(n) Bitterness or sharpness of temper, manner, or speech; hostility.
The political debates were marred by the unremitting acrimony of the candidates.
acrimonious (adj)
Their acrimonious quarrel could be heard two rooms away.
(n) Attraction for someone or something with which one feels a closeness or kinship.
Rob and Luis developed an affinity for one another as soon as they met and have remained close friends ever since.
(adj) Having mixed, often opposing, feelings about something or someone; indecisive.
He was ambivalent about his future; he couldn?t decide whether to go to college or join the Coast Guard.
ambivalence (n)
Her ambivalence about leaving home was apparent because she kept putting off her plans to move.
(n) A stopping, either final or temporary.
There was a cessation of mail delivery during the severe snowstorm.
(adj) Very thin or wasted away, especially from lack of nourishment; scrawny.
The government forbade photos of the protester?s emaciated body, afraid it would elicit sympathy for his politically motivated fasting.
(n) A distinct region or community enclosed within a larger territory.
Chicago?s Chinatown is an enclave of Chinese American residents.
(v) To bring into being, to produce.
Honesty engenders trust in others.
(v) To make more severe, bitter, or violent.
Running in the race on Saturday exacerbated Marina?s knee injury.
(adj) Not allowed, improper, or unlawful.
During the days of Prohibition, bootlegging was one of Al Capone?s many illicit activities.
(adj) Naturally living or growing in a certain area; native.
The turkey is indigenous to North America.
(adj) Not to be persuaded, stopped, or moved by entreaty or plea; relentless.
The inexorable move toward the rain forest?s destruction is a serious concern for environmentalists.
(adj) Filled with excessive, shallow, or foolish love or desire.
My parents are infatuated with the idea of sailing around the world, so they attend every boat show they can.
infatuation (n)
His infatuation with her lasted only a couple weeks before he developed a crush on another girl.
(adj) Never satisfied; greedy.
My nephew is endowed with an insatiable curiosity and is constantly asking questions.
(adj) Painfully moving, affecting, or touching.
The poignant ending of the movie brought tears to my eyes.
(v) To persuade someone to convert to a faith, belief, or cause.
She?s an adamant socialist; she?s always trying to proselytize to people she meets.