Category: Today’s Word

adjective: Courageous; brave; bold.

Definition: (noun) Someone who writes plays. Synonyms: playwright. Usage: My goal as a dramatist is to have my plays live on long after I am …

adjective: 1. Stately; dignified. 2. Characteristic of a mature, plump, unfashionable woman.

Definition: (adjective) Happening by chance or unexpectedly or unintentionally. Synonyms: accidental. Usage: An autobiography, when confronted by a careful editor with documentary evidence, is usually …

adjective: 1. Lazy, lethargic, averse to exertion. 2. Painless or causing little pain; slow to develop or heal. Used in medicine, for example, indolent ulcer.

Definition: (verb) To render insignificant or less important in comparison. Synonyms: eclipse, dominate. Usage: They were warlike little nations and defied, in those days, governments …

adjective: Devoid of energy or enthusiasm.

Definition: (verb) Sleep lightly or for a short period of time. Synonyms: doze, snooze. Usage: Through one after another of those gray days Alexander drowsed …

adjective: Difficult to deal with; contrary.

Definition: (noun) An instance of misfortune. Synonyms: mischance, mishap. Usage: D'Artagnan ran home immediately, and although it was three o'clock in the morning and he …

Definition: (verb) To talk foolishly. Synonyms: smatter, babble. Usage: Patrick, oblivious to his sister's visible disinterest, continued to blather about the woes of his fantasy …

Definition: (adjective) Deserving of esteem and respect. Synonyms: estimable, respectable, good. Usage: You are offended at being put on duty a bit, but why not …

noun: Release from slavery, servitude, or restraint.

Definition: (adjective) Stupid and confused. Synonyms: muddleheaded, puddingheaded. Usage: George was so shocked by the failure of his overseas investments that he began babbling to …

adjective, adverb: 1. Without using boxing gloves. 2. Rough; unrestrained by rules or scruples.

Definition: (noun) Abnormal alignment of one or both eyes. Synonyms: squint. Usage: Andrew's strabismus has hampered his vision for years, but he is finally exploring …

noun: Government that rules by physical force.

Definition: (verb) To walk with a lofty proud gait, often in an attempt to impress others. Synonyms: prance, strut, swagger, tittup, ruffle, cock. Usage: She …

noun: 1. A post with one or more signs pointing toward one or more places. 2. Something or someone serving as a guide.

Definition: (verb) To bind in a pledge of marriage; betroth. Synonyms: plight, engage. Usage: I have been affianced to a fine young man and am …

noun: A hearty welcome or greeting, often insincere; verb tr., intr.: To greet warmly, often insincerely.

Definition: (verb) Make famous forever. Synonyms: eternalize. Usage: The small Transylvania town was immortalized in the famous story of Dracula. Discuss

Definition: (noun) A musical composition for voices and orchestra based on a religious text. Synonyms: oratorio. Usage: Instead of the band a choir began singing …

Definition: (adjective) Not prepared or vigilant. Synonyms: napping. Usage: The burglar caught our security personnel off-guard and escaped the facility before they had even sounded …

noun: A vain boaster.

Definition: (adjective) Poorly done. Synonyms: botchy, butcherly. Usage: I am afraid that what was first done was unskillful, if not worse than useless. Discuss

noun: The hypothesis that organisms must constantly adapt and evolve in order to survive in an evolutionary arms race.

Definition: (verb) Free from slavery or servitude. Synonyms: manumit. Usage: The abolitionists fought to put an end to the slave trade and emancipate all of …

noun: A storyteller, especially one who tells long, entertaining stories.

Definition: (adjective) Expensive. Synonyms: costly, dear. Usage: Vincent's menu may be a little pricey, but the food is simply spectacular. Discuss

adjective: A coarse, buffoonish person.

Definition: (adjective) Well in the past; former. Synonyms: bygone, departed, foregone, gone. Usage: Seeing that park brought back sweet memories of bypast summers spent playing …

noun: One who misleads or betrays.

Definition: (noun) A person with few or no possessions. Synonyms: poor person. Usage: The have-nots of the world often do not have access to the …

Definition: (adjective) Lacking the usual or necessary number of workers, employees, or assistants. Synonyms: undermanned, understaffed. Usage: Three of our waitresses called in sick today, …

Definition: (noun) A whimsically eccentric person. Synonyms: fruitcake, nut case, screwball, crank. Usage: By wearing a tinfoil hat everywhere he goes, Mr. Williams has earned …

noun: The feeling or the belief that everyone around is out to get you.

Definition: (noun) Semisolid preparation (usually containing a medicine) applied externally as a remedy or for soothing an irritation. Synonyms: ointment, salve, balm, unction. Usage: The …

adjective: Relating to rocks. For example, living on, carved on, growing on, made of, etc.

Definition: (noun) A person who makes deceitful pretenses. Synonyms: pseudo, role player, sham, pretender, fraud, fake. Usage: I am not a hero to you now, …