Here’s a list of neglected but eminently useful words that visitors to this site -- and we, to be downright honest -- would like to bring back into fashion. You're right -- some never have been in fashion, but perhaps they deserve to be. Many submissions have been edited for content, grammar and especially for accuracy. Not all these words will make our list of top choices, but there's a great deal of quality here, most are wonderful additions to anyone's vocabulary, and all could use some exercise.
Abattoir -
Slaughterhouse.The village was kept going by a large abattoir that employed most of its residents. ... OR ...General, sending those men up that hill without tank support would be like consigning them to an abattoir.Word submitted by: Scott Parkin, Kent, CT, United States- "I actually just wanted to say that, like this word, some of the words don't actually have definitions. I can tell from the example sentence that this is a noun, but I have no idea if it's a body part, an instrument, or a child, or what. I just know it makes a sound."
- Dan, Utica, MI, US
Abominable - Loathsome, odious or detestable.Jennifer's neglect of her pets was abominable and inexcusable.
Word submitted by: JIM SIMPKIN, GREENBUSH, MICHIGAN, ALCONA
Absquatulate - To flee; abscond.At Thanksgiving, uncle Phil's dog leapt onto the table and absquatulated with the turkey.
Word submitted by: JT Thomas, Fairfax, VA, USA
Alacrity - Cheerful willingness.I accepted her invitation to the prom with alacrity tempered by a teensy bit of foreboding.
Word submitted by: Jeff Holloway
Allision - The act of a moving object striking a fixed object; this is in contrast to a collision, which is the meeting of two moving objects.The truck allided with the bridge, then ricocheted off to collide with the car in the other lane.
Word submitted by: Guy
Amanuensis - One who manually copies documents or takes dictation; clerk, secretary or stenographer.The inimitable Samuel Johnson found his ideal amanuensis in essayist, lawyer and intellectual James Boswell.
Word submitted by: Joseph R. Asik, Bloomfield Hills, MI, USA
Antediluvian - Very old, old-fashioned, or out of date; antiquated; primitive. Literally "before the flood," referring by implication to the Biblical tale of Noah.Though antediluvian by today's standards, the buggy whip was once at the forefront of transportation technology.
Word submitted by: Dan Levin, Royal Oak, MI, United States
Antepenultimate - Third from the end. The one before the next-to-the-last.December 29 is the antepenultimate day of the year.
Word submitted by: Ed Baldwin
Antithetical - Opposite.Despite a cultural obsession with acquisition, objective poverty and happiness are not antithetical.
Word submitted by: PC
Aplomb - Self-confidence, poise, self-assurance; coolness, especially under pressure or in strange situations.Carson seemed surprised at first, but he pulled off the interview with his usual aplomb.
Word submitted by: Mark Fiegen, Roseville, MN, USA
Apoplectic - Extreme rage or fury, to the point of virtual paralysis; relating to a stroke (apoplexy).Emma became apoplectic with rage when she saw her tipsy husband flirting with a hussy in the bar.
Word submitted by: Kate Henry, Okemos, MI
Approbation - Approval, sanction or commendation.Most of us desire the approbation of others, though it may be hard to admit.
Word submitted by: Michael K Lawson, Taylor, Michigan, United States of America
Assuage - To mollify or ease.Paying the fine did little to assuage his guilty conscience.
Word submitted by: Carla Bisaro, Superior Township, Michigan, USA
Avuncular - Of or relating to an uncle, or resembling an uncle in attitude; kindly, genial, benevolent.Despite Paolo's avuncular demeanor, Alessandra began to suspect that his motives were less than honorable.
Word submitted by: Dan Carroll, Chicago, IL, USA
Bacchanalian - Relating to drunkenness and mad revelry. From Bacchus, the Greek god of wine.Upset with the tourists' bacchanalian behavior, the bartender called the police.
Word submitted by: Jackie Thomas, Olney, MD, USA
Bailiwick - Area of interest or skill.I took an urban planning class at Wayne State and now include that information in my bailiwick as a public decision maker.
Word submitted by: Brandon Talbot, Syracuse
Balderdash - Nonsense.I know balderdash; after all, I've heard ... um, who was that governor of Alaska?
Word submitted by: Kristen Malecki
Bamboozle - To cheat or steal.Stop trying to bamboozle me out of my money!
Word submitted by: Cliff, Atlanta, GA, USA
Bellicose - Warlike, aggressive, hostile. President Obama did his part for rescuing this word from obscurity by using it in a recent press conference. For pete's sake, spare us the bellicose rhetoric. Just fire your Kalashnikovs into the air for awhile and be done with it.
Word submitted by: Woof
Bifurcate - Divide into two branches.The river bifurcates at the peninsula. (v.)
Word submitted by: Noah Abrahamson, Stanford, CA, USA
Bloviate - To speak at length in a pompous or boastful manner. I was totally put off by the winning coaches' tendency to bloviate ad nauseam.
Word submitted by: Lannis Smith
Brobdingnagian - Of huge size; gigantic; tremendous. After the residents of Brobdingnag from Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels." You can tell he has money: His brobdingnagian home includes a three-story foyer, 11 bedrooms and a theater.
Word submitted by: Gail Guenther, Millville, NJ, USA
Brouhaha - Uproar; hubbub.The coach caused quite a brouhaha when he suspended one of his star players before the bowl game.
Word submitted by: Zvi Karon, Kfar Saba, Israel
Bucolic - Rustic; pastoral; peacefully rural.The bucolic setting of my vacation in Vermont brought back memories of my childhood home.
Word submitted by: Janice Meisel, Nottingham, MD, USA
Bugbear (buhg' bair) - An imaginary goblin or specter used to excite fear; an object or source of dread; a continuing source of irritation.The bugbear of "weapons of mass destruction" was a mainstay in the Bush administration's media control arsenal.
Word submitted by: Tracy Balazy, Dearborn, Michigan, United States
Bumbershoot - Umbrella; parasol.Remember to take your bumbershoot on rainy days.
Word submitted by: Elyse Chapman, Kalona, IA, USA
Buncombe (bungk' um) - Obvious nonsense spoken as truth. A favorite word of author and journalist H.L. Mencken (1880-1956)Harvey's still spreading that same old buncombe about his being descended from royalty.
Word submitted by: John Prather, Nashville, Illinois, USA
Cadge - To obtain by wit or cajolery; to mooch.By dropping by his old roommate's home around dinner time, Stu hoped to cadge a meal.
Word submitted by: Tom Stave, Eugene, Oregon, USA
Cahoots (kə-hōōts') - Questionable collaboration; secret partnerships.I think my senator is in cahoots with fundamentalists.
Word submitted by: Nick DeNardis, Sterling Heights, MI, USA
Caitiff - Villain.Her caitiff of a boyfriend caused her a lot of emotional grief.
Word submitted by: Letecia, Jones, OK, USA
Callipygian - Endowed with shapely buttocks. The statue of Aphrodite had a callipygian quality.
Word submitted by: D. Brunner, Camrose, Alberta, Canada
Calumny - The making of false and defamatory statements in order to damage someone's reputation; a false and slanderous statement.Knowing that his words would damage his nemesis' reputation, Carl engaged in a long-winded embellishment of wrongs that bordered on calumny.
Word submitted by: Robert Brown
Cantankerous - Cranky; disagreeable to deal with; stubborn; contentious; surly.
Working on his antique tractor always made Jethro's pa as cantankerous as a water moccasin.
Word submitted by: Michael K Lawson, Sr, Taylor, Michigan, United States of America
Charlatan (shahr-luh-tn) - Quack. Imposter.This guy claims his anti-aging cream really works, but I think he's just a charlatan.
Chelonian - Like a turtle (and who doesn't like turtles?)The bill moved through the legislature at a chelonian pace.
Word submitted by: Thad Coyne, Indianapolis, IN, U.S.A.
Chicanery - Deception; trickery.Promoting flooded lowlands unsuitable for building as "prime waterfront real estate" was the type of chicanery for which Mr. Wilson was famous.
Word submitted by: Mark Kordick, Fairfield, CT, USA
Churlish - Rude. Boorish. Ill-mannered.It was very churlish of you to throw your coffee mug at me.
Word submitted by: Alison Smiley, Canada
Circumspect - Cautious, prudent, wary; taking all circumstances into account.Given the presence of Union artillery, Gen. Jackson's Confederates had to be particularly circumspect as they entered Winchester that afternoon.
Word submitted by: Lannis Smith
Cleave - To split or penetrate; to cling or be faithful.He cleaved the rock in two with the sledgehammer. ... OR ... Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. (Genesis 2:24)
Word submitted by: David, Atlanta, Georgia, US
Cloying - Unpleasantly excessive; excessively sweet.That pecan praline was so cloying on so many levels that I swear I'll never have another as long as I live.
Word submitted by: Fred Mims, Greenville, SC
Cogent - Convincing, plausible, reasonable, persuasive.He presented a cogent argument that acid rain has killed off thousands of acres of U.S. forest.
Word submitted by: Fred Mims, Greenville, SC, USA
Cognoscente - A person who has superior knowledge or understanding in a particular field.His knowledge of the fine arts made him a cognoscente respected in trade journals.
Word submitted by: Steve Tillman
Comport - To behave in a particular way.The neighbor's children comported themselves with unexpected good manners.
Word submitted by: Reinaldo Guerra, Canton, GA, USA
Concatenation - A series of things depending on each other, as if linked together. A chain."Try and penetrate ... the secrets of nature and you will find that, behind all the discernible concatenations, there remains something subtle, intangible and inexplicable." (Albert Einstein, 1879-1955)
Word submitted by: Chris Milione, Philadelphia, PA
Concupiscence - Sexual desire or longing. Lust.
Too many political figures, drunk on power and the heady liquor of self-esteem, let concupiscence get the best of them.
Word submitted by: Ruth A Cod, Grosse Pointe Woods, MI, United States
Conniption - A fit of extreme anger or excitement.My father had a conniption when he found out I totaled his car.
Word submitted by: Marie Villanueva
Consanguinity - A blood relationship; family; having common ancestors; affinity.Though the boy seemed to live at the home, he apparently had no consanguinity with its occupants.
Word submitted by: Elizabeth Bears, Niceville, FL
Consternation - Stunning or confounding amazement and/or dismay. Much to my consternation I realized my vocabulary needed to be enlivened.
Word submitted by: Jeffrey L Salisbury, Wayland, Michigan, USA
Conundrum - A difficult problem to be solved, especially one whose answer involves a pun or play on words. A difficult decision.Students in his ethics class were routinely asked to puzzle over moral conundrums.
Word submitted by: Michele Dale-Cannaert, Hartland, Michigan, USA
Copacetic - Acceptable. Satisfactory.Everything was copacetic until I told the truth.
Word submitted by: Gene Nunlee, Detroit, MI, USA
Crapulent - Sick from eating or drinking too much.After the excesses of Paczki Day, George woke up feeling both foolish and crapulent.
Word submitted by: Roy Bauer, Trabuco Canyon, CA, United States
Crepuscular - Pertaining to or active in twilight; dim; moving about at dawn or dusk.Many animals that are casually described as nocturnal are in fact crepuscular. (Wikipedia)
Word submitted by: Patricia
Crux - The pivotal point in an argument. From the Latin "crux," or cross.My contribution was simply the crux of the matter and left no room for further discussion.
Word submitted by: Steven C Morrison
Dastardly - Cowardly; meanly base; sneaking."I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7th, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese empire." (President Franklin D. Roosevelt)
Word submitted by: Michael K Lawson, Taylor, Michigan, United States of America
Defenestrate (dē-fěn'ĭ-strāt') - To throw out of a window.Bob threatened to defenestrate his laptop if it didn't stop eating his data.
Degenerate - Of low physical, mental or moral qualities.I think any man who cheats on his wife is a degenerate.
Word submitted by: emily lemon
Denigrate - Criticize; defame; disparage. cause to seem less serious; play downMy professor dislikes me so much that he pounces on chances to denigrate my writing. ... OR ... Katy's joking reaction seemed to denigrate the seriousness of the situation.
Word submitted by: Jack, Boone, NC, USA
Desuetude - (Des' wi tyood). Obsolescence; a state of disuse.Knowing the regrettable desuetude of manners today, I wasn't surprised that no one thanked me for their gifts.
Word submitted by: Allison
Didactic - Instructive; intending to teach (adj.)The manner in which he presented his speech was less persuasive than didactic.
Word submitted by: Joshua , Detroit, MI , US
Disabuse - To free someone from a misconception.I'm afraid I must disabuse you of the notion that chitterlings are tasty.
Word submitted by: Thomas K Mahoney, Brighton, MI, usa
Disambiguation (dis-am-big-yoo-eyt) - The removal of ambiguity; clarification.Before I could answer his question, his confusing use of the word "bass" required some disambiguation.
Word submitted by: Peter G Briggs, Duluth, GA, United States
Discombobulate - Confuse or upset.He was discombobulated by his wife's moodiness.
Word submitted by: Cynthia Letchman, Birmingham, Alabama
Disingenuous - Lacking in candor; insincere.I found her reasons for leaving to be somewhat disingenuous.
Word submitted by: Nigel, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Distaff - Associated with women.Prominent examples of distaff counterparts of male superheroes include Supergirl, Batwoman and She-Hulk.
Word submitted by: Andrew
Draconian - Hard, severe, cruel. From Draco, a politician of ancient Athens whose codified laws were notorious for their severity.In 2002, the Michigan legislature repealed the state's draconian mandatory minimum sentences for low-level drug offenses.
Word submitted by: Tim Nardi, Potomac, MD, USA
Dragoon - To force into compliance, often by violent measures.After a long day at work, I was dragooned into going shopping instead of relaxing.
Word submitted by: Drew, Fairfax, VA, US
Dulcet - Pleasing to the ear or sweet to the taste.Instead of yelling at us to be quiet, my father urged us to "use dulcet tones!"
Word submitted by: Martha T, Belleville, MI
Ebullient - Overflowing with enthusiasm or excitement.
Jane,always smiling and happy, could be said to have an ebullient personality.
Word submitted by: Geoff Keller, Dayton, ME, USA
Effluvium - A slight or invisible exhalation or vapor, esp. one that is disagreeable or foul-smelling.The landfill's effluvium seemed to waft inexorably toward the town.
Word submitted by: Whitney Levin, Mt Pleasant, MI
Effrontery - Shameless audacity; rank impudence.When he advised his listeners to ignore segregationist ordinances, Martin Luther King was vilified by some for having the effrontery to suggest which laws should be obeyed.
Word submitted by: A
Egregious - Outstanding, usually in the negative sense. Outrageously bad.I made an egregious mistake in calling Madeline her mother when she is in fact her older sister.
Word submitted by: Stanislaus J. Dundon, Davis, California, United States
Eleemosynary - Charitable.Ebenezer Scrooge was transformed from a "tight-fisted hand to the grindstone" into an eleemosynary gentleman that kept Christmas in his heart all year round.
Word submitted by: Robert Weaver, Atlanta, Ga, USA
Enervate - To weaken (reduce in strength) or debilitate.After gardening in the hot sun for three hours, I was so enervated I had to take a nap.
Word submitted by: Julia Carroll
Ennui - Boredom. Lack of interest.It was a difficult year for Sigmund, and his paralyzing ennui had returned with a vengeance.
Word submitted by: Tomás
Ensorcelled - Enchanted.Her beauty left me agape, in a sort of trance where all other objects and events around me had been blurred, as if her presence alone ensorcelled me to be intensely aware only of her.
Word submitted by: Kurt Martel, Rochester, NY
Erratum - Latin word meaning an error. The plural is "errata."You need to recheck this report as it contains one erratum after another.
Word submitted by: Jim Seufferlein, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Ersatz - Imitation. Fake.These are ersatz diamonds, cleverly crafted from valueless minerals.
Word submitted by: Jeff Dalton, Red Bank, New Jersey, US
Eschew - Avoid; shun.An unfortunate allergy means that I have to eschew the pleasure of eating raw oysters.
Word submitted by: Del Olds, Sugar Hill, GA, USA
Esoteric - Understood, known by or intended for only a very few; requiring knowledge possessed by only a small group.Many readers ignore the esoteric images in Flannery O'Connor's fiction and just enjoy the stories for themselves.
Word submitted by: Fred Mims, Greenville, SC, USA
Evaginate - To turn inside out.When walking my dogs, I use an evaginated plastic bag instead of a pooper-scooper.
Word submitted by: L. H. Kevil, Columbia, Missouri
Execrable (eks' sek rab bl) - (eks' sek rab bl) Atrocious, wretched, deplorable, extremely inferior.We were appalled to discover that even though he had a master's degree, his spelling was execrable.
Word submitted by: Woof
Exsanguinate - To drain someone of blood.The vampire tried to exsanguinate me, but it was April 15 and Uncle Sam had done me in already.
Word submitted by: Janet Vandenabeele, Detroit, MI, USA
Farrago (fuh-rah-goh) - An assortment or medley, a jumble or a hodgepodge.The art exhibit was a farrago of different styles and periods.
Feckless - Ineffective, incompetent, indifferent.He made many feckless attempts to repair the rickety front porch.
Word submitted by: Jeffrey Dalton, Red Bank, New Jersey, US
Festoon - To adorn or decorate, principally in a loop between two points.After lunch we decided to festoon the tree with garlands of electric loons, moons, spoons, puccoons, cocoons, bassoons, baboons and vinegaroons.
Word submitted by: Robert Todd, Carlsbad, CA, United States
Fetching - Attractive.I was captivated by her beauty; she really was quite fetching.
Word submitted by: Jonathan Day-Reiner, Toronto, ON, Canada
Flibbertigibbet - A scatterbrained or ditzy person.When the latest scandal came to light, the local flibbertigibbets couldn't begin chattering about it fast enough.
Word submitted by: Jon, Taylorsville, UT, USA
Flummox - Bewilder; baffle; confuse. From an old Scottish or English dialect; Charles Dickens is the first writer known to have used this word in print.To her surprise and dismay, Beth was completely flummoxed by the instructions for taking her birth control pills.
Word submitted by: David Good, Dearborn, MI
Folderol - 1. Nonsense. 2. A pretty but useless trinket.I listened to both arguments, but the whole discussion was just a lot of folderol to me.
Word submitted by: Jim Seufferlein, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Fortnight - Two weeks.When I resign, I have to submit a fortnight's notice.
Word submitted by: Derek L. , Emporia, VA
Fractious (frak-shuhs) - Cranky. Unruly. Peevish.He is an incorrigibly fractious individual, but he has a certain undeniable charm.
Word submitted by: Diane K, California, MO, USA
Fubsy - Fat.The fubsy older gentlemen could barely wiggle his way sideways down the aisle of the bus.
Word submitted by: Lia, Boston, MA
Fulsome - Excessively, even offensively, flattering or ingratiating. Insincere. Beware attempts to give this word a positive spin.As an art critic, his observations of emerging artists are more fulsome than encouraging.
Word submitted by: Mackie J.V. Blanton, Ph.D., New Orleans, LA, USA
Gallimaufry - Odds and ends; a hodgepodge or motley assortment.By Christmas afternoon a great gallimaufry of toys and gadgets was strewn about the parlor.
Word submitted by: Sally Z., Arlington, VA
Gallivant - To frolic or roam about in a joyful manner, with no definite plan or objective.We spent a lovely afternoon gallivanting around the amusement park. ... OR ... I don't want you kids gallivanting all over the countryside this afternoon, so stay home!
Word submitted by: Abby Horowitz, Washington, DC
Galoshes - Waterproof shoes or boots. "Galoshes" may be said to be onomatopoeic, mimicking the sound they make when splashing through puddles.In rainy weather like this I always wear my galoshes; they may be garish, but they keep my feet dry.
Word submitted by: Ellen Wright, Redford, MI, USA
Gobbledygook - Incomprehensible jargon bordering on gibberish.Rather than using long speeches filled with gobbledygook, some lawyers would be better understood if they spoke in layman's terms.
Word submitted by: Indera Robinson
Gumption - Initiative, usually implying a lack of outside prompting. Enterprise. Spunk.Although he sometimes lacked common sense, you had to admire his gumption in attempting to climb Mount Everest.
Word submitted by: Marilyn Levinson, Bowling Green, OH, US
Higgledy-piggledy (hig-uhl-dee-pig-uhl-dee) - In a disordered manner; helter-skelter.When the school bell rang, a throng of shrieking children ran higgledy-piggledy down the hill to the Piggly-Wiggly for snacks and sodas.
Hornswoggle - To deceive.
Bernie Madoff's brilliant Ponzi scheme secured his spot in the hornswogglers' hall of fame.
Word submitted by: Kim White-Jenkins, Westland, MI, USA
Hurly-burly - Noisy tumult and confusion.When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain? When the hurly-burly's done. When the battle's lost and won... (Macbeth, Act I, Scene I)
Word submitted by: Tim Pulice, Ypsilanti, Michigan, USA
Hyperbole - Intentional exaggeration.My sister described her roommate with elegant hyperbole; needless to say, I was less than impressed with my blind date.
Word submitted by: Katie, Jacksonville, FL
Ignominious - Shameful or disgraceful.The Rams were stunned that they went down to such an ignominious defeat.
Word submitted by: Catherine Nardi
Imbroglio - A complicated disagreement; a confused or chaotic situation. From the Italian "imbrogliare," meaning to tangle.Sudanese diplomats seem to think that if they look the other way long enough, their destructive domestic imbroglio will simply disappear.
Word submitted by: Fred Mims, greenville, SC
Impalpable - Barely felt or discernible; intangible but nonetheless perceptible.The thick fog in the dark woods brought with it an impalpable dread.
Word submitted by: Bill Roberts, Lewiston, MI, USA
Impecunious - Poor; penniless.I would love to donate to charity, but I regret to say that at the moment I am impecunious.
Word submitted by: Thomas Soyars, Kennesaw, Georgia, USA
Imperturbable - Marked by extreme calm; sereneTom managed to remain imperturbable even though the conversation was about politics!
Word submitted by: margie suchyta, royal oak, mi, usa
Incorrigible - Unchangeable; beyond correction; impervious to reform.We tried for years to stop Roger from bothering women in bars, but he was an incorrigible jerk.
Word submitted by: Graham Tyre, Niterói, RJ, Brasil
Indecorous - (1) Lacking propriety in manners and conduct; (2) Not in accord with accepted standards of appropriate behavior polite societyNoticing the looks he was getting, Edmund feared that he'd done something seriously indecorous without realizing it.
Word submitted by: Stephen Korst, Joliet, Illinois, USA
Indefatigable (in-di-FAT-i-guh-bul) - Tireless; endlessly persistent.The English privateer Francis Drake was indefatigable in his pursuit of Spanish gold.
Word submitted by: Woof
Indubitable - Beyond doubt. Undeniable.It is an indubitable truth that Wayne State is one of the nation's finest universities.
Word submitted by: Jim McFarlin, Ferndale, MI, United States
Ineffable - Indescribable; inexpressible.His description of the event was an ineffable muddle.
Word submitted by: Peter, Jacksonville, FL, USA
Ineluctable - Unavoidable; inevitable; inescapable.Hitler's plans for domination rested on his conviction of the ineluctable superiority of the German people.
Word submitted by: kenneth crotty, perth, australia
Inimical - Having harmful effects; hostile.Smoking is almost universally regarded as inimical to good health.
Word submitted by: k-kid, silver spring, maryland
Inimitable - Matchless. One of a kind.This is an inimitable meal, a princely assembly of delicious tastes and intriguing textures.
Word submitted by: Jim Seufferlein, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Innocuous - Harmless.The seemingly innocuous software code fix caused the entire East Coast electrical grid to fail.
Word submitted by: Matthew Kowalczyk, Eastpointe, Michigan, USA
Insidious - Producing serious harm in a stealthy, often gradual, manner. Treacherous. (Wiktionary)It was a disease so insidious that most people were in the final stages before they even knew they had it.
Word submitted by: JIM SIMPKIN, GREENBUSH, MICHIGAN
Insipid - Dull; lacking qualities that excite, interest or stimulate.We were expecting an acerbic and lively wit, so his insipid monologue was a great disappointment.
Word submitted by: Karen Tonso
Insouciance (ĭn-sōō'sē-əns) - The quality of being carefree; a lack of concern.We spent our two weeks at the beach in blissful insouciance, sleeping late and basking in the sun.
Word submitted by: Kenneth Ross, Glastonbury, Connecticut, US
Intelligentsia - The intellectual elite.Contrary to ages past, the intelligentsia no longer rule the United States.
Word submitted by: Joseph R. Asik, Bloomfield Hills, MI, USA
Interlocutor - Someone who takes part in a conversation or dialogue. In music, the emcee of a minstrel show.Explanations that continually remind one's interlocutor of one's ignorance are a great damper upon the easy flow of talk. (Wiktionary)
Word submitted by: Jim Seufferlein, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Interregnum - Literally the interval between the end of a sovereign's reign and the accession of a successor. Also has come to mean any interruption in leadership or, more rarely, any break in continuity.England experienced an interregnum in 1649-1660, when no king ruled and Oliver Cromwell was Lord Protector. ... OR ... The school had to close during the interregnum caused by the headmaster's unexpected dismissal.
Word submitted by: Jack, Boone, NC, USA
Intransigent - Unwilling to compromise; incapable of being swayed or diverted; not susceptible to persuasion.Despite his personal tragedy, Nick remained intransigent on proposals for handgun control.
Word submitted by: Emily Noyb
Invidious - Tending to cause envy, discontent or animosity.In the 20th century, the art of selling goods to consumers through invidious comparisons was honed to a keen edge.
Word submitted by: Andrew, Portland, ME, USA
Irascible - Irritable; easily provoked; quick-tempered."I have never met a poet worth a damn that was not irascible." (Ezra Pound, American expatriate poet, 1885-1972)
Word submitted by: Michael, Michigan
Jejune - Childish; unsophisticated; naive; dull or uninteresting; lacking nutritive value.Having been away for years, I was surprised by my relatives' jejune behavior around the Thanksgiving table.
Word submitted by: Amanda Tackett, Lake Orion, MI, USA
Jeremiad - A long and mournful story, often prophesying doom or at least decrying the sad state of society. From the Biblical "Lamentations," attributed to the prophet Jeremiah.If you listened seriously to Bruce's jeremiads, you might have thought the end of the world was coming, indeed.
Word submitted by: Fred Mims, Greenville, SC
Jiggery-pokery - Hanky-panky. Skullduggery (see below).We wouldn't be in this mess if the banks hadn't engaged in so much jiggery-pokery with those credit default swaps.
Word submitted by: Jon, Toronto, ON, Canada
Kerfuffle - Tumult. Brouhaha.I don't know about you, but all this "March Madness" hoohah is just a big kerfuffle to me.
Word submitted by: Andy Hefty
Lachrymose - Tearful; deeply gloomy; mournful.After the death of his poodle, Roger was lachrymose for weeks.
Word submitted by: peter a kerns, chatham, new jersey, United States
Lacuna - A gap or absent part, as in a manuscript or logical argument; a hiatus. From the Latin "lacuna," for ditch, hole or gap. The preferred plural is "lacunae."The lacuna in my adversary's meticulously sequential argument was so glaring that I was reluctant to point it out.
Word submitted by: Christy McDonald, Brielle, NJ, USA
Lagniappe (lan’ yap) - Something thrown in for free. A bonus.If the waiter in the restaurant stumbles and spills a gill of coffee down the back of your neck, he says 'For lagniappe, sah,' and gets you another cup without extra charge. (Mark Twain in "Life on the Mississippi")
Word submitted by: Tom Southworth, Winchester, Virginia, USA
Lambast/Lambaste - To beat or reprimand severely.The Rams lambasted the 49ers today in a 74 to 0 rout.
Word submitted by: JT Thomas, Fairfax, VA, USA
Legerdemain - Trickery, often in the guise of magic.In listening to politicians or prestidigitators, one should consider that their convoluted word choices are often just legerdemain to manipulate their audiences.
Word submitted by: Rachel Sewell, Birmingham, MI, Oakland
Lilliputian - Very small. From Lilliput, a country of teeny-weeny people in Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels."He looked absolutely lilliputian when standing next to the basketball players.
Word submitted by: Elizabeth Connelly
Loquacious (Lo - KWAY - shuss) - Adj. Talkative, especially when excessively so.
The more loquacious Thenardier was, the more dumb was Jean Valjean. (Victor Hugo, in "Les Miserables")
Word submitted by: Michael K Lawson, Sr, Taylor, Michigan, United States of America
Lugubrious - Extremely mournful or gloomy.His lugubrious moods were caused by the death of his grandfather. ... OR ... "Presently a dog set up a long, lugubrious howl just outside..." (Mark Twain, "Tom Sawyer," 1876)
Word submitted by: Catherine Nardi, maryland, USA
Malapropism - The substitution of an incorrect word for one with a similar sound, frequently to comic effect. From the misspeaking character of Mrs. Malaprop in Sheridan's play "The Rivals" (1775).(Example) Patience is a virgin.
Word submitted by: Gayle Mazurkiewicz, Sterling Heights, MI, United States
Malfeasance - Wrongdoing, misconduct or misbehavior, especially by a public official.The governor's story was a tawdry one of money-grubbing, cronyism and general malfeasance.
Word submitted by: Don Berg, Atlanta, GA, USA
Martinet - A strict disciplinarian; someone who insists on absolute adherence to rules. From the 17th-century French army officer Jean Martinet.As a supervisor, Geoffrey was such a martinet that staff meetings were mostly his ranting at our perceived shortcomings.
Word submitted by: A
Mastication - The act of chewing.Young ladies who practice thorough mastication at the dinner table are likely to experience superior digestion.
Word submitted by: Eric
Mayhap - Perhaps; possibly. Usually dismissed as archaic, but what the heck.Mayhap the crocuses will show their purple heads before Valentine's Day this year.
Word submitted by: Charles Paul, Farmington, MI, usa
Measured - Careful and calculated.After considering the import of the question, the witness gave a measured response.
Word submitted by: Dur Hutchinson, Monroe, Michigan, USA
Mellifluous - Smooth and flowing with sweetness.The flute trio in "L'Enfance du Christ" is so mellifluous that it almost makes me weep every time I hear it.
Word submitted by: Dana Willard, Jacksonville, FL
Mendacious (men-dey-shuhs) - Untruthful; dishonest.His mendacious claim that he had a beautiful sister led to one of my most memorable surprises.
Mendacity - Untruthfulness. Lying.Mendacity is a system that we live in. Liquor is one way out and death's the other. (Tennessee Williams, American playwright, 1911-1983)
Word submitted by: Matt
Mercurial (mer-kyoor-ee-uhl) - Fickle; erratic.She said she needed a break from trying to anticipate my mercurial moods. I haven't seen her in five years.
Mirth - Merriment; amusement accompanied by laughter.Let us have wine and women, mirth and laughter / Sermons and soda water the day after. (Lord Byron, English poet and satirist, 1788-1824)
Word submitted by: Michael Wright
Moot - Open to debate (adj.).
Having no legal significance (n.).The judge has found you guilty, so your claim of self-defense is moot now.
Word submitted by: virginia, new boston, mi, usa
Moue (moo) - A pouting grimace; a wry face.Her silent moue warned me off the touchy subject of Roger's arrest.
Word submitted by: Patrick Downey, Novi, MI, United States
Munificent - Very generous; extremely liberal in giving.A wall in our new arts center honors the munificent family for whom the building is named.
Word submitted by: Ben, Albany, NY, USA
Myriad - (adj.)A large, indefinite number; made up of many diverse elements. ... "A myriad of" is gaining acceptance only because those who don't know any better brazenly continue to use it. It was a clear October night, with no moon and a myriad stars blazing overhead.
Word submitted by: David
Myrmidon - A subordinate who follows orders without question. From the Myrmidons, who followed Achilles to Troy.No matter how many times I tried to convince him that his boss was a criminal, he was such a myrmidon that my arguments fell on deaf ears.
Word submitted by: Troy Ernst, Atlanta, GA
Nadir - Lowest point.Bill Clinton's nadir was his impeachment by the House of Representatives.
Word submitted by: Michael Warren, Beverly Hills, MI, USA
Ne'er-do-well - A good-for-nothing, ineffectual person.
Your ne'er-do-well brother just got fired from his job cleaning toilets at the community center.
Word submitted by: Gillian, Las Vegas, NV, USA
Niggardly - Extraordinarily stingy.Eschewing his niggardly ways, Scrooge bought the choicest Christmas goose for the Cratchits.
Word submitted by: John Shupe, Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States
Noisome - Offensive, unwholesome; disgusting; disagreeable, foul-smelling.The governor was a character so noisome that even his allies avoided him when they could.
Word submitted by: Tom Stave, Eugene, Oregon, USA
Nonplus - To bewilder or confound (v.) ... A state of confusion (n.)If you can't awe them with acumen, then nonplus them with nonsense.
Word submitted by: David M. Jones
Numinous - Awe-inspiring; profoundly moving; evocative of transcendence. (Despite what Webster's Dictionary says, it never presumes the supernatural.)As the full moon rose in numinous splendor over Mount Kilimanjaro, Ernie was stricken speechless with wonder and joy.
Word submitted by: BC
Obfuscate - To make something obscure or otherwise hard to understand.Despite his use of abstruse language, he was not consciously trying to obfuscate his subject matter.
Word submitted by: Mark Spevacek, Atlanta, GA, USA
Oblique - Indirect, slanting. Devious.Janet choose an oblique route so as to get home from school unnoticed.
Word submitted by: scrown, Washington, DC, USA
Obloquy - Abusive language, defamation or denunciation. Also the ill repute, deserved or not, that results from such abuse.Any artist daring to transgress the ordinary must be willing to weather the obloquy of critics.
Word submitted by: andrew squyres, mooresville, nc, us
Obsequious (uhb-see-kwee-uhs) - Overly deferential or attentive; fawningly submissive.If my co-workers were a little less obsequious around our boss, I might get more promotions.
Obstreperous - Unruly, noisy, clamorous.The obstreperous children at the adjacent table gave me a headache.
Word submitted by: Greg, Cedar Rapids, IA, USA
Obtuse - Dull. Slow on the uptake. If you weren't so obtuse, you would understand the problem.
Word submitted by: Mark D. Farr, Yatesville, GA, USA
Odium - A state of disgrace resulting from hateful conduct. Also contempt. Long after the Civil War, the South suffered the odium of having fought to keep a system that condoned slavery.
Word submitted by: Dave Peebles, Fortuna, Ca, U.S.A.
Orotund - (1) Pompous or bombastic. (2) Characterized by fullness, clarity and strength of sound.The emperor Hadrian had a lifelong fondness for the most orotund and pretentious of historians.
Word submitted by: Allison
Osculation - Kissing.Why not? A little osculation would be fun!
Word submitted by: Gregory Zemenick, Birmingham, MI, USA
Overweening - Arrogant; excessive.The team's overweening confidence prevented them from acknowledging their weaknesses.
Word submitted by: Shaun Pezeshki, West Bloomfield, MI, USA
Palaver - Discussion; also idle talk; also unnecessarily time-consuming chatter. From the Portuguese "palavra," or "talk," or the Spanish "palabra," or "word."We could have a palaver and decide which one is better.
Word submitted by: William, Seattle
Palimpsest - An old vellum or parchment document from which the original words have been scraped away to permit new writing. "Many historical texts have been recovered using ultraviolet light and other technologies to read the erased writing." (Wiktionary)Through careful examination of palimpsests, scholars have discovered ancient texts once believed lost. ... OR ... Clasp, Angel of the backward look / And folded wings of ashen gray /
And voice of echoes far away, / The brazen covers of thy book; /The weird palimpsest old and vast,
Wherein thou hid'st the spectral past... (John Greenleaf Whittier, "Snowbound," 1865)
Word submitted by: Tom Stave, Eugene, Oregon, USA
Panache - Distinctive, often flamboyant, style or action. Verve.His writing style could never have the panache of mine; I mean, who does that Charles Dickens think he is?
Word submitted by: Kyla Vasseau, Maquette, Michigan, USA
Panegyric - Formal, elaborate public praise; an encomium.The senator's response was no panegyric, but it was nevertheless a serviceable endorsement of the candidate.
Word submitted by: Tom Stave, Eugene, Oregon, USA
Panjandrum - An important person -- or one who just thinks he is.The mayor lived up to his image as a panjandrum by dismissing the resolution with no argument.
Word submitted by: Dan Harrett, Grand Blanc, Michigan, USA
Paramount - Extreme importance.
It is paramount that President Obama address this country's economic calamity.
Word submitted by: Anthony Pape
Paraphernalia - Personal belongings; articles or equipment used in a particular activity or by a specific profession; according to common law, a married woman's personal property excluding her dowry.Harold realized he had finally passed the point at which all his worldly paraphernalia would fit in his car.
Word submitted by: michael edelman, huntington woods, mi, usa
Pariah - Outcast.Gollum, that cunning little pariah, hid away in the Misty Mountains.
Word submitted by: Trent Emery, Olney, MD, United States
Parsimonious - Excessively frugal; stingy; miserly.His writing was so parsimonious with words that reading it took as much effort, and stimulated as much creative thought, as a game of tic-tac-toe.
Word submitted by: BC
Peachy - Really good.Some days I'm peachy; other days I'm in the pits.
Word submitted by: Mark Lang, Columbia, SC
Peccadillo - A trivial or petty misdeed.The peccadillos she committed at family gatherings were used to justify her exclusion from the invitation list.
Word submitted by: Sherri McConnell, Okemos, Mich, USA
Peckish - A bit hungry. Not famished, not starving, just in the early stages of hunger.It's been a long time since breakfast and I'm beginning to get peckish.
Word submitted by: ron johnson, forest, Va, USA
Penultimate - Next to last.Everyone has heard of the "last supper," but the penultimate brunch was far more entertaining.
Word submitted by: Paul DeGeest, Roseville, Minnesota, USA
Peripatetic - Nomadic, traveling from place to place (adj.). 2. Pedestrian, itinerant, one who walks about (n.).The more he drank the more peripatetic he became, but his sense of direction routinely disengaged.
Word submitted by: Lawrence Haggerty, Warren, MI, USA
Pernicious - Highly injurious or destructive.Experts regularly debate whether pornography has a pernicious effect on society.
Word submitted by: Christopher Wade, Canton, Georgia, United States
Persiflage - Banter; frivolous talk.Emma hoped to get Lady Astor into a serious conversation, but as long as the King was around she could elicit only persiflage and harmless gossip.
Word submitted by: David Good
Persnickety - Very particular about details; fastidious.Martha is persnickety with her gardens.
Word submitted by: Amy C., Las Vegas
Perspicacity - Discernment. Sharp and insightful intelligence.Her perspicacity enabled her to discern the true intentions of her suitors.
Word submitted by: Christopher Meinhardt, Hubert, North Carolina, USA
Perturbate - To upset, agitate or unsettle.I hate to perturbate your plan, but you Pickwickians can't haul a codfish of that size all the way to Dingley Dell unless you use three horses.
Word submitted by: Rich Grimshaw, Cumming, GA, USA
Petulant - Irritable; easily annoyed; grouchy.Nick was so petulant and bitter after his disastrous blind date that we stayed well out of his way.
Word submitted by: B
Phantasmagoria - A dreamlike state featuring both real and imagined elements.To John in his drunken stupor, the party was a wild phantasmagoria of sights and sounds.
Word submitted by: Mark T. Conard, New York City
Picayune - Something trivial.Joan's irritation with her employees was picayune compared to the company's more pressing concerns.
Word submitted by: Bob Toohey, Troy, MI, United States
Pinguid - Fat. Oily. Unctuous.If you don't get your head out of that cheesecake, you're going to be as pinguid as a porker.
Word submitted by: Donald Willcox, Springfield, VA, USA
Pipsqueak - Someone who is small and insignificant.Despite his good grades, or perhaps because of them, Andrew was regarded as no more than a pipsqueak by his pals.
Word submitted by: Mark Jones, Charleston, SC, USA
Pithy - Brief but meaningful. The Gettysburg Address was described as "pithy."Her pithy comment lacked the subtlety and misdirection expected in diplomacy.
Word submitted by: Louis Pape, St. Charles, MO, USA
Pokey - A colloquialism for jail. Jake was hauled off to the pokey when he became a bit too feisty in the bar.
Word submitted by: JoAnn Dionne, Canton, MI
Poltroon - An abject coward.That poltroon would run from a butterfly.
Word submitted by: Paul Nadler, Castle Rock, Colorado, USA
Pontificate - Speak in a dogmatic or pompous manner.I don't pay attention to anyone who wants to pontificate at me; my mind's already made up.
Word submitted by: Chris L., Atlanta, GA, USA
Popinjay - A person given to vain, pretentious displays and empty chatter; coxcomb; fop.Sadly, it behooves us to pay princely commissions to any perfumed popinjay who can open the door to this mystical kingdom.
Word submitted by: Steve Bradley, Ft Mitchell, KY
Poppycock - Nonsense. Reportedly from an old Dutch word, 'pappekak,' meaning soft manure.That's a load of poppycock, sir! I'd never paint polka dots on your poodle!
Word submitted by: Charles Gaba, Berkley, MI, USA
Portentous - Ominous. Foreboding. Of great significance.Given current trends, 2009 seems an unusually portentous year.
Word submitted by: Kyla Houbolt, Weed, CA, USA
Preposterous - Consummately absurd or foolish.Considering his condition, his excuse for returning so late may have seemed reasonable, but to us it was clearly preposterous.
Word submitted by: CF, USA, USA, USA
Probity - Integrity. Honesty.The political arena could profit from an adherence to probity by everyone in it.
Word submitted by: Cate Coyle
Proclivity - A natural inclination to something; predisposition; propensity.Bob had an obvious proclivity for studying turtles, so none of us could understand why he went into accounting.
Word submitted by: Stevan Gerber, West Jordan, Utah, U.S.A.
Procrustean - Designed to produce conformity to arbitrary standards by ruthless or capriciously violent means. From Procrustes, a mythical giant who stretched or shortened his captives to make them fit their beds.My employer's procrustean benefits plan allows paid maternity leaves of only six weeks regardless of the mother's or child's health.
Word submitted by: Michael Wright
Profligate - Recklessly wasteful; wildly extravagant (adj.).
The Congress' profligate habits have contributed to our current financial predicament.
Word submitted by: Mark Burch, Ft. Walton Beach, Florida
Prolix - Tending to write or speak tediously and at great length.Robert never drank anyone under the table, but in his cups he was so prolix that we'd all have hidden there anyway just to escape.
Word submitted by: BFC
Promulgate - To make known or public; to put into effect by publishing, as a regulation.The Office of Government Ethics will promulgate new rules to govern the interaction of lobbyists with political appointees.
Word submitted by: Tom Stave, Eugene, Oregon, USA
Propinquity - Nearness; proximity.Your propinquity to the the girl on the park bench suggests more than a passing acquaintance.
Word submitted by: G. Junior Virgo, St. Andrew, Jamaica
Punctilious - Attention to minute detail; meticulous.Bomb squad members must be punctilious in their work.
Word submitted by: Joseph R. Asik, Bloomfield Hills, MI, USA
Pusillanimous - Timid; cowardly.He was a pusillanimous man, quick to flee at the slightest hint of danger.
Word submitted by: Gayla, Kansas City, KS, USA
Putative - Commonly believed to be true, but without proof; supposed, reputed.For generations Priscilla's family accepted Miles Standish as their putative ancestor.
Word submitted by: Karen Tonso
Quaff - To drink deeply or with vigor. “Ne'er was mingled such a draught / In palace, hall or arbor / As freemen brewed and tyrants quaffed / That night in Boston Harbor.”
(Oliver Wendell Holmes, American physician, poet and author, 1809-1894)
Word submitted by: Michael K Lawson, Sr, Taylor, Michigan, United States of America
Quash - To defeat, suppress or put down. Most commonly, but not always, used in a legal context.I still haven't managed to quash the rumors about how I got this black eye.
Word submitted by: Matthew Flaschen, Atlanta, Geogia, United States of America
Querulous - Petulant; complaining; peevish; whiny.Most parents at the meeting had a hunted look, as though they had just escaped homes filled with querulous brats.
Word submitted by: Fred Mims, Greenville, SC
Quietus - Something that stifles or ends; a period of inactivity.Jack Morris' fastball quickly put a quietus to the Yankees' hopes for a late-inning rally.
Word submitted by: joe hoffman, grosse pointe , MI
Quisling - Traitor. Betrayer. From Vidkun Quisling, a Norwegian who collaborated with the occupying Nazis during World War II and was later executed.Barbara thought she had won Tim's affections, but he was secretly playing the quisling with Alice on weekends.
Word submitted by: Robert
Quixotic (kwik-sot-ik) - Excessively romantic; visionary but unrealistic. Like Cervantes' Don Quixote.Many cherished ideals of the 1960s now seem more quixotic than even remotely practical.
Quotidian - Commonplace; occurring daily. Practically nobody uses this word nowadays except Gore Vidal.After the excitement of the inauguration, it was a relief to return to the quotidian affairs of ordinary life.
Word submitted by: Tom Stave, Eugene, Oregon, USA
Raconteur - One who tells stories and anecdotes with skill and wit.Garrison Keillor is an accomplished raconteur, so everyone attending his show had high expectations.
Word submitted by: Michael K Lawson, Taylor, Michigan, United States of America
Ratiocination, ratiocinative - Rational and exact thought, or the process of precise reasoning.Logic puzzles require all my powers of ratiocination.
Word submitted by: Addey Ray
Recalcitrant - Resisting authority; disobedient; hard to handle.Having to ride a recalcitrant, bad-tempered donkey almost ruined my otherwise lovely stay on the island of Santorini.
Word submitted by: Julia Carroll
Recidivist - One who relapses; a repeat offender.The parade of salesmen through my neighborhood was perpetual, like a habitual recidivist in rehab.
Word submitted by: Rommel Rebucal, Sterling Heights, MI, USA
Recreant - Cowardly; disloyal.Unfortunately, her brother James is a recreant liar and backstabber.
Word submitted by: wyman, snellville, ga, usa
Recrudescence - A new outbreak, especially of something undesired. Rebirth. A great recrudescence of obscurity embraced the boat. The sea in the gulf was as black as the clouds above. (Joseph Conrad, "Nostromo")
Word submitted by: Cliff Bob, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Redact - 1. To edit in such a way as to make suitable for publication. 2. To censor sensitive information from a document to protect an individual or institution.The agent's name was redacted in published documents to protect his identity.
Word submitted by: Doneald Rusnock, Flat Rock, MI, US
Replete - Well-supplied or abounding (with).Because of their difficult relationship, the eulogy she gave her mother was replete with backhanded compliments.
Word submitted by: nmkenn, foxboro, ma, USA
Resplendent (ri-splen-duhnt) - Splendid, brilliant or glorious.Every hillside was resplendent with the dazzling autumn colors of maples and oaks.
Reticent - 1. Disposed to be silent or not speak freely; reserved. 2. Reluctant or restrained.He proved reticent when asked about his past, not because he had anything to hide, but because he was not given to introspection.
Word submitted by: Kendal, Gainesville, Florida
Ribald - Coarsely or disrespectfully humorous; vulgar. Stand-up comedy has become increasingly ribald since the '60s.
Word submitted by: Pat Batcheller, Michigan
Rigmarole - An intricate and often petty set of procedures.Before I could renew my driver's license I had to endure the usual rigmarole of paperwork.
Word submitted by: Kevin Clasen, Tempe, Arizona, USA
Sagacity (suh-gas-i-tee) - Keen discernment or insight; sound judgment.He proposed that people were easier to educate if they had a natural sagacity to start with.
Salient - Prominent; most important (adj.) Projection (n.), as a military position protruding into enemy lines.Among the jumble of comments about the value of diversity, one proved solidly salient.
Word submitted by: Rosemary Bienz
Sanguine (sang' gwen) - 1. Optimistic, cheerful, confident. 2. Of the color of blood. ... In medieval physiology, a reddish complexion was thought to imply a hopeful temperament.Andy was sanguine about the Rams' chances against the hapless 49ers.
Word submitted by: Fred Mims, Greenville, SC, USA
Sardonic - Scornfully mocking or cynical; disdainfully humorous.Sardonic laughter was his only reaction to the suggestion that he liked to knit frilly sweaters.
Word submitted by: Dan Carroll, Chicago, IL, USA
Sartorial - Of or relating to tailoring, clothes or style of dress.He was dressed to the nines and beaming with sartorial elegance.
Word submitted by: Elizabeth Welch, Royal Oak, MI
Saturnine - Gloomy, cold and unfeeling, morose, sardonic.When Alec took off his clown suit he seemed instantly to become his old sullen and saturnine self.
Word submitted by: Lannis Smith, Albion, Michigan
Saucy - Impertinent; impudent.She was a saucy wench, and I readily imagined the piquant delights of living with her quick wits for the rest of my years.
Word submitted by: A. Miller
Schadenfreude - A German word meaning delight in the misfortune of others.The humbling of some Wall Street "masters of the universe" induced a certain amount of Schadenfreude on Main Street.
Word submitted by: Doug Blodgett, Birmingham, Michigan
Scintilla - A very, very small amount.There was not a scintilla of evidence to support the allegation of perjury.
Word submitted by: Bob Toohey, Troy, MI, United States
Scrofulous - Morally degenerate; corrupt.The governor is a typically scrofulous Illinois politician.
Word submitted by: Evan McKenzie, Chicago, IL, USA
Scuttle (verb) - A versatile verb meaning to sink a ship or boat deliberately; to sink figuratively, as to scuttle a project; or to scurry.In 1939, the Germans scuttled the pocket battleship "Graf Spee" to keep the British from capturing her. ... OR ... When we turned on the light, mice scuttled under the furniture.
Word submitted by: Allison
Sedulous - Diligent; persevering; steady; focused.She is very sedulous and assiduous when approaching any task given to her.
Word submitted by: kathy kello, warren, mi., usa
Sinecure - A position or commission that requires little or no work or real responsibility but still receives payment. Edmund deserved to be fired, but his uncle was CEO and gave him a sinecure in the mailroom instead.
Word submitted by: Archie Velarde, Ojo Sarco, NM, USA
Skedaddle - To run away; flee.The children had to skedaddle from the old man's lawn when he yelled at them.
Word submitted by: Trent Emery, Olney, MD, United States
Skullduggery (skuhl-duhg-uh-ree) - Underhanded or unscrupulous behavior. Trickery.The most successful political strategists often are those adept at skullduggery.
Smarmy - Overly, even unbearably, ingratiating. Unctuous.I couldn't talk any longer to the smarmy jerk trying to sell me a car.
Word submitted by: Bill Van Dien, Oshtemo, MI
Sockdologer (Sock DOLL o jer) - A conclusive remark; a knockout punch. As far as we can tell, the last words Abraham Lincoln heard before he was shot were from the play he was watching, "Our American Cousin": 'Well, I guess I know enough to turn you inside out, old gal, you sockdologizing old man-trap!' It was a great laugh line, and Booth was waiting for it.
That last debate was a real sockdologer for Obama.
Word submitted by: Toby Davis, Royal Oak, Michigan, United States
Sophistry - A plausible but fallacious or misleading argument.
"Abuse of words has been the great instrument of sophistry and chicanery, of party, faction and division of society." (John Adams, second U.S. president)
Word submitted by: Kathleen Cunningham, Berkley, MI, United States
Specious - Having the ring of truth or plausibility but actually fallacious or at best not serious.His argument was convincing, but most of us knew -- as he did -- that it was specious.
Word submitted by: Dave Neff, Poulsbo, WA
Spurious - False. Specious.Her claim to be a genie was spurious and she knew it.
Word submitted by: Joshua Sille, Detroit, MI , USA
Stymied - Hindered, thwarted, foiled.My dreams of publishing success were stymied when our pet goat ate the only copy of my memoirs.
Word submitted by: Carl Brashears Jr., Bel Air, MD, USA
Supercilious (soo per sil' ee uhs) - Contemptuous, overbearing, arrogant or condescending. I knew I was about to go in the tank socially when I noticed the supercilious way she was looking at my red shoes.
Word submitted by: Woof
Superfluous - More than enough. Unecessary. Extraneous. Redundant.I edited her narrative down to 240 words just by removing the superfluous twaddle.
Word submitted by: Raymond A Johnson, Nanchang, Jiangxi, Peoples Republic of China
Surfeit - Excessive amount; overabundance.Edmund lived on an attractive street, but a surfeit of yappy dogs in nearby yards almost drove him crazy.
Word submitted by: Woof
Susurrus - A murmuring or whispering sound. A classic example of onomatopoeia, from the Latin for "whispering."As I sat by the window in the darkness with my gin and tonic, I could hear the comforting susurrus of the sea far away.
Word submitted by: B
Sycophant - Someone who seeks personal advantage by excessively trying to please someone else. Toady; brown-noser; suck-up."Princes were always at the mercy of others and ready to lend their ears to sycophants." (Mohandas K. Gandhi, 1869-1948, Indian political and spiritual leader)
Word submitted by: Lannis Smith
Tacit - Not spoken; implied.The couple's tacit agreements included ignoring the occasional discrete affair.
Word submitted by: James McLain, Detroit
Taciturn - Habitually silent or reserved; reticent, uncommunicative.
The prime minister was quite taciturn in today's meeting, obscuring the emotional turmoil we knew he was feeling.
Word submitted by: Karl Vatzlavik, Adelaide, SA, Australia
Temerity - Reckless boldness; audacity.Hermione talked back to Professor Snape with what the Slytherins called cheekiness, but the Gryffindors took pride in her temerity.
Word submitted by: Kelsey, Galesburg, IL, USA
Termagant - A quarrelsome, overbearing woman; a shrew.She was the perfect termagant, slamming her fried chicken on the table and squabbling with her husband all through dinner.
Word submitted by: Allison, Detroit, MI
Thrall - Slavery; servitude.Better to live free than be in thrall to an overbearing master -- or any sort of master, for that matter!
Word submitted by: Sonny Lacey, Dallas, Texas, USA
Tomfoolery - A silly act, matter, or thing; foolish or silly behavior. "Stop this tomfoolery!" Mrs. Baldwin yelled, but her students continued to fill the air with paper airplanes.
Word submitted by: Katharine Wright, Bellaire, TX, USA
Traipse - Walk, tramp, travel.After 4 p.m. I usually traipse about from office to office until it's time to go home.
Word submitted by: Jeff Dalton, Red Bank, New Jersey, US
Truculent - Savage; pugnacious; ferocious; brutally harsh; defiant.Alex's astonishingly truculent response to my mild reproof made me think he might be nursing some secret grudge.
Word submitted by: Fred Mims, Greenville, SC
Turgidity - Excessively ornate or (more likely) pompous and overblown language.Readers of many Internet blogs are subjected to considerable turgidity.
Word submitted by: Tim
Twee - Excessively cute; nice to the point of being saccharine.The Teletubbies are somewhat more twee than I can bear.
Word submitted by: Lannis Smith
Tyro - A beginner in learning; a novice.To Beth's everlasting amusement, John had been a perfect tyro at seduction.
Word submitted by: Michael Davis, Portland, Or, United States
Unctuous - Oily or greasy; unpleasantly polite and insincerely earnest.The mediator was so unctuous that both sides found him impossible to work with.
Word submitted by: Liza Lagman Sperl, Harper Woods, MI, USA
Unexpurgated - Unedited; without deletions.I prefer the unexpurgated edition of the movie; it's longer but more exciting.
Word submitted by: Ray Vincent, Rodenbach, Germany
Unicoid - Pear-shaped.The fruitful lady's figure had a definite unicoid appearance.
Word submitted by: Gaberax, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Untoward - Troublesome, unruly, unfavorable, unseemly.We were expecting the worst at the Klan parade, but nothing untoward happened.
Word submitted by: Ruth Mascari, Monkton, MD, USA
Usuriously - To an exorbitant degree. Adverb form of usurious, or "excessively immoderate."Some people think gasoline prices in the Atlanta area have stayed usuriously high.
Word submitted by: Scott Johnson, Atlanta, GA, USA
Uxorious - Excessively devoted or submissive to one's wife.Bill was so uxorious that he never got to play poker with us on the weekends.
Word submitted by: Dara Koozekanani
Vacuous - Lacking in intelligence or ideas. Devoid of meaning."Television was not invented to make human beings vacuous, but is an emanation of their vacuity." (Malcolm Muggeridge, journalist, 1903-1990)
Word submitted by: Gregory Gruse, Brookeville, MD, USA
Verisimilitude - The appearance or quality of being true or real.Though winsome and fascinating, the legend of King Arthur lacks historical verisimilitude.
Word submitted by: Ian Hamill, Des Moines, Iowa, United States
Vestigial - A visible sign or trace remaining after something more important has disappeared. 2. In biology, surviving in a degenerate, atrophied or imperfect form.She occasionally glimpsed vestigial remnants of the grand Detroit that used to be. ... OR ... Some primitive snakes still bear signs of vestigial limbs.
Word submitted by: Karen Tonso
Vicissitudes (Vi siss' i toodz) - Changes, especially in life circumstances or fortunes; changes as a natural process. Usually seen as plural.It takes a strong love indeed to weather the inherent vicissitudes of life.
Word submitted by: Michael
Visceral - Instinctive, as opposed to rational, like a "gut feeling." From the Latin "viscera," for internal organs.She felt an almost visceral obligation to help the homeless.
Word submitted by: Michael Occhipinti, Commerce Twp., MI, USA
Vociferous - Clamorous; loud; making or given to noisy outcries.Unfortunately, the victory celebration turned into a field day for vociferous, boisterous slobs.
Word submitted by: Michael K Lawson, Taylor, Michigan, United States of America
Wherewithal - The ability and the financial means required to accomplish a task. (Wiktionary)I don't have the wherewithal to buy a diamond ring; since I was laid off, I don't even have the wherewithal to buy a bathtub ring.
Word submitted by: ray
Willowy - Tall, slender and graceful.Willowy and young to boot, Gisele caught everyone's attention as she entered the room.
Word submitted by: Dur Hutchinson, Monroe, Michigan, USA
Winnow - To separate the useful from the useless. As in winnowing grain from chaff.Cornelius tossed the grain into the air, allowing the wind to winnow the chaff from the wheat.
Word submitted by: John Shupe, Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States
Winsome - Innocently pleasing; alluring; captivating; having a childlike charm.I finally realized that the most attractive thing about her was a winsome smile.
Word submitted by: Joel Lorenz
Wont - Someone's usual way of doing things; accustomed.He's wont to use a three-syllable word when a one-syllable word would suffice. ... OR ... As was her wont, she barged right in on the meeting.
Word submitted by: Patrick M. Downey, Novi, Mi, USA
Yclept - Named or so-called.Archie MacDonald's mysterious client, yclept Miss Braun, paid his retainer with gold Double Eagle coins.
Word submitted by: John Thomas, Sevierville, TN, USA
Zaftig - Comfortably and pleasingly plump. Well-proportioned.Super-models aren't my type; I prefer someone a bit more zaftig, like Renee Zellweger in "Bridget Jones."
Word submitted by: Fred Fisher, Troy, MI, USA
