Word of the Day

modulate (verb) Tyson was asked by the librarian to modulate his voice since he was yelling at his teammates as they entered the building. The air conditioning did not properly modulate while we were away on vacation, so we returned to a 90 degree home.

Word of the Day

modulate:

-to change or vary the intensity or pitch (of a voice)

-to control, regulate, or adjust -vary the strength, quality, or amount of something

Word of the Day

bathos (noun)

I was embarrassed as I watched the bathos unfold onstage: Monique went from singing challenging Celine Dion songs to nursery rhymes. The serious message of the film is ruined by the bathos of its ridiculous ending.

Word of the Day

bathos: (used mostly for books and movies)

-a an abrupt switch in writing style from fancy and epic to common and trivial (in wording or subject)

-the sudden appearance of the commonplace in an otherwise elevated matter or style … going from serious to disappointing… -An abrupt, ludicrous change … like when something starts out serious and then turns trivial. It is often unintentional, so you can’t help but laugh

Word of the Day

pander (verb) Myron grew up valuing both hard work and the value of money because his parents did not pander to every materialistic request he made.

The smarter public officials will not pander to the needs of the corrupt mayor regardless of his powerful influence.

Word of the Day

pander: (to gratify or indulge) -to cater to or provide what is necessary or satisfying for the low tastes of others -to spoil a person by giving in to him or her

-to provide what is necessary by others due to their low level of taste or their weaknesses

Word of the Day

bane (noun)

Because of all the sinister villains who are the bane of Gotham City citizens, it seems that Batman’s work is never done. Claudia’s phone is the bane of her productivity when she is trying to get work done.

Word of the Day

bane:

-the source or cause of fatal injury, death, destruction, or ruin

-something causing misery, trouble, or unhappiness

-a cause of great distress or annoyance

Word of the Day

nefarious (adjective)

Johann executed his nefarious scheme to hack into people's computers and steal bank account information. Concerned citizens who think they may have discovered some nefarious acts at the train station should contact the police immediately.

Word of the Day

nefarious:

-inherently evil, malicious, and unjust

-very evil and wicked

-criminal,morally bad

Word of the Day

egregious (adjective) Because Annaliese made an egregious choice to skip the mandatory meeting, she was kicked out of the competition. Egregious errors in Malcolm’s 100 page semester project were caused by his tablet's failure to check spelling.

Word of the Day

egregious: -a serious mistake or offense, often with dire consequences -really bad or offensive

-so obviously wrong beyond any doubt -noticeably bad, shocking

Word of the Day

homage (noun)

As a sign of homage for President George H.W. Bush, government flags will be flown half-mast for 30 days. When Nicki Minaj accepted her award, she paid homage to The Weeknd, Eminem, Ariana Grande, and Lil’ Wayne..

Word of the Day

homage:

-respect or praise given to a superior or other person one admires

-an act performed to show respect

-a special honor or respect shown publicly

Word of the Day

sartorial (adjective)

Gregory always took pride in his clothing, showing a sartorial elegance regardless of the occasion. Those with a developed sartorial sense can tell a cheap suit from an expensive one.

Word of the Day

sartorial: -related to clothing, fashion, or dressing -related to tailoring, clothes, or style of dress

-related to the making of clothes, usually men's clothes, or to a way of dressing: -related to clothes and the way they are made or worn

Word of the Day

facetious (adjective)

Maxine’s facetious remarks at her aunt’s funeral, including sarcastic complaints and dirty jokes, were totally inappropriate. No one laughed. Helen learned the hard way that it is best not to make facetious comments when you get called into B-10.

Word of the Day

facetious:

-comments made specifically to get a laugh out of those around you

-something said in jest; not serious

-sarcastic; possibly inappropriate

Word of the Day

petulant (adjective/adverb)

After being fired, Joshua behaved like a petulant toddler and threw a major tantrum in the CEO’s office. Although Margaret had a valid complaint, there was no reason for her to be petulant and call the waiter names .

Word of the Day

petulant: -annoyed and behaving in an unreasonable way because you cannot get what you want -describes someone who sulks, complains, or whines because he or she is acting immaturely or is ill-tempered -acting childish

Word of the Day

melee (noun)

A wild melee broke out in the lunchroom, with kids throwing lunches, trays, water bottles, and bananas at one another. After the final touchdown, a melee occurred on the field with both teams violently going after one another.

Word of the Day

melee:

-a confused struggle -a violent free-for-all -a brawl or scuffle -a riot or fight

Word of the Day

cataclysm (noun)

The tornado that swept through the town was a cataclysm that devastated the state for miles. Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth lost their Malibu home in the devastating cataclysm of the California wild fires.

Word of the Day

cataclysm: -an abrupt, forceful event

-a sudden, violent, or devastating upheaval in a social or political context -a disaster, catastrophe, or large-scale violent event

Word of the Day

incognito (adjective & adverb)

Even stars who go out incognito are often recognized by the public and hounded by the paparazzi.

Desdemona crashed the party incognito, but one of her former friends recognized her voice and had her tossed out.

Word of the Day

incognito:

-without revealing one’s identity -in disguise; concealed

Word of the Day

loquacious (adjective)

The loquacious hair stylist always told stories nonstop while cutting the customers’ hair. While Harvey was shy and reserved, his twin brother Lawrence was outgoing and loquacious.

Word of the Day

loquacious: -very talkative

-describes a person who talks a lot -fond of talking

Word of the Day

hubris (noun)

The criminal had so much hubris that he believed the police would never catch him.

Ever since Cayenne won the beauty pageant, her nonstop bragging and obvious hubris are so hard to take.

Word of the Day

hubris:

-arrogance -having too much pride and self-worth -an excessive amount of confidence

Word of the Day

gauce -“ghosh” (adjective)

Abner’s gauce table manners make me cringe - especially when he chews with his mouth full and burps the alphabet. While Sherrie did not want to appear gauce, she texted her blind date and asked if she would be paying for her own dinner.

Word of the Day

gauche: -lacking grace or social polish

-awkward or tactless -lacking class or manners

Word of the Day

auspicious (adjective)

After his boss praised him for his work on the big project, Xavier felt it was an auspicious time to ask for a promotion As the university’s valedictorian, Milicent’s speech was an auspicious start to her political career.

Word of the Day

auspicious:

-being a sign of future success -showing or suggesting that future success is likely -indicating a promising future -favorable -by good fortune (an auspicious year)

Word of the Day

sic (adverb)

“She said youre special enough to make it big in Hullywood” [sic]. “What dew [sic] you mean when you said the cheese has left the kitchen?”

Word of the Day

sic: -intentionally written so; thus so -something is quoted as is, including mistakes -When you see sic, it may or may not be in italics and [brackets]; it means that an obvious error in a quote was from an original text and thus to be left as is. Place [sic] right after the error.

Word of the Day

kudos (noun)

Although the movie director received kudos from the critics, the majority of the public hated the film. After Genieveve won the gymnastics competition, she received kudos from her teammates and coaches.

Word of the Day

kudos:

-the acclaim and praise that comes as a result of some action or achievement -praise for one’s accomplishments

Word of the Day

gargantuan (adjective)

It took eight friends to move Eloise’s gargantuan television into her new apartment. The freshman nearly cried when the professor handed him a gargantuan textbook and told him to read the first 6 chapters by the next day.

Word of the Day

gargantuan:

-of trememdous size

-of immense size, volume, or capacity -enormous -huge, colossal, gigantic