Klondike
noun: A rich source of something valuable.
Category: Today’s Word
Today’s Word
itty-bitty
Definition: (adjective) (Informal) Very small. Synonyms: teensy-weensy. Usage: These itty-bitty computer processors are surprisingly powerful. Discuss
Yarra-banker
noun: 1. A vagrant or a loafer. 2. A soapbox orator or agitator.
enumerate
Definition: (verb) Specify individually. Synonyms: itemize, recite. Usage: A spokesperson enumerated the strikers' demands. Discuss
feisty
Definition: (adjective) Lively, resilient, and self-reliant. Synonyms: spunky, plucky. Usage: The feisty girl ignored neighbors' suggestions that she call the fire department for help and …
cheapjack
Definition: (adjective) Inferior in quality or value. Synonyms: shoddy, tawdry. Usage: The boardwalk is rife with shabby shops selling cheapjack souvenirs. Discuss
seppuku
noun: 1. Ritual suicide by disembowelment. 2. Ruining one’s own interests.
introverted
Definition: (adjective) Marked by interest in or preoccupation with oneself or one's own thoughts as opposed to others or the environment; shy or reserved. Synonyms: …
origami
noun: 1. The art of folding paper into various shapes. 2. An object made by folding paper.
two-dimensional
Definition: (adjective) Lacking the expected range or depth. Synonyms: flat. Usage: The actress's two-dimensional performance was especially disappointing given the emotional complexity of the character …
sayonara
interjection: Goodbye.
clincher
Definition: (noun) An argument that is conclusive. Synonyms: determiner. Usage: My final point was the clincher and won me the debate. Discuss
sensei
noun: A teacher, mentor, or a master in a field.
give-and-take
Definition: (noun) An exchange of views on some topic. Synonyms: discussion, word. Usage: Paul and I were having a civil give-and-take on the issue of …
bokeh
noun: The blurred effect in a photograph, typically as a soft out-of-focus background, that results in a pleasing effect and helps to draw attention to …
olfaction
Definition: (noun) The faculty that enables us to distinguish scents. Synonyms: smell. Usage: My stuffed nose not only impeded my olfaction, it also dulled my …
clerisy
Definition: (noun) Educated people considered as a group; the literati. Synonyms: intelligentsia. Usage: I have heard it said that intellectual curiosity is the mark of …
prehension
Definition: (noun) The act of gripping something firmly with the hands (or the tentacles). Synonyms: taking hold, grasping, seizing. Usage: A well-developed tail … might …
heterography
noun: 1. A spelling different from the one in current use. 2. Use of the same letter(s) to convey different sounds, for example, gh in …
insuperable
Definition: (adjective) Impossible to overcome. Synonyms: insurmountable, unconquerable. Usage: The fact that he had made her an offer, and she had refused him, had placed …
homologate
verb tr.: To approve officially, especially a car, engine, etc., for sale in a particular market or for its use in racing.
extricate
Definition: (verb) To remove or free from complication, hindrance, or difficulty. Synonyms: disencumber, disentangle. Usage: It will take quite a hefty sum to extricate me …
heteroclite
noun: 1. A person who is unconventional; a maverick. 2. A word that is irregularly formed. adjective: 1. Deviating from the ordinary rule; eccentric. 2. …
conflagration
Definition: (noun) A very intense and uncontrolled fire. Synonyms: inferno. Usage: All the stock was destroyed in a warehouse conflagration. Discuss
homophene
noun: A word or phrase that, when spoken, appears to be the same as a different word or phrase on a person’s lips, for example …
drudgery
Definition: (noun) Hard, menial, and monotonous work. Synonyms: donkeywork, plodding, grind. Usage: The novelty soon wore off, and though she thought she was prepared for …
heterochromatic
adjective: Having many different colors.
ebullience
Definition: (noun) Zestful enthusiasm. Synonyms: exuberance. Usage: Once Sam's fever broke, his natural ebullience began to return, and he was soon begging to be allowed …
orison
Definition: (noun) Reverent petition to a deity. Synonyms: petition, prayer. Usage: Jehan go every evening to chapel, and sing there an anthem with verse and …
chipper
Definition: (adjective) Having a cheerful, lively, and self-confident air. Synonyms: debonair, jaunty. Usage: If I seem chipper today, it is because I found a $50 …
interpose
verb tr., intr.: 1. To place in between. 2. To intrude or to interrupt. noun: 1. The act of, or an instance of, putting something …
shipshape
Definition: (adjective) Of places; characterized by order and neatness; free from disorder. Synonyms: trim, well-kept. Usage: Toys were strewn everywhere in the playroom, but we …
traject
verb tr.: To transport or transmit. noun: Transport, transmission, or passage.
shinny
Definition: (verb) Climb awkwardly, as if by scrambling. Synonyms: skin, clamber, scramble, sputter, struggle. Usage: I had to shinny up the tree to rescue my …
reconnoiter
verb tr., intr.: To explore or scout an area for gathering information. noun: An act of reconnoitering.
fuss-budget
Definition: (noun) A person who fusses over trifles. Synonyms: fusspot, worrier, worrywart. Usage: Stop being such a fuss-budget, and just relax and have fun! Discuss
surfeit
noun: 1. Excess. 2. Overindulgence in eating or drinking. 3. Satiety or disgust caused by overindulgence. verb tr.: 1. To do or supply anything to …
gambit
Definition: (noun) A maneuver, stratagem, or ploy, especially one used at an initial stage. Synonyms: tactic, move, policy, scheme, strategy, trick, device, ploy. Usage: They …
transect
verb tr.: To cut across. noun: 1. A narrow section through a natural feature. 2. A path along which measurements or observations are made.
molder
Definition: (verb) To crumble to dust; disintegrate. Synonyms: rot, decompose. Usage: Far better that crows and ravens … should pick my flesh from my bones, …