verb

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Other / Move

squirm - To wriggle or twist the body from side to side, especially as a result of nervousness or discomfort

The gymnast's parents squirmed in their seats as their daughter performed in her event.

verb

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Other / Sound

blare - To make or cause to make a loud, harsh sound

The car horn blared along with all of the other car horns as the traffic jam caused drivers to be upset.

noun

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Other / Body

gulp - An act of gulping food or drink

Sweating from the heat, Roger took a big gulp of water to cool down.

verb

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Other / Sound

rustle - To make a soft, muffled crackling sound like that caused by the movement of dry leaves or paper

The autumn leaves rustled when the dog jumped on the pile.

verb

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Bad / Uncomfortable

schlep - To haul or carry something heavy, often in an way that is awkward and takes a lot of energy.

For his new job as a mover, Joey had to schlep heavy boxes into and out of homes all day long.

verb

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Bad / Hurt

maul - (of an animal) To wound (a person or animal) by scratching and tearing

Animals in the jungle can be mauled by lions if they're too slow.

noun

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Bad / Disorganized

gobbledygook - Language that is meaningless or is made unintelligible by excessive use of abstruse technical terms; nonsense

For tourists who don't speak the native language, it can seem like a bunch of gobbledygook.

noun

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Good / Calm

nook - Small area or space, like an alcove, that is conducive to meditating, reading, relaxing or quietly reflecting.

The alcove at the large window made a perfect nook, where Gemma could quietly take time away from the family, to read her book or write in her journal without interruption.

noun

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Bad / Hostile

barb - A remark that is funny but unkind.

Burt realized that Sam was not really his friend when Sam made several barbed comments directed at Burt at the dinner party.

verb

See noun

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Bad / Disgusting

belch - To emit gas noisily from the stomach through the mouth.

Matthew found that whenever he consumed lots of pizza and soda, it was only a matter of time before he would start to belch.

noun

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Other / Shape

stubble - Short stalks of growth

After the forest fire, the beautiful woods had been reduced to a random stubble of burnt stumps.

verb

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Other / Light

shimmer - To shine in such a way that the light seems to glow and shake slightly

The soft light of the sun shimmered upon the empty field.