Category: Today’s Word

Today’s Word

adage

noun: A general truth conveyed succinctly and often metaphorically.

disputant

Definition: (noun) One engaged in a dispute. Synonyms: eristic, controversialist. Usage: Other tribes of the new federation took sides with the original disputants or set …

significative

Definition: (adjective) Pointing out or revealing clearly. Synonyms: indicatory, revelatory, suggestive, indicative. Usage: Her frantic movements were significative of fear. Discuss

manger

Definition: (noun) A trough or an open box in which feed for livestock is placed. Synonyms: trough. Usage: After putting him in a stable, his …

deepfake

noun: Digitally manipulated images, video, or audio that make someone appear to do or say something they did not.

jamboree

Definition: (noun) A noisy celebration. Synonyms: gala, blowout. Usage: Mary could not bear to miss the party and begged her mother for permission to attend …

neurodivergence

noun: The diversity of brain function, encompassing variations from what is considered typical.

repugnance

Definition: (noun) Extreme dislike or aversion. Synonyms: revulsion, repulsion, horror. Usage: Does any secret repugnance, or any hereditary dislike, exist between you and her family? …

crowdfund

verb tr.: To fund a project by raising money from a large number of people, mostly strangers and usually via the Internet.

conversant

Definition: (adjective) Well informed about or knowing thoroughly. Synonyms: familiar. Usage: A few words, in explanation, will here be necessary for such of our readers …

dot-connect

verb intr.: To make connections between different pieces of information in order to reach a conclusion.

decennary

Definition: (noun) A period of 10 years. Synonyms: decade. Usage: The first decennary of the century was marked by revolutionary movements and general social unrest. …

dogfood

verb tr.: To test a company’s product by having its employees use it in their regular workday.

pollinosis

Definition: (noun) A seasonal rhinitis resulting from an allergic reaction to pollen. Synonyms: hay fever. Usage: It was spring, and, just like the garden, his …

uncultured

Definition: (adjective) Not cultured or cultivated. Synonyms: artless, uncultivated. Usage: She regarded him as an uncultured brute. Discuss

smidgen

Definition: (noun) A very small quantity or portion; a bit or mite. Synonyms: whit, iota, scintilla, shred, tittle. Usage: He did not possess even a …

footloose

adjective: Free to go or do as one pleases without concerns or commitments.

condescending

Definition: (adjective) Displaying a patronizingly superior attitude. Synonyms: patronizing, arch. Usage: Sir William, no doubt, meant to be kind, but he was cold and condescending, …

middlebrow

adjective: 1. (describing a person) Having tastes and interests that lie somewhere between sophisticated and vulgar. 2. (describing a work of art) Neither sophisticated nor …

chiffonier

Definition: (noun) A narrow high chest of drawers or bureau, often with a mirror attached. Synonyms: commode. Usage: Against the wall stood an exquisite chiffonier, …

hough

verb tr.: To cripple, disable, or to make ineffective. noun: The joint in the hind leg of a quadruped animal such as a horse, equivalent …

garboil

Definition: (noun) A state of commotion and noise and confusion. Synonyms: tumult, uproar. Usage: The crowd at the fair was noisy and rowdy, and in …

loggerhead

noun: 1. A blockhead: a dull or slow-witted person. 2. A loggerhead turtle.

tutelage

Definition: (noun) The capacity or activity of a tutor; instruction or teaching. Synonyms: tuition. Usage: Michael's crowning achievement, under Daughtry's tutelage, in the first days …

diatribe

Definition: (noun) A bitter, abusive denunciation. Synonyms: fulmination. Usage: Silverstein found vent in a diatribe against all prize-fighters and against Joe Fleming in particular. Discuss

chaise

Definition: (noun) A long chair; for reclining. Synonyms: daybed. Usage: The queen reclined on a gorgeous chaise while her servants fanned her with palm fronds. …

betise

Definition: (noun) A stupid mistake. Synonyms: folly, imbecility, stupidity, foolishness. Usage: At the fundraising event, the master of ceremonies introduced the keynote speaker by the …

roughneck

Definition: (noun) A cruel and brutal fellow. Synonyms: yobo, bully, hooligan, rowdy, ruffian, yob, tough. Usage: The boys knew it was safer to avoid the …

heliotropic

adjective: Turning toward the sun or the light.

prosaic

Definition: (adjective) Straightforward; not fanciful or imaginative. Synonyms: matter-of-fact. Usage: It is to be a cold, prosaic, matter-of-fact business proposition. Discuss

fulgurant

adjective: 1. Flashing like lightning. 2. Brilliant.

alible

adjective: Nutritious; nourishing.

assiduous

Definition: (adjective) Marked by care and persistent effort. Synonyms: sedulous. Usage: By such assiduous and persevering labor they made their way about four hundred and …

cinematographer

Definition: (noun) A photographer who operates a movie camera. Synonyms: cameraman. Usage: The cinematographer won an award for his lush landscape shots, which captured the …

dullard

Definition: (noun) A person regarded as mentally dull. Synonyms: dolt, pillock, poor fish, pudding head. Usage: David was always a quiet, orderly boy and for …

blacking

Definition: (noun) A preparation, such as a shoe or stove polish, that is used to impart a black color. Synonyms: shoe polish. Usage: I let …

panopticon

noun: 1. A circular prison with a watchtower in the center so that any inmate can be observed from a single point. 2. A place …