vocab

Blithe - adjective

1: lacking due thought or consideration : casual, heedless

blithe unconcern; a blithe disregard for the rights of others

2: of a happy, lighthearted character or disposition

a blithe spirit; blithe enjoyment

Blithely - adverb

Synonyms: carefree/careless, cheery

Mollify - transitive verb

1: to soothe in temper or disposition : appease

mollified the staff with a raise

2: to reduce the rigidity of : soften

Shaving cream mollifies the beard.

3: to reduce in intensity : assuage, temper

Time mollified his anger.

Mollification - noun

Synonyms: appease, placate, pacify

Ambivalence (noun)

1: simultaneous and contradictory attitudes or feelings (such as attraction and repulsion) toward an object, person, or action

felt ambivalence toward his powerful father

ambivalence toward marriage

2: uncertainty as to which approach to follow

ambivalence about their goals

Synonyms: contradictory; equivocal

Other versions: ambivalent; ambivalently

Ardor (noun)

1a: an often restless or transitory warmth of feeling

the sudden ardors of youth

b: extreme vigor or energy : intensity

the ardor of a true believer

Synonyms: zeal, intensity, passion

Surreptitious - Adjective

1: done, made, or acquired by stealth : clandestine

2: acting or doing something clandestinely : stealthy

a surreptitious glance

Other forms: surreptitiously

Synonyms: stealthy, sneaky, furtive

Venerate - transitive verb

1: to regard with reverential respect or with admiring deference

2: to honor (an icon, a relic, etc.) with a ritual act of devotion

Other forms: venerator, venerable

Synonyms: adore, revere, glorify

Draconian - Adjective

Strict; mean-spirited; excessively harsh; cruel

From the first day of class, we knew the teacher was going to be a draconian instructor; she insisted that we walk in the room silently and required that all our writing be either neatly typed or in perfect cursive.

Teem- Verb

To abound or swarm. (Best used with “with.”) The pond teemed with fish, making it a popular spot for local anglers.

The mall was teeming with adolescents that Friday night, which the teacher, who had gone to catch a film at the movie theatre, did not expect.