infodemic
noun: A glut of mostly unreliable, rapidly spreading information relating to an event, crisis, disease, etc.
Category: Today’s Word
Today’s Word
arriviste
Definition: (noun) A person who has recently attained high position or great power but not general acceptance or respect; an upstart. Synonyms: nouveau-riche, parvenu, upstart. …
rusticle
noun: An icicle-like formation of rust, as on an underwater shipwreck.
baleen
Definition: (noun) A horny material from the upper jaws of certain whales; used as the ribs of fans or as stays in corsets. Synonyms: whalebone. …
revetment
Definition: (noun) A facing, as of masonry, used to support an embankment. Synonyms: stone facing. Usage: Like seawalls, revetments armor and protect the land behind …
furuncle
Definition: (noun) A painful sore with a hard pus-filled core. Synonyms: boil. Usage: His doctor referred him to a dermatologist who would examine the furuncle …
Piccadilly Circus
noun: A place that is very busy, crowded, or noisy.
anemometer
Definition: (noun) An instrument for measuring wind force and velocity. Synonyms: wind gauge. Usage: The storm chasers loaded their van with high-tech gear, including a …
haircut
noun: A reduction in value.
bookplate
Definition: (noun) A label bearing the owner's name or other identification that is pasted usually on the inside cover of a book. Synonyms: ex libris. …
swan song
noun: A farewell or final performance, appearance, or accomplishment.
rejoinder
Definition: (noun) A quick reply to a question or remark (especially a witty or critical one). Synonyms: riposte, comeback, retort, replication, counter, return. Usage: Her …
daisy cutter
noun: 1. In a ball game, a ball that moves close to the ground. 2. A horse that lifts its feet very little off the …
feckless
Definition: (adjective) Generally incompetent and ineffectual. Synonyms: inept. Usage: Much to his wife's dismay, Jim refused to call a professional, and continued his feckless attempts …
baloney
noun: Nonsense, such as foolish, deceptive, or pretentious talk.
distend
Definition: (verb) To cause to expand by or as if by internal pressure; dilate. Synonyms: dilate. Usage: It is a mistake to think that that …
graver
Definition: (noun) A tool used by an engraver. Synonyms: pointel. Usage: The jewelry designer's studio was attached to her shop, so customers could watch her …
tittle
Definition: (noun) A tiny or scarcely detectable amount. Synonyms: iota, scintilla, shred, smidgeon, whit. Usage: Sydney Carton drank nothing but a tittle coffee. Discuss
jump ball
noun: 1. A contest too close to call. 2. An undecided situation or one with no preference.
attenuate
Definition: (adjective) Reduced or weakened, as in strength, value, or virulence. Synonyms: faded, weakened. Usage: She placed a record in the player, and the attenuate …
snooker
verb tr.: To cheat, dupe, trap, stymie, etc.
shivaree
Definition: (noun) A noisy mock serenade for newlyweds. Synonyms: belling, callithump. Usage: The clamorous shivaree stood in stark contrast to the refined, reserved marital ceremony …
wheelhouse
noun: 1. An enclosed area on a boat or ship that houses the steering wheel. 2. In baseball, the area in which it’s easiest for …
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 …