Words of the Day June 2024

Question 1

svelte | adjective SVELT

Answer 1

Someone described as svelte is considered slender or thin in an attractive or graceful way. Svelte can also be used to describe something sleek, such as a vehicle or an article of clothing.

// The svelte dancer seemed to float across the stage.

Question 2

incidence | noun IN-suh-dunss

Answer 2

Incidence refers to the number of times something happens or develops—in other words, the rate at which something occurs.

// The neighborhood boasts excellent schools and a low incidence of crime.

Question 3

deride | verb dih-RYDE

Answer 3

To deride someone or something is to subject them to usually harsh and bitter insults or criticism.

// Although derided by classmates for his insistence that he would be a millionaire by the age of 25, he achieved his goal when his Internet startup went public.

Question 4

meliorism | noun MEE-lee-uh-riz-um

Answer 4

Meliorism refers to the belief that the world tends to improve and that humans can aid its betterment.

// Her belief in meliorism has given her a positive outlook on life.

Question 5

affluent | adjective AF-loo-unt

Answer 5

Someone described as affluent has a large amount of money and owns many expensive things. Something, such as a place or institution, described as affluent is similarly rich or wealthy.

// The affluent suburb sports some of the finest public schools in the county owing to its considerable tax base.

Question 6

moxieplay | noun MAHK-see

Answer 6

Moxie can refer to courage and determination (aka nerve), energy and pep (aka verve), or know-how (as, say, reflected in one’s oeuvre).

// They showed a lot of moxie in questioning their company’s policy.

// She clearly doesn’t need coffee to start her day full of moxie.

// The lead actor’s musical moxie inspired the addition of a serenade at the close of the play’s first act.

Question 7

gossipplay | verb GAH-sup

Answer 7

To gossip is to talk about the personal lives of other people.

// The two siblings often gossip with each other about their neighbors via texting.

Question 8

incognito | adjective or adverb in-kahg-NEE-toh

Answer 8

When you go incognito, your true identity is kept secret (as through the use of a different name or a disguise). Incognito can be used either as an adverb or an adjective with the same meaning.

// The food critic made an incognito visit to the restaurant.

// The pop star travels incognito as much as possible, using a fake name and wearing a wig and heavy makeup to avoid the paparazzi.

Question 9

consternationplay | noun kahn-ster-NAY-shun

Answer 9

Consternation is a formal word that refers to a strong feeling of surprise or sudden disappointment that causes confusion.

// The candidate caused consternation among his supporters by changing positions on a key issue

Question 10

tractable | adjective TRAK-tuh-bul

Answer 10

Tractable is used to describe someone or something that is easily led, managed, taught, or controlled.

// This new approach should make the problem more tractable.

// The horse’s tractable temperament made her especially popular with new riders.

Question 11

foment | verb FOH-ment

Answer 11

To foment something, such as hostility or opposition, is to cause it, or try to cause it, to grow or develop. Foment is used synonymously with incite.

// Rumors that the will was a fake fomented distrust between the two families.

Question 12

efficacious | adjective ef-uh-KAY-shus

Answer 12

Efficacious is a formal word used to describe something—often a treatment, medicine, or remedy—that has the power to produce a desired result or effect.

// Companies like to tout the number of efficacious natural ingredients in their beauty products.

Question 13

lodestone | noun LOHD-stohn

Answer 13

When used literally, lodestone refers to the mineral magnetite, a magnetic iron ore. Lodestone is also used figuratively to refer to something that, like a magnet, strongly attracts things.

// The city is a lodestone for aspiring musicians of all genres.

Question 14

rebuff | verb rih-BUFF

Answer 14

To rebuff something, such as an offer or suggestion, is to reject or criticize it sharply. One can also rebuff a person by rudely rejecting or refusing them.

// When their request was immediately rebuffed by upper management, the staff was left frustrated yet also more determined.

Question 15

unbeknownst | adjective un-bih-NOHNST

Answer 15

Unbeknownst means “without being known about by (a specified person or group of people).”

// Unbeknownst to the students, the teacher had entered the room.

Question 16

paradigm | noun PAIR-uh-dyme

Answer 16

Paradigm is a formal word that refers to a pattern or example, and especially to an outstandingly clear or typical example or archetype. It can also refer to a theory or group of ideas about how something should be done, made, or thought about.

// Her latest book provides us with a new paradigm for modern biography.

// Several speakers at the conference focused their presentations on challenging what has been a dominant educational paradigm.

Question 17

apocryphal | adjective uh-PAH-kruh-ful

Answer 17

Something described as apocryphal is of doubtful authenticity; the term is often applied to stories or legends that are often repeated but likely not true. Apocryphal can also describe something resembling or relating to the Apocrypha, the ancient Jewish books that are not part of the Hebrew Bible but are considered canonical in Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. In the biblical use, the word is often capitalized.

// The legend of how the song was fully composed while the singer was in a deep fever state is probably apocryphal.

Question 18

brainiac | noun BRAY-nee-ak

Answer 18

A brainiac is a very intelligent person.

// Her ability to solve almost any puzzle within minutes secured her place as the brainiac of the family.

Question 19

jubilee | noun JOO-buh-lee

Answer 19

Jubilee usually refers to a special anniversary or a celebration of such an anniversary. It can also refer generally to a season of celebration or act of rejoicing, or to a religious song of African Americans referring to a time of future happiness.

// My grandparents will be celebrating their golden jubilee this year—as Grandpa puts it, “50 years of wedded bliss and occasional blisters.”

Question 20

hue and cry | noun HYOO-und-KRYE

Answer 20

Hue and cry refers to a clamor of alarm or protest in response to something. It can also be used as a synonym of hubbub to refer to general noise or uproar.

// After the popular professor was fired by the college, there was such a hue and cry from students that the administration was forced to reconsider its decision.

Question 21

vulnerable | adjective VUL-nuh-ruh-bul

Answer 21

A person described as vulnerable in a general way is someone who is easily hurt or harmed physically, mentally, or emotionally. Vulnerable can also describe a person, group, or thing that is open to attack, harm, or damage. Both senses of vulnerable are often followed by the preposition to.

// It is common to feel especially vulnerable in the wake of major change.

Question 22

supersede | verb soo-per-SEED

Answer 22

Supersede is a verb meaning “to take the place of (someone or something that is considered old, inferior, or no longer useful).” It is used synonymously with replace and displace.

// This edition of the manual supersedes the previous one.

Question 23

polemic | noun puh-LEM-ik

Answer 23

A polemic is a strong written or spoken attack against someone else’s opinions, beliefs, practices, etc.

// Her book is a fierce polemic against societal inequalities.

Question 24

clandestine | adjective klan-DESS-tun

Answer 24

Clandestine describes something done secretly, or in a private place or way.

// The wedding was a clandestine affair in Las Vegas.

Question 25

remuneration | rih-myoo-nuh-RAY-shun

Answer 25

Remuneration is a formal word that refers to an amount of money paid to someone for a service, loss, or expense, or to the act of paying such an amount. It is synonymous with recompense and pay.

// The actor was offered a modest speaking fee by the host as remuneration for giving her speech at the awards ceremony.

Question 26

zero-sum | adjective ZEER-oh-SUM

Answer 26

Zero-sum describes something, such as a game, mentality, or situation, in which any gain corresponds directly with an equivalent loss.

// Dividing up the budget is a zero-sum game.

Question 27

cardinal | adjective KAHRD-nul

Answer 27

Cardinal is an adjective used to describe things—usually abstract things such as rules or principles—that are of basic or main importance. The word is also used, especially in the phrase “cardinal sin,” with the meaning “very serious or grave.”

// “Seek out multiple sources” is a cardinal rule of good news reporting.

Question 28

deference | noun DEF-uh-runss

Answer 28

Deference refers to respect and esteem that is appropriate to show to someone, such as a superior or elder. Something done in deference to, or out of deference to, someone or something is done in order to show respect for the opinions or influence of that person or thing.

// The children were taught to show proper deference to their elders.

// In deference to those who voted against the change, we’ll be having another meeting to discuss how we can mitigate people’s concerns.

Question 29

fecund | adjective FEK-und

Answer 29

Fecund is a formal word that typically describes a person, animal, or plant that is producing or able to produce many offspring. It is synonymous with fertile and fruitful. Fecund is also used figuratively to describe something especially intellectually productive or inventive, as in “a fecund source of ideas.”

// The farm’s fecund fields abounded with produce.

// The Franklin stove, bifocals, and the lightning rod are just a few of the inventions that we owe to the fecund creativity of Benjamin Franklin.

Question 30

kudos | noun KOO-dahss

Answer 30

Kudos refers to praise someone receives because of an act or achievement, or to fame and renown that results from an act or achievement.

// Kudos to everyone who helped clean up the community garden.

// The company has received kudos for responding so quickly to customers’ concerns.