Verb

verb

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Bad / Attack

Url audio

afflict - To cause pain, suffering, or trouble.

The South American country was afflicted by political and financial corruption for decades.

verb

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Bad / Hostile

Url audio

confront - To deal directly with a problem or difficult situation or person.

Instead of avoiding the issue, he chose to confront it head-on.

verb

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Good / Successful

audio

rebound - To recover from a bad situation.

The company's stock did badly at first, but it rebounded when it hired a new president.

verb

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Bad / Attack

audio

scorch - To burn the surface of something with flame or heat

Nancy couldn't walk barefoot outside because the summer heat had scorched the pavement.

verb

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Bad / Uncomfortable

audio

bristle - (of hair or fur) To stand upright away from the skin, especially in anger or fear

In the darkness lit by only the moon, Warren's hair bristled at the creepy sounds around him.

verb

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Other / Move

Url audio

fluctuate - To change or vary irregularly, especially in amount or level.

Gas prices tend to fluctuate depending on supply and demand.

verb

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Good / Busy

audio

hustle - To force (someone) to move hurriedly or unceremoniously in a specified direction

When Ronald Reagan was shot at, Secret Service agents had to hustle him to safety.

verb

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Bad / Nervous

Url audio

stutter - To speak with involuntary disruptions or repetitions of sounds, often at the beginning of words, due to a speech difficulty.

During the presentation, she began to stutter when she got nervous.

verb

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Good / Friendly

audio

mollify - To try to calm and soothe feelings, making the other less angry and upset

Bret had to think quickly how to mollify the hungry lion facing him after it had escaped from its cage at the zoo.

verb

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Bad / Dirty

Url audio

singe - To damage something just enough to cause slight harm, especially through exposure to heat or fire.

She accidentally singed her hair while cooking dinner and had to trim a bit off.

verb

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Bad / Aggressive

audio

instigate - To cause an event or situation to happen by starting some actions

Fred was a bully in the school yard, and he always seemed to be instigating a fight or some other kind of trouble.

verb

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Other / Inward

audio

preen - To devote effort to making oneself look attractive and then admire one's appearance

Before every job interview, Fritz would preen himself in the mirror to make sure he looked presentable.