Wistful (adjective)	Feeling or showing a quiet, gentle longing for something in the past.<br>Example: She got a wistful look in her eyes whenever old friends brought up their college years.<br>Mnemonic: Wistful sounds like a soft sigh blended with 'wish' -- a wistful memory is one you still quietly wish you could return to.
Withering (adjective)	So harshly critical or scornful that it seems to shrivel its target's confidence.<br>Example: The critic's withering review left the young director too discouraged to read the rest of it.<br>Mnemonic: Just as a plant withers and shrinks without water, a withering remark makes its target shrink under the harshness of it.
Xenophobic (adjective)	Marked by fear, distrust, or hostility toward people from other countries or cultures.<br>Example: The editorial criticized the policy as xenophobic, noting it targeted immigrants without any evidence of wrongdoing.<br>Mnemonic: Xenophobic combines Greek 'xenos' (stranger) with 'phobos' (fear) -- the same 'xeno' root that names the element xenon, a rare gas whose name literally means 'the stranger.'
Zealous (adjective)	Showing great energy and enthusiasm in pursuing a goal or cause.<br>Example: The zealous new volunteer signed up for three committees in her very first week.<br>Mnemonic: Zealous comes from 'zeal,' burning enthusiasm -- picture a zealous fan whose excitement burns as bright and hot as the flame the word 'zeal' once suggested.
Zenith (noun)	The highest point or peak that something reaches, especially of success or power.<br>Example: The empire reached its zenith in the second century before slowly declining.<br>Mnemonic: Astronomers use zenith for the point directly overhead in the sky, the literal highest point a star can reach -- a career at its zenith has climbed to that same overhead peak.