cromulent
adjective: Valid; acceptable; satisfactory.
Category: Today’s Word
Today’s Word
progeny
Definition: (noun) One born of, begotten by, or derived from another. Synonyms: issue, offspring. Usage: He was naturally a very nervous, shuddering sort of little …
Lower Slobbovia
noun: A place regarded as isolated, underdeveloped, or unimportant.
putrefaction
Definition: (noun) Moral perversion; impairment of virtue and moral principles. Synonyms: depravation, depravity, degeneracy, corruption. Usage: The country had fallen into a state of moral …
embiggen
verb tr.: To make larger.
imprimatur
Definition: (noun) Formal and explicit approval. Synonyms: countenance, endorsement, sanction, warrant. Usage: The candidate's campaign was bolstered by the imprimatur of New York's governor. Discuss
sad sack
noun: A well-meaning but hopelessly inept person.
opine
Definition: (verb) Express one's opinion openly and without fear or hesitation. Synonyms: animadvert, sound off, speak out, speak up. Usage: "I dare say it is …
skunkworks
noun: A small, loosely structured corporate research and development unit or subsidiary formed to foster innovation.
doyen
Definition: (noun) The senior member of a group, profession, or society. Synonyms: dean. Usage: Raffles regarded me with that tantalizing smile of his…and in a …
mantic
Definition: (adjective) Of, relating to, or having the power of divination; prophetic. Synonyms: divinatory, sibyllic, sibylline, vatic. Usage: The oracle's mantic powers were well known, …
hoodwink
Definition: (verb) To deceive or swindle by deception. Synonyms: trick, fool, cheat, con. Usage: You don't understand that what imposes on common folk would never …
forswunk
adjective: Exhausted.
sacrilegious
Definition: (adjective) Grossly irreverent toward what is or is held to be sacred. Synonyms: blasphemous, profane. Usage: They took an oath mutually to defend and …
excubant
adjective: On guard.
jubilate
Definition: (verb) To express great joy. Synonyms: exuberate, exult, rejoice, triumph. Usage: Today is a day to jubilate in the knowledge that we are truly …
zygomorphic
adjective: Having a single plane of symmetry: divisible into two mirror-image halves along only one axis.
immutable
Definition: (adjective) Not subject or susceptible to change. Synonyms: changeless. Usage: Destiny was too potent, and her immutable laws had decreed my utter and terrible …
equative
adjective: Expressing identity or a degree of comparison. noun: A case in some languages indicating equivalence or similarity between two things.
riposte
Definition: (noun) A quick reply to a question or remark (especially a witty or critical one). Synonyms: comeback, counter, rejoinder, replication, retort, return. Usage: His …
disject
verb tr.: To scatter or disperse.
unstinting
Definition: (adjective) Bestowed liberally. Synonyms: lavish, munificent, overgenerous, too-generous, unsparing. Usage: Her suitor's unstinting devotion was flattering yet slightly unsettling. Discuss
onerous
Definition: (adjective) Troublesome or oppressive. Synonyms: burdensome, taxing. Usage: Preparing income tax returns is an onerous task, and many people resort to hiring professional accountants …
sanguineous
Definition: (adjective) Relating to or involving blood or bloodshed. Synonyms: butcherly, gory, slaughterous. Usage: He was an angry youth with a sanguineous temperament and was …
velvet glove
noun: An outward appearance of gentleness concealing an underlying firmness or resolve.
ideate
Definition: (verb) Form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case. Synonyms: conceive of, envisage, imagine. Usage: Such …
countervail
Definition: (verb) Oppose and mitigate the effects of by contrary actions. Synonyms: counteract, counterbalance, neutralize. Usage: I hope that my letter of apology will countervail …
bodice ripper
noun: A type of historical romance, such as a novel or film, featuring passionate and often explicit romantic encounters and forced seduction.
redoubtable
Definition: (adjective) Arousing fear or awe. Synonyms: formidable, unnerving. Usage: On his comely head he set his helmet, well-wrought, with a crest of horse-hair that …
tight-laced
adjective: Excessively proper, strict, or old-fashioned.
sundry
Definition: (adjective) Consisting of a haphazard assortment of different kinds. Synonyms: assorted, miscellaneous, mixed, motley. Usage: Walking-sticks, canes, baseball bats, and sundry other items stood …
corset
noun: A close-fitting undergarment, worn historically by women to shape the body and make the waistline smaller. verb tr.: To confine, control, or regulate strictly.
dumbstruck
Definition: (adjective) So shocked or astonished as to be rendered speechless. Synonyms: dumbfounded, flabbergasted, stupefied, thunderstruck. Usage: He stood dumbstruck in the doorway as the …
exhilaration
Definition: (noun) The state of being stimulated, refreshed, or elated. Synonyms: excitement. Usage: Few Yosemite visitors ever see snow avalanches and fewer still know the …
unperturbed
Definition: (adjective) Free from emotional agitation or nervous tension. Synonyms: unflurried, unflustered, unruffled. Usage: Though chaos and panic swirled all about him, the fireman remained …
magniloquent
adjective: Characterized by lofty, grandiose, or pompous speech or writing.
smorgasbord
Definition: (noun) A varied collection. Synonyms: assortment, miscellanea, miscellany, mixed bag, mixture, motley, potpourri, salmagundi, variety. Usage: The conference panel was comprised of a veritable …
jurisprude
noun: One who flaunts legal knowledge or is excessively preoccupied with the nuances of law.
dissonance
Definition: (noun) The auditory experience of sound that lacks musical quality; sound that is a disagreeable auditory experience. Synonyms: noise, racket. Usage: Maddening church bells …
brindle
noun: 1. Gray or tawny with streaks or spots of a darker color. 2. An animal, especially a dog, cat, or cow, with a brindle …