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Word Of The Day Archives - August 2008
Friday, August 1, 2008
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| mundane (adj) |
ordinary |
| mundaneness, mundanity |
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| Sentence: |
To me, weeding the garden is the most mundane of household chores. |
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| Similar Words: |
temporal |
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Saturday, August 2, 2008
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| traduce (v) |
humiliate through defamation |
| traducement |
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| Sentence: |
I never forgave my boss for traducing my character in front of the whole firm. |
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| Similar Words: |
defame, slander, libel, malign, calumniate, vilify |
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Sunday, August 3, 2008
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| diffident (adj) |
shy |
| diffidence |
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| Sentence: |
The diffident child said few words, even to other children. |
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| Similar Words: |
timid |
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Monday, August 4, 2008
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| exude (v) |
emit |
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| Sentence: |
Mary always exuded confidence, even when she attempted to act timid. |
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| Similar Words: |
emanate |
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Tuesday, August 5, 2008
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| forestall (v) |
prevent |
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| Sentence: |
Were you able to forestall the advance of the lava by using bulldozers? |
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| Similar Words: |
thwart, deter |
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Wednesday, August 6, 2008
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| recalcitrant (adj) |
unruly, rebellious |
| recalcitrance |
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| Sentence: |
Unable to accept any authority, the recalcitrant teen is sure to end up in jail. |
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| Similar Words: |
contumacious |
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Thursday, August 7, 2008
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| deplete (v) |
use up |
| depletion |
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| Sentence: |
We depleted our supplies two days before the relief truck was to arrive. |
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| Similar Words: |
exhaust |
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Friday, August 8, 2008
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| deign (v) |
condescend |
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| Sentence: |
Would you deign to allow your employees in your house? |
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| Similar Words: |
stoop |
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Saturday, August 9, 2008
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| bumptious (adj) |
overly assertive |
| bumptiousness |
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| Sentence: |
The bumptious Congressman scratched and clawed his way into a leadership position. |
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| Similar Words: |
aggressive |
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Sunday, August 10, 2008
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| vicarious (adj) |
through another |
| vicariousness |
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| Sentence: |
Watching the kids on the roller coaster gave me a vicarious thrill. |
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| Similar Words: |
indirect, substituted |
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Monday, August 11, 2008
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| vapid (adj) |
without liveliness |
| vapidness |
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| Sentence: |
The vapid story in the book did not become any livelier when the book was made into a movie. |
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| Similar Words: |
insipid, empty, banal |
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Tuesday, August 12, 2008
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| satire (n) |
literary work of ridicule |
| satirical |
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| Sentence: |
The author's otherwise serious poetry always included satire. |
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| Similar Words: |
caricature, parody |
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Wednesday, August 13, 2008
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| malodorous (adj) |
foul-smelling |
| malodorousness |
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| Sentence: |
A malodorous breeze wafted off the polluted lake next to our town. |
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| Similar Words: |
noisome, rank |
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Thursday, August 14, 2008
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| falter (adj) |
make a misstep |
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| Sentence: |
Our game plan went well for three periods, but we faltered in the closing minutes. |
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| Similar Words: |
waver, hesitate |
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Friday, August 15, 2008
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| apocryphal (adj) |
of doubtful validity |
| apocryphalness |
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| Sentence: |
My teenager's apocryphal story was so elaborate I was tempted to believe it. |
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| Similar Words: |
dubious |
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Saturday, August 16, 2008
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| swindle (v) |
cheat |
| swindler |
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| Sentence: |
Lacking any shame at all, Joe swindled money out of his aged neighbor. |
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| Similar Words: |
defraud |
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Sunday, August 17, 2008
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| enmity (n) |
deep-seated hatred |
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| Sentence: |
The employee's pent-up enmity for his former colleague led to a tragic fight in which both men were severely injured. |
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| Similar Words: |
animosity, animus, hostility, rancor, antagonism, resentment, acrimony |
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Monday, August 18, 2008
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| loiter (v) |
linger |
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| Sentence: |
I do not allow teenagers to loiter in my store; I ask them to make their purchases and leave. |
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| Similar Words: |
dawdle, stroll |
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Tuesday, August 19, 2008
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| arcane (adj) |
not widely understood |
| arcana |
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| Sentence: |
It is a rare student who shares my interest in arcane economic theories of production. |
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| Similar Words: |
esoteric |
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Wednesday, August 20, 2008
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| imbroglio (n) |
confusing situation; dilemma |
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| Sentence: |
How do I extricate us from the imbroglio you've created? |
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| Similar Words: |
dispute, entanglement |
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Thursday, August 21, 2008
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| drone (n) |
monotonous sound |
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| Sentence: |
A low drone from the crowd could be heard in the blimp far above. |
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| Similar Words: |
alt. meaning: tireless worker |
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Friday, August 22, 2008
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| glutinous (adj) |
like glue |
| glutinousness |
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| Sentence: |
The gravy had an unfortunate glutinous taste that disappointed all the diners. |
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| Similar Words: |
sticky, viscous |
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Saturday, August 23, 2008
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| founder (v) |
become wrecked |
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| Sentence: |
The beautiful new yacht foundered on the reef and disappeared under the waves. |
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| Similar Words: |
sink, collapse |
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Sunday, August 24, 2008
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| insipid (adj) |
banal, dull |
| insipidness |
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| Sentence: |
Her insipid article put me to sleep. |
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| Similar Words: |
bland, vacuous |
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Monday, August 25, 2008
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| acrimony (n) |
bitter animosity |
| acrimonious |
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| Sentence: |
An unfortunate acrimony existed between the two former business allies. |
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| Similar Words: |
animus, animosity, rancor, antagonism, enmity, resentment, hostility |
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Tuesday, August 26, 2008
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| befitting (adj) |
suitable |
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| Sentence: |
Only champagne is befitting of the occasion of my daughter's wedding. |
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| Similar Words: |
appropriate |
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Wednesday, August 27, 2008
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| renown (n) |
fame |
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| Sentence: |
Our town was fortunate to have a visit by a renowned violinist from Russia. |
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| Similar Words: |
celebrity, acclaimed |
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Thursday, August 28, 2008
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| depict (v) |
portray |
| depiction |
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| Sentence: |
The child's testimony accurately depicted the horror of the crime scene. |
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| Similar Words: |
illustrate, describe |
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Friday, August 29, 2008
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| recriminate (v) |
accuse (in return) |
| recrimination, recriminatory |
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| Sentence: |
The parties to the lawsuit recriminated one another almost daily. |
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| Similar Words: |
countercharge |
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Saturday, August 30, 2008
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| galvanize (v) |
arouse to action |
| galvanization |
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| Sentence: |
FDR's speeches had a way of galvanizing a crowd. |
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| Similar Words: |
energize, inspire |
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Sunday, August 31, 2008
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| libidinous (adj) |
lustful |
| libido |
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| Sentence: |
The young girl's libidinous boss was fired for sexual harassment. |
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| Similar Words: |
prurient, lecherous |
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