cringe  Needles make George cringe.  Lisa had to cringe when she watched the skier tumble down the snowy cliff.  Definition: to draw back in fear or pain

nurture  Pedro decided to nurture the kitten his daughter found in the alley.  Alexandra nurtured her sister’s five children after she and her husband died in a car accident.  Definition: to raise; to nourish, educate or train

brawl  The old western included a saloon brawl between the guys in white hats and guys in black hats.  A brawl started in the stadium when the home football team lost the game.  Definition: a noisy fight

jaunt  The friends took a jaunt out to the lake so they could paddle around in their canoe.  Mr. Hanson was tired of chopping wood, so he took a little jaunt into town to see a movie.  Definition: a short trip for pleasure

bland  Marta complained that the salad was bland without peppers.  Martha will only eat bland food because of her digestion trouble.  Definition: dull and tasteless

envious  Whenever Dora looked at her neighbor’s beautiful rose garden, she couldn’t help comparing it to her own sickly-looking plants and feeling a little envious.  James was so envious of his brother that he couldn’t bear to congratulate him on his national win.  Definition: jealous over someone else’s good fortune

celebrity  Cameras clicked and flashed as the celebrity made her entrance.  Ling wanted to star on a soap opera and become a television celebrity.  Definition: a famous person

aromatic  Cecilia always wore an aromatic perfume that reminded her husband of the ocean.  The aromatic bread baking in the oven made the house seem safe and cozy.  Definition: sweet smelling; fragrant

lurk  Colin was always on the alert because his sister like to lurk behind the sofa, jumping out and scaring him when he stumbled to breakfast half asleep.  The tiger sensed the hunters lurking in the bushes.  Definition: to sneak around or hide in order to attack

edible  Octopus may not look edible, but many people find it delicious.  Susan refuses to believe that snails are edible.  Definition: fit to be eaten

secular  There are many examples of beautiful music, both sacred and secular.  In order to nurture one’s spirit, it is sometimes necessary to retreat from the secular world.  Definition: having to do with the ordinary, rather than the religious or spiritual

quirky  Simon had a few quirky personality traits, but they didn’t bother Anne-Marie a bit.  Savannah had a quirky way of dressing that attracted attention wherever she went.  Definition: eccentric; peculiar; odd or unusual