominous; sinister |
| |
Timorous |
full of fear; fearful |
| |
Tragic |
extremely mournful, melancholy, or pathetic; dreadful, calamitous, disastrous, or fatal |
| |
Tranquil |
free from commotion or tumult; peaceful; quiet; calm |
| |
Turgid |
swollen; distended; tumid |
| |
Uncertain |
not confident, assured, or free from hesitancy; not clearly or precisely determined; indefinite; unknown |
| |
Unconcerned |
not involved or interested; disinterested.; not caring; unworried; free from solicitude or anxiety |
| |
Understated |
restrained in design, presentation, etc.; low-key |
| |
Uneasy |
not easy in body or mind; uncomfortable; restless; disturbed; perturbed. |
| |
Urgent |
compelling or requiring immediate action or attention; imperative; pressing |
| |
Vexed |
irritated; annoyed |
| |
Vibrant |
moving to and fro rapidly; vibrating |
| |
Violent |
acting with or characterized by uncontrolled, strong, rough force; furious in impetuosity, energy, etc. |
| |
Vitriolic |
very caustic; scathing |
| |
Whimsical |
given to whimsy or fanciful notions; capricious |
| |
Wistful |
characterized by melancholy; longing; yearning; pensive |
| |
Worshipful |
showing adoration; showing great reverence |
| |
Wrathful |
vehemently incensed and condemnatory; very angry; ireful; full of wrath |
| |
Wry |
produced by a distortion or lopsidedness of the facial features; devious in course or purpose; misdirected; distorted or perverted, as in meaning; bitterly or disdainfully ironic or amusing |
| Add or remove terms from this set |
