Foible
Foibles are minor flaws or shortcomings in someone's character or behavior. In fencing, foible refers to the weakest part of a sword's blade, between the middle and point.
// You have to be able to laugh at your own foibles.
Foibles are minor flaws or shortcomings in someone's character or behavior. In fencing, foible refers to the weakest part of a sword's blade, between the middle and point.
// You have to be able to laugh at your own foibles.
Deleterious is a word used in formal speech and writing to describe something that is damaging or harmful, usually in a subtle or unexpected way.
// Though effective at keeping pests away from plants, the spray is no longer used because of its deleterious effects on the respiratory system.
An accoutrement is a piece of clothing or equipment that is used in a particular place or for a particular activity. In military contexts, accoutrement refers specifically to a soldier's outfit. The word can also refer to an identifying and often superficial characteristic or device. Accoutrement in any of its uses is often pluralized.
// They have all the accoutrements that a baker could ever want, including a robust collection of cookie cutters and a veritable wardrobe of vintage aprons.
Valedictory describes something expressing or containing a farewell.
// The valedictory speech given by the department chair moved several faculty members to tears.
An interloper is a person who intrudes in a place or sphere of activity; they are not wanted or welcome by the other people present.
// Summer residents were regarded as interlopers who lacked a commitment to the town's welfare.
As a synonym of aromatic, the word redolent can describe something that has a noticeable smell without specifying the scent, but more often it is accompanied by of or with and means “full of a specified fragrance,” as in “redolent with incense.” Redolent can also describe something that causes thoughts or memories of something, as in “music redolent of the 1980s.”
// The late-spring meadow was redolent of wildflowers and petrichor.
Crux refers to the most important part of something (such as a problem, issue, or puzzle). It is often used in the phrase "the crux of."
// The crux of the problem is that the project's budget is totally inadequate.
Permutation is a formal word for any one of the many different ways or forms in which something exists or can be arranged. It can also refer to a major or fundamental change in something based primarily on rearrangement of its existing elements. Permutation is usually used in its plural form.
// Early permutations of the design look nothing like the final result.
// The system has gone through several permutations.
Cohort refers to a group or band of individuals, as in “a cohort of supporters.” It can also be used for a group of individuals who have a statistical factor (such as age) in common in a demographic study, as in “a cohort of people born in the 1980s.” Cohort can be used for individuals too, as for a friend, companion, or colleague, but it is almost always used in its plural form.
// I wouldn’t have made it through graduate school without the help of my supportive cohort.
. a favorite saying of a sect or political group
. a manner of speaking or acting that is distinctive of a particular group
. a widely held belief