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Word Of The Day Archives - March 2007
Thursday, March 1, 2007
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| dissemble (v) |
conceal the truth |
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| Sentence: |
Do you think our boss was dissembling when he hinted at raises for the staff this year? |
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| Similar Words: |
disguise, feign |
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Friday, March 2, 2007
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| garb (n) |
clothing |
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| Sentence: |
The girls wore colorful garb to the heritage day festival. |
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| Similar Words: |
apparel, raiment |
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Saturday, March 3, 2007
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| discern (v) |
perceive |
| discernment |
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| Sentence: |
From the snippets of the conversation that I was able to hear, I was able to discern the nature of the argument. |
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| Similar Words: |
detect, distinguish |
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Sunday, March 4, 2007
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| fulsome (adj) |
abundant |
| fulsomeness |
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| Sentence: |
The prize was accompanied by fulsome praise for the hero. |
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| Similar Words: |
expansive, exuberant |
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Monday, March 5, 2007
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| subtle (adj) |
difficult to detect |
| subtlety |
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| Sentence: |
The Mona Lisa's subtle smile has eluded imitators for centuries. |
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| Similar Words: |
elusive |
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Tuesday, March 6, 2007
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| livid (adj) |
enraged |
| lividness |
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| Sentence: |
Livid, my boss yelled and screamed all the way down the hall. |
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| Similar Words: |
fuming, furious |
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Wednesday, March 7, 2007
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| boorish (adj) |
crude, ill-mannered |
| boorishness |
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| Sentence: |
The stranger was not only annoyingly loud but also boorish. |
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| Similar Words: |
churlish, impudent, insolent |
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Thursday, March 8, 2007
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| ungainly (adj) |
awkward |
| ungainliness |
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| Sentence: |
The young gymnast transformed herself from an ungainly novice into a state champion in only one season. |
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| Similar Words: |
clumsy, maladroit |
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Friday, March 9, 2007
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| propinquity (n) |
nearness |
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| Sentence: |
Have you ever lived in propinquity to a casino? |
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| Similar Words: |
proximity |
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Saturday, March 10, 2007
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| idyllic (adj) |
simple, carefree |
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| Sentence: |
Would you like to trade your fast life in the city for an idyllic life in the country? |
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| Similar Words: |
pastoral, bucolic |
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Sunday, March 11, 2007
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| meticulous (adj) |
careful |
| meticulousness |
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| Sentence: |
Always meticulous, my daughter would not quit polishing the car until every scratch and every smudge were gone. |
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| Similar Words: |
fastidious |
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Monday, March 12, 2007
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| factitious (adj) |
artificial |
| factitiousness |
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| Sentence: |
The bored teenager exhibited a factitious curiosity while the museum curator was guiding our group. |
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| Similar Words: |
fabricated, bogus |
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Tuesday, March 13, 2007
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| invective (n) |
verbal abuse |
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| Sentence: |
My opponent hurled every imaginable invective at me, but I still won the election. |
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| Similar Words: |
vituperation, vitriol |
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Wednesday, March 14, 2007
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| gambit (n) |
clever maneuver |
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| Sentence: |
With his ratings sinking in the polls, the senior senator was willing to try any gambit to restore his popularity. |
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| Similar Words: |
stratagem, tactic |
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Thursday, March 15, 2007
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| lucid (adj) |
clear |
| lucidity |
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| Sentence: |
Is it possible to give a concise, lucid explanation of the quantum theory of physics? |
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| Similar Words: |
comprehensible, limpid |
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Friday, March 16, 2007
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| hackneyed (adj) |
overused |
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| Sentence: |
Try not to use hackneyed expressions in your writing; be fresh and creative instead. |
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| Similar Words: |
trite |
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Saturday, March 17, 2007
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| petulant (adj) |
easily annoyed |
| petulance |
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| Sentence: |
We are always on pins and needles in the office lest we irritate our petulant boss. |
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| Similar Words: |
testy, irritable, peevish |
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Sunday, March 18, 2007
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| abbey (n) |
resident of nuns or monks |
| abbess, abbott |
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| Sentence: |
In the Sound of Music, Maria resided in an abbey but did not become a nun. |
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| Similar Words: |
convent |
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Monday, March 19, 2007
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| coherent (adj) |
logical |
| coherence |
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| Sentence: |
Although I tried my best, I was never able to give my teacher a coherent explanation of the theory of relativity. |
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| Similar Words: |
orderly, lucid |
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Tuesday, March 20, 2007
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| saturnine (adj) |
gloomy |
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| Sentence: |
The child's saturnine mood brightened when the rain stopped. |
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| Similar Words: |
melancholy, lugubrious, sullen, despondent |
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Wednesday, March 21, 2007
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| wile (n) |
trickery |
| wily |
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| Sentence: |
I cajoled my dour boss with wile and wit. |
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| Similar Words: |
artifice, ruse, stratagem, chicanery |
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Thursday, March 22, 2007
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| expurgate (v) |
remove objectionable material |
| expurgation |
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| Sentence: |
Was the novel still readable after the authorities expurgated it? |
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| Similar Words: |
purge, censor |
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Friday, March 23, 2007
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| philistine (adj) |
hostile to art and culture |
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| Sentence: |
Stop being philistine; there's nothing wrong with modern art! |
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| Similar Words: |
boorish, barbarous |
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Saturday, March 24, 2007
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| indigent (adj) |
poor |
| indigence |
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| Sentence: |
Society has a duty to help the indigent and downtrodden. |
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| Similar Words: |
destitute, |
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Sunday, March 25, 2007
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| tribulation (n) |
great distress |
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| Sentence: |
Oh, the trials and tribulations our rebellious son has put us through! |
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| Similar Words: |
burden |
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Monday, March 26, 2007
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| nefarious (adj) |
wicked |
| nefariousness |
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| Sentence: |
Benedict Arnold is prototypical example of a nefarious villain. |
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| Similar Words: |
evil |
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Tuesday, March 27, 2007
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| extricate (v) |
release from an entanglement |
| inextricable |
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| Sentence: |
How can you hope to extricate yourself from such a web of deceit? |
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| Similar Words: |
liberate |
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Wednesday, March 28, 2007
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| complaisant (adj) |
agreeable |
| complaisance |
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| Sentence: |
Mark was the most complaisant employee in the office, always eager to please the boss and his colleagues alike. |
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| Similar Words: |
obliging |
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Thursday, March 29, 2007
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| caricature (n) |
exaggerated portrait |
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| Sentence: |
Caricatures of the President showed him with giant-sized jowls. |
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| Similar Words: |
parody, satire |
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Friday, March 30, 2007
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| acumen (n) |
shrewdness |
| acuminous |
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| Sentence: |
My boss's acumen in civil engineering was unmatched in our company. |
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| Similar Words: |
insightfulness |
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Saturday, March 31, 2007
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| unwieldy (adj) |
difficult to handle |
| unwieldiness |
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| Sentence: |
The unwieldy package, though light, took two men to maneuver up the stairway. |
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| Similar Words: |
cumbersome |
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