​Civil

Anika and Gabriela had a disagreement over the project they were working on, but they learned to be civil to one another.​

​Actual definition

​ 

1. Civil 

[siv-uhl]

polite and respectful

Related: civilian, civility

Conscious​

​-Raymond was conscious of his daughter’s musical talent and always tried to encourage it.

​-Ayana is conscious of her sister’s sensitivity and tries to be extra kind to her.

​Definition

​2. Conscious 

[kon-shuhs]

aware of something or of one’s surroundings

​Contrite

​-Feeling contrite after arguing with her best friend, Kiara apologized.

​- Carmelo felt contrite after riding his bike through his father’s garden.

​Definition

3. Contrite 

[kuhn-trahyt]

​

feeling or expressing guilt, regret, or remorse

Related: contrition​

​Defiance

​-Isaiah’s defiance of traffic laws made me nervous when I was a passenger in his car.

​-Many parents worry about defiance when their children become teens.

​Definition

​ 

4. Defiance  [dih-fahy-uh ns]

disobedience or resistance to someone else’s wishes

​

Related: defy, defiant

​Futile

​-Omar thought it was futile to try to run the marathon with his friends, since he had done basically no training to prepare for it.

​-My efforts to get an A+ in my hardest class were completely futile.

​Definition

​5. Futile  

[fyoot-l]

pointless; unable to produce any useful result

​Hierarchy

-There is a social hierarchy in middle school lunchrooms, with the most popular kids getting the best table.

​-The hierarchy in some ancient societies meant that queens held power over everyone else.

​Definition

6. Hierarchy  [hahy-uh-rahr-kee]

a system of ranking groups of people one above the other

Related: hierarchical ​

​Idealism

-Many high school and college graduates look at the world with idealism: they only see positive opportunities ahead of them.

​-The mayor is known for her idealism. She believes the city can overcome its challenges if everyone works together.

​Definition

​7. Idealism  [ahy-dee-uh-liz-uh m]

extreme hopefulness or belief in something, especially when it’s unrealistic

​Innocence

​-Kyree is known for his innocence. He is kind to others and can’t believe that anyone would choose to be cruel. 

​-Children are appreciated for their innocence.

​Definition

​8. Innocence  [in-uh-suh ns]

lack of worldly experience; lack of guilt or evil intention

Tenuous​

​-The torn arm of the shirt was barely hanging on by just a few tenuous threads.

​-Dominic wishes he had more than a tenuous connection to the relatives he sees once every five years.

​Definition

9. Tenuous  

[ten-yoo-uhs]

very weak; not substantial​