Category: Today’s Word

Today’s Word

witticism

Definition: (noun) A remark or expression characterized by cleverness in perception and choice of words. Synonyms: quip, sally, pun, one-liner, riposte, pleasantry, repartee, epigram, bon …

decennium

Definition: (noun) A period of 10 years. Synonyms: decade. Usage: The past decennium has seen many technological advances, but I sometimes wonder if humanity would …

peddler

Definition: (noun) Someone who travels about selling his wares (as on the streets or at carnivals). Synonyms: hawker, packman, pitchman. Usage: He used to tramp …

macadamize

verb tr.: To construct or pave a road with small, broken stones bound with asphalt or tar.

expedite

Definition: (verb) Speed up the progress of; facilitate. Synonyms: hasten. Usage: I will do all I can to expedite the processing of your paperwork, but …

disneyfy

verb tr.: 1. To sanitize, romanticize, or simplify something to make it more palatable for mass consumption. 2. To turn something of historical or cultural …

funereal

Definition: (adjective) Suited to or suggestive of a grave or burial. Synonyms: sepulchral. Usage: The bed and chamber were so funereal and gloomy, you might …

pasteurize

verb tr.: To heat or irradiate something just long enough to kill pathogenic microorganisms.

dramaturgy

Definition: (noun) The art of writing and producing plays. Synonyms: dramatics, theater. Usage: I know that you plan to become a novelist, but your dialogue …

MacGyver

verb tr.: To improvise an ingenious solution using whatever is available at hand.

brigand

Definition: (noun) An armed thief who is (usually) a member of a band. Synonyms: bandit. Usage: You looked more like a brigand than an honest …

haussmannize

verb tr.: To redevelop or rebuild an area, especially on a massive scale.

inactivate

Definition: (verb) Release from military service or remove from the active list of military service. Synonyms: demobilize. Usage: My leg injury was so severe that …

indispose

Definition: (verb) Make unwilling. Synonyms: disincline. Usage: I did not wish to indispose him still further by an appearance of marked curiosity. Discuss

upstart

Definition: (noun) A person who has suddenly risen to a higher economic status but has not gained social acceptance of others in that class. Synonyms: …

zoilus

noun: A harsh critic.

headliner

Definition: (noun) A performer who receives prominent billing. Synonyms: star. Usage: My sister moved to New York with dreams of becoming a headliner on Broadway. …

apollo

noun: A strikingly handsome young man.

substandard

Definition: (adjective) Falling short of some prescribed norm. Synonyms: deficient, inferior. Usage: Substandard housing endangers the welfare of residents. Discuss

fortean

adjective: Relating to paranormal phenomena.

pitchy

Definition: (adjective) Of the blackest black; similar to the color of jet or coal. Synonyms: sooty. Usage: The cavern was lighted for an instant…and then …

croesus

noun: A very wealthy person.

neaten

Definition: (verb) Put (things or places) in order. Synonyms: clean up, square away, tidy, straighten. Usage: My mother insists that I neaten up my room …

adonis

noun: An exceptionally handsome young man.

silver-tongued

Definition: (adjective) Having or exhibiting the power of fluent and persuasive speech. Synonyms: eloquent, smooth-spoken, fluent, facile. Usage: The silver-tongued politician trounced his opponent in …

hamartia

Definition: (noun) The character flaw or error of a tragic hero that leads to his downfall. Synonyms: tragic flaw. Usage: Many a noble literary character …

remodel

Definition: (verb) Do over, as of (part of) a house. Synonyms: redo, reconstruct. Usage: We were on a tight budget and bought the fixer-upper knowing …

pandect

noun: 1. A complete body of the laws of a country, organization, etc. 2. A comprehensive treatise on a subject.

calque

Definition: (noun) An expression introduced into one language by translating it from another language. Synonyms: loan translation. Usage: "Superman" is a calque for the German …

bibliolater

noun: 1. One with extreme devotion to books. 2. One having excessive devotion to the Bible, especially to its literal interpretation.

cogwheel

Definition: (noun) A toothed wheel that engages another toothed mechanism in order to change the speed or direction of transmitted motion. Synonyms: gear. Usage: Wheels …

florilegium

noun: A compilation of excerpts; anthology.

dolorous

Definition: (adjective) Marked by or exhibiting sorrow, grief, or pain. Synonyms: lachrymose, weeping, tearful. Usage: She always speaks with a wailing, dolorous voice—you are nervously …

lampblack

Definition: (noun) A black colloidal substance consisting wholly or principally of amorphous carbon and used to make pigments and ink. Synonyms: crock, smut, soot. Usage: …

starchy

Definition: (adjective) Rigidly formal. Synonyms: buckram, stiff. Usage: Though I often poke fun at the butler's starchy manner, I secretly love the formality and sophistication …

will-o’-the-wisp

Definition: (noun) A pale light sometimes seen at night over marshy ground. Synonyms: friar's lantern, ignis fatuus, jack-o'-lantern. Usage: The white face of a dying …

devotee

Definition: (noun) An ardent follower and admirer. Synonyms: buff, lover, fan. Usage: He became a devotee of the moving-picture shows, spending as much as twenty …