Noun

noun

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Good / Big

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windfall - A large amount of money received unexpectedly.

The first thing that Alice did when she won the lottery was to hire a financial advisor to advise her about what to do with this windfall.

noun

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Bad / Strange

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Idiosyncrasy - A unique or peculiar behavior, habit, or characteristic specific to an individual.

He had the idiosyncrasy of suddenly - when he wanted attention - to take off his shoes and socks and lift his feet in the air.

noun

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Bad / Strange

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fad - An intense and widely shared enthusiasm for something, especially one that is short-lived; a craze

For a very short time in the 1970s, the Pet Rock was a popular fad that sold millions.

noun

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Good / Brave

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gumption - Having spirited initiative and resourcefulness

Jill had enough gumption inside her to raise her hand to object about what the speaker was saying, because she thought what was being said was totally stupid.

noun

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Bad / Dangerous

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hysteria - A state of extreme excitement, fear or anger in which a person, or a group of people, loses control of their emotions and starts to cry, laugh, etc.

There was almost mass hysteria when the band played their final song and some in the crowd rushed towards the stage.

noun

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Bad / Dangerous

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tinderbox - A volatile or tense environment, emotionally or politically charged, likely to erupt in violence or conflict.

During the blackout, the police were concerned about looting, and the downtown felt like a tinderbox ready to explode.

noun

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Bad / Strange

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gewgaw - A showy thing, especially one that is useless or worthless

Francine valued the weird ring that Tom gave her, even though it was an inexpensive gewgaw - because she felt it showed that he cared about her.

noun

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Bad / Small

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smattering - A slight superficial knowledge of a language or subject

The museum tour guide presented himself as expert about art history, though he only had a smattering of knowledge about the subject.

noun

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Bad / Unhappy

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dismay - A strong feeling of disappointment about something unexpected and hard to fix

After the market plunged by 10%, the news networks showed Wall Street traders feeling dismay.

noun

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Bad / Unfriendly

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ingratitude - A lack of proper appreciation or thanks for something that was given or done.

She was shocked at her son's ingratitude that after raising him for 20 years, when he moved out he hardly ever called.

noun

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Good / Love

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sweetie - A very lovable person, a darling, used as a term of endearment.

When the father came home, his young daughter ran into his arms, and he loved hugging his little sweetie.

noun

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Other / Shape

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glob - A lump of a semiliquid substance

The pizza dripped with globs of cheese that were still hot.