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Health-care vocabulary · Topic 7 of 14

Words for Behavior, Mood & Thinking

Words for Behavior, Mood & Thinking — Set 1

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Vocabulary · behavior, mood & thinking

Words for Behavior, Mood & Thinking — Set 1

Five words HESI lists repeat most: ambivalent, affect, adhere, comply and abstain — how a patient feels, shows emotion and follows a plan.

01 · Most testedadhere = stick to; follow the plan
02 · Most testedcomply = do what is asked
03 · Most testedambivalent = mixed, opposite feelings
01

Most-tested words

ambivalent (adjective) — having mixed or opposite feelings
affect (noun) — the emotion a person visibly shows
adhere (verb) — to stick to; to follow a plan closely
comply (verb) — to do what a rule or request asks
abstain (verb) — to hold back from on purpose
02

More words

euphoric (adjective) — feeling an intense high of happiness
delusion (noun) — a firmly held false belief
restive (adjective) — restless, impatient, hard to keep still
amenable (adjective) — willing to go along with a suggestion
tractable (adjective) — easy to manage or persuade
rational (adjective) — thinking with sound reason and sense
dejected (adjective) — sad and discouraged after a setback
apathetic (adjective) — showing no interest or concern
agitated (adjective) — upset, tense and restless
cognitive (adjective) — related to thinking, memory and reasoning
lucid (adjective) — thinking and speaking clearly
oriented (adjective) — aware of person, place and time
disoriented (adjective) — confused about time, place or self
coherent (adjective) — logical and easy to follow
hallucination (noun) — sensing something that is not there
alert (adjective) — awake, aware and quick to respond
03

In a sentence

Show 21 example sentences
ambivalent: The patient felt ambivalent about surgery, wanting relief from the pain but dreading the long recovery.
affect: The nurse charted a flat affect because the patient spoke in a monotone and never smiled.
adhere: Patients who adhere to their insulin schedule have fewer swings in blood sugar.
comply: The patient agreed to comply with the order to stay in bed after the procedure.
abstain: The patient must abstain from food and drink after midnight before the morning surgery.
euphoric: After the medication took effect, the patient became euphoric and laughed at everything.
delusion: The patient held the delusion that the hospital staff were secret agents.
restive: After hours on the stretcher, the patient grew restive and kept trying to climb out.
amenable: The patient was amenable to trying physical therapy before considering surgery.
tractable: The child was tractable during the exam and held still when asked.
rational: Once the fever broke, the patient was calm and rational again.
dejected: The patient looked dejected after hearing that discharge would be delayed another week.
apathetic: The family worried because the patient had become apathetic and stopped caring about meals or visitors.
agitated: The agitated patient paced the room and pulled at the IV tubing.
cognitive: The stroke left the patient with cognitive changes, including trouble recalling recent events.
lucid: Although confused at night, the patient was lucid each morning and answered every question clearly.
oriented: The patient was alert and oriented, giving the correct name, hospital and date.
disoriented: Waking in an unfamiliar room, the patient was disoriented and asked what year it was.
coherent: The patient was coherent enough to describe exactly when the chest pain started.
hallucination: During the high fever, the patient had a hallucination of insects crawling on the wall.
alert: By evening the patient was alert and able to follow the conversation.
Pearl

Adhere and comply both mean the patient follows the plan; abstain means the patient holds back from something.

Sources · MedlinePlus — Mental status testing (orientation, attitude, cognition) · Vocabulary.com — disoriented · Cambridge Dictionary — ambivalent · Cambridge Dictionary — affect · Cambridge Dictionary — adhere · Cambridge Dictionary — comply · Cambridge Dictionary — abstain · Cambridge Dictionary — euphoric · Cambridge Dictionary — delusion · Cambridge Dictionary — restive · Cambridge Dictionary — amenable · Cambridge Dictionary — tractable · Cambridge Dictionary — rational · Cambridge Dictionary — dejected · Cambridge Dictionary — apathetic · Cambridge Dictionary — agitated · Cambridge Dictionary — cognitive · Cambridge Dictionary — lucid · Cambridge Dictionary — oriented · Cambridge Dictionary — disoriented · Cambridge Dictionary — coherent · Cambridge Dictionary — hallucination · Cambridge Dictionary — alert · Cambridge Dictionary — adhere to · Union Test Prep — HESI A2 Vocabulary study guide, page 2 · Vocabulary.com — word list "HESI A2" · Vocabulary.com — word list "HESI" · NurseHub — free HESI A2 Vocabulary diagnostic test (50 questions) · McGraw-Hill 500 Evolve Reach (HESI) A2 Questions, ch. 2 Vocabulary (EasyNotecards transcription) · Brainscape — "Hesi vocab" deck · Brainscape — "Hesi A2 vocab YT vids" deck · NurseStudy.net — HESI A2 study guide: vocabulary list · TestHQ — HESI A2 Vocabulary (frequently tested words) · Serrari Group — Common HESI A2 vocabulary words · Built from the verified NurseSavvy HESI A2 fact map (facts reviewed 2026-10-16). HESI is a trademark of Elsevier; NurseSavvy is not affiliated with Elsevier.

Words for Behavior, Mood & Thinking — Set 2

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Vocabulary · behavior, mood & thinking

Words for Behavior, Mood & Thinking — Set 2

Mood and behavior words from HESI lists: docile, stoic, melancholy and pensive — calm, uncomplaining, sad and deep in thought.

01 · Most testedstoic = endures pain without complaint
02 · Most testeddocile = calm, easy to manage
03 · Most testedmelancholy = deep, lasting sadness
01

Most-tested words

docile (adjective) — calm and easy to manage
melancholy (noun) — a deep, lingering sadness
stoic (adjective) — enduring pain without complaint
pensive (adjective) — deep in quiet, serious thought
02

More words

volatile (adjective) — likely to change suddenly, often to anger
elated (adjective) — overjoyed by good news
truculent (adjective) — quick to argue or fight; defiant
querulous (adjective) — complaining in a whining way
indifference (noun) — a lack of interest or concern
combative (adjective) — ready to fight or strike out
irritable (adjective) — easily annoyed or angered
despondent (adjective) — hopeless and very low in spirits
withdrawn (adjective) — quiet and avoiding other people
impulsive (adjective) — acting suddenly without thinking
paranoid (adjective) — wrongly sure others mean harm
anxious (adjective) — worried and nervous
amnesia (noun) — loss of memory
compulsive (adjective) — driven to repeat a behavior
cooperative (adjective) — willing to help and do what is asked
hostile (adjective) — unfriendly and openly against others
03

In a sentence

Show 20 example sentences
docile: The usually anxious dog was docile once its owner sat beside it in the clinic.
volatile: The patient's mood was volatile, swinging from cheerful to furious within minutes.
elated: The parents were elated when the newborn passed the hearing screen.
truculent: The truculent patient argued with every staff member who entered the room.
querulous: The querulous patient grumbled about the pillows, the light and the noise all night.
melancholy: A sense of melancholy settled over the patient during the long winter in the care home.
stoic: The stoic patient rated the pain only a 3, though the grimace suggested much more.
pensive: The patient sat pensive by the window, thinking over the doctor's news.
indifference: The patient met the news of the test results with indifference, barely looking up.
combative: The confused patient became combative and swung at the nurse during the dressing change.
irritable: Lack of sleep left the patient irritable and short with visitors.
despondent: After weeks without progress, the patient grew despondent and stopped attending therapy.
withdrawn: Since the diagnosis, the teenager had become withdrawn and spent hours alone.
impulsive: The impulsive patient pulled out the IV line without calling for help.
paranoid: The paranoid patient refused the pills, sure the staff were trying to poison the food.
anxious: The patient was anxious before the biopsy and asked many questions.
amnesia: After the concussion, the patient had amnesia for the hour before the crash.
compulsive: The patient's compulsive hand washing had left the skin cracked and sore.
cooperative: The cooperative patient turned on cue so the nurse could check the skin.
hostile: The visitor turned hostile when told that visiting hours had ended.
Pearl

A stoic patient bears pain without complaint, so a low pain rating can hide real pain.

Sources · MedlinePlus — Mental status testing (orientation, attitude, cognition) · Cambridge Dictionary — docile · Cambridge Dictionary — volatile · Cambridge Dictionary — elated · Cambridge Dictionary — truculent · Cambridge Dictionary — querulous · Cambridge Dictionary — melancholy · Cambridge Dictionary — stoic · Cambridge Dictionary — pensive · Cambridge Dictionary — indifference · Cambridge Dictionary — combative · Cambridge Dictionary — irritable · Cambridge Dictionary — despondent · Cambridge Dictionary — withdrawn · Cambridge Dictionary — impulsive · Cambridge Dictionary — paranoid · Cambridge Dictionary — anxious · Cambridge Dictionary — amnesia · Cambridge Dictionary — compulsive · Cambridge Dictionary — cooperative · Cambridge Dictionary — hostile · Collins Dictionary — combative (American pronunciation) · Vocabulary.com — word list "HESI" · NurseHub — free HESI A2 Vocabulary diagnostic test (50 questions) · McGraw-Hill 500 Evolve Reach (HESI) A2 Questions, ch. 2 Vocabulary (EasyNotecards transcription) · Brainscape — "HESI A2 Vocabulary" deck · Brainscape — "Hesi A2 vocab YT vids" deck · TestHQ — HESI A2 Vocabulary (frequently tested words) · Built from the verified NurseSavvy HESI A2 fact map (facts reviewed 2026-10-16). HESI is a trademark of Elsevier; NurseSavvy is not affiliated with Elsevier.

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