Jekyll and Hyde: English Vocabulary List

showing impressive commitment and enthusiasm for something

"He is a zealous supporter."

"He is a zealous supporter of the team and attends every home game wearing their jersey."

(of a person) unwilling to talk to other people or participate in social events

"The child is withdrawn."

"The withdrawn student rarely spoke in class and preferred to sit alone in the corner reading books during lunch break."

a person who is useful for nothing and spends resources wastefully

"The wastrel squandered his entire inheritance."

"The young wastrel spent all his money on useless things every month."

the quality of being full of life and energy

"Her vivacity made her the life of the party."

"Her vivacity and infectious laugh made her the center of attention at every party she attended."

having or showing high moral standards

"She is virtuous."

"The virtuous monk lived a life of prayer and service and he never asked for anything in return for his kindness to the poor villagers."

having strength and good mental or physical health

"He is vigorous."

"The doctor recommended vigorous exercise at least three times a week to keep the heart healthy and maintain a strong immune system."

the act of taking excessive pride in one's own achievements or abilities

"His vanity was immense."

"His vanity is huge and he spends hours every day looking at himself in the mirror."

characteristic of being fearless in the face of danger; especially in a war

"The soldier received a medal for valor."

"The soldier received a medal for his valor after single handedly saving his wounded comrades under fire."

not backing off when things are becoming more challenging

"Her gaze is unflinching."

"The unflinching soldier stared directly at the enemy without showing any fear and his bravery inspired his comrades."

being too shy or lacking in self-confidence; often associated with fear of social judgment or making decisions

"His timidity prevented him from asking for a raise."

"Her timidity prevented her from speaking up during meetings even when she had excellent ideas to share."

the quality of being foolishly or rudely bold

"He had the temerity."

"He spoke with great temerity against the powerful leader during the public meeting."

to upset one by saying disrespectful things to them or constantly making fun of them

"The bully taunts smaller children."

"The older children began to taunt the smaller kid about his glasses until he started to cry."

careful not to make anyone upset or annoyed

"She is tactful."

"The tactful manager found a polite way to tell the employee that his performance needed to improve without hurting his feelings."

(typically of men) very polite and charming

"He is a suave gentleman."

"He is a suave gentleman who always knows the right thing to say in every situation."

being indirectly offensive; typically through sarcastic or mocking remarks

"She made a snide remark."

"She made a snide remark about his clothes and he felt embarrassed and angry."

working very hard and with careful attention to detail so that everything is done as well as possible

"She is an assiduous student."

"She is an assiduous student who studies every night and never misses a single homework assignment."

acting in a foolish or unintelligent manner

"That is an asinine comment."

"That is an asinine comment and shows that you have not thought carefully about the problem."

a ruthless oppressor who has the absolute power of telling people what to do and not to do

"The autocrat ruled with fear."

"The company's CEO ran the business like an autocrat making every decision without consulting anyone else."

showing a strong desire to fight

"He is belligerent when drunk."

"He is belligerent when drunk and often picks fights with strangers at the bar."

showing kindness and generosity

"The king was a benevolent ruler."

"The benevolent millionaire donated millions of dollars to build schools in poor villages in Africa."

having strong, unreasonable, and unfair opinions or attitudes, especially about a particular race or religion, and refusing to listen to different opinions or ideas

"His bigoted views are wrong."

"The politician's bigoted remarks about immigrants caused widespread outrage and condemnation from human rights organizations."

marked by a lack of control or discipline

"The crowd is boisterous."

"The boisterous children ran through the house shouting and laughing and their mother asked them to play outside instead."

a person who is always showing off the things they have in a way that may come across as annoying or exaggerated

"The braggart boasted about his wealth."

"The loud braggart always talked about his achievements but most were not true."

quick and energetic in movement or action

"We took a brisk walk."

"We took a brisk walk around the neighborhood before breakfast because the cool morning air felt refreshing."

behaving politely with charm and respect; typically used for men

"He made a chivalrous gesture."

"He made a chivalrous gesture by giving up his seat on the bus to an elderly woman."

engaging in unethical, harmful, or even illegal planning for a goal at the expense of others

"She is a conniving person."

"She is a conniving person who will do anything to get what she wants even if it hurts others."

behaving with politeness and respect

"The staff is courteous."

"It is courteous to say excuse me when you need to pass between people in a crowded room."

occupying oneself with sensual pleasure to an extent that is not morally appropriate

"The party was debauched."

"The party was debauched with excessive drinking and wild behavior that shocked the neighbors."

lacking intelligence or sharpness in thinking

"That was dim-witted."

"His dim-witted response to the simple question revealed a surprising lack of understanding."

showing a tendency to have control over others without taking their emotions into account

"His domineering attitude is tiresome."

"The domineering boss made all the decisions without consulting her employees and nobody dared to question her authority or judgment."

the practice of placing one's own needs and desires above those of others

"His egoism made him ignore the needs of others."

"His constant egoism made him unbearable because he turned every conversation toward his own achievements."

extremely thoughtless and foolish in speech or action

"He made a fatuous comment."

"He made a fatuous comment that added nothing to the discussion and wasted everyone time."

filled with lively energy and excitement

"The children are exuberant."

"The exuberant fans celebrated their team's victory by shouting singing and hugging each other in the crowded streets until late at night."

mental and emotional strength and resilience in facing adversity, challenges, or difficult situations

"She showed great fortitude during the crisis."

"She showed great fortitude and courage during her long illness."

characterized as kind, friendly, and carefree

"The host is genial."

"The genial host welcomed every guest with a warm smile and a handshake and he made sure that everyone had enough food and drinks."

something or someone that causes trouble and annoyance

"Noisy nuisance disturbed us."

"The noisy nuisance from the construction site disturbed everyone living in the neighborhood for many weeks."

relating to a disgraceful and corrupted action

"The story is sordid."

"The sordid details of the scandal were published in the newspaper and the politician resigned in disgrace."

friendly and not intended to harm or hurt others

"He has a benign smile."

"Her benign presence always made everyone feel welcome and at ease."

quick and energetic in movement or action

"The walk was brisk."

"The brisk walk in the cold air woke her up and she felt ready to face the busy day ahead."

acting in accordance with one's conscience and sense of duty

"She is conscientious worker."

"The conscientious student always completed her homework on time and she double checked every answer before submitting her assignments to the teacher."

using crafty and clever methods to achieve goals or avoid negative consequences

"He is devious."

"The cunning spy used devious tactics to infiltrate the enemy's headquarters."