Interpersonal Relationships Vocabulary

noun a feeling of ill will, enmity, or hostility between people or groups

• The two business partners had a falling out, resulting in bad blood between them.
• There's been bad blood between those two ever since the argument.
• Those two have some serious bad blood going on.
• The bad blood between the two families dates back generations.

noun a lack of affinity or connection between two or more things

• There seems to be a disaffinity between the two groups, as they have trouble finding common ground.
• I have a disaffinity for broccoli, I just can't stand the taste.
• I don't know why, but I have a total disaffinity for that guy.
• Her disaffinity towards change was evident in her reluctance to try new things.

noun a joint formed by one or more tapered projections (tenons) on one piece that interlock with corresponding notches or recesses (mortises) in another

verb fit together tightly or neatly; to be in agreement or harmony

• The two projects dovetail perfectly, creating a seamless transition between the two.
• Their skills and interests dovetail nicely, making them a great team.
• Their tastes in music totally dovetail, they always agree on what to listen to.
• The themes of the two novels dovetail in a way that enhances the overall message.

noun a group of two people, especially a couple or pair

• The therapist emphasized the importance of maintaining a healthy dyad in a romantic relationship.
• My sister and I make a great dyad when it comes to planning family gatherings.
• Those two are like a power dyad - they always have each other's backs.
• In literature, the dyad of light and darkness is often used to symbolize good and evil.

verb to entangle or involve someone or something in a difficult situation

• The two companies became enmeshed in a legal dispute over patent infringement.
• I didn't mean to enmesh myself in their drama, but they just keep involving me.
• I didn't realize how enmeshed I was in their gossip until it was too late.
• The intricate plot of the novel enmeshed the readers in a web of suspense.

verb to have a harmonious or friendly relationship with someone

adverb in a manner that allows for harmonious or friendly relationships

• The colleagues seem to get along well in the workplace.
• My siblings and I get along great most of the time.
• I heard those two really hit it off and get along like a house on fire.
• In order to succeed, the different departments must learn to get along and work together harmoniously.

noun a musical sound that is produced by two or more notes being played or sung at the same time; a component of a complex sound wave that has a frequency that is a whole-number multiple of the fundamental frequency

adjective relating to harmony; pleasing to the ear; characterized by harmony

• The orchestra played in perfect harmonic balance, creating a beautiful symphony.
• Their voices blended together in a harmonic way that gave me chills.
• The band's new song has such a cool harmonic vibe to it.
• In order for our team to succeed, we need to work in harmonic unity towards our common goal.

adjective an adjective that describes someone who is excessively eager or enthusiastic

• The intern was overeager to impress the CEO with their presentation.
• She's always so overeager to join in on any group activity.
• Don't be so overeager to spill all the tea, let's keep some secrets.
• His overeager pursuit of success ended up burning him out in the long run.

verb to respond to a gesture or action by making a corresponding one

• It is important to reciprocate the kindness shown to you in a professional setting.
• If someone invites you to their party, make sure to reciprocate the invitation.
• If your friend buys you lunch, you gotta reciprocate and get them back next time.
• In relationships, it's crucial to reciprocate love and affection to maintain a healthy bond.

adjective feeling or showing bitterness or indignation at having been treated unfairly

• She couldn't hide her resentful feelings towards her colleague who took credit for her work.
• He felt resentful when his friend forgot his birthday.
• She was so resentful about not getting invited to the party.
• The storm clouds gathered overhead, casting a resentful shadow over the town.

noun a person who specializes in the field of social psychology

• The social psychologist conducted a study on group behavior in a controlled setting.
• My friend is studying to become a social psychologist and she loves analyzing people's behavior.
• I heard that social psychologists are like mind readers, they can tell what you're thinking just by observing your actions.
• Being a social psychologist is like being a detective of human behavior, always trying to uncover the reasons behind people's actions.

adjective describing someone or something that does not provide assistance, help, or encouragement

• The teacher was unsupportive of the student's creative ideas.
• My boss is so unsupportive when it comes to taking time off.
• My friends can be really unsupportive sometimes, it's frustrating.
• The foundation of our friendship feels unsupportive lately.

noun the state or quality of being ungrateful or lacking appreciation

• The thanklessness of the task was disheartening to the volunteers.
• I can't believe the thanklessness of this job sometimes.
• It sucks when you put in all that effort and get nothing in return. Total thanklessness.
• The thanklessness of his actions left a bitter taste in everyone's mouth.

noun a Chinese term meaning 'connections' or 'relationships', especially in business or social contexts

• Building strong guanxi with business partners is crucial for success in the Chinese market.
• Hey, do you have any guanxi with the manager? I need a favor.
• I can't believe how much guanxi he has to get things done around here.
• In Chinese culture, guanxi is like a web of connections that can help you navigate through various social situations.

noun a person who is married

verb to join in marriage

adverb in a way that is related to marriage

• It is common in many cultures for people to marry up in terms of social status or wealth.
• My friend always jokes that she wants to marry up and find a rich husband.
• Some people think the only way to get ahead in life is to marry up.
• In order to succeed in her career, she knew she had to marry up and align herself with influential people.

verb to behave in a way that shows you are not proud and that you are willing to do what someone else tells you to do

• It is considered inappropriate to abase oneself in front of others.
• I don't understand why he always feels the need to abase himself in front of his boss.
• She was so desperate for the job that she was willing to abase herself during the interview.
• In order to win the argument, he was willing to abase himself by admitting he was wrong.

noun the quality or state of being acrimonious; bitterness or sharpness in speech, manner, or temper

• The acrimoniousness of their dispute was evident in every word they exchanged.
• Their acrimoniousness towards each other was so intense that everyone could feel the tension in the room.
• The acrimoniousness between them was so thick, you could cut it with a knife.
• The acrimoniousness in the air was palpable, like a dark cloud hanging over their relationship.