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Word Of The Day Archives - May 2008
Thursday, May 1, 2008
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| nirvana (n) |
paradise |
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| Sentence: |
Setting foot on the top of Mount Everest, I felt I had reached nirvana. |
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| Similar Words: |
utopia |
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Friday, May 2, 2008
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| ancillary (adj) |
not primary |
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| Sentence: |
I understand your ancillary concerns, but what is your main issue? |
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| Similar Words: |
peripheral, marginal |
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Saturday, May 3, 2008
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| agile (adj) |
quick, nimble |
| agility |
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| Sentence: |
The prisoner's agile mind belied his criminal past. |
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| Similar Words: |
athletic, dexterous |
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Sunday, May 4, 2008
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| fraught (adj) |
laden |
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| Sentence: |
The raft trip through the rapids was fraught with danger. |
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| Similar Words: |
replete, abounding |
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Monday, May 5, 2008
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| frenetic (adj) |
frantic |
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| Sentence: |
The frenetic car chase through the streets of Boston was shown on live television. |
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| Similar Words: |
frenzied, fanatical |
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Tuesday, May 6, 2008
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| trepidation (n) |
fear, hesitation |
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| Sentence: |
I arrived at the mouth of the unexplored cave with more than a little trepidation. |
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| Similar Words: |
perturbation, agitation |
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Wednesday, May 7, 2008
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| crepuscular (adj) |
like twilight |
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| Sentence: |
In the crepuscular light, we all had a yellowish glow |
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| Similar Words: |
dim, indistinct |
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Thursday, May 8, 2008
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| jeopardy (n) |
risk |
| jeopardize |
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| Sentence: |
If you don't wear a seat belt when driving, you are putting your life in jeopardy. |
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| Similar Words: |
peril, danger |
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Friday, May 9, 2008
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| cantankerous (adj) |
irritable, cranky |
| cantankerousness |
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| Sentence: |
My cantankerous landlord had few friends among the tenants. |
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| Similar Words: |
ornery, crotchety |
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Saturday, May 10, 2008
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| awry (adj) |
gone wrong |
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| Sentence: |
The rescue plans went awry when the car battery died. |
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| Similar Words: |
amiss |
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Sunday, May 11, 2008
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| pellucid (adj) |
clear, transparent |
| pellicidity |
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| Sentence: |
My sister's prose was as pellucid as my prose was confused. |
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| Similar Words: |
limpid |
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Monday, May 12, 2008
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| debase (v) |
reduce in quality |
| debasement |
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| Sentence: |
The report unfairly debased the old scientist's research. |
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| Similar Words: |
adulterate, degrade, corrupt |
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Tuesday, May 13, 2008
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| abhor (v) |
detest |
| abhorrent |
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| Sentence: |
Although he was a decorated veteran, my father always abhorred war. |
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| Similar Words: |
hate, loathe, abominate |
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Wednesday, May 14, 2008
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| victuals (n) |
food |
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| Sentence: |
One of the most difficult parts of backpacking is planning for nutritious but light-weight victuals. |
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| Similar Words: |
comestibles |
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Thursday, May 15, 2008
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| impending (adj) |
at hand |
| impend |
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| Sentence: |
Since we are facing impending sanctions from the judge, we must act immediately. |
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| Similar Words: |
imminent |
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Friday, May 16, 2008
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| ostensible (adj) |
seeming |
| ostensibility |
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| Sentence: |
The ostensible restrictiveness of the new regulations proved to be nothing more than a fig leaf. |
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| Similar Words: |
apparent |
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Saturday, May 17, 2008
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| plagiarism (n) |
copying another's work |
| plagiarize; plagiarist |
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| Sentence: |
To avoid accusations of plagiarism, scholars must be careful to give credit to borrowed sources. |
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Sunday, May 18, 2008
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| stigma (n) |
mark of shame reproach |
| stigmatize |
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| Sentence: |
I suffered a stigma for many year's because of my father's criminal past. |
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| Similar Words: |
taint, stain |
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Monday, May 19, 2008
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| dilatory (adj) |
delaying |
| dilatoriness |
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| Sentence: |
Enough of the dilatory tactics! Make a decision. |
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| Similar Words: |
laggard |
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Tuesday, May 20, 2008
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| retribution (n) |
vengeance |
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| Sentence: |
Do you believe in divine retribution for sins committed by mankind? |
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| Similar Words: |
revenge, reprisal |
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Wednesday, May 21, 2008
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| grandiloquent (adj) |
using pompous speech |
| grandiloquence |
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| Sentence: |
Your grandiloquence and your feigned British accent are making you look arrogant to your friends. |
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| Similar Words: |
bombastic, overblown |
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Thursday, May 22, 2008
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| incumbent (n) |
holder of office |
| incumbency |
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| Sentence: |
The incumbent politician is going to be tough to defeat. |
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Friday, May 23, 2008
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| heterogeneous (adj) |
not uniform |
| heterogeneousness |
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| Sentence: |
Our heterogeneous golf team had players of every size, shape, and temperament. |
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| Similar Words: |
disparate, dissimilar |
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Saturday, May 24, 2008
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| eulogy (n) |
speech of praise at funeral |
| eulogize |
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| Sentence: |
The late mayor's former business partner delivered a stirring eulogy at the funeral. |
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Sunday, May 25, 2008
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| explicate (v) |
explain |
| explication |
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| Sentence: |
Can you explicate Einstein's theory of relativity? |
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| Similar Words: |
elucidate |
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Monday, May 26, 2008
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| ruse (n) |
deception |
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| Sentence: |
Was your request serious, or was it just a ruse? |
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| Similar Words: |
artifice, wile, stratagem, chicanery |
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Tuesday, May 27, 2008
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| blithe (adj) |
unconcerned, cheerful |
| blitheness |
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| Sentence: |
The na?ve father blithely ignored his son's serious troubles. |
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| Similar Words: |
carefree, sprightly |
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Wednesday, May 28, 2008
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| indifferent (adj) |
having no interest |
| indifference |
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| Sentence: |
Why are you indifferent to your brother's problem? |
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| Similar Words: |
apathetic |
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Thursday, May 29, 2008
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| relapse (v) |
slide back to a former state |
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| Sentence: |
After a brief recovery from cancer, my grandfather suffered a relapse. |
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| Similar Words: |
regress, backslide |
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Friday, May 30, 2008
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| bungle (v) |
botch |
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| Sentence: |
The task was tailor-made for the recent graduate, but still he bungled it. |
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| Similar Words: |
blunder, mishandle |
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Saturday, May 31, 2008
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| abscond (v) |
go into hiding |
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| Sentence: |
The robber absconded to the mountains to avoid the authorities. |
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| Similar Words: |
flee |
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| Return to Today's Word of the Day Page |
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