Vocab Word Collection

Nervousness | After drinking three cups of strong espresso, the night watchman felt incredibly jumpy, startling at the slightest creak of the old floorboards. |1. Unfazed | 2. Jumpy | 3. Inconsolable | |Jumpy| | Definition: Nervous and anxious, especially tending to startle or leap at sudden noises or movements.| | Mnemonic: When you are jumpy, your nerves are so tight that you literally jump at everything.|

Nervousness | | The candidates were on tenterhooks all evening, waiting by the telephone for the final election results to be announced. |1. Petrified | 2. At ease | 3. On tenterhooks | |On tenterhooks| | Definition: In a state of uneasy suspense or painful anxiety about a future outcome.| | Mnemonic: Imagine sitting on sharp hooks inside a tent—you would be on edge, anxiously waiting to get off.|

Nervousness | The high-strung puppy barked at every sudden movement, pacing nervously across the living room rug at the slightest sound. |1. High-strung| 2. Sorrowful | 3. Relaxed| |High-strung| | Definition: Very nervous, tense, or easily upset; highly sensitive and easily agitated.| | Mnemonic: Think of a guitar string pulled too high (tight)—it is so strung up that it might snap at any moment.|

Nervousness | As the deadline approached and the computer screen suddenly froze, the student grew panicky, clicking the mouse wildly in a desperate bid to save his work. | 1. Calm | 2. Jubilant | 3. Panicky | |Panicky| | Definition: Feeling sudden, uncontrollable fear or anxiety that prevents reasonable thought or action.| | Mnemonic: When you are panicky, you lose your plan because of panic.|

Fear | | The timorous kitten refused to come out from under the sofa, startled by every footstep in the hallway. |1. Bold| 2. Timorous| 3. Inconsolable | |Timorous| | Definition: Showing a lack of confidence; easily frightened or nervous.| | Mnemonic: A timorous creature is full of timidity.|

Fear | | With a tremulous hand, the witness signed the statement, her fingers still shaking from the ordeal. |1. Delirious| 2. Steady | 3. Tremulous| |Tremulous| | Definition: Shaking or quivering slightly, especially due to nervousness, weakness, or fear.| | Mnemonic: Tremulous sounds exactly like tremble and tremor.|

Fear | | Clara felt deeply apprehensive about her first solo presentation, checking her notes for the twentieth time. |1. Apprehensive| 2. Assured | 3. Woebegone | |Apprehensive| | Definition: Anxious or fearful that something bad or unpleasant is about to happen in the future.| | Mnemonic: Apprehensive = Anxious about a Possible Problem.|

Fear | | The night watchman emerged from the abandoned wing ashen-faced, gasping for air after hearing an inexplicable scream. |1. Flush| 2. Ashen-faced| 3. Euphoric | |Ashen-faced| | Definition: Having an extremely pale gray face, usually due to shock, horror, or fear.| | Mnemonic: Your face looks like gray ashes from a fire because all the blood drained out from fear.|

Fear | | The normally outspoken debater sat cowed by the harsh and aggressive criticism from the panel of judges. |1. Heavyhearted| 2. Defiant | 3. Cowed| |Cowed| | Definition: Subdued, frightened, or made to submit by threats or a show of force.| | Mnemonic: A cow cowers and bows its head down when it is frightened by a farmer.|

Fear | The rookie player felt completely intimidated when stepping onto the court against the reigning world champions. |1. Confident| 2. Intimidated| 3. Ecstatic | |Intimidated| | Definition: Feeling frightened, discouraged, or inferior due to someone else's power or status.| | Mnemonic: Intimidated makes you feel timid (shy and scared) because of a bully or opponent.|

Fear | She stood petrified at the top of the diving board, unable to move or look down at the deep water below. |1. Petrified| 2. Sorrowful | 3. Bold | |Petrified| | Definition: So frightened that you are completely unable to move; literally turned to stone.| | Mnemonic: Petrified wood is wood that turned to stone. When you are petrified, you are as still as a rock.|

Fear | | Quaking with fear, the young boy hid in the closet while the thunder rattled the windowpanes. |1. Steady| 2. Jubilant | 3. Quaking| |Quaking| | Definition: Shaking or trembling uncontrollably from fear or anxiety.| | Mnemonic: Think of an earthquake—your body shakes just like the ground does.|

The passengers were terror-stricken as the airplane suddenly dropped hundreds of feet during severe turbulence. |1. Blithe| 2. Terror-stricken | 3. Fearless | |Terror-stricken| | Definition: Overwhelmed by intense, sudden fear or panic.| | Mnemonic: Terror strikes like lightning, leaving you stricken (paralyzed) by panic.|

Sadness: Disconsolate | | After the referee’s controversial decision ended their season, the players sat disconsolate in the locker room, staring blankly at the floor. | | 1. Petrified -- fear -- so fearful until you cannot move | 2. Cheerful -- happiness | 3. Disconsolate -- cannot be consoled

Sadness: Inconsolable | | The young girl was inconsolable when her favorite antique doll shattered on the pavement, sobbing despite her father’s best efforts to distract her. | | 1. Inconsolable -- sadness -- cannot be consoled | 2. Placated -- to be comforted | 3. Quaking -- nervousness

Sadness: | | Shivering in the damp cellar with nothing but a thin blanket, the prisoner spent a miserable night listening to the scurrying of rats. | | 1. Intimidated -- fear | 2. Miserable -- sadness | 3. Contented -- happiness

Sadness | | Standing in the ruins of his garden, the farmer looked utterly _______ , his shoulders slumped in total defeat. | | 1. Woebegone -- sadness | | 2. Radiant -- happiness | | 3. Ashen-faced -- fear. Ashen means pale. So, ashen-faced describes fear. |

Sadness | | A sorrowful melody drifted from the lonely violin, echoing the grief felt by everyone in the silent cathedral. | | 1. Joyous -- opposite sense | 2. Sorrowful -- sadness | 3. Timorous -- describes timid

Sadness | | The captain became visibly _______ when he noticed the ship’s compass spinning wildly in the heart of the storm. | | 1. Composed -- opposite sense | 2. Distressed -- a combination of sadness, worry, or pain

Sadness: | | ________ and weary, the villagers began packing their belongings to flee the rising floodwaters. | | 1. Lighthearted -- opposite sense | 2. Uneasy -- nervous | 3. Heavyhearted -- sadness

Sadness: | | The old dog sat by the front door for hours, pining for his owner who had been away at sea for months. | | 1. Pining -- sadness | 2. Indifferent -- opposite sense | 3. High-strung -- nervous

Intense happiness: Intoxicated | | The captain was neither reckless, nor was he intoxicated by the sudden fame that followed his historic discovery. | | 1. Serene - peaceful happiness | 2. Intoxicated - happiness so intense that it clouds the senses. | 3. Radiant - happiness like a gentle warm sunny day

Intense happiness: | | The treasure hunters were starving and cold, yet they were delirious with laughter as they unearthed the golden chest. | | 1. Terror-stricken -- fearful | 2. Distressed -- sadness | 3. Thrilled -- signals more awareness | 4. Delirious -- signals less awareness, and it is more suitable for this context.

Intense happiness: Ecstatic | | As the audience rose for an ovation, the lead actor was _______ , yet he remained on tenterhooks as he scanned the front row for the director's final nod of approval. | | 1. quaking -- nervous | 2. ecstatic -- intense happiness, just right. | 3. blithe -- casual happiness

Great Happiness | | The jubilant crowd spilled into the streets, for their team has won the championship. | | 1. Jubilant -- just right | 2. woebegone -- opposite sense | 3. Intoxicated -- too intense Jubilant is a loud or public celebration, often after a great victory.

Great happiness: Elated | | The scientist was elated, for her years of research had finally yielded a breakthrough. | | 1. Downcast (opposite sense) | 2. Elated - just right | 3. Delirious - too intense

Great Happiness: Euphoric | | After pushing through the final kilometer of the marathon, Miles Long was bathed in a ______ glow, his physical exhaustion completely eclipsed by a sense of pure triumph. | | 1. Dysphoric (opposite sense) | 2. Exhilarating (too intense) | 3. Euphoric -- just right. | Euphoric describes an intense feeling of supreme happiness, excitement, and well-being. It is commonly said in medical contexts too.

Normal Happiness: | | She tossed her hair back with a blithe disregard for the brewing storm, convinced that the picnic would go on as planned. | | 1. Heavyhearted (opposite of blithe) | 2. Ecstatic (too intense) | 3. Blithe | Blithe: a. carefree, cheerful, and lighthearted b. casual, improper indifference or lack of concern.