Items or ideas that are similar have a likeness or resemblance, especially in a general way. The adjective akin suggests a closer affinity or shared nature. The primary meaning of akin is "related by blood," with the root word kin meaning "family relatives collectively" or "a relative." Akin doesn't always imply familial connection, but it does suggest a sameness of character or properties, as what might result from shared ancestry. Akin often shows up sentences that compare one experience, sensation, or feeling to another stronger or more intense feeling, as in "What he felt was akin to love."

Without a doubt, nice is a well-liked adjective. So much so, that it's used almost to the point of cliché! When you are looking for something with a little more heart, try cordial. Cordial means courteous and gracious. It comes from the Latin noun cor meaning "heart." Cordial is commonly used to describe social interactions, as greetings and meetings. While it has cooled off a bit since its earliest uses in English, which emphasized a deeply heartfelt sincerity, it still conveys warmth and friendliness. When used to describe relations of a professional nature, it skews more toward the head than the heart, connoting politeness and civility.

When it comes to attention and what we do with it, the verbs focus and concentrate are very close in meaning. So close, in fact, they are often used interchangeably! Any difference in the terms is slight, but in some uses, concentrate may imply a more involved action. Think of the act of concentrating, which involves close mental application. To concentrate on a problem, then, is to bring all efforts and faculties to bear on it. Both concentrate and focus deal with the idea of bringing things toward a point of convergence; where they notably diverge is in focus's foray into optics (to focus the lens of a camera) and concentrate's dabbling in chemistry (to concentrate a sauce by boiling it down), which gives concentrate an intensifying edge.