Next time you write something that needs a sense of edge, do this exercise.
After you are done with your first draft, take all the adjectives you see.
Put them in a list.
Define them.
In your next draft, write them out and make what you are saying as plain as possible.
Why?
Sometimes we can shrink our point with language. Sure, the adjective may fit; however, without defining a word like “thoughtful” to ourselves, we miss seeing how we may be shorting ourselves.