Carmen Milligan
Wednesday Word: Foible
foible [ˈfoibəl] NOUN a minor weakness or eccentricity in someone's character. "they have to tolerate each other's little foibles"...
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Carmen Milligan
Mar 2, 20221 min read
Wednesday Word: Pariah
pariah [pəˈrīə] NOUN an outcast. "they were treated as social pariahs" synonyms: outcast · persona non grata · leper · reject ·...
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Carmen Milligan
Feb 16, 20221 min read
Wednesday Word: Scapegrace
scapegrace [ˈskāpɡrās] NOUN archaic a mischievous or wayward person, especially a young person or child; a rascal. synonyms: scoundrel ·...
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Carmen Milligan
Jan 26, 20221 min read
Wednesday Word: sycophant
sycophant [ˈsikəˌfant, ˈsikəfənt] NOUN a person who acts obsequiously toward someone important in order to gain advantage. synonyms:...
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Carmen Milligan
Jan 19, 20221 min read
Wednesday Word: Inculcate
inculcate [inˈkəlˌkāt, ˈinkəlˌkāt] VERB instill (an attitude, idea, or habit) by persistent instruction. "the failures of the churches to...
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Carmen Milligan
Jan 5, 20222 min read
Wednesday Word: Notional
notional [ˈnōSH(ə)n(ə)l] existing only in theory or as a suggestion or idea. "notional budgets for hospital and community health...
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Carmen Milligan
Dec 29, 20211 min read
Wednesday Word: Impetus
impetus [ˈimpədəs] NOUN 1. the force or energy with which a body moves. "hit the booster coil before the flywheel loses all its impetus"...
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Carmen Milligan
Dec 22, 20211 min read
Wednesday Word: Neophyte
neophyte [ˈnēəˌfīt] a person who is new to a subject, skill, or belief. "four-day cooking classes are offered to neophytes and experts"...
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Carmen Milligan
Dec 15, 20211 min read
Wednesday Word: Stymie
stymie [ˈstīmē] VERB stymied (past tense) · stymied (past participle) prevent or hinder the progress of. "the changes must not be allowed...
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Carmen Milligan
Dec 8, 20211 min read
Wednesday Word (er...Phrase): Deus Ex Machina
You can learn the darndest things from the most curious of places. I was watching one of my favorite Christmas movies last night, "Olive,...
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Carmen Milligan
Dec 4, 20211 min read
Nope
It occurred to me several years ago that usage of the word "nope" is much more negative than a simple "no". "Nope" indicates some...
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Carmen Milligan
Dec 1, 20211 min read
Wednesday Word: Misanthrope
misanthrope [ˈmis(ə)nˌTHrōp, ˈmiz(ə)nˌTHrōp] NOUN misanthrope (noun) · misanthropes (plural noun) · misanthropist (noun) · misanthropists...
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Carmen Milligan
Nov 23, 20212 min read
455 new words added!
Hundreds of words and definitions are added to the dictionary each month. I had no idea! Merriam-Webster added 455 new words in October...
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Carmen Milligan
Nov 17, 20211 min read
Wednesday Word: Chanteuse
chanteuse [ˌSHänˈto͞oz] NOUN a female singer of popular songs, especially in a nightclub. ORIGIN French, from chanter: ‘sing’....
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Carmen Milligan
Oct 20, 20211 min read
Wednesday Word: inane
inane [iˈnān] ADJECTIVE silly; stupid. "don't constantly badger people with inane questions" synonyms: silly · foolish · stupid · fatuous...
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Carmen Milligan
Sep 29, 20211 min read
Wednesday Word: Simpleton
simpleton [ˈsimpəlt(ə)n] NOUN a foolish or gullible person. "stop grinning at me like a simpleton" 1640s, probably a jocular formation...
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Carmen Milligan
Sep 22, 20211 min read
Wednesday Word: Schadenfreude
schadenfreude [ˈSHädənˌfroidə] NOUN pleasure derived by someone from another person's misfortune. Schadenfreude is borrowed from German....
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Carmen Milligan
Sep 15, 20211 min read
Wednesday Word: Ebullient
ebullience [iˈbo͝olyəns, iˈbəlyəns] NOUN the quality of being cheerful and full of energy; exuberance. The famed Met Gala was this past...
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Carmen Milligan
Sep 8, 20211 min read
Wednesday Word: Tete-a-tete
tête-à-tête [ˌtādəˈtāt, ˌtedəˈtet] NOUN a private conversation between two people. A coworker used this with me the other day. Let's...
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Carmen Milligan
Sep 1, 20211 min read
Wednesday Word: Esoteric
esoteric [ˌesəˈterik] ADJECTIVE intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with a specialized knowledge or...
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