Word Of The Day

Unabashed

Someone who is unabashed is not embarrassed or ashamed about openly expressing strong feelings or opinions.

// Unabashed by their booing and hissing, the artist continued with the musical performance.



Perdition

Perdition refers to hell, or to the state of being in hell forever as punishment after death—in other words, damnation. It is usually used figuratively.

// Dante’s Inferno details the main character’s journey through perdition.

// It’s this kind of selfishness that leads down the road to perdition.



Amalgamate

Amalgamate is a formal verb meaning "to unite (two or more things) into one thing."

// The school district has proposed amalgamating the two high schools.



Metonymy

Metonymy refers to a figure of speech in which a word that is associated with something is used to refer to the thing itself, as when crown is used to mean “king” or “queen.”

// Wall Street, Silicon Valley, and Hollywood are common examples of metonymy.



Bloviate

To bloviate is to speak or write in an arrogant tone and with more words than are necessary.

// The podcaster tends to bloviate endlessly on topics about which he is not particularly knowledgeable.



Gauche

Gauche describes someone or something having or showing a lack of awareness about the proper way to behave. When describing a person or a behavior, gauche can mean “socially awkward” or “tactless”; when describing an object (such as a product with a vulgar image or slogan on it) it can mean “crudely made or done.”

// Some people view giving cash in lieu of a wrapped present to be terribly gauche, but I like knowing that my friends and family will be able to pick out something they truly want.



Osmosis

a subtle or gradual absorption or mingling



Eccentric

Eccentric usually describes people and things that deviate from conventional or accepted usage or behavior, especially in odd or whimsical ways.

It is also used technically to mean "deviating from a circular path" and "located elsewhere than at the geometric center."

// He's an endearingly eccentric scientist whose methods are quite inventive.

// The dwarf planet Pluto has an eccentric orbit.



Crucible

A crucible, in the word’s literal use, is a pot in which metals or other substances are heated to a very high temperature or melted. But crucible is more often encountered in figurative use referring to a difficult test or challenge, or to a place or situation that forces people to change or make difficult decisions.

// The bronze was heated to 2,100 degrees in the crucible and then poured into molds designed by the artist.

// Her latest novel follows two best friends in a fantastical, battle-ravaged kingdom who



Radial

Radial describes things that are arranged or have parts arranged in straight lines coming out from the center of a circle.

// Her mosaics echo radial patterns observed in nature, from succulents to sea urchins.