Learn English Vocabulary - via Word of the Day

Slipshod [ SLIP-shod ][ adjective ]MEANING :1. untidy or careless
2. slovenly
3. shabby in appearanceUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :He'd caused many problems with his slipshod management of the project.

Apposite [ AP-uh'-zit, uh'-POZ-it ][ adjective ]MEANING :highly suitable and appropriateUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :It is quite apparent that this is not an apposite circumstance in which mandatory relief ought to be granted.

Ossify [ OS-uh’-fahy ][ intransitive verb, transitive verb ]MEANING :1. (tr.v.) to harden and transform to a bone
2. (tr. v.) to be rigid or resist change and unconventionality
3. (intr. v.) to change a bone by hardening
4. (intr. v.) to be rigid or unconventional in beliefs and behaviourUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :I have a less ossified view of culture, one that sees it as not fixed in a person's or nation's history, but as a fluid, ongoing process.

Niggardly [ NIG-erd-lee ][ adjective, adverb ]MEANING :1. (adj.) miserly, stingy or petty when spending
2. (adv.) like a niggardUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :He accused the Government of being unbelievably niggardly.

Resurrect [ rez-uh'-REKT ][ intransitive verb, transitive verb ]MEANING :1. (tr. v.) to raise from the dead or bring back to life
2. (tr. v.) to bring back into use
3. (intr. v.) to rise from the dead or spring back to lifeUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The villagers believed that he had psychic powers and could resurrect the dead.

Mirage [ mi-RAHZH ][ noun ]MEANING :1. an optical illusion
2. an illusory phenomenon usually in the desert or at seaUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :
Due to the unpredictability of mirages, these lights can seem to move quickly through the sky and suddenly vanish.

Grandiloquent [ gran-DIL-uh'-kwuh'nt  ][ adjective ]MEANING :pompous, histrionic or extravagantly colourfulUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :You have to understand that he had a habit of making grandiloquent statements

Obsidian [ uh'b-SID-ee-uh'n ][ noun ]MEANING :1. a type of volcanic glass similar in composition to graniteUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The earliest mirrors were of obsidian, a black volcanic rock that could be carved and polished.

Acrophobia [ ak-ruh'-FOH-bee-uh' ][ noun ]MEANING :1. an abnormal fear of heights or high placesUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :Many pilots still enjoy flying even though they have some degree of acrophobia.

Emblazon [ em-BLEY-zuh' n ][ transitive verb ]MEANING :1. to adorn, decorate or inscribe with prominent or heraldic bearings
2. to decorate or display with brilliant or bright colours
3. to extol, celebrate, praise or make illustriousUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :Both the entrances were emblazoned with an intricate design.

Multifarious [ muhl-tuh’-FAIR-ee-uh’ s ][ adjective ]MEANING :diverse, varied or versatileUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :In the end it became very difficult to live with all the multifarious characters that inhabited his persona.

Malady [ MAL-uh'-dee ][ noun ]MEANING :1. a disease or a disorder or an ailment
2. an unhealthy or undesirable conditionUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :He suffered from an incurable malady.

Kickshaw [ KIK-shaw ][ noun ]MEANING :1. a fancy but insubstantial cooked dish, especially one of foreign origin
2. a trifle, gewgaw or trinketUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The restaurant failed to impress with its long list of kickshaws.

Blasé [ blah-ZEY, BLAH-zey; Fr. bla*-ZEY ][ adjective ]MEANING :1. apathetic to, indifferent to or bored with worldly pleasures
2. sophisticated
3. nonchalant or unconcernedUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :After being fired from his job his attitude towards life turned blasé.

Conscript [ v. kuh'n-SKRIPT; n., adj. KON-skript ][ noun, adjective, transitive verb ]MEANING :1. (n.) a recruit enlisted by force
2. (tr. v.) to force or draft into the armed forces
3. (adj.) draftedUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The despot’s army consisted only of conscripts.

Epigram [ EP-i-gram ][ noun ]MEANING :1. a paradoxical or satirical poem or sayingUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :Oscar Wilde's epigrams are timeless in their ingenuity and wit.

Divination [ div-uh'-NEY-shuh' n ][ noun ]MEANING :1. the act of foretelling future events or discovering hidden knowledge by occult or supernatural means
2. instinctive foresight; unusual insightUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The Celtic art of divination has faced ridicule through the ages.

Fulmination [ fuhl-muh'-NEY-shuh'n  ][ noun ]MEANING :1. censure or denunciation
2. violent explosionUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The fulmination of the coach proved to be disastrous for the team.

Aficionado [ uh'-fish-yuh-NAH-doh; Sp. ah-fee-thyaw-NAH-th'aw, ah-fee-syaw- ][ noun ]MEANING :an enthusiastic admirer of a sport or interest; a fanUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :Celebrities are often hounded by aficionados for autographs.

Defeatist [ dih-FEE-tist ][ noun, adjective ]MEANING :1. (n.) a person who surrenders easily
2. (n.) an advocate or follower of defeatism
3.(n.) resignation to the prospect of losing
4. (adj.) marked by the prospect of losingUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :Just because I'm concerned about the progress of the negotiations doesn't mean I'm a defeatist.

Cantata [ kuh'n-TAH-tuh' ][ noun ]MEANING :1. a choral composition often using a sacred text, as a lyric drama set to music but not to be acted.
2. a musical compositionUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :Besides these he composed several cantatas for church use, and several instrumental pieces.

Innocuous [ i-NOK-yoo-uh’ s ][ adjective ]MEANING :1. not harmful or injurious
2. inoffensive, insipid, uninspiring or not stimulatingUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The question is why an innocuous Hollywood film should provoke such a reaction.

Rampant [ RAM-puh'nt ][ adjective ]MEANING :1. unchecked or widespread
2. raging or violent
3. (Heraldry) rearing on the left hind leg with the forelegs elevated and the head in profileUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 : Political violence was rampant in that area due to impending elections.

Ordination [ awr-dn-EY-shuhn ][ noun ]MEANING :1. (n.) the act of consecration to the ministry
2. (n.) a decreeing
3. (n.) the act of putting in orderUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :He said that his ordination into the priesthood took place after seven years of theological studies at the seminary.

Broach [ brohch ][ noun, intransitive verb, transitive verb ]MEANING :1. (tr.v.) to mention or announce for the first time
2. (tr.v.) to tap or make a hole by piercing
3.(n.) a tapered, elongated and serrated tool for cutting which is used to shape or enlarge holes
4. (intr.v.) to emerge from the seaUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :He finally broached the subject he had been avoiding all evening.

Primordial [ prahy-MAWR-dee-uh'l ][ adjective ]MEANING :1. original or constituting a beginning
2. formed first or happening first in sequence of time
3. elementary or fundamentalUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :Researchers worldwide are to meet and compare their studies of primordial germ cells.

Foist [ foist ][ transitive verb ]MEANING :1. to insert or introduce fraudulently
2. to pass off something fake as something genuine
3. to impose without proper justificationUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :She had no desire to have an elderly relative foisted on her.

Encomium [ en-KOH-mee-uh' m ][ noun ]MEANING :enthusiastic praise or laudationUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :To celebrate his poems, the publisher put the best one on the back of the hardcover edition, instead of blurbs and encomia.

Seamy [ SEE-mee ][ adjective ]MEANING :1. (adj.) unpleasant
2. (adj.) disgusting
3. (adj.) pertaining to a seamUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :All the stuff about the supposedly seamy side of gaming is way off the mark.

Remediable [ ri-MEE-dee-uh’-buh’ l ][ adjective ]MEANING :capable of being cured or remediedUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The remediable ailment required minor surgery.

Quinquennial [ kwin-KWEN-ee-uh’ l, kwing- ][ adjective ]MEANING :occurring every five yearsUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :They conducted quinquennial reviews to decide on fund distribution.