English Vocabulary: Descriptive & Emotional Words

Examples:

• The dazzling sunlight hurt my eyes.
• She gave a dazzling performance.
• His dazzling smile won everyone over.

Examples:

• The coastline is rugged and beautiful.
• He has a rugged, outdoorsy appearance.
• This laptop is built for rugged conditions.

Examples:

• He lives an untethered life, traveling constantly.
• The company is untethered from traditional business models.
• She felt untethered after quitting her job.

Examples:

• The interview was very revealing.
• His reaction was quite revealing of his true feelings.
• It's a revealing look at corporate culture.

Examples:

• The documentary was highly instructive.
• Her failure was instructive—it taught us what not to do.
• This is an instructive example of good leadership.

Examples:

• The punishment seems disproportionate to the crime.
• A disproportionate amount of funding goes to marketing.
• The response was disproportionate to the actual threat.

Examples:

• Her words resonated with the audience. (emotional connection)
• His message resonates with young voters.
• The guitar strings resonated beautifully. (literal sound)

Examples:

• His rude behavior displeased the entire family.
• I don't want to displease my boss by arriving late.
• She was clearly displeased with the results.

Examples:

• I don't begrudge her success—she earned it.
• He begrudges every penny he spends on rent.
• Why do you begrudge me a little happiness?

Examples:

• After their argument, they decided to reconcile.
• It's hard to reconcile his kind words with his harsh actions.
• The accountant reconciled the bank statements.

Examples:

• They cultivate organic vegetables.
• He cultivated important relationships in the industry.
• She cultivated a reputation for excellence.

Examples:

• The problem persists despite our best efforts.
• She persisted in asking questions until she understood.
• If symptoms persist for more than a week, see a doctor.

Examples:

• He suffered the misfortune of losing his job and his home in the same month.
• It would be a great misfortune if we missed this opportunity.
• She had the misfortune to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Examples:

• In a surprising turn of events, she won the election.
• This turn of events changes everything.
• No one expected this unfortunate turn of events.

Examples:

• Factory emissions release harmful pollutants into the atmosphere.
• Chemical pollutants have damaged the river ecosystem.
• New regulations aim to reduce industrial pollutants.

Examples:

• He's just peacocking with that expensive car.
• Stop peacocking and get to work.
• The peacocking at tech conferences is exhausting.

Examples:

• Stop sugar-coating the problem—we need the truth.
• There's no sugar-coating it: the results are disappointing.
• He presented the bad news without sugar-coating.

Examples:

• Temperatures rose sharply in the afternoon.
• Unemployment rose sharply during the pandemic.
• Prices have risen sharply over the past year.

Examples:

• Sales have plateaued after three years of growth.
• Her performance plateaued despite extra training.
• The economy is expected to plateau next quarter.

Examples:

• Stock prices nosedived after the announcement.
• His career nosedived following the scandal.
• Consumer confidence nosedived during the crisis.

Examples:

• She tried to steer the conversation away from politics.
• The captain steered the ship away from the rocks.
• He steered his career away from finance toward teaching.

Examples:

• Police tracked down the suspect in another city.
• I finally tracked down that old book you wanted.
• Can you help me track down the original source?