verb

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Bad / Hostile

Url

belittle - To speak about someone or something in a way that shows little respect.

A good rule of interpersoanl relationships is: Don’t belittle others just to make yourself feel better.

verb

2 of 60

Other / Entice

beckon - To literally or figuratively gesture with the hand or head to encourage someone to come nearer or to follow

Desire can take many forms – such as for food or physical entanglement – but when attractions beckon, it is important to move carefully and cautiously, using your head.

verb

See noun

3 of 60

Other / Shape

Url

bend - To shape something that is straight into a curve or angle; or to move your body so that it is no longer upright or straight.

She had to bend down to pick up the dropped keys.

adjective

4 of 60

Bad / Dirty

bedraggled - Giving an appearance of being messy, untidy, and neglected.

When I went to work I locked Fido out of the house by mistake, and he was soaked by the thunderstorm. When I got home, I felt guilty when I saw how bedraggled he looked.

adjective

5 of 60

Good / Beautiful

Url

awesome - amazing, breathtaking, or overwhelming

The Grand Canyon is an awesome natural wonder that leaves visitors speechless.

noun

6 of 60

Bad / Angry

Url

backlash - A strong, negative, and often angry reaction to something that has happened

The president had some of the demonstrators arrested, but there was a backlash, and the next demonstrations had 10 times the number of people.

noun

7 of 60

Good / Big

bevy - A large group of people of a particular kind, usually women

Charlotte liked going to Radio City Music Hall to see the Rockettes, a bevy of beautiful women dancing with precision.

verb

8 of 60

Bad / Unhappy

bawl - To cry loudly and uncontrollably.

When my baby starts to bawl, I go through my trusty checklist: is he hungry, tired, teething, or have a bad diaper?

noun

9 of 60

Bad / War

Url

battleground - A location or situation wher people are fighting against each other.

Gettysburg was a famous battleground where 50,000 people were either killed, wounded, or missing.

verb

See noun

10 of 60

Good / Smart

Url

bargain - To try to reach an agreement through discussion and compromise.

The two executives bargained all day and came up with an agreement that was good for both of their companies.

verb

11 of 60

Bad / Unfriendly

bicker - To argue about things that are petty and unimportant.

Kelly and Joe recognized that the first rule of marriage is to save your arguments for the important issues, and not to bicker over unimportant things.

verb

12 of 60

Bad / Unfriendly

begrudge - To envy someone else's good fortune

Anne didn't begrudge her younger sister's happiness when attending Sarah's graduation from Medical School.