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Word Of The Day Archives - September 2008
Monday, September 1, 2008
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| penchant (n) |
tendency |
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| Sentence: |
With his penchant for sweets, Joe kept the local candy shop in business. |
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| Similar Words: |
predilection |
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Tuesday, September 2, 2008
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| pastiche (n) |
a collection, in art |
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| Sentence: |
The composer's music was considered a pastiche of the German masters. |
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| Similar Words: |
medley, potpourri |
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Wednesday, September 3, 2008
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| buffoon (n) |
a fool, a clown |
| buffoonery |
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| Sentence: |
Be smart; don't act like a buffoon around potential employers. |
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| Similar Words: |
dolt, oaf |
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Thursday, September 4, 2008
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| sublime (adj) |
worthy of awe or reverence |
| sublimeness |
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| Sentence: |
I stared for hours at the sublime painting by El Greco. |
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| Similar Words: |
revered, venerated |
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Friday, September 5, 2008
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| feckless (adj) |
ineffective, irresponsible |
| fecklessness |
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| Sentence: |
My feckless attempts at plumbing brought nothing but laughter from my wife. |
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| Similar Words: |
inept |
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Saturday, September 6, 2008
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| overbearing (adj) |
domineering |
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| Sentence: |
Joe tried hard to be accommodating to his co-workers, but he could not help being overbearing most of the time. |
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| Similar Words: |
imperious, authoritarian, dictatorial |
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Sunday, September 7, 2008
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| embellish (v) |
decorate |
| embellishment |
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| Sentence: |
If necessary, you can embellish the story with a few white lies; no one will know the difference. |
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| Similar Words: |
adorn, aggrandize, exaggerate |
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Monday, September 8, 2008
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| supplicate (v) |
ask for humbly |
| supplicant |
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| Sentence: |
I supplicated the school principal not to be suspended. |
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| Similar Words: |
beseech, entreat |
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Tuesday, September 9, 2008
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| trite (adj) |
overused |
| triteness |
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| Sentence: |
Avoid trite expressions in your writing; try to be fresh. |
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| Similar Words: |
hackneyed |
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Wednesday, September 10, 2008
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| animosity (n) |
ill will |
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| Sentence: |
I tried to be a friend to my colleague who had been promoted, but at heart all I felt was animosity. |
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| Similar Words: |
animus, hostility, rancor, antagonism, enmity, resentment, acrimony |
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Thursday, September 11, 2008
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| venal (adj) |
able to be bribed |
| venality |
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| Sentence: |
The venal judge was convicted of corruption for taking a payoff. |
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| Similar Words: |
corruptible |
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Friday, September 12, 2008
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| aloof (adj) |
reserved, distant |
| aloofness |
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| Sentence: |
Aloof as always, my brother stood by himself at the wedding. |
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| Similar Words: |
detached, indifferent |
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Saturday, September 13, 2008
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| salve (adj) |
soothe |
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| Sentence: |
Can you salve the executive's bruised ego after his demotion? |
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| Similar Words: |
mollify |
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Sunday, September 14, 2008
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| incarcerate (v) |
imprison |
| incarceration |
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| Sentence: |
After being incarcerated for 10 years, the man was cleared of all crimes. |
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| Similar Words: |
jail |
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Monday, September 15, 2008
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| virulent (adj) |
deadly |
| virulence |
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| Sentence: |
A virulent strain of the flu virus proved to be fatal to young children. |
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| Similar Words: |
lethal |
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Tuesday, September 16, 2008
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| oblivion (n) |
state of being forgotten |
| oblivious |
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| Sentence: |
How quickly the President's misdeeds -- once front-page news -- have descended into oblivion! |
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| Similar Words: |
obsolescence |
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Wednesday, September 17, 2008
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| supple (adj) |
flexible |
| suppleness |
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| Sentence: |
The dancer's lifetime of ballet explains her strong, supple legs at age 70. |
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| Similar Words: |
pliant |
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Thursday, September 18, 2008
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| surreptitious (adj) |
stealthy |
| surreptitiousness |
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| Sentence: |
The rebel's surreptitious plan to disrupt the meeting was discovered and averted. |
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| Similar Words: |
secret |
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Friday, September 19, 2008
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| synopsis (n) |
summary |
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| Sentence: |
Can you give me a quick synopsis of your favorite Melville novel? |
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| Similar Words: |
outline, abstract |
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Saturday, September 20, 2008
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| condone (v) |
tolerate |
| condonation |
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| Sentence: |
Does your teacher condone cheating or does she takes steps to prevent it? |
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| Similar Words: |
excuse, forgive |
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Sunday, September 21, 2008
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| dubious (adj) |
doubtful |
| dubiousness |
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| Sentence: |
The inexperienced young lawyer filed a lawsuit based on a dubious claim to certain property. |
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| Similar Words: |
unreliable, suspicious |
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Monday, September 22, 2008
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| recidivism (n) |
return to criminal behavior |
| recidivist |
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| Sentence: |
In our state's justice system, recidivism is increasing as ex-convicts fail to find work and end up back in crime. |
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| Similar Words: |
relapse |
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Tuesday, September 23, 2008
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| unwitting (adj) |
inadvertent |
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| Sentence: |
My son's unwitting grimace when I asked him a question told me there was much more to the story. |
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| Similar Words: |
unaware, unintentional |
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Wednesday, September 24, 2008
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| inveterate (adj) |
persistent, deep-rooted |
| inveterateness |
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| Sentence: |
The inveterate Marxist insisted on airing her views at every committee hearing. |
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| Similar Words: |
chronic, ingrained |
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Thursday, September 25, 2008
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| euphonious (adj) |
pleasant-sounding |
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| Sentence: |
A deep, euphonious voice filled the chamber when the senate pro tempore spoke. |
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| Similar Words: |
mellifluous, resonant |
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Friday, September 26, 2008
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| exigency (n) |
urgency |
| exigent |
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| Sentence: |
Is your attendance at the planning meeting really an exigency, or are you just looking for an excuse to leave the office? |
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| Similar Words: |
priority, necessity |
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Saturday, September 27, 2008
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| abut (v) |
be next to |
| abutment |
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| Sentence: |
Ironically, the church of my childhood abutted the busiest liquor store in town. |
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| Similar Words: |
touch, border on |
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Sunday, September 28, 2008
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| transgress (v) |
commit a violation |
| transgressor |
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| Sentence: |
Children who transgress the bounds of proper frivolity should be reprimanded. |
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| Similar Words: |
sin |
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Monday, September 29, 2008
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| fatuous (adj) |
without sense |
| fatuousness |
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| Sentence: |
The critic's comments at meetings were usually fatuous; no one listed to him any longer. |
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| Similar Words: |
inane, foolish |
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Tuesday, September 30, 2008
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| wistful (adj) |
sentimental |
| wistfulness |
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| Sentence: |
Leaving my village to join the army, I turned around to take one more wistful look at my friends and my home. |
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| Similar Words: |
pensive, melancholy |
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| Return to Today's Word of the Day Page |
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