Spectrums are an important way to communicate — whether expression emotion or intent. A few years ago Michael Hatch wrote a funny (and irreverent) book called Hatch’s Order of Magnitude that laid out dozens of different spectrums around us and the words we use to describe them. It’s like a  spectrum-based thesaurus! Here’s an example (excerpted from the longer original, with permission):

Shades of Anger

1. Inert
2. Stoical
3. Pellucid
4. Limpid
5. Quiescent
6. Tranquil
7. Relaxed
8. Phlegmatic
9. Stolid
10. Calm
11. Composed
12. Collected
13. Unruffled
14. Alert
15. Nervous
16. Anxious
17. Uptight
18. Displeased
19. Fretful
20. Frustrated
21. Bitter
22. Sullen
23. Huffy
24. Annoyed
25. Grouchy
26. Edgy
27. Ruffled
28. Cranky
29. Testy
30. Disgruntled
31. Stewed
32. Touchy
33. Peevish
34. Chafed
35. Irritated
36. Piqued
37. Roiled
38. Irked
39. Rankled
40. Upset
41. Bristling
42. Mad
43. Angry
44. Galled
45. Fuming
46. Indignant
47. Boiling
48. Irate
49. Infuriated
50. Furious
51. Enraged
52. Rabid
53. Unglued
54. Possessed
55. Storming
56. Virulent
57. Wrathful
58. Explosive
59. Apoplectic
60. Berserk
61. Nuclear