Category: Today’s Word

Today’s Word

contumely

Definition: (noun) A rude expression intended to offend or hurt. Synonyms: insult, revilement, vilification, abuse. Usage: I can bear Dishonor, public insult, many shames, Shrill …

perficient

adjective: Accomplishing or achieving desired results; effective.

unctuous

Definition: (adjective) Characterized by affected, exaggerated, or insincere earnestness. Synonyms: oleaginous, buttery, fulsome, smarmy, oily. Usage: In <i>David Copperfield</i>, the unctuous Uriah Heep is notable …

culminant

adjective: Being at or reaching the highest point.

debunk

Definition: (verb) To expose or ridicule the falseness, sham, or exaggerated claims of. Synonyms: expose. Usage: When Rosa heard the ridiculous rumor being spread around …

swallowtail

Definition: (noun) A man's full-dress jacket with two long tapering tails at the back. Synonyms: morning coat. Usage: When he decided to wear a swallowtail …

commodious

Definition: (adjective) Spacious; roomy. Synonyms: roomy, large, ample, spacious, expansive, capacious. Usage: The accommodations were commodious, and we had plenty of room to store our …

presenteeism

noun: The practice of being present at work when it’s unnecessary or counterproductive.

hautboy

Definition: (noun) A slender double-reed instrument; a woodwind with a conical bore and a double-reed mouthpiece. Synonyms: oboe. Usage: What hautboys and Zamora bagpipes we …

trencherman

Definition: (noun) A hearty eater. Synonyms: glutton, gourmand. Usage: The waiter set the steak down in front of the smiling trencherman who had already polished …

endarken

verb tr.: To make dark, less clear, or gloomy.

guidepost

Definition: (noun) A rule or principle that provides guidance to appropriate behavior. Synonyms: rule of thumb, guideline. Usage: His guidepost in social situations was the …

forgettery

noun: 1. The capacity to forget easily. 2. A poor memory.

menage

Definition: (noun) A domestic establishment. Synonyms: household. Usage: What sort of a menage is it which pays double the market price for a governess but …

spelldown

Definition: (noun) A contest in which you are eliminated if you fail to spell a word correctly. Synonyms: spelling bee. Usage: Our school hosts a …

myopia

Definition: (noun) A visual defect in which distant objects appear blurred because their images are focused in front of the retina rather than on it; …

gourmand

Definition: (noun) A lover of good food. Synonyms: trencherman, glutton. Usage: Because he had a great appreciation for fine cuisine, the gourmand was asked to …

crusade

noun: A zealous effort for an idea or cause. verb intr.: To engage in a zealous effort.

dyspepsia

Definition: (noun) Disturbed digestion. Synonyms: indigestion, upset stomach. Usage: Certain foods trigger his dyspepsia, so he makes sure to avoid them at all costs. Discuss

exodus

noun: A large scale departure or emigration.

philistinism

Definition: (noun) A desire for wealth and material possessions with little interest in ethical or spiritual matters. Synonyms: materialism. Usage: His unabashed philistinism offended Susan, …

apocalypse

noun: 1. The destruction of the world. 2. Any widespread destruction or disaster. 3. A massive, decisive conflict. 4. A prophecy.

borecole

Definition: (noun) A hardy cabbage with coarse curly leaves that do not form a head. Synonyms: kale, Brassica oleracea acephala, colewort. Usage: The aristocrats did …

messiah

noun: A savior, liberator, or leader of a group or a cause.

vapid

Definition: (adjective) Lacking taste, zest, or flavor; flat. Synonyms: flavorless, insipid, savorless, bland, flat. Usage: The bar was rundown and filthy, serving vapid beer and …

tortuosity

Definition: (noun) The quality or condition of being tortuous; twistedness or crookedness. Synonyms: crookedness, torsion, contortion. Usage: The old tree was enormous, and they built …

extirpate

Definition: (verb) To destroy totally. Synonyms: eradicate, exterminate, uproot. Usage: The tyrant's first order of business upon assuming power was to extirpate the vestiges of …

heart-whole

adjective: 1. Unattached: not in love. 2. Sincere; wholehearted.

nimiety

Definition: (noun) Superfluity; excess. Synonyms: excess, surplus, surplusage. Usage: After her long nap, the baby had a nimiety of energy that exhausted her parents. Discuss

chopped liver

noun: Something or someone treated as unimportant.

airscrew

Definition: (noun) A propeller that rotates to push against air. Synonyms: prop. Usage: The model airplane had an airscrew powered by a rubber band. Discuss

hamstring

noun: 1. Any of the tendons at the back of the knee. 2. Any of the three muscles in the back of the thigh, connecting …

midden

Definition: (noun) A dunghill or refuse heap. Synonyms: muckheap, muckhill, dunghill. Usage: His opponent, as proud as the rooster who is left unchallenged upon the …

blood-and-guts

adjective: 1. Marked by great violence, especially when depicted in a graphic way. 2. Dealing with fundamental concerns. 3. Performed with great zeal or vigor.

equivocate

Definition: (verb) To be deliberately ambiguous or unclear in order to mislead or withhold information. Synonyms: prevaricate, beat around the bush, palter, tergiversate. Usage: She …

visceral

adjective: 1. Related to viscera. 2. Instinctive, not reasoning or intellectual. 3. Dealing with base emotions; earthy, crude.

overtone

Definition: (noun) An ulterior, usually implicit meaning or quality; an implication or a hint. Often used in the plural. Synonyms: connotation, hint, implication, undercurrent, intimation. …

clairvoyant

Definition: (adjective) Having the supposed power to see objects or events that cannot be perceived by the senses. Synonyms: precognitive, second-sighted. Usage: An advertisement marked …

polliwog

Definition: (noun) A larval frog or toad. Synonyms: tadpole. Usage: The boy found it hard to believe that this tiny, legless polliwog would someday sprout …