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 meaning "heart." Cordial is commonly used to describe social interactions, as meetings and greetings. When used to describe relations of a professional nature, it skews more toward the head than the heart, connoting politeness and civility.

Today we're pulling back the veil on the difference between the verbs show and reveal. To show something is to make it visible or known. The verb reveal is very close in meaning, but implies an element of discovery: items that are revealed have, up to the point of revelation, been invisible or concealed. Reveal comes from the Latin verb meaning "to unveil," which offers helpful imagery: when someone reveals something, they are in a sense removing a covering, whether literal or figurative, to show what lies beneath. Reveal is often found with stealthy adjectives, such as secret and hidden.

Something mutual is held in common or experienced between two parties, as in mutual friends. Similarly, reciprocal indicates a balanced relationship between two or more people, in which an act, thing, or feeling is given in return for another. Unlike mutual, reciprocal also carries the meaning of “matching or equivalent.” So a reciprocal promise may be made to ensure that both parties will maintain confidentiality about a matter. Often used in math, navigation, and grammar, reciprocal has a more technical implication of being one-for-one or the exact opposite or inverse of something, whereas mutual features in the world of finance or insurance when assets are shared (e.g., mutual funds).