Word of the Day
Definition: (noun) A source of harm or ruin. Synonyms: bane, scourge, curse. Usage: My doctor says I need to improve my diet immediately, but fast food, my great nemesis, tempts me every day during my commute home. Discuss
Definition: (verb) Make psychologically or physically used (to something). Synonyms: habituate. Usage: Endeavor, then, to accustom yourself to our manner of living in these northern climes as you did to those of Rome, Florence, Milan, and Madrid. Discuss
Definition: (adjective) Unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating in manner or speech. Synonyms: fulsome, oleaginous, smarmy, unctuous, soapy, oily. Usage: John's buttery praise was getting him nowhere with our new boss, who was clearly astute enough to discern an attempt to curry favor. Discuss
Definition: (adjective) Showing neither fear nor indecision; resolute. Synonyms: unintimidated, unshrinking, unblinking. Usage: He held a silent combat with his inward agony, defying, meanwhile, my sympathy with an unflinching, ferocious stare.
Definition: (adjective) Having infinite knowledge or understanding. Synonyms: all-knowing. Usage: Every episode of the popular soap opera begins with an omniscient narrator revealing the featured character's innermost thoughts.
Definition: (adjective) Inferior in quality or value. Synonyms: shoddy, tawdry. Usage: The boardwalk is rife with shabby shops selling cheapjack souvenirs. Discuss
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: introspective, self-examining. Usage: Bobby is an introverted child, so it is unlikely that he would feel comfortable entering the talent show.
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 she was playing.
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 a member of the clerisy. Discuss
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 subsequently come to be worked in for all sorts of purposes, as a fly-flapper, an organ of prehension, or as an aid in turning.