Category: Today’s Word

Definition: (noun) Sudden prostration due to exposure to the sun or excessive heat. Synonyms: insolation, sunstroke, thermic fever. Usage: We were stranded in the desert, …

noun: A complimentary ticket or pass. Also known as an Annie Oakley.

Definition: (noun) Someone who is drafted into military service. Synonyms: conscript, draftee. Usage: Before beginning basic training, each inductee was given a haircut and a …

noun: Something misleading, such as a word or phrase used euphemistically or ambiguously for propaganda purposes.

Definition: (adjective) With no effort to conceal. Synonyms: bald. Usage: They attacked him in various ways—with barefaced questions, ingenious suppositions, and distant surmises; but he …

noun: In a card game, a weak hand, especially one in which no card is above a nine.

Definition: (verb) Show one's unhappiness or critical attitude. Synonyms: grumble, scold. Usage: He always grouches about his job, but deep down he really loves it. …

noun: A detective.

Definition: (noun) The occurrence of surplus liquid (as water) exceeding the limit or capacity. Synonyms: overflow, overspill. Usage: Our basement flooded with runoff from the …

noun: A method of assessing a newborn’s health. Also known as Apgar score.

Definition: (verb) Tremble or shake. Synonyms: wobble. Usage: I need to take the car to a mechanic because it begins to shimmy every time it …

Definition: (verb) Set, mark, or draw the boundaries of something. Synonyms: demarcate. Usage: This map that my mother drew delimits how far from home I …

Definition: (noun) Something unspecified whose name is either forgotten or not known. Synonyms: gizmo, gubbins, thingamabob, thingamajig, thingummy, whatchamacallit, whatsis, widget, doohickey, doojigger, gimmick. Usage: …

noun: Prolonged cheering.

Definition: (noun) A small natural hill. Synonyms: hillock, knoll, mound. Usage: The servant girl took a break from her work in the fields to roll …

noun: 1. A person from Troy. 2. One who exhibits great stamina, energy, and hard work. 3. A merry fellow. 4. In computing, a piece …

Definition: (verb) Yield (to); give satisfaction to. Synonyms: pander, indulge. Usage: No ruler should put troops into the field merely to gratify his own spleen; …

verb tr., intr.: 1. To move at an easy pace. 2. To ride a horse at a canter. noun: 1. An easy pace. 2. A …

Definition: (verb) Utter a sudden loud cry. Synonyms: cry, scream, yell, shout, holler, hollo, call. Usage: The new mother breathed a sigh of relief as …

noun: An entertainment event where pleasure is derived from watching gore and barbarism.

Definition: (verb) Walk unsteadily. Synonyms: coggle, totter. Usage: The two elderly ladies were slowly doddering along, minding their own business, when a bike messenger sped …

verb tr.: To devastate, such as by heavy bombing.

Definition: (adjective) Having or marked by unusual and impressive intelligence. Synonyms: smart as a whip, brilliant. Usage: The brainy teen was surprised to see books …

Definition: (verb) Pass by. Synonyms: glide by, go by, slide by, slip by, slip away, go along. Usage: A month has elapsed since our last …

Definition: (adjective) Being in agreement: harmonious. Synonyms: accordant, agreeable, consonant, conformable. Usage: No one was surprised that the candidate's views were concordant with those of …

noun: Money.

Definition: (verb) Wither, as with a loss of moisture. Synonyms: shrink. Usage: The heat shriveled the unwatered seedlings. Discuss

noun: Prestige, social status, or pedigree.

Definition: (adverb) In headlong and disorderly haste. Synonyms: wildly, rashly, recklessly, pell-mell. Usage: Montgomery cracked his whip at them, and forthwith they all turned and …

noun: 1. Disgrace or shame. 2. Someone or something that brings shame or disgrace.

Definition: (noun) A jolly or merry mood, condition, or activity; gaiety. Synonyms: joviality. Usage: The genial festival of Christmas … lights up the fireside of …

adjective: Religious; observant of religious laws.

Definition: (noun) A low seat or a stool to rest the feet of a seated person. Synonyms: footrest, footstool, ottoman. Usage: He reclined in his …

verb intr.: To faint, collapse, explode, or flop down, as from excitement, frustration, surprise, exhaustion, etc.

Definition: (noun) A person with superior, usually specialized knowledge or highly refined taste. Synonyms: connoisseur. Usage: I may not be a cognoscente of art, but …

Definition: (noun) A person or group engaged in or prepared for a fight, struggle, or dispute. Synonyms: battler, belligerent, fighter, scrapper. Usage: Here the two …

Definition: (verb) Arouse hostility or indifference in where there had formerly been love, affection, or friendliness. Synonyms: alienate, estrange. Usage: She loved him, but the …

noun: Distant relatives.

Definition: (noun) A hostile or warlike attitude, nature, or inclination. Synonyms: pugnacity, aggressiveness. Usage: The little lawyer glared at me a moment, and then the …

noun: Something or someone placed in order to subvert from within.