1:
ameliorate
/əˈmiːlɪəreɪt/
verb FORMAL
past tense: ameliorated; past participle: ameliorated
make (something bad or unsatisfactory) better.
"the reform did much to ameliorate living standards"
Similar:
improve
make better
better
make improvements to
enhance
help
---
2:
shudder
/ˈʃʌdə/
verb: shudder; 3rd person present: shudders; past tense: shuddered; past participle: shuddered; gerund or present participle: shuddering
(of a person) tremble convulsively, typically as a result of fear or revulsion.
"she still shuddered at the thought of him"
Similar:
shake
shiver
tremble
quiver
quaver
vibrate
palpitate
flutter
quake
heave
convulse
(especially of a vehicle, machine, or building) shake or vibrate violently.
"the train shuddered and edged forward"
noun
noun: shudder; plural noun: shudders
an act of shuddering.
"the elevator rose with a shudder"
Similar:
shake
shiver
tremor
tremble
trembling
quiver
quivering
quaver
start
vibration
palpitation
flutter
convulsion
spasm
twitch
jerk
Phrases
give someone the shudders
cause someone to feel repugnance or fear. "this place gives me the shudders"
I shudder to think
used to convey that something is too unpleasant to contemplate. "I shudder to think what might have happened if he hadn't woken you up"
Origin
Middle English (as a verb): from Middle Dutch schūderen, from a Germanic base meaning ‘shake’.
Tip
Similar-sounding words
shudder is sometimes confused with shutter
----
3:
virtuoso
/ˌvəːtʃʊˈəʊsəʊ,ˌvəːtʃʊˈəʊzəʊ/
noun: virtuoso; plural noun: virtuosi; plural noun: virtuosos
1.
a person highly skilled in music or another artistic pursuit.
"a celebrated clarinet virtuoso"
Similar:
genius
expert
master
master hand
artist
maestro
prodigy
marvel
adept
past master
specialist
skilled person
professional
doyen
authority
veteran
star
champion
wunderkind
hotshot
wizard
wiz
whizz
whizz-kid
alpha geek
ninja
buff
pro
ace
something else
something to shout about
something to write home about
dab hand
maven
crackerjack
proficient
skilful
accomplished
masterly
consummate
talented
gifted
adroit
dexterous
deft
able
good
competent
capable
efficient
experienced
polished
well versed
smart
clever
artful
impressive
outstanding
exceptional
exceptionally good
magnificent
supreme
first-rate
first-class
fine
brilliant
excellent
dazzling
bravura
superb
out of this world
stellar
mean
crack
A1
badass
vulgar slang
shit-hot
Opposite:
beginner
amateur
duffer
inexpert
incompetent
2.
a person with a special knowledge of or interest in works of art or curios.
Origin
early 17th century: from Italian, literally ‘learned, skilful’, from late Latin virtuosus (see virtuous).
---
4:
Clutz and klutz are equal and have the same meaning. It's about a clumsy, awkward person.
Writing rules differ depending on which version you use:
clutz - British
klutz - American
----
5:
bemoan
/bɪˈməʊn/
verb
3rd person present: bemoans
express discontent or sorrow over (something).
"it was no use bemoaning her lot"
Similar:
lament
bewail
deplore
complain about
express regret about
mourn
grieve over
express sorrow about
sorrow for
sigh over
cry over
weep over
shed tears over
wail over
keen over
beat one's breast about
plain over
h
Opposite:
applaud
Origin
----
6:
betrothed
/bɪˈtrəʊðd/
noun: betrothed
the person to whom one is engaged.
"how long have you known your betrothed?"
Similar:
engaged (to be married)
promised
pledged
contracted
bou
---
7:
mete (1)
/miːt/
verb
verb: mete; 3rd person present: metes; past tense: meted; past participle: meted; gerund or present participle: meting
dispense or allot justice, a punishment, or harsh treatment.
"punishments meted out to soldiers who violated army regulations"
Similar:
dispense
hand out
apportion
distribute
issue
deal out
dole out
measure out
divide out
divide up
parcel out
share out
split up
give out
portion out
dish out
allocate
allot
bestow
assign
administer
(in biblical use) measure out.
"with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again"
Origin
Old English metan ‘measure’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch meten and German messen ‘to measure’, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin meditari ‘meditate’, Greek medesthai ‘care for’, also by meet2.
mete (2)
/miːt/
noun: historical
noun: mete; plural noun: metes; plural noun: metes and bounds
a boundary or boundary stone.
Origin
late Middle English: from Old French, from Latin meta ‘boundary, goal’.
Translate mete to
Tip
Similar-sounding words
mete is sometimes confused with meat and meet
---
8:
Adultism is "the power adults have over children". More narrowly, adultism is defined as "prejudice and accompanying systematic discrimination against young people".
----
9:
bestow
/bɪˈstəʊ/
verb
past tense: bestowed; past participle: bestowed
confer or present (an honour, right, or gift).
"the office was bestowed on him by the monarch of this realm"
Similar:
confer on
present to
award to
give
grant
vouchsafe
accord to
afford to
vest in
invest in
bequeath to
donate to
allot to
assign to
consign to
apportion to
distribute to
impart to
entrust to
commit to
lavish on
heap on
archaic
put (something) in a specified place.
"stooping to bestow the presents into eager hands"
Origin
Middle English (in the sense ‘use for, devote to’): from be- (as an intensifier) + Old English stōw ‘place’.
Translate bestowed to
---
10:
totalitarian
/ˌtəʊtalɪˈtɛːrɪən,təˌtalɪˈtɛːrɪən/
adjective: totalitarian
relating to a system of government that is centralized and dictatorial and requires complete subservience to the state.
"a totalitarian regime"
h
Similar:
authoritarian
autocratic
autarchic
dictatorial
tyrannical
oppressive
repressive
one-party
monocratic
absolute
absolutist
undemocratic
anti-democratic
illiberal
despotic
fascist
fascistic
Nazi
neo-Nazi
Stalinist
dystopian
Opposite:
democratic
liberal
noun
noun: totalitarian; plural noun: totalitarians
a person advocating a totalitarian system of government.
"most totalitarians seem afraid of the spirit of science"
h
Similar:
authoritarian
autocrat
dictator
tyrant
absolutist
despot
---
11:
encumber
/ɪnˈkʌmbə,ɛnˈkʌmbə/
verb: encumber; 3rd person present: encumbers; past tense: encumbered; past participle: encumbered; gerund or present participle: encumbering
restrict or impede (someone or something) in such a way that free action or movement is difficult.
"she was encumbered by her heavy skirts"
h
Similar:
hamper
hinder
obstruct
impede
check
cramp
inhibit
restrict
---
12:
disciplinarian
/ˌdɪsɪplɪˈnɛːrɪən/
noun: disciplinarian; plural noun: disciplinarians
a person who believes in or practises firm discipline.
"he was a strict disciplinarian whose word was law"
Similar:
martinet
hard taskmaster
authoritarian
stickler for discipline
tyrant
---
13:
deign
/deɪn/
verb: deign; 3rd person present: deigns; past tense: deigned; past participle: deigned; gerund or present participle: deigning
do something that one considers to be beneath one's dignity.
"she did not deign to answer the maid's question"
archaic
condescend to give (something).
"he had deigned an apology"
h
Similar:
condescend
stoop
lower oneself
descend
think fit
see fit
deem it worthy of oneself
consent
vouchsafe
demean oneself
humble oneself
Origin
---
14:
antsy
/ˈantsi/
adjective informal•North American
adjective: antsy; comparative adjective: antsier; superlative adjective: antsiest
agitated, impatient, or restless.
"Dick got antsy the day he put to sea"
h
Similar:
agitated
anxious
fidgety
jumpy
fretful
restless
stir-crazy
wired
Origin
mid 19th century: probably from the phrase
"have ants in one's pants"
---
15:
misbegotten
/mɪsbɪˈɡɒt(ə)n/
adjective: misbegotten
badly conceived or planned.
"someone's misbegotten idea of an English country house"
h
Similar:
ill-conceived
ill-advised
ill-made
badly planned
badly thought-out
hare-brained
abortive
contemptible (used as a term of abuse).
"you misbegotten hound!"
h
Similar:
contemptible
despicable
wretched
miserable
confounded
blithering
footling
infernal
damned
cursed
accursed
flaming
vulgar slang
fucking
frigging
pissing
shitty
chickenshit
pissant
archaic
(of a child) illegitimate.
---
16:
varmint
/ˈvɑːmɪnt/
noun informal•dialect
noun: varmint; plural noun: varmints
a troublesome wild animal.
a troublesome and mischievous person, especially a child.
Origin
mid 16th century: alteration of vermin.
---
17:
colicky
/ˈkɒlɪki/
adjective: colicky
experiencing or denoting severe pain in the abdomen (colic) due to wind or intestinal obstruction.
"she was a colicky baby"
---
18:
chaff (1)
/tʃaf,tʃɑːf/
noun: chaff
1.
the husks of corn or other seed separated by winnowing or threshing.
h
Similar:
husks
hulls
bran
pods
seed cases
shells
capsules
sheaths
shucks
chopped hay and straw used as fodder.
2.
worthless things; rubbish.
"he hopes to separate scientifically supported claims from pseudoscientific chaff"
Similar:
refuse
waste
garbage
litter
discarded matter
debris
detritus
scrap
dross
flotsam and jetsam
lumber
sweepings
leavings
leftovers
remains
scraps
dregs
offscourings
odds and ends
muck
rubbish
trash
mullock
dreck
junk
grot
gash
debitage
draff
raff
raffle
cultch
orts
3.
strips of metal foil released in the air to obstruct radar detection.
Phrases
separate the wheat from the chaff — distinguish valuable people or things from worthless ones.
Origin
Old English cæf, ceaf, probably from a Germanic base meaning ‘gnaw’; related to Dutch kaf, also to chafer.
...
chaff (2)
/tʃaf,tʃɑːf/
noun: chaff
light-hearted joking; banter.
"we used to come in for a fair amount of ribbing and good-natured chaff"
h
Similar:
banter
repartee
raillery
ripostes
sallies
quips
wisecracks
crosstalk
wordplay
teasing
ragging
badinage
witty conversation
witty remarks
witticism(s)
joking
jesting
jocularity
drollery
bons mots
kidding
kidology
ribbing
joshing
wisecracking
persiflage
verb
verb: chaff; 3rd person present: chaffs; past tense: chaffed; past participle: chaffed; gerund or present participle: chaffing
tease.
"the pleasures of drinking and betting and chaffing your mates"
h
Similar:
tease
make fun of
poke fun at
rag
mock
laugh at
guy
deride
ridicule
scoff at
jeer at
jibe at
taunt
bait
goad
pick on
take the mickey out of
send up
rib
josh
kid
wind up
have on
pull someone's leg
make a monkey out of
goof on
rag on
put on
pull someone's chain
razz
fun
shuck
poke mullock at
poke borak at
sling off at
chiack
make sport of
twit
quiz
smoke
flout at
rally
vulgar slang
take the piss out of
Origin
early 19th century: perhaps from chafe.
---
19:
inequitable
/ɪnˈɛkwɪtəb(ə)l/
adjective: inequitable
unfair; unjust.
"the present taxes are inequitable"
Similar:
unfair
unjust
discriminatory
preferential
one-sided
unequal
---
Friday, February 11, 2022
Word Meanings (2022-Feb-12 0030)
Index of Word Meanings
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