Olfaction
Wednesday, 30 November 2011 -
Meaning: (noun) The faculty that enables us to distinguish scents.
Synonyms: smell
Use in Sentence: My stuffed nose not only impeded my olfaction, it also dulled my sense of taste.
Meaning: (noun) The faculty that enables us to distinguish scents.
Synonyms: smell
Use in Sentence: My stuffed nose not only impeded my olfaction, it also dulled my sense of taste.
Give-and-take
Tuesday, 29 November 2011 -
Meaning: (noun) An exchange of views on some topic.
Synonyms: discussion, word
Use in Sentence: Paul and I were having a civil give-and-take on the issue of gun control, but Maria became uncomfortable and insisted that we change the subject.
Clincher
Monday, 28 November 2011 -
Meaning: (noun) An argument that is conclusive.
Synonyms: determiner
Use in Sentence: My final point was the clincher and won me the debate.
Two-dimensional
Sunday, 27 November 2011 -
Meaning: (adjective) Lacking the expected range or depth.
Synonyms: flat
Use in Sentence: The actress's two-dimensional performance was especially disappointing given the emotional complexity of the character she was playing.
Introverted
Saturday, 26 November 2011 -
Meaning: (adjective) Marked by interest in or preoccupation with oneself or one's own thoughts as opposed to others or the environment; shy or reserved.
Synonyms: introspective, self-examining
Use in Sentence: Bobby is an introverted child, so it is unlikely that he would feel comfortable entering the talent show.
Feisty
Thursday, 24 November 2011 -
Meaning: (adjective) Lively, resilient, and self-reliant.
Synonyms: spunky, plucky
Use in Sentence: The feisty girl ignored neighbors' suggestions that she call the fire department for help and instead scrambled up the tree to get the cat herself.
Itty-bitty
Tuesday, 22 November 2011 -
Meaning: (adjective) (Informal) Very small.
Synonyms: teensy-weensy
Use in Sentence: These itty-bitty computer processors are surprisingly powerful.
Bedevil
Monday, 21 November 2011 -
Definition: (verb) Be confusing or perplexing to; cause to be unable to think clearly.
Synonyms: befuddle, confound, discombobulate, fox, throw
Usage: Jerry frequently bedevils his conversation partners by rapidly and abruptly changing topics.
Omniscient
Sunday, 20 November 2011 -
Meaning: (adjective) Having infinite knowledge or understanding.
Synonyms: all-knowing
Use in Sentence: Every episode of the popular soap opera begins with an omniscient narrator revealing the featured character's innermost thoughts.
Unflinching
Saturday, 19 November 2011 -
Meaning: (adjective) Showing neither fear nor indecision; resolute.
Synonyms: unintimidated, unshrinking, unblinking
Use in Sentence: He held a silent combat with his inward agony, defying, meanwhile, my sympathy with an unflinching, ferocious stare.
Buttery
Friday, 18 November 2011 -
Meaning: (adjective) Unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating in manner or speech.
Synonyms: fulsome, oleaginous, smarmy, unctuous, soapy, oily
Use in Sentence: John's buttery praise was getting him nowhere with our new boss, who was clearly astute enough to discern an attempt to curry favor.
Accustom
Thursday, 17 November 2011 -
Meaning: (verb) Make psychologically or physically used (to something).
Synonyms: habituate
Use in Sentence: Endeavor, then, to accustom yourself to our manner of living in these northern climes as you did to those of Rome, Florence, Milan, and Madrid.
Burble
Monday, 14 November 2011 -
Meaning: (verb) Flow in an irregular current with a bubbling noise.
Synonyms: guggle, gurgle, ripple, babble
Use in Sentence: The brook burbled over the smooth stones, splitting and rejoining as it meandered toward the larger creek.
Disqualify
Sunday, 13 November 2011 -
Meaning: (verb) Make unfit or unsuitable.
Synonyms: indispose
Use in Sentence: Timmy's dream of joining the Air Force was shattered when he learned that his color blindness would disqualify him.
Telepathy
Saturday, 12 November 2011 -
Meaning: (noun) Apparent communication from one mind to another without using sensory perceptions.
Synonyms: thought transference
Use in Sentence: I sometimes wonder how he knows what I am thinking and whether it is attributable to telepathy.
Necropsy
Friday, 11 November 2011 -
Meaning: (noun) An examination and dissection of a dead body to determine cause of death or the changes produced by disease.
Synonyms: autopsy, postmortem
Use in Sentence: Scientists performed a necropsy on the seal to determine whether its death was related to the recent chemical spill.
Vituperation
Tuesday, 8 November 2011 -
Meaning: (noun) Abusive or venomous language used to express blame or censure or bitter, deep-seated ill will.
Synonyms: invective, vitriol
Use in Sentence: From one open shop came the sound of blows and vituperation, and just as the officer came up to it a man in a gray coat with a shaven head was flung out violently.
Pouter
Monday, 7 November 2011 -
Meaning: (noun) Someone with a habitually sullen or gloomy expression.
Synonyms: picklepuss, sourpuss
Use in Sentence: What will it take for you to stop being such a pouter and enjoy yourself?
Incriminate
Saturday, 5 November 2011 -
Meaning: (verb) Suggest that someone is guilty.
Synonyms: inculpate, imply
Use in sentence: Every paper which would incriminate him was destroyed before he left the house.
Snooze
Thursday, 3 November 2011 -
Meaning: (noun) A brief light sleep.
Synonyms: catnap, forty winks, nap
Use in Sentence: Rashmi had retired as usual after dinner for a little snooze in the drawing-room, but she was in an irritable mood and could not sleep.