Category: Today’s Word

Today’s Word

vainglory

Definition: (noun) Boastful, unwarranted pride in one's accomplishments or qualities. Synonyms: boastfulness. Usage: I share my substance with the poor, making no display of good …

swarthy

Definition: (adjective) Having a dark complexion or color. Synonyms: dusky, swart, dark-skinned. Usage: He is a noble of very lofty carriage, black hair, swarthy complexion, …

Hail Mary

noun: A last-ditch attempt, made in desperation, having little chance of success, but potentially resulting in a big payoff.

cistron

Definition: (noun) A section of DNA that contains the genetic code for a single polypeptide and functions as a hereditary unit. Synonyms: gene, factor. Usage: …

sobriquet

Definition: (noun) An affectionate or humorous nickname. Synonyms: cognomen, moniker, nickname, soubriquet. Usage: Usually he saw things long before others were aware that there was …

pyrosis

Definition: (noun) A painful burning sensation in the chest caused by gastroesophageal reflux (backflow from the stomach irritating the esophagus); symptomatic of an ulcer or …

alexander

verb tr.: 1. To praise or flatter. 2. To hang someone.

gomer

noun: 1. A naive and inept trainee or worker. 2. An undesirable hospital patient, one who may be unpleasant, senile, or unresponsive to treatment. 3. …

syncope

Definition: (noun) A brief loss of consciousness caused by a temporary deficiency of oxygen in the brain; a swoon. Synonyms: deliquium, faint, swoon. Usage: She …

Palladian

adjective: 1. Wise or learned. 2. Relating to wisdom, knowledge, or learning.

editorialist

Definition: (noun) A journalist who writes editorials. Synonyms: columnist. Usage: He grew so weary of armchair-general editorialists that he stopped reading the Op-Ed pages altogether …

Taylorism

noun: 1. A method of analyzing workflow for process optimization. Also known as scientific management. 2. A modified form of Calvinism. Also known as New …

soupcon

Definition: (noun) A very small amount; a trace. Synonyms: mite, tinge, jot, hint, pinch, speck, touch. Usage: This dish could use a soupcon of salt. …

Vulcan

noun: 1. A blacksmith or a metalworker. 2. A miner. 3. A person whose leg is broken or deformed. 4. A cuckold: a man whose …

chophouse

Definition: (noun) A restaurant that specializes in steaks. Synonyms: steakhouse. Usage: The best steak we ever ate was at a small chophouse in California. Discuss

chrism

Definition: (noun) A consecrated mixture of oil and balsam, used for anointing in church sacraments such as baptism and confirmation. Synonyms: holy oil, sacramental oil. …

sunspot

Definition: (noun) Any of the relatively cool dark spots appearing periodically in groups on the surface of the sun that are associated with strong magnetic …

dark side

noun: 1. The side that’s dark or unlit. 2. The side that’s undesirable or evil.

Padawan

noun: 1. An apprentice or student. 2. A naive, ignorant, or untrained person.

gainsay

Definition: (verb) To oppose, especially by contradiction. Synonyms: challenge, dispute. Usage: In vain did the poor old father weep and implore her pity; she was …

Jedi

noun: Someone having great skills and powers.

variegate

Definition: (verb) Make something more diverse and varied. Synonyms: vary. Usage: After the third consecutive dinner of mashed potatoes, we began to hope that the …

droid

noun: 1. A humanoid robot. 2. A person who behaves in a robot-like manner, showing little emotion or personality.

haversack

Definition: (noun) A bag carried over one shoulder to transport supplies, as on a hike. Synonyms: backpack, knapsack. Usage: She carried the heavy haversack for …

fumigate

Definition: (verb) To subject to smoke or fumes, usually in order to exterminate pests or disinfect. Synonyms: fume. Usage: When we found out there was …

propinquity

Definition: (noun) The property of being close together. Synonyms: proximity. Usage: She loved Emma Jane, but it was a friendship born of propinquity and circumstance, …

watchword

Definition: (noun) A slogan used to rally support for a cause. Synonyms: cry. Usage: "Fight and fall, but fly not," that was our watchword. Discuss

rawky

adjective: Foggy; damp; cold.

anonym

Definition: (noun) A pseudonym. Synonyms: nom de guerre, pseudonym. Usage: Aware that all kinds of people would be reading the bulletin board, he used an …

euthanasia

noun: The practice of ending life to relieve suffering. Example: someone hopelessly injured, terminally ill, suffering from an incurable disease, etc.

perquisite

Definition: (noun) A payment or profit received in addition to a regular wage or salary, especially a benefit expected as one's due. Synonyms: fringe benefit, …

aweigh

adjective, adverb: Just clear of the bottom (used for a ship’s anchor).

declivity

Definition: (noun) A downward slope or bend. Synonyms: fall, downslope, declension, declination, decline, descent. Usage: As best I could, I stumbled after him down a …

ocellated

adjective: 1. Having eyelike spots. 2. Eyelike.

roomer

Definition: (noun) A tenant in someone's house. Synonyms: boarder, lodger. Usage: My aunt took in roomers for years and is still in touch with many …

littoral

adjective: Relating to or situated at the shore. noun: A shore, especially the area between high tide and low tide levels.

libelous

Definition: (adjective) Harmful and often untrue; tending to discredit or malign. Synonyms: calumnious, defamatory, denigrating, libellous, slanderous. Usage: The article, being libelous, had to be …

bucolic

Definition: (adjective) Of or characteristic of the countryside or its people; rustic. Synonyms: rustic, arcadian, pastoral. Usage: The illustrations in the book depicted pleasant, bucolic …

coagulum

Definition: (noun) A lump of material formed from the content of a liquid. Synonyms: clot. Usage: His nose began to bleed again when a hearty …

cosplay

noun: 1. The act or practice of dressing up as a character from a work of fiction, such as a comic book, video game, film, …