Word Of The Day

Discomfit

To discomfit someone is to make them confused or upset. Discomfit is a formal synonym of the also formal (but slightly less so) disconcert.

// Jacob was discomfited by the new employee’s forward, probing questions.



Vicarious

A vicarious emotion or experience is one felt by watching, hearing about, or reading about someone else rather than by doing something yourself.

// He felt a vicarious thrill as his daughter crossed the stage to accept her diploma.



Subterfuge

an artifice or expedient used to evade a rule, escape a consequence, hide something, etc.



Fatuous

To describe something, such as an idea or remark, as fatuous is to say that it is foolish or silly rather than sensible or logical.

// Our hopes for an apology and a reasonable explanation for the error were met with fatuous platitudes.



Juggernaut

any large, overpowering force or object, such as war, a giant battleship, or a powerful football team.



Meticulous

Something or someone described as meticulous shows extreme or excessive care in the consideration or treatment of details.

// He is meticulous about keeping accurate records.



Praxis

Praxis is a formal word referring to the practical application of a theory—in other words, what one does to act on a theory (such as feminist theory) to which one is committed. Praxis is also used synonymously with action or practice to refer to the exercise of an art, science, or skill, or to customary conduct within a given sphere.

// Many gardeners promote composting as being good environmental praxis.



Lambaste

To lambaste something or someone is to criticize them very harshly. Lambaste is also sometimes used as a synonym of beat meaning “to assault.”

// The coach lambasted the team for its poor play.



Ethereal

Ethereal means "of or relating to the regions beyond the earth" or "of or resembling heaven." It can also mean "lacking material substance" and "relating to, containing, or resembling a chemical ether."

// The windows give the church an ethereal glow.

// The images of the underwater cave show a strange world of ethereal beauty.



Shambles

Shambles refers to a place or state in which there is great confusion, disorder, or destruction.

// The house party they had over the weekend left the entire living room in shambles.