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Word Of The Day Archives - September 2007
Saturday, September 1, 2007
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| duress (n) |
compulsion |
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| Sentence: |
It was not my choice to rob the bank; I acted under duress. |
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| Similar Words: |
intimidation |
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Sunday, September 2, 2007
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| boisterous (adj) |
noisy, rowdy |
| boisterousness |
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| Sentence: |
A boisterous group of teens kept the whole street awake until after midnight. |
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| Similar Words: |
raucous |
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Monday, September 3, 2007
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| obviate (v) |
prevent |
| obviation |
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| Sentence: |
Your quick thinking obviated the need for expensive repairs. |
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| Similar Words: |
avert, preclude |
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Tuesday, September 4, 2007
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| degrade (v) |
reduce in quality |
| degradation |
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| Sentence: |
Over time, a lack of jobs degraded my home town and caused young people to settle elsewhere. |
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| Similar Words: |
debase, corrupt, demote |
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Wednesday, September 5, 2007
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| prevalent (adj) |
commonly existing |
| prevalence |
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| Sentence: |
June bugs actually were prevalent in my home town in July. |
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| Similar Words: |
rife, prevailing |
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Thursday, September 6, 2007
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| motley (adj) |
varied |
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| Sentence: |
I owned a motley collection of clothing -- mostly mismatched hand-me-downs. |
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| Similar Words: |
assorted, heterogeneous |
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Friday, September 7, 2007
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| disperse (v) |
scatter |
| dispersible, dispersibility |
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| Sentence: |
The police ordered the unruly crowd to disperse, but no one left the scene |
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| Similar Words: |
disseminate |
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Saturday, September 8, 2007
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| ostentatious (adj) |
showy |
| ostentation |
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| Sentence: |
The peacock puts on an ostentatious display of feathers. |
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| Similar Words: |
pretentious |
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Sunday, September 9, 2007
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| effluvium (n) |
residue, waste stream |
| effluvial |
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| Sentence: |
The effluvium from the plant threatened the ecosystem of the entire region. |
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| Similar Words: |
emanation |
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Monday, September 10, 2007
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| maverick (n) |
non-conformist |
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| Sentence: |
Don't be a maverick; just do what your colleagues are doing. |
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| Similar Words: |
iconoclast |
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Tuesday, September 11, 2007
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| despot (n) |
tyrant |
| despotism |
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| Sentence: |
After two decades of exercising absolute power, the benevolent king turned into a cruel despot. |
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| Similar Words: |
autocrat, dictator |
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Wednesday, September 12, 2007
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| taciturn (adj) |
sad, quiet |
| taciturnity |
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| Sentence: |
The taciturn face on the small child saddened us all. |
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| Similar Words: |
dour, stern |
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Thursday, September 13, 2007
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| contentious (adj) |
argumentative |
| contentiousness |
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| Sentence: |
Cooperative at first, the witness turned out to be contentious. |
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| Similar Words: |
belligerent, quarrelsome |
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Friday, September 14, 2007
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| pragmatic (adj) |
practical |
| pragmatism |
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| Sentence: |
Eschewing untested theories, Jill made a pragmatic choice. |
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| Similar Words: |
realistic, commonsensical |
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Saturday, September 15, 2007
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| nocturnal (adj) |
active at night |
| nocturnality |
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| Sentence: |
Bats are nocturnal creatures. |
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| Similar Words: |
nightly |
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Sunday, September 16, 2007
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| uncanny (adj) |
mysterious, eerie |
| uncanniness |
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| Sentence: |
My son's uncanny ability to add large numbers as a toddler fascinated the whole neighborhood. |
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| Similar Words: |
bizarre, weird |
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Monday, September 17, 2007
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| salient (adj) |
prominent |
| salience |
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| Sentence: |
My daughter's dimples were the most salient features of her face. |
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| Similar Words: |
conspicuous |
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Tuesday, September 18, 2007
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| reciprocity (n) |
mutual exchange of privileges |
| reciprocal, reciprocate |
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| Sentence: |
Under our clubs' reciprocity arrangement, I could play tennis at Joe's club, and he could play tennis at mine. |
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| Similar Words: |
corresponding, matching |
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Wednesday, September 19, 2007
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| palpable (adj) |
real |
| palpability |
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| Sentence: |
A palpable feeling of doom entered the classroom with the angry principal. |
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| Similar Words: |
material, corporeal |
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Thursday, September 20, 2007
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| panacea (n) |
cure-all |
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| Sentence: |
Don't hold your breath waiting for a panacea for war. |
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| Similar Words: |
elixir |
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Friday, September 21, 2007
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| heretic (n) |
nonbeliever |
| heretical |
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| Sentence: |
During the Spanish Inquisition, the Christian authorities burned many heretics at the stake. |
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| Similar Words: |
dissenter |
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Saturday, September 22, 2007
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| inchoate (adj) |
in early stage |
| inchoateness |
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| Sentence: |
As a young boy, George Washington demonstrated an inchoate leadership ability. |
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| Similar Words: |
incipient |
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Sunday, September 23, 2007
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| castigate (v) |
punish severely |
| castigation |
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| Sentence: |
If you castigate the young delinquent this time, will he finally learn his lesson? |
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| Similar Words: |
chastise |
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Monday, September 24, 2007
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| conducive (adj) |
favorable |
| conduciveness |
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| Sentence: |
The legal and demographic conditions in China were conducive to fast economic growth. |
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| Similar Words: |
propitious, auspicious |
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Tuesday, September 25, 2007
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| impudent (adj) |
rude |
| impudence |
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| Sentence: |
That impudent girl needs to learn some manners. |
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| Similar Words: |
insolent |
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Wednesday, September 26, 2007
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| maudlin (adj) |
overly sentimental |
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| Sentence: |
There's no need for such a maudlin display over losing a customer; this is just business, after all. |
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| Similar Words: |
lachrymose, sentimental |
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Thursday, September 27, 2007
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| garrulous (adj) |
talkative, friendly |
| garrulousness |
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| Sentence: |
Naturally garrulous, my son could get even the shyest friends to talk and laugh. |
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| Similar Words: |
loquacious |
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Friday, September 28, 2007
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| sumptuous (adj) |
lavish |
| sumptuousness |
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| Sentence: |
I prefer eating a sumptuous feast to almost any other activity I can think of. |
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| Similar Words: |
luxurious, opulent |
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Saturday, September 29, 2007
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| effect (v) |
cause, trigger |
| effective |
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| Sentence: |
The activist's fiery speeches effected lasting change in our committee. |
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| Similar Words: |
produce, render |
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Sunday, September 30, 2007
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| errant (adj) |
wandering |
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| Sentence: |
My errant younger brother hopped from job to job and city to city before settling down. |
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| Similar Words: |
straying |
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| Return to Today's Word of the Day Page |
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