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When you abash someone, you make them feel uncomfortable, ashamed, embarrassed, or inferior.
Angst is a strong feeling of anxiety, worry, and unhappiness, especially about a current or future situation.
Apathy is a lack of interest or unenthusiastic involvement in an activity; there is no effort to change or improve it at all.
If you deal with a difficult situation with aplomb, you deal with it in a confident and skillful way.
When you have ardor for something, you have an intense feeling of love, excitement, and admiration for it.
Someone who has a bilious personality is highly irritable and bad-tempered.
The adjective blithe indicates that someone does something casually or in a carefree fashion without much concern for the end result; as a result, they are happy and lighthearted.
Someone who has a bristling personality is easily offended, annoyed, or angered.
A cavalier person does not seem to care about rules, principles, or other people’s feelings, no matter how dire or serious a situation may be.
A choleric person becomes angry very easily.
Complacent persons are too confident and relaxed because they think that they can deal with a situation easily; however, in many circumstances, that is not the case.
When someone exhibits composure, they remain calm—even in difficult times or conditions.
If you feel compunction about doing something, you feel that you should not do it because it is bad or wrong.
If something daunts you, it makes you worried about dealing with it because you think it will be very difficult or dangerous.
If something discomfits you, it makes you feel embarrassed, confused, uncomfortable, or frustrated.
If something disconcerts you, it makes you feel anxious, worried, or confused.
Someone does something in a disinterested way when they have no personal involvement or attachment to the action.
When someone feels disquiet about a situation, they feel very worried or nervous.
If you are distraught about a situation, you are very upset or worried about it.
Someone who is ebullient is filled with enthusiasm, very happy, and extremely excited about something.
An effervescent individual is lively, very happy, and enthusiastic.
If you exhibit equanimity, you demonstrate a calm mental state—without showing upset or annoyance—when you deal with a difficult situation.
If someone is being glib, they make something sound simple, easy, and problem-free— when it isn’t at all.
The gravity of a situation or event is its seriousness or importance.
When you are impassioned about a cause or idea, you are very passionate or highly emotionally charged about it.
If someone is impassive, they are not showing any emotion.
If someone is imperturbable, they are always calm and not easily upset or disturbed by any situation, even dangerous ones.
If you are indifferent about something, you are uninterested or neutral about it, not caring either in a positive or negative way.
An inflammable substance or person’s temper is easily set on fire.
Insouciance is a lack of concern or worry for something that should be shown more careful attention or consideration.
If you do something in a lackadaisical way, you do it carelessly and without putting much effort into it—thereby showing that you are not really interested in what you’re doing.
A languid person is slow, relaxed, and shows little energy or interest in doing anything.
If you are lethargic, you are tired, lack energy, and are unwilling to exert effort.
When you are listless, you lack energy and interest and are unwilling to exert any effort.
A misgiving is a doubt or uncertainty that you have about something, usually something that you are about to do.
If you are oblivious to something that is happening, you do not notice it.
Someone who is phlegmatic stays calm and unemotional even in dangerous or exciting situations.
When you are piqued by something, either your curiosity is aroused by it or you feel resentment or anger towards it.
A reverie is a state of pleasant dreamlike thoughts that makes you forget what you are doing and what is happening around you.
If someone is squeamish, they are easily nauseated or shocked by things that are tolerated by most people; they can also be oversensitive.
If you are stolid, you have or show little emotion about anything at all.
If you are temperamental, you tend to become easily upset and experience unpredictable mood swings.
Trenchant comments or criticisms are expressed forcefully, directly, and clearly, even though they may be hurtful to the receiver.
If something unnerves you, it makes you upset or nervous; it can also make you lose your courage because it frightens you so much.
A vibrant person is lively and full of energy in a way that is exciting and attractive.
If someone is described as vivacious, they are lively and have a happy, lighthearted manner.
Someone who is zealous spends a lot of time, energy, and effort to support something—notably that of a political or religious nature—because they believe in it very strongly.
Adj.
nonchalant
NON-shuh-lahnt
Context
Even though Ted had a major exam the next day, he acted nonchalant or totally unworried as he lazily sunned himself on the beach. Tara asked him if he should be studying, but the unconcerned Ted replied nonchalantly, “I have all night after we get back. It will be easy!” Ted’s nonchalant, casual attitude made the trip to the shore fun, but most definitely did not help his poor final grade in organic chemistry.
Quiz:Try again!
When might someone act in a nonchalant way?
AntChalet When Tricia arrived at her beautiful chalet in the Alps, she found that it had been overrun by ants; despite the fact that her chalet was now an antchalet, she remained nonchalant as she called the exterminator.
Examples
Chatting after the debate, Huckabee was nonchalant—and did not seem surprised—when told that a flash poll of viewers had judged him the overwhelming winner Wednesday night.
—
Newsweek
Four bald eagles, unmistakable with their white heads and tails, perch with a nonchalant fierceness, eyeballing the bird-watchers stopped along the gravel road here to eyeball back at these iconic national symbols.
—
The Christian Science Monitor
If the Olympic women’s soccer team is any indication, the best way to raise a champion—or, for that matter, an active, healthy, sports-loving child—is to be as nonchalant as possible.
—
Newsweek
A nonchalant person is “not heated” by thorny or difficult situations, but rather remains “cool” under pressure.
Word Theater
Moonlighting He tries to get her to act in a nonchalant fashion.
The panel shows a small video clip of either the word in actual use or a scene that represents the meaning of a word. This not only breaks up the monotony of studying words but also provides another avenue to strengthen word meaning. Enjoy!