Word Meanings 20190712

queer
/kwɪə/
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adjective
adjective: queer; comparative adjective: queerer; superlative adjective: queerest
1.
strange; odd.
"she had a queer feeling that they were being watched"
synonyms: odd, strange, unusual, funny, peculiar, curious, bizarre, weird, outlandish, eccentric, unconventional, unorthodox, uncanny, unexpected, unfamiliar, abnormal, anomalous, atypical, untypical, different, out of the ordinary, out of the way, extraordinary, remarkable, puzzling, mystifying, mysterious, perplexing, baffling, unaccountable, incongruous, uncommon, irregular, outré, offbeat, singular, deviant, aberrant, freak, freakish; More
antonyms: ordinary, conventional, normal
INFORMAL•DATED
slightly ill.
"he was feeling rather queer"
synonyms: ill, unwell, poorly, bad, out of sorts, indisposed, not oneself, sick, queasy, nauseous, nauseated, peaky, liverish, green about the gills, run down, washed out, faint, dizzy, giddy; More
antonyms: well
2.
INFORMAL•OFFENSIVE
(of a person) homosexual.
denoting or relating to a sexual or gender identity that does not correspond to established ideas of sexuality and gender, especially heterosexual norms.
"queer geek culture has featured gay themes since the 1980s"
nounINFORMAL•OFFENSIVE
noun: queer; plural noun: queers
1.
a homosexual man.
verbINFORMAL
verb: queer; 3rd person present: queers; past tense: queered; past participle: queered; gerund or present participle: queering
1.
spoil or ruin (an agreement, event, or situation).
"Reg didn't want someone meddling and queering the deal at the last minute"
synonyms: spoil, damage, impair, harm, be detrimental to, mar, wreck, destroy, devastate, smash, shatter, scupper, scotch, disrupt, undo, thwart, hinder, foil, ruin, blight, injure, cripple, hurt, jeopardize, endanger, imperil, threaten, put at risk, undermine, prejudice, be prejudicial to, be disadvantageous to, play havoc with, be deleterious to, compromise; More
Phrases
in Queer Street
in difficulty, typically by being in debt.
queer fish
a person whose behaviour seems strange or unusual. "they have invariably chosen the queer fish in preference to the more or less recognizable member of the human race"
queer someone's pitch
spoil someone's plans or chances of doing something, especially secretly or maliciously.
Origin

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rapport
/raˈpɔː/
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noun
noun: rapport; plural noun: rapports
a close and harmonious relationship in which the people or groups concerned understand each other's feelings or ideas and communicate well.
"she was able to establish a good rapport with the children"
synonyms: affinity, close/special relationship, (mutual) understanding, bond, empathy, harmony, sympathy, link, accord
"the gift of quiet spiritual rapport with an audience"
Origin

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garish
/ˈɡɛːrɪʃ/
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adjective
adjective: garish
obtrusively bright and showy; lurid.
"garish shirts in all sorts of colours"
synonyms: gaudy, lurid, loud, over-bright, harsh, glaring, violent, flashy, showy, glittering, brassy, brash; More
antonyms: drab, tasteful
Origin

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obtrusive
/əbˈtruːsɪv/
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adjective
adjective: obtrusive
noticeable or prominent in an unwelcome or intrusive way.
"a large and obtrusive works where ammonia is produced"
synonyms: conspicuous, prominent, noticeable, obvious, pronounced, unmistakable, inescapable; More
antonyms: unobtrusive, inconspicuous
Origin

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nihilistic
/nʌɪ(h)ɪˈlɪstɪk/
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adjective
adjective: nihilistic
rejecting all religious and moral principles in the belief that life is meaningless.
"an embittered, nihilistic teenager"

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skittish
/ˈskɪtɪʃ/
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adjective
(of an animal, especially a horse) nervous or excitable; easily scared.
"a skittish chestnut mare"
synonyms: restive, excitable, nervous, easily frightened; More
(of a person) playfully frivolous or unpredictable.
"my skittish and immature mother"
synonyms: playful, lively, high-spirited, frisky, coltish; More

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ostracize
/ˈɒstrəsʌɪz/
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verb
past tense: ostracized; past participle: ostracized
1.
exclude from a society or group.
"she was declared a witch and ostracized by the villagers"
synonyms: exclude, shun, spurn, cold-shoulder, give someone the cold shoulder, reject, repudiate, boycott, blackball, blacklist, cast off, cast out, shut out, avoid, ignore, snub, cut dead, keep at arm's length, leave out in the cold, bar, ban, debar, banish, exile, expel; More
antonyms: welcome, accept, befriend, include
2.
(in ancient Greece) banish (an unpopular or overly powerful citizen) from a city for five or ten years by popular vote.
"Themistocles was indeed out of favour at Athens by the end of the 470s, when he was ostracized"

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archduke
/ˈɑːtʃdjuːk/
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noun
noun: archduke; plural noun: archdukes; noun: arch-duke; plural noun: arch-dukes
a chief duke, in particular (formerly) the son of the Emperor of Austria.
Origin
early 16th century: from Old French archeduc, from Merovingian Latin archidux, archiduc-, from archi- ‘chief’ + dux, duc- (see duke).

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quasi-
/ˈkweɪzʌɪ,ˈkweɪsʌɪ,ˈkwɑːzi/
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combining form
prefix: quasi-
apparently but not really; seemingly.
"quasi-American"
synonyms: supposedly, seemingly, apparently, allegedly, reportedly, professedly, ostensibly, on the face of it, to all appearances, on the surface, to all intents and purposes, outwardly, superficially, purportedly, nominally, by one's/its own account, on paper; More
being partly or almost.
"quasicrystalline"
synonyms: partly, partially, in part, part, to a certain extent/degree, to a limited extent/degree, to some extent/degree, half, in some measure, relatively, comparatively, moderately, (up) to a point, a little, somewhat; More
Origin

from Latin quasi ‘as if, almost’.

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tepid
/ˈtɛpɪd/
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adjective
1.
(especially of a liquid) only slightly warm; lukewarm.
"she soaked a flannel in the tepid water"
synonyms: lukewarm, warmish, slightly warm; More
2.
showing little enthusiasm.
"the applause was tepid"
synonyms: unenthusiastic, apathetic, half-hearted, indifferent, cool, lukewarm, uninterested, unconcerned, offhand, perfunctory, desultory, limp, listless; More

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subvert
/səbˈvəːt/
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verb
verb: subvert; 3rd person present: subverts; past tense: subverted; past participle: subverted; gerund or present participle: subverting
undermine the power and authority of (an established system or institution).
"an attempt to subvert democratic government"
synonyms: destabilize, unsettle, overthrow, overturn; More
Origin

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dullard
/ˈdʌləd/
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noun
noun: dullard; plural noun: dullards
a slow or stupid person.
"he was caricatured as a dupe and a dullard"
synonyms: idiot, fool, stupid person, simpleton, ignoramus, oaf, dunce, dolt, moron, cretin, imbecile; More
Origin

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languish
/ˈlaŋɡwɪʃ/
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verb
verb: languish; 3rd person present: languishes; past tense: languished; past participle: languished; gerund or present participle: languishing
1.
(of a person, animal, or plant) lose or lack vitality; grow weak.
"plants may appear to be languishing simply because they are dormant"
synonyms: weaken, grow weak, deteriorate, decline, go into a decline; More
antonyms: thrive, flourish
fail to make progress or be successful.
"Kelso languish near the bottom of the Scottish First Division"
ARCHAIC
pine with love or grief.
"she still languished after Richard"
synonyms: pine for, yearn for, ache for, long for, sigh for, desire, want, hanker after, carry a torch for; More
ARCHAIC
assume a sentimentally tender or melancholy expression or tone.
"when a visitor comes in, she smiles and languishes"
2.
be forced to remain in an unpleasant place or situation.
"he has been languishing in jail since 1974"
synonyms: waste away, rot, decay, wither away, moulder, be abandoned, be neglected, be forgotten, suffer; More
Origin

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