Word Of The Day

Cajole

To cajole someone is to use flattery or gentle urging to persuade them to do something or to give you something. Cajole can also mean “to deceive with soothing words or false promises.” It is often used with the word into.

// She cajoled her partner into going to the party with her.

// They hoped to cajole him into cooperating with local officials.



Pseudonym

A pseudonym is a name that someone (such as a writer) uses instead of their real name.

// Bell Hooks is the pseudonym of the American writer Gloria Jean Watkins.



Exculpatory

Something described as exculpatory serves to prove that someone is not guilty of doing something wrong.

// Their lawyer presented insurmountable exculpatory evidence at the trial.



splurge

to indulge oneself in some luxury or pleasure, especially a costly one



Gastronomy

the art or science of good eating



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.