uncongenial
Definition: (adjective) Not suitable to your tastes or needs. Synonyms: incompatible. Usage: I married early, and was happy to find in my wife a disposition …
Category: Today’s Word
Today’s Word
thence
Definition: (adverb) From that place; from there. Synonyms: therefrom. Usage: The train went south into Switzerland and thence on to Italy Discuss
androgynic
adjective: 1. Exhibiting traits associated with male as well as female identities. 2. Having a gender presentation that blends or transcends traditional binary categories.
memorous
adjective: Likely to be remembered; notable.
ferment
Definition: (noun) A state of agitation or turbulent change or development. Synonyms: agitation, fermentation, tempestuousness, unrest. Usage: In 1789 a ferment arises in Paris; it …
nemorous
adjective: Relating to a forest; wooded.
acerbic
Definition: (adjective) Sharp or biting, as in character or expression. Synonyms: blistering, caustic, acid, vitriolic, acerb, acrid, sulfurous, virulent, bitter. Usage: The comedienne's acerbic wit …
extort
verb tr.: To obtain something by psychological pressure, intimidation, force, threat, etc.
straddle
Definition: (verb) Range or extend over; occupy a certain area. Synonyms: range. Usage: With his car straddling two lanes of traffic and with fifteen police …
exhort
verb tr., intr.: To urge, persuade, advise, etc. earnestly. noun: The act or an instance of earnest urging, advising, etc.
mesa
Definition: (noun) A broad, flat-topped elevation with one or more clifflike sides, common in the southwest United States. Synonyms: table. Usage: They scaled forest-clad heights …
embodiment
Definition: (noun) A new personification of a familiar idea. Synonyms: avatar, incarnation. Usage: The State is the visible embodiment of justice under the conditions of …
dusky
Definition: (adjective) Characterized by little or inadequate light; shadowy. Synonyms: twilight, twilit. Usage: I met him on the road one dusky evening, and he insisted …
hierophant
noun: 1. An interpreter of sacred mysteries or esoteric knowledge. 2. One who explains or provides commentary on complex or obscure topics.
suppliant
Definition: (noun) One praying humbly for something. Synonyms: petitioner, requester, supplicant. Usage: "Oh, God!" prayed the kneeling suppliant, "protect my husband, guard my son, and …
neophile
noun: One who loves new or novel things.
interpenetrate
Definition: (verb) Spread or diffuse through. Synonyms: imbue, permeate, pervade, diffuse, riddle, penetrate. Usage: Crossing his arms on his chest, as if to control this …
arthroplasty
noun: The surgical repair or replacement of a joint.
smug
Definition: (adjective) Exhibiting or feeling great or offensive satisfaction with oneself or with one's situation; self-righteously complacent. Synonyms: self-satisfied. Usage: On his face was the …
hypernym
noun: A broad term that encompasses specific words within a category. For example, “color” is a hypernym of “red”, “blue”, “green”, etc.
callous
Definition: (adjective) Emotionally hardened; unfeeling. Synonyms: indurate, pachydermatous. Usage: He was a callous man and cared not for the suffering of others. Discuss
polyandry
noun: The practice of having multiple husbands or male mates at the same time.
imitative
Definition: (adjective) (Of words) Formed in imitation of a natural sound. Synonyms: echoic, onomatopoeic. Usage: Onomatopoeic words like "buzz" and "murmur" are imitative of the …
gullible
Definition: (adjective) Easily deceived or duped. Synonyms: fleeceable, green. Usage: Maddie was a gullible young girl, and we easily convinced her that our homely history …
laic
Definition: (adjective) Of or relating to the laity. Synonyms: lay, secular. Usage: He was a laic leader, but many of his followers believed him to …
perfunctionary
adjective: Done without any interest, care, or effort.
lore
Definition: (noun) Accumulated facts, traditions, or beliefs about a particular subject. Synonyms: traditional knowledge. Usage: He had taught the children something of the forest lore …
equivocacy
noun: The quality of being deliberately ambiguous or vague.
cocksure
Definition: (adjective) Marked by excessive confidence. Synonyms: overconfident, positive. Usage: He was arrogant and cocksure but also sensitive and understanding, and I loved him dearly. …
vituperatory
adjective: Criticizing bitterly, scathing, abusive.
stoop
Definition: (verb) Debase oneself morally, act in an undignified, unworthy, or dishonorable way. Synonyms: condescend, lower oneself. Usage: The neighborhood bully constantly shouts insults at …
commensurability
noun: 1. The quality of being in proportion or suitable in relation to something else. 2. The quality of being measurable by a common standard; …
duster
Definition: (noun) A loose coverall (coat or frock) reaching down to the ankles. Synonyms: gaberdine, smock. Usage: In the office he wore also a linen …
elocutionary
adjective: Relating to public speaking, especially in clear, expressive, and often emphatic manner.
imperceptible
Definition: (adjective) Impossible or difficult to perceive by the mind or senses. Synonyms: unperceivable. Usage: The world may indeed be considered as a vast machine, …
ignoble
Definition: (adjective) Not of the nobility; common. Synonyms: ungentle, untitled. Usage: The princess loved the stable boy, but he was of ignoble birth, and her …
unsteady
Definition: (adjective) Not firm, solid, or securely in place; unstable. Synonyms: unfirm. Usage: He climbed carefully up the unsteady ladder and cleaned the leaves that …
googolplex
noun: The number 1 followed by a googol number of zeros.
hearth
Definition: (noun) The floor of a fireplace, usually extending into a room and paved with brick, flagstone, or cement. Synonyms: fireside. Usage: They sat on …
genteelism
noun: The substitution of a word that is believed to be more polite or refined. For example, washroom for lavatory.