Words You Dont Know the Meanibg of
No 1 knows for sure how many words are in the English language, but in that location are certainly some you hear more often than others. Unless you've memorized the dictionary, yet, at that place are bound to be plenty of everyday words you lot're even so not quite sure near. While we tin can't cover all the bases, we can at least help yous majority up your vocabulary. Hither are 50 common words that y'all hear all the time but might non be sure of the exact pregnant. And for everyday words with surprising origins, bank check out these 35 Commonly Used Words Nosotros Totally Stole From Other Languages.
How you lot've heard it: "The filet mignon was delicious, albeit rather expensive."
What it means: It'south just a fancier fashion of saying "although." And for more words to make you sound smart, learn these l Superb Synonyms You Tin Use for Everyday Words.
How y'all've heard it: "Nosotros created miles of new bike lanes to appease cycling activists."
What it means: To placate a group or individual by acquiescing to their requests. Alternatively, "gratify" could mean "to satisfy," as in, "A good steak would appease my hunger" (though, frankly, yous'll sound a bit pretentious if you use it similar this).
How you've heard information technology: "His bookshelves are organized in a totally capricious way."
What it means: Random, erratic, unpredictable, not based on coherent logic whatsoever. And for some more recent linguistic additions, here are xl Words That Didn't Exist twoscore Years Ago.
How y'all've heard it: "Another zombie flick?! These films are and then banal."
What it means: Sometimes people use "banal" to hateful "tedious," but it's a bit more complex than that. "Bland" means that something—say, a movie or a TV show—is and then bromidic and derivative that, even if y'all've never seen it earlier, you'll feel like y'all already accept.
How yous've heard it: "A bemused expression came over his face when I asked if he knew what 'banal' meant."
What it means: No, this is not a fancy style of saying "amused." It means puzzled, dislocated, or bewildered. And for words you might be saying wrong, observe 23 Words You lot Need to Stop Mispronouncing.
How you've heard it: "Permit's see if she can hit the benchmark score in Tetris!"
What it means: The standard against which others are compared, measured, or evaluated.
How you've heard it: "I love Keanu Reeves considering of his off-screen artlessness. It's refreshing coming from such a pop guy!"
What it ways: A deeply genuine, honest nature.
How you lot've heard it: "I suffer from chronic lower back hurting."
What it ways: In context, you might remember "chronic" means severe. But in reality, it means that something—generally, an disease or status—is recurring. And for words that sound different depending on where you are, check out these fifty Words People Pronounce Differently Across America.
How you've heard information technology: "Iloved her first anthology, merely her second ane just feels and thencontrived."
What it means: Phony, fake, a total sham. "Contrived" is usually used to draw a slice of artistic expression equally forced.
How you've heard information technology: "These l words are commonly heard in colloquial language."
What it means: "Colloquial" refers to linguistic communication that is used in an ordinary or breezy way, rather than formal. For instance, most people telephone call the tertiary Monday in February (an American holiday) by its vernacular term, "Presidents 24-hour interval," when it's actually withal officially titled "Washington's Altogether." ("Vernacular" tin also hateful, simply, "conversational.") And for more fun content delivered direct to your inbox, sign upwards for our daily newsletter.
How you've heard information technology: "After going under oath, I'll be compelled to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth."
What information technology means: To be forced to exercise something, whether yous want to or not. Often, people misuse this word to mean they're "feeling strongly" about something.
How you've heard it: "Information technology'south 20 miles to the next gas station, but nosotros only have 15 miles left in the tank. This is quite the conundrum nosotros're in!"
What information technology means: "Puzzler" is used to describe a confusing or hard problem, question, or riddle—generally, information technology'due south somewhat of a catch-22.
How yous've heard information technology: "The student showed a deferential attitude toward her instructor."
What information technology ways: "Deferential" is an adjective that means "showing or expressing respect," specially in regards to a superior or elder. All the same, many people tend to confuse this word with the similar-sounding adjective, "differential," which is used to draw the deviation between two or more than things. Make certain to bank check your car-correct for this one; while the words might await similar, their meanings have nothing in common.
How yous've heard it: "Rocky Horror Picture Testify is a cult archetype."
What it means: As in, a "cult following" or a "cult favorite," the word refers to a movie, book, band, Tv set prove, video game, or other form of media that has a small simply extremely passionate fanbase. Nonetheless, people often misuse it to refer to a project with a massive, passionate fanbase, like Star Wars or Game of Thrones. (Neither are "cult" classics, folks.)
How you lot've heard it: "When she was offered a big promotion at her current company and an entirely new job elsewhere, Kate was faced with quite the dilemma."
What it ways: While often incorrectly used to depict any problem, the word'due south right usage refers to a difficult problem that offers two (normally both unfavorable) possibilities for an outcome. Afterward all, the prefix "di" literally means "two."
How yous've heard it: "The world is so unfair it makes me experience like we're living in some kind of dystopia."
What information technology means: A "dystopia" is state or society with great injustice and suffering. More often than not, it pops upwards in futuristic scientific discipline fiction novels, like The Hunger Games and 1984.
How yous've heard it: "Come on, that's an egregious error."
What it means: In today's social club, "egregious" means something remarkably bad or shocking. Information technology used to mean the complete opposite—referring to something that was remarkable in a good fashion. However, people began to utilize the give-and-take ironically so often, its meaning started to accept on a negative connotation.
How you've heard it: "She's a millennial, then she'due south very entitled."
What it means: Having, or believing one has, the correct to something. People apply "entitled" to mean "privileged," and that's accurate. Only they as well use information technology when they should but be using the word "titled" to describe the proper name of a Television receiver series, podcast championship, etc.—as in, the seventh Star Wars movie is titled The Force Awakens, not entitled The Force Awakens.
How you've heard it: "I'm empathetic to what she'south going through."
What it means: "Empathy" and "sympathy" are often conflated, when they are, in fact, different. To "understand" means to feel pity or sadness for someone else's experience. Just to "empathize" means to understand what they're going through on a personal level.
How you've heard it: "She was the prototype of elegance and grace."
What it means: "Epitome" is divers equally "a typical or ideal example" of a type or quality—which means it is the very best illustration of the word that follows it.
How you've heard it: "My regard for you is exponentially increasing."
What it means: Lifted from math, "exponential" refers to something that continues to grow at an increasingly rapid rate.
How y'all've heard it: "I'm having an existential crisis."
What information technology ways: This simply means "of, relating to, or affirming existence." It's often used past philosophically-minded individuals to indicate they are having an outcome with something on a theoretical level.
How you've heard information technology: "I meant that facetiously."
What information technology means: This means to treat an important consequence in a flippant or humorous style. It's often meant in a negative way, as it indicates the matter requires a greater level of seriousness.
How yous've heard it: "How fortuitous it was for u.s. to run across on the street like that!"
What it means: People often call up "fortuitous" ways "lucky" considering of its similarity to the discussion "fortune." Only it really only means "by chance," and can be used in a positive or negative way.
How you've heard information technology: "That's a hot-button upshot."
What information technology means: This is oft used to refer to scenarios that are very politically- or emotionally-charged. A "hot-button result" tends to inspire strong emotions from either side.
How you've heard information technology: "Are we going to impeach the president?"
What it means: In theory, "impeach" means to "cast doubt on" someone or something, just we well-nigh always use it in its practical sense: to remove someone from an elected function.
How you've heard it: "The n and south sides of the urban center are totally incongruous."
What it means: Defective harmony, or inconsistent with itself.
How you lot've heard information technology: "You lot ameliorate not put that plastic cup near the open flame. It'due south highly inflammable."
What information technology means: Though you may have imagined otherwise, this discussion doesn't hateful "incapable of communicable fire." Unlike "bemused" and "amused," this is a example where ii words with different prefixes do mean the same thing. Both "flammable" and "inflammable" refer to something that's capable of catching fire.
How you've heard information technology: "John McEnroe is infamous for his aggressive beliefs on the tennis courtroom."
What it means: "Infamous" ways notorious, as in well-known for a bad reason. However, people tend to use it the same as they do the word "famous," which is wrong.
How you lot've heard it: "How ironic that an off-duty police officer ran someone over with their vehicle."
What information technology means: Due to Alanis Morissette'southward 1995 hit vocal "Ironic," people presume this discussion describes an unfortunate situation. But it just refers to something that happens in the opposite way of what's expected.
How you've heard it: "My md used so much medical jargon, I could hardly empathize him."
What it means: The words and phrases used by members of a particular profession that are hard for outsiders to understand. So, if you desire to keep your speech unproblematic and accessible, you should avoid jargon at all costs.
How you've heard it: "In New York City, you can gild food literally right to your door at 3 a.m."
What it means: In a literal manner or sense; "precisely" or "exactly" are synonyms. All the same, people tend to use it to mean "figuratively," when, in fact, that'south literally the exact opposite of its significant.
How you've heard it: "The doctor gave me some painkillers to help mitigate my headache."
What it means: To reduce the force or intensity of something, oftentimes in regard to harshness, grief, hurting, or take a chance.
How you've heard it: "Her story doesn't take even a modicum of truth."
What it means: A small amount.
How you've heard information technology: "That's a completely moot bespeak."
What it ways: Subject to argue, dispute, or doubt, and typically not admitting of a final decision.
How you lot've heard information technology: "Jack had a myriad of ideas that he presented at the meeting."
What it means: Countless or extremely high in number.
How you've heard information technology: "I have to take out the trash—that odor is nauseous."
What it means: Nausea-inducing. This is an adjective used to describe something that makes yous sick, non a way to say you're feeling sick. If you say you're nauseous, you're making someone else sick—and that's probably not what you hateful. The word yous're looking for is "nauseated," equally in y'all're nigh to throw up.
How you've heard it: "The reporter actually captured the nuance of her story."
What information technology means: A subtle quality, distinction, or variation.
How yous've heard it: "It is a paradox that you sometimes demand to exist fell to be kind."
What information technology ways: A statement that is seemingly contradictory but in reality, expresses a possible truth; it could also refer to a person, situation, activity, or thing that has contradictory qualities.
How yous've heard it: "He has a penchant for falling for bad boys."
What it means: A stiff tendency toward something, or to brandish a habitual liking for something.
How you've heard information technology: "She finished the assignment in a perfunctory manner."
What information technology means: If you practise something in a perfunctory manner, information technology ways that y'all are doing so in a routine or mechanical fashion that lacks a certain enthusiasm or involvement in the item activity. (Hey, at least you lot get it done on fourth dimension, though!)
How you've heard it: "I perused the commodity you sent me, but I don't hold with that argument about healthcare."
What it ways: Sometimes people think "peruse" means "skim." Not then. It really ways to read thoroughly or examine at length.
How you lot've heard it: "The plethora of dating sites out at that place make it so challenging to know where to begin."
What information technology ways: Though "plethora" is often misused equally "a lot of" something in a favorable mode, it means "also much" of something… in a non-favorable mode.
How you've heard it: "In the country of West Virginia, coal mining has practically become an obsolete industry."
What it means: "Obsolete" is an adjective for something that is no longer current.
How yous've heard it: "Some would say that a 'deafening silence' is an oxymoron."
What it ways: An "oxymoron" is a combination of contradictory or incongruous (recall that one?) words, such as "cruel kindness" and "heavy lightness."
How you've heard it: "You don't need to call circles 'circular.' That'southward redundant."
What it ways: People assume "redundant" means "repetitive," but it actually refers to a discussion or phrase that doesn't add anything to the conversation—because that point has already been fabricated in another style.
How you've heard it: "She was quick to bespeak out the stark differences betwixt our careers."
What information technology means: The almost mutual utilise of "stark"—exterior of Game of Thrones, that is—is simply "sharply delineated." Though it can too hateful "barren," "sheer," "robust," or "rigidly conforming."
How y'all've heard information technology: "That ruling was a travesty."
What it means: People often use "travesty" and "tragedy" interchangeably, but "travesty" actually ways "a debased, distorted, or grossly inferior imitation" of something else.
How you've heard it: "This beefiness stew just hits you with that delicious umami."
What it ways: "Umami" is one of the basic tastes (the others are sweetness, sourness, bitterness, and saltiness). Information technology'southward essentially synonymous with the word savory.
How you've heard it: "If y'all knew the definition of every word on this list, and then you must have an impressive grasp on the English colloquial."
What information technology means: If yous're dialed into the lingo of your home country, so it's likely that y'all are familiar with the land'due south vernacular, or common tongue.
Source: https://bestlifeonline.com/common-words/
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