Category: Today’s Word

Today’s Word

nubbly

Definition: (adjective) Rough or irregular; textured. Synonyms: homespun, nubby, slubbed, tweedy. Usage: The seamstress preferred the nubbly, matte surface of raw silk to the glossy, …

Barney’s bull

noun: Someone or something in a very bad condition or situation.

entreaty

Definition: (noun) An earnest request or petition; a plea. Synonyms: appeal, prayer. Usage: Nothing is wanting but to have you here, and it is our …

doleful

Definition: (adjective) Filled with or expressing grief. Synonyms: mournful. Usage: The poor child's doleful eyes compelled me to buy him expensive toys and bags of …

Chekhov’s gun

noun: 1. The literary principle that if an element is introduced in a story, it must be shown to have a purpose. 2. An element …

buoyancy

Definition: (noun) Irrepressible liveliness and good spirit. Synonyms: irrepressibility. Usage: With his natural buoyancy of spirits, he began to hope again. Discuss

navel

Definition: (noun) The mark on the surface of the abdomen of mammals where the umbilical cord was attached during gestation. Synonyms: bellybutton, omphalos, umbilicus. Usage: …

rebarbative

Definition: (adjective) Tending to irritate. Synonyms: repellant, repellent. Usage: As the night wore on, the petulant man became increasingly rebarbative and prickly and spiteful. Discuss

disfavor

Definition: (verb) Put at a disadvantage; hinder, harm. Synonyms: disadvantage. Usage: These laws clearly disfavor the underprivileged and poor because they do not address the …

placer

noun: 1. A deposit of valuable minerals found in sand or gravel. 2. A place where such a deposit is washed to extract the valuable …

bridgehead

Definition: (noun) A forward position seized by advancing troops in enemy territory as a foothold for further advance. Synonyms: foothold. Usage: The soldiers made a …

sexennial

noun: An event occurring every six years. adjective: Happening every six years; lasting for or relating to six years.

haply

Definition: (adverb) By accident. Synonyms: by chance, by luck. Usage: Her true feelings were betrayed by a word haply spoken and immediately regretted. Discuss

lidless

Definition: (adjective) Watchful; vigilant. Synonyms: sleepless. Usage: He was vigilant—a lidless watcher of the public weal—and took great care to make sure that all was …

extralegal

Definition: (adjective) Not permitted or governed by law. Synonyms: nonlegal. Usage: The vigilantes believed they were simply dispensing an extralegal form of frontier justice. Discuss

haggle

Definition: (verb) To bargain, as over the price of something; dicker. Synonyms: chaffer, higgle, huckster. Usage: He preferred to be overcharged than to haggle over …

overweening

Definition: (adjective) Unrestrained, especially with regard to feelings. Synonyms: extravagant, exuberant, excessive. Usage: It may be all right, sir, but I have no overweening reliance …

lanate

Definition: (adjective) Having or consisting of woolly hairs. Synonyms: woolly. Usage: The woolly aphid has a lanate coat resembling cotton. Discuss

ripstaver

noun: Something or someone remarkable.

ethereal

Definition: (adjective) Characterized by unusual lightness and delicacy. Synonyms: gossamer. Usage: The birdwatchers longed to see the smallest and most ethereal of birds but found …

abaxial

Definition: (adjective) Located away from or on the opposite side of the axis, as of an organ or organism Synonyms: dorsal. Usage: The abaxial surface …

disdainful

Definition: (adjective) Expressing extreme contempt. Synonyms: contemptuous, insulting, scornful. Usage: She cast one disdainful look at Moody, without troubling herself to express her contempt in …

cracker-barrel

adjective: Plain, rustic, homespun, direct, or unsophisticated.

ocular

Definition: (adjective) Seen by the eye. Synonyms: visual. Usage: The evidence that the house is haunted is of two kinds: the testimony of disinterested witnesses …

delirious

Definition: (adjective) Marked by uncontrolled excitement or emotion; ecstatic. Synonyms: excited, frantic, mad, unrestrained. Usage: A crowd of delirious baseball fans cheered the home team …

farcical

Definition: (adjective) Broadly or extravagantly humorous; resembling farce. Synonyms: ludicrous, ridiculous. Usage: The clown, with his farcical exuberance, rainbow striped hair, and poorly timed gags, …

prostration

Definition: (noun) An abrupt failure of function or complete physical exhaustion. Synonyms: collapse. Usage: The weakness of the young missionary became so extreme that they …

sciamachy

noun: A mock fight or a fight with an imaginary enemy.

motley

Definition: (adjective) Consisting of a haphazard assortment of different kinds. Synonyms: assorted, miscellaneous, mixed, sundry. Usage: The other occupants of the room, five in number, …

nerveless

Definition: (adjective) Lacking strength or energy; spiritless; weak. Synonyms: feeble. Usage: He was a weak, nerveless fool, devoid of energy and promptitude. Discuss

lycanthropy

noun: 1. A delusion that one has transformed into a wolf. 2. The process of or ability to transform into a wolf.

facile

Definition: (adjective) Working, acting, or speaking with effortless ease and fluency. Synonyms: eloquent, silver-tongued, smooth-spoken, fluent, silver. Usage: Those facile and brilliant phrases and ideas …

palooka

noun: 1. Someone incompetent or inexperienced, especially as a boxer. 2. A clumsy or foolish person.