The adjective kind implies a deep-seated benevolence and sympathetic nature. Amiable emphasizes congeniality. Someone who is amiable is friendly, agreeable, and pleasant to be around. Amiable also connotes affability, or an easy manner that invites approach and conversation (someone who is affable is easy to talk to). Amiable is close in spelling and meaning to another well-intended adjective, amicable. But context is key: amicable usually describes friendliness or goodwill where there could otherwise be hostility.

To say something is to express it verbally. To assert something is to state it with assurance, confidence, or force. Compared to say, which often indicates simply the act of speech, assert describes an insistent and sometimes even aggressive manner of expressing oneself; one who asserts something aims to persuade others to agree with or accept their position.

Ardor is a fiery synonym for passion; it means “great warmth of feeling” or “zeal.” Ardor comes from the Latin verb ārdēre “to burn.” Like fire, which burns bright until extinguished, the word ardor has a temporariness to it, often implying intense but short-lived bursts of feeling, as in youthful ardor, or revolutionary ardor. When the fire of enthusiasm wanes, ardor may be said to have cooled or dampened.