This is a growing index of every word featured in my blog’s Word of the Week segment. For more information on a specific word, simply click on it to open its corresponding blog post in a new window/tab. You can also click on the table columns to sort words alphabetically, by publish date, by part of speech, or by etymological origin. Have fun!
Last updated: June 19, 2017
| Word | PoS | Definition | Origin | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| abysmal | adj. | extremely bad; appalling | Latin, Greek | 2015/04/13 |
| acerbic | adj. | (especially of a comment or style of speaking) sharp and forthright | Latin | 2014/07/28 |
| acquiesce | v. | accept something reluctantly but without protest | Latin | 2013/11/04 |
| acrimonious | adj. | angry and bitter | French, Latin | 2014/05/05 |
| acumen | n. | the ability to make good judgments and quick decisions, typically in a particular domain | Latin | 2013/10/28 |
| adumbrate | v. | 1. report or represent in outline 2. indicate faintly 3. foreshadow or symbolize 4. overshadow |
Latin | 2016/05/16 |
| aesthetic | adj. | concerned with beauty or the appreciation of beauty | Greek | 2014/10/20 |
| alacrity | n. | brisk and cheerful readiness | Latin | 2016/02/15 |
| alienate | v. | make (someone) feel isolated or estranged | Latin | 2014/05/19 |
| aliquot | n. | a portion of a larger whole, especially a sample taken for chemical analysis or other treatment | French, Latin | 2015/09/14 |
| altruism | n. | the belief in or practice of disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of others | French, Italian, Latin | 2013/08/26 |
| amalgamate | v. | combine or unite to form one organization or structure | Latin, Greek | 2016/05/09 |
| amorous | adj. | showing, feeling, or relating to sexual desire | French, Latin | 2015/02/09 |
| anhedonic | adj. | unable to feel pleasure | French, Greek | 2014/12/01 |
| antediluvian | adj. | of or belonging to the time before the biblical Flood | Latin | 2014/03/10 |
| apocryphal | adj. | of doubtful authenticity, although widely circulated as being true | Latin, Greek | 2015/04/27 |
| assignation | n. | 1. an appointment to meet someone in secret 2. the allocation or attribution of someone or something as belonging to something |
Latin | 2015/01/26 |
| assuage | v. | 1. make (an unpleasant feeling) less intense 2. satisfy (an appetite or desire) |
French, Latin | 2013/08/19 |
| axiomatic | adj. | self-evident or unquestionable | Greek | 2013/06/24 |
| banal | adj. | so lacking in originality as to be obvious and boring | French, Germanic | 2015/09/07 |
| baroque | adj. | highly ornate and extravagant in style | French, Portuguese/ Spanish/ Italian | 2016/04/04 |
| behemoth | n. | a huge or monstrous creature | Hebrew | 2015/02/23 |
| beholden | adj. | owing thanks or having a duty to someone in return for help or a service | Old English | 2016/11/21 |
| belligerent | adj. | 1. hostile and aggressive 2. engaged in a war or conflict, as recognized by international law |
Latin | 2015/11/23 |
| benediction | n. | the utterance or bestowing of a blessing | Latin | 2014/01/06 |
| benevolent | adj. | 1. well meaning and kindly 2. serving a charitable rather than a profit-making purpose |
French, Latin | 2013/09/30 |
| bibliophile | n. | a person who collects or has a great love of books | French, Greek | 2016/01/11 |
| Brexit | n. | a term for the potential or hypothetical departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union | English | 2016/06/27 |
| bucolic | adj. | of or relating to the pleasant aspects of the countryside and country life | Latin, Greek | 2016/08/29 |
| cantankerous | adj. | bad-tempered, argumentative, and uncooperative | English, Anglo-Irish, Latin | 2015/10/26 |
| caprice | n. | a sudden and unaccountable change of mood or behavior | Italian | 2014/03/03 |
| celestial | adj. | 1. positioned in or relating to the sky, or outer space as observed in astronomy 2. belonging or relating to heaven 3. supremely good |
French, Latin | 2016/02/01 |
| circuitous | adj. | longer than the most direct way | Latin | 2015/04/20 |
| circumlocution | n. | the use of many words where fewer would do, especially in a deliberate attempt to be vague or evasive | Latin | 2016/09/26 |
| clairvoyant | adj. | having or exhibiting an ability to perceive events in the future or beyond normal sensory contact | French | 2014/10/13 |
| clandestine | adj. | kept secret or done secretively, especially because illicit | French, Latin | 2016/09/12 |
| cloy | v. | disgust or sicken (someone) with an excess of sweetness, richness, or sentiment | French, Latin | 2013/12/09 |
| cogent | adj. | clear, logical, and convincing | Latin | 2015/10/19 |
| cogitable | adj. | able to be grasped by the mind; conceivable | Latin | 2016/12/12 |
| commandeer | v. | 1. officially take possession or control of something, especially for military purposes 2. take possession of something without authority |
Afrikaans, Dutch, French, Latin | 2015/07/06 |
| commensurate | adj. | corresponding in size or degree; in proportion | Latin | 2014/03/24 |
| conflagration | n. | an extensive fire that destroys a great deal of land or property | Latin | 2013/09/16 |
| corroborate | v. | confirm or give support to a statement, theory, or finding | Latin | 2015/08/10 |
| countenance | n. | a person’s face or facial expression | French, Latin | 2014/08/18 |
| cumbersome | adj. | large or heavy and therefore difficult to carry or use; unwieldy | French | 2015/11/09 |
| curmudgeon | n. | a bad-tempered or surly person | unknown | 2015/11/30 |
| debauchery | n. | excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures | French, Proto-Germanic | 2015/06/08 |
| declension | n. | (poetic/literary) a condition of decline or moral deterioration | French, Latin | 2013/12/02 |
| decorum | n. | behavior in keeping with good taste and propriety; etiquette | Latin | 2014/04/14 |
| defenestration | n. | the action of throwing someone or something out of a window | Latin | 2013/06/17 |
| demagogue | n. | a political leader who seeks support by appealing to popular desires and prejudices rather than by using rational argument | Greek | 2016/04/11 |
| demure | adj. | reserved, modest, and shy | French, Latin | 2015/10/05 |
| detente | n. | the easing of hostility or strained relations, especially between countries | French, Latin | 2016/11/07 |
| diffuse | v., adj. | 1. (v.) spread or cause to spread over a wide area or among a large number of people 2. (adj.) spread out over a large area; not concentrated |
Latin | 2014/10/27 |
| ecclesiastical | adj. | of or relating to the Christian Church or its clergy | French, Latin, Greek | 2016/06/20 |
| effervescent | adj. | 1. giving off bubbles; fizzy 2. vivacious and enthusiastic |
Latin | 2014/12/22 |
| effigy | n. | a sculpture or model of a person | Latin | 2015/07/20 |
| effusive | adj. | expressing gratitude, pleasure, or approval in an unrestrained or heartfelt manner | Latin | 2014/05/26 |
| egregious | adj. | 1. outstandingly bad; shocking 2. (archaic) remarkably good |
Latin | 2013/05/13 |
| eldritch | adj. | weird and sinister or ghostly | Old English, Scottish | 2016/08/08 |
| eloquence | n. | fluent or persuasive speaking or writing | Latin | 2015/09/28 |
| elucidate | v. | make (something) clear; explain | Latin | 2014/06/30 |
| Elysian | adj. | of, relating to, or characteristic of heaven or paradise | Latin, Greek | 2015/12/28 |
| emolument | n. | a salary, fee, or profit from employment or office | Latin | 2017/01/09 |
| empyrean | adj. | belonging to or deriving from heaven | Latin, Greek | 2016/02/08 |
| enamor | v. | be filled with a feeling of love for | French | 2017/02/13 |
| ennui | n. | a feeling of listlessness and dissatisfaction arising from a lack of occupation or excitement | French, Latin | 2016/07/04 |
| ephemeral | adj. | lasting for a very short time | Greek | 2013/11/25 |
| epicurean | n. | a person devoted to sensual enjoyment, especially that derived from fine food and drink | French, Latin, Greek | 2015/06/01 |
| epiphany | n. | a moment of sudden revelation or insight | Greek | 2016/06/13 |
| epitome | n. | 1. a person or thing that is a perfect example of a particular quality or type 2. a summary of a written work; an abstract |
Greek | 2016/06/06 |
| eponymous | adj. | 1. (of a person) giving their name to something 2. (of a thing) named after a particular person |
Greek | 2015/01/19 |
| erroneous | adj. | wrong, incorrect | Latin | 2013/05/20 |
| ersatz | adj. | 1. made or used as a substitute for something else 2. not real or genuine |
German | 2013/07/29 |
| erudite | adj. | having or showing great knowledge or learning | Latin | 2014/03/17 |
| ethereal | adj. | extremely delicate and light in a way that seems too perfect for this world | Latin, Greek | 2015/12/07 |
| eucatastrophe | n. | a sudden and favorable resolution of events in a story; a happy ending | Greek | 2017/05/08 |
| euphemism | n. | a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing | Greek | 2014/04/28 |
| evanescent | adj. | soon passing out of sight, memory, or existence; quickly fading or disappearing | Latin | 2016/05/30 |
| exacerbate | v. | make (a problem, bad situation, or negative feeling) worse | Latin | 2013/07/15 |
| excoriate | v. | censure or criticize severely | Latin | 2017/01/23 |
| exonerate | v. | absolve (someone) from blame for a fault or wrongdoing, especially after due consideration of the case | Latin | 2016/04/25 |
| extrapolate | v. | extend the application of (a method or conclusion) to an unknown situation by assuming that existing trends will continue or similar methods will be applicable | Latin | 2014/07/14 |
| facetious | adj. | treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor; flippant | French, Latin | 2014/02/03 |
| facsimile | n. | an exact copy, especially of written or printed material | Latin | 2015/08/31 |
| fastidious | adj. | 1. very attentive to and concerned about accuracy and detail 2. very concerned about matters of cleanliness |
Latin | 2013/11/11 |
| fortuitous | adj. | 1. happening by accident or chance rather than design 2. happening by a lucky chance; fortunate |
Latin | 2015/03/02 |
| garrulous | adj. | excessively talkative, especially on trivial matters | Latin | 2015/05/25 |
| gerrymander | v. | manipulate the boundaries of (an electoral constituency) so as to favor one party or class | English | 2013/10/21 |
| gratuitous | adj. | 1. uncalled for; lacking good reason; unwarranted 2. given or done free of charge |
Latin | 2014/09/15 |
| gubernatorial | adj. | relating to a state governor or the office of state governor | Latin, Greek | 2017/06/19 |
| harbinger | n. | a person or thing that announces or signals the approach of another | French, Old Saxon | 2015/10/12 |
| heuristic | adj. | 1. enabling a person to discover or learn something for themselves 2. proceeding to a solution by trial and error or by rules that are only loosely defined |
Greek | 2016/05/02 |
| histrionic | adj. | overly theatrical or melodramatic in character or style | Latin | 2014/02/10 |
| hubris | n. | excessive pride or self-confidence | Greek | 2016/03/21 |
| hyperbole | n. | exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally | Greek | 2015/09/21 |
| iconoclast | n. | a person who attacks cherished beliefs or institutions | Greek | 2017/01/30 |
| idiosyncrasy | n. | 1. a mode of behavior or way of thought peculiar to an individual 2. a distinctive or peculiar feature or characteristic of a place or thing |
Greek | 2014/07/07 |
| idyllic | adj. | extremely happy, peaceful or picturesque | Latin, Greek | 2014/12/08 |
| ignominious | adj. | deserving or causing public disgrace or shame | French, Latin | 2017/04/03 |
| impeachment | n. | 1. the action of calling into question the integrity or validity of something 2. a charge of misconduct made against the holder of a public office 3. a charge of treason or another crime against the state |
French, Latin | 2016/04/18 |
| inauguration | n. | the beginning or introduction of a system, policy, or period | Latin | 2017/01/16 |
| inauspicious | adj. | not conducive to success; unpromising; unlucky | Latin | 2014/05/12 |
| incandescent | adj. | 1. emitting light as a result of being heated 2. passionate or brilliant 3. extremely angry |
Latin | 2014/11/03 |
| inception | n. | the establishment or starting point of an institution or activity | Latin | 2015/01/05 |
| incorrigible | adj. | not able to be corrected, improved, or reformed | Latin | 2013/05/27 |
| indolent | adj. | wanting to avoid activity or exertion; lazy | Latin | 2016/03/07 |
| innocuous | adj. | not harmful or offensive | Latin | 2013/07/22 |
| insidious | adj. | proceeding in a gradual, subtle way, but with harmful effects | Latin | 2017/05/01 |
| intrepid | adj. | fearless; adventurous | French, Latin | 2015/11/16 |
| inundate | v. | 1. overwhelm someone with things or people to be dealt with 2. flood |
Latin | 2015/08/17 |
| inveigh | v. | speak or write about something with great hostility | Latin | 2017/03/06 |
| irascible | adj. | having or showing a tendency to be easily angered | Latin | 2014/09/08 |
| irate | adj. | feeling or characterized by great anger | Latin | 2013/07/08 |
| iridescent | adj. | showing luminous colors that seem to change when seen from different angles | Latin | 2014/12/29 |
| kakistocracy | n. | government by the least suitable or competent citizens of a state | Greek | 2017/02/20 |
| lachrymose | adj. | tearful or given to weeping | Latin | 2017/02/27 |
| lackadaisical | adj. | lacking enthusiasm and determination; carelessly lazy | Dutch, German | 2014/07/21 |
| laud | v. | praise a person or their achievements highly, especially in a public context | French, Latin | 2017/04/10 |
| leitmotif | n. | a recurrent theme throughout a musical or literary composition, associated with a particular person, idea, or situation | German | 2016/10/03 |
| lethargic | adj. | sluggish and apathetic | Greek | 2014/09/22 |
| leviathan | n. | a very large aquatic creature | Hebrew | 2015/02/16 |
| licentious | adj. | 1. promiscuous and unprincipled in sexual matters 2. (archaic) disregarding accepted rules or conventions, especially in grammar or literary style |
Latin | 2015/07/13 |
| litigious | adj. | concerned with lawsuits or litigation | French, Latin | 2014/02/17 |
| logophile | n. | a lover of words | Greek | 2016/01/04 |
| loquacious | adj. | talkative | Latin | 2013/09/09 |
| lugubrious | adj. | looking or sounding sad and dismal | Latin | 2013/06/03 |
| macabre | adj. | disturbing and horrifying because of involvement with or depiction of death and injury | French | 2016/10/31 |
| maelstrom | n. | 1. a powerful whirlpool in the sea or a river 2. a situation or state of confused movement or violent turmoil |
Dutch | 2015/03/30 |
| magnanimous | adj. | very generous or forgiving, especially toward a rival or someone less powerful than oneself | Latin | 2016/12/19 |
| malfeasance | n. | wrongdoing, especially by a public official | French, Latin | 2017/03/13 |
| materfamilias | n. | the female head of a family or household | Latin | 2017/05/15 |
| maudlin | adj. | self-pityingly or tearfully sentimental | French, Latin | 2017/02/16 |
| mellifluous | adj. | sweet or musical; pleasant to hear | Latin | 2013/09/23 |
| melodramatic | adj. | exaggerated, sensationalized or overemotional | French, Greek | 2014/08/25 |
| mendacious | adj. | not telling the truth; lying | Latin | 2014/11/24 |
| meritorious | adj. | deserving reward or praise | Latin | 2017/03/20 |
| minutiae | n. | the small, precise or trivial details of something | Latin | 2014/09/01 |
| munificent | adj. | larger or more generous than is usual or necessary | Latin | 2015/12/21 |
| negate | v. | nullify; make ineffective | Latin | 2015/04/06 |
| neophyte | n. | a person who is new to a subject, skill or belief | Greek | 2014/11/10 |
| nepotism | n. | the practice among those with power or influence of favoring relatives or friends, especially by giving them jobs | French, Italian, Latin | 2016/05/23 |
| nihilism | n. | the rejection of all religious and moral principles, often in the belief that life is meaningless | German, Latin | 2016/07/18 |
| nuance | n. | a subtle difference in or shade of meaning, expression, or sound | French, Latin | 2016/08/01 |
| numinous | adj. | having a strong religious or spiritual quality; indicating or suggesting the presence of a divinity | Latin | 2013/10/14 |
| obfuscate | v. | render obscure, unclear, or unintelligible | Latin | 2016/09/05 |
| obsequious | adj. | obedient or attentive to an excessive or servile degree | Latin | 2015/05/04 |
| obstinate | adj. | 1. stubbornly refusing to change one’s opinion or chosen course of action 2. (of an unwelcome situation) very difficult to change or overcome |
Latin | 2013/08/05 |
| obstreperous | adj. | noisy and difficult to control | Latin | 2016/03/14 |
| obtuse | adj. | annoyingly insensitive or slow to understand | Latin | 2016/01/25 |
| oeuvre | n. | the works of a painter, composer, or author regarded collectively | French, Latin | 2016/10/10 |
| omnipotent | adj. | having unlimited power; able to do anything | French, Latin | 2016/02/22 |
| omniscient | adj. | knowing everything | Latin | 2013/12/23 |
| opalescent | adj. | 1. showing varying colors as an opal does 2. showing many small points of shifting color against a pale or dark ground |
French, Latin, Sanskrit | 2013/10/07 |
| opaque | adj., n. | 1. (adj.) not able to be seen through; not transparent 2. (adj.; figurative) hard or impossible to understand 3. (n.) an opaque thing or substance |
Latin | 2013/06/10 |
| opulent | adj. | ostentatiously rich and luxurious or lavish | Latin | 2014/01/13 |
| ostentatious | adj. | characterized by vulgar or pretentious display; designed to impress or attract notice | Latin | 2014/01/20 |
| paean | n. | a song of praise or triumph | Greek | 2014/08/11 |
| palimpsest | n. | a manuscript or piece of writing material on which the original writing has been effaced to make room for later writing but of which traces remain | Greek | 2017/06/05 |
| paradigm | n. | a typical example or pattern of something; a model | Greek | 2015/08/03 |
| paralipsis | n. | the device of giving emphasis by professing to say little or nothing about a subject | Greek | 2016/10/24 |
| paramount | adj. | more important than anything else; supreme | French | 2015/12/14 |
| paterfamilias | n. | the male head of a family or household | Latin | 2017/06/12 |
| patronize | v. | treat with an apparent kindness that betrays a feeling of superiority | Latin | 2015/03/16 |
| paucity | n. | the presence of something only in small or insufficient quantities or amounts; scarcity | French, Latin | 2015/08/24 |
| pedantic | adj. | excessively concerned with minor details or rules or with displaying academic learning | Latin, Greek | 2013/07/01 |
| pedestrian | n., adj. | 1. (n.) a person traveling on foot 2. (adj.) lacking inspiration or excitement; dull |
Latin | 2013/05/06 |
| peruse | v. | read (something), typically in a thorough or careful way | Latin | 2014/06/02 |
| pervade | v. | be present and apparent throughout | Latin | 2014/04/21 |
| petulant | adj. | childishly sulky or bad-tempered | French, Latin | 2014/12/15 |
| plagiarism | n. | the practice of taking someone else’s work or ideas and passing them off as one’s own | Latin, Greek | 2016/07/25 |
| poetaster | n. | a person who writes inferior poetry | Latin | 2015/06/15 |
| pontificate | v. | express one’s opinions in a way considered annoyingly pompous and dogmatic | Latin | 2017/03/27 |
| posit | v. | assume as a fact; put forward as a basis of argument | Latin | 2014/06/23 |
| post-truth | adj. | relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief | English | 2016/12/26 |
| prelude | n. | an action or event serving as an introduction to something more important | French, Latin | 2017/05/22 |
| prescient | adj. | having or showing knowledge of events before they take place | Latin | 2016/11/14 |
| prestidigitation | n. | magic tricks performed as entertainment | French, Latin | 2016/08/15 |
| prestige | n. | widespread respect and admiration felt for someone or something on the basis of a perception of their achievements or quality | French, Latin | 2016/08/22 |
| prevaricate | v. | speak or act in an evasive way | Latin | 2016/12/05 |
| prognosticate | v. | foretell or prophesy an event in the future | Latin, Greek | 2017/04/17 |
| prosaic | adj. | 1. having the style or diction of prose; lacking poetic beauty 2. commonplace; unromantic |
Latin | 2013/09/02 |
| pulchritude | n. | (poetic/literary) beauty | Latin | 2013/11/18 |
| pundit | n. | an expert in a particular subject or field who is frequently called on to give opinions about it to the public | Sanskrit | 2016/10/17 |
| putative | adj. | generally considered or reputed to be | French, Latin | 2016/09/19 |
| quotidian | adj. | 1. of or occurring every day; daily 2. ordinary or everyday |
Latin | 2014/01/27 |
| raconteur | n. | a person who tells anecdotes in a skillful and amusing way | French | 2016/01/18 |
| reciprocate | v. | 1. respond to (a gesture or action) by making a corresponding one 2. experience the same (love, liking, or affection) for someone as that person does for oneself |
Latin | 2014/06/16 |
| reverent | adj. | feeling or showing deep and solemn respect | French, Latin | 2014/03/31 |
| sagacious | adj. | having or showing keen mental discernment and good judgment; wise or shrewd | Latin | 2014/06/09 |
| sardonic | adj. | grimly mocking or cynical | French, Greek | 2015/07/27 |
| sartorial | adj. | of or relating to tailoring, clothes, or style of dress | Latin | 2015/01/12 |
| serendipity | n. | the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way | Persian | 2014/10/06 |
| soliloquy | n. | an act of speaking one’s thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of any hearers | Latin | 2015/03/09 |
| soporific | adj. | tending to induce drowsiness or sleep | French, Latin | 2015/06/29 |
| stochastic | adj. | randomly determined; having a random probability distribution or pattern that may be analyzed statistically but may not be predicted precisely | Greek | 2015/05/18 |
| supercilious | adj. | behaving or looking as though one thinks one is superior to others | Latin | 2016/02/29 |
| superfluous | adj. | unnecessary, especially through being more than enough | Latin | 2015/11/02 |
| surreal | adj. | having the qualities of surrealism; bizarre | French, Latin | 2017/01/02 |
| surreptitious | adj. | kept secret, especially because it would not be approved of | Latin | 2015/03/23 |
| sycophant | n. | a person who acts obsequiously toward someone important in order to gain advantage | French, Greek | 2015/05/11 |
| taciturn | adj. | reserved or uncommunicative in speech; saying little | Latin | 2013/08/12 |
| tenacious | adj. | not readily relinquishing a position, principle, or course of action; determined | Latin | 2014/04/07 |
| terpsichorean | adj., n. | 1. (adj.) of or relating to dancing 2. (n.) a dancer |
Greek | 2016/07/11 |
| terraform | v. | transform a planet so as to resemble the earth, especially so that it can support human life | English, Latin | 2017/04/24 |
| thespian | adj., n. | 1. (adj.) of or relating to drama and the theater 2. (n.) an actor or actress |
Greek | 2016/03/28 |
| tortuous | adj. | 1. full of twists and turns 2. excessively lengthy and complex |
Latin | 2014/02/24 |
| ubiquitous | adj. | present, appearing, or found everywhere | Latin | 2013/12/16 |
| usurp | v. | take a position of power or importance illegally or by force | French, Latin | 2015/06/22 |
| valediction | n. | 1. the action of saying farewell 2. a statement or address made at or as a farewell |
Latin | 2013/12/30 |
| vapid | adj. | offering nothing that is stimulating or challenging | Latin | 2014/11/17 |
| venerable | adj. | accorded a great deal of respect, especially because of age, wisdom, or character | Latin | 2017/05/29 |
| verbatim | adj., adv. | in exactly the same words as were used originally | Latin | 2014/08/04 |
| vernacular | n. | the language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people of a country or region | Latin | 2014/09/29 |
| vitriolic | adj. | filled with bitter criticism or malice | Latin | 2016/11/28 |
| zealous | adj. | having or showing great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective | Latin, Greek | 2015/02/02 |
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