May 2023

[kahm-RAH-duh-ree] noun

Camaraderie is a feeling of friendship and trust among people who spend a lot of time together. Many people enjoy being on a sports team for the camaraderie as much as for the game itself.

[in-DEH-vuhr] verb or noun

As a verb, endeavor means “to make a strong effort to make something happen.” Wyatt might endeavor to be in bed by 9 p.m. on the day before a big track meet. The cat in this video is endeavoring to convince someone to let her inside.

As a noun, endeavor means “a serious and determined effort to accomplish something.” You might wish your friend good luck in his endeavor to learn sign language.

[in-LAHYT-ning] adjective

Enlightening is the adjective form of the verb enlighten, which means “to instruct or make free from confusion.” If something is enlightening, it provides knowledge or understanding. If a book gives Madison a whole new understanding of her dog’s behavior, Madison found the book enlightening. If Dominic had a conversation that led him to see something from a new point of view, Dominic had an enlightening conversation. 

[FUR-tiv-lee] adverb

The adjective furtive means “done quickly and secretly to avoid being noticed.” If you give something a furtive glance, you look at it quickly and in a way that you hope no one will notice. The adverb furtively means “done in a furtive way,” as in “Madelyn furtively passed Max a note during class.”

[SAWN-tuhr] verb

To saunter is to walk in a relaxed and unhurried way.

[SAY-vuhr] verb

To savor something is to enjoy it to the fullest. Let’s say you are hanging out with your friends, laughing and having a good time. If you savor the moment, you appreciate what a good time you are having. You might think something like “This is great. I’m so lucky to have such good friends.” If you savor a chocolate bar, you take your time eating it and pay attention to how delicious it is. You might think something like “Mmmmm!”

[TAN-tuh-lahy-zing] adjective

The verb tantalize means “to tease or torment by showing or promising something while keeping it out of reach.” You could tantalize a dog by holding a piece of cheese in front of her nose without letting her eat it. (That would be mean, though.) 

The adjective tantalizing means “tempting or appealing.” If something is tantalizing, you want it. Your mouth might water as you consider the tantalizing array of doughnuts at a doughnut shop. 

[WAY-vuhr] verb

To waver is to be uncertain or to go back and forth between choices. If you begin to waver on your plan to dye your hair blue, you begin to feel uncertain about your plan. If you’re trying to decide what kind of ice cream to order and you’re wavering between cookies n’ cream and raspberry fudge ripple, you are going back and forth between those two flavors, unsure of which one you want. 

Waver can also mean “to sway to and fro” or “to move unsteadily.”

[WIST-fuhl] adjective

If you feel wistful, you feel a combination of sadness or regret and longing. People often feel wistful when they think about something in the past that they miss or when they want something to happen but know it never will.