Aghast (adjective): Struck with overwhelming shock or amazement; filled with sudden fright or horror. 

“Customers initially were aghast at the decision” -Coffee Shops Skip Wifi Encouraging Customers to Actually Talk.

As I was reading the article about skipping wifi in the coffee shop, this word aghast blocked my way of continuing reading further down. I don’t know the word at all, but I have a feeling it means gasp, being surprised at something. The moment I search up for the word, the definition matched my guess.

Counterintuitive(adjective): contrary to what one would intuitively expect

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/counterintuitive

” Coffee Shop Skip Wi-Fi to Encourage Customers to Actually Talk”

” HotBlack, which has seating for 58, gained the recent attention of the Canadian news media for its counterintuitive approach”

In this article, I saw this word and I just paid attention to the length of the word and how hard it would be to try to understand and break down each part of the word. I saw the prefix counter and I knew that would be the objective of whatever the statement was stated. But I originally didn’t grasp the understanding of intuitive which lead me to another search that discussed the things based off of one’s feelings without conscious reasoning. Now I understand the word better than seeing just a big word that was hard to understand.

Resplendent (Adjective): shining brilliantly

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/resplendent

” The happiest and saddest places in New York City, According to Twitter” Brian Merchant

“Dense urban jungles and resplendent verdant parks.”

In this reading, this is the second sentence and I know they were describing the park but I didn’t know in which way they were referring to the park, whether they were calling it beautiful or just full of trees. When finding the word, you realize that the definition fit the setting. By describing the park as shining it gives a better image to the reader of how the park is seen.

Alkaline (adjective):  of, relating to, containing, or having the properties of an alkali or alkali metal: basic; especially,  of a solution: having a pH of more than 7

Burly (adjective): strongly and heavily built

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/burly

“Walk with me” David L. Ulin

” Every now and again I would see him, a burly man with close-cropped graying hair, ”

When I first encountered this word, I know that by using the context clues you can tell that they were trying to describe the person but I originally thought that he was trying to describe a homeless man. Now that I have found and have the ability to understand the word burly for future references I know how I can describe a person who was heavily built.

Restorative (Adjective): capable of renewing health or strength

“In an analysis of research on how nature keeps us calm, Atlantic writer Adam Atler explains why being outside is like hitting the reset button on our brains. The key, he writes, is through a psychological process known as attention restoration theory:” “This is your brain on Nature” -Lindsey Holmes.

When I stopped at this word, I was a bit confused but also had a clear guess on what this word means. Just because in Restoration, the word Restore is in it, giving a hint to the readers. Since the passage is about how our brain can be affected by nature, the word restore is the best way to describe how nature connects to our brain.

Chimerical (adjective) : existing only as the product of unchecked imagination

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chimerical

“Walk with Me” David L. Ulin

“To see more than these chimeric glimpses, you have to peer beneath the surface”

When i first read this sentence, i thought that it meant to see more than what is directly in your face you have to dig deeper. Using the context i thought it was something of finding the truth instead of looking directly at what is right in front of you. Now knowing the meaning the sentence makes more sense to know that it is an unchecked product of imagination, it helps to understand why he said you have to peer beneath the surface.