A Word to the Wise
354 articles filed under A Word to the Wise.
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A Word to the Wise
ineluctable (adjective)
Ineluctable (in-uh-LUK-that-bul) means inescapable; unable to be resisted or avoided. As Bill Bonner used it in the above essay: “And now, despite the irrefutable math and ineluctable financial debacle, the…
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A Word to the Wise
prestidigitation (noun)
Prestidigitation (pres-tih-dish-jih-TAY-shun) is sleight of hand, magic tricks performed for entertainment. As I used it today: “The combination of genuinely innovative technology, marketing hyperbole, and…
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A Word to the Wise
prophesy (verb)
To prophesy (PRAH-fuh-say) is to foretell or predict. As used by Winston Churchill: “I always avoid prophesying beforehand because it is a much better policy to prophesy after the event has already taken place…
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A Word to the Wise
officious (adjective)
Officious (uh-FISH-us) means meddlesome; asserting authority in an annoying, domineering way. As I used it today: “Lest you continue to unwittingly offend, the (anonymous) author of this article officiously…
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A Word to the Wise
bafflegab (noun)
Bafflegab(BA-ful-gab) is pretentious and wordy language. As used by Peter Shawn Taylor in an article titled “Donald Trump: America’s First Millennial President”: “Conversations that would once have been…
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A Word to the Wise
sanguine (adjective)
Sanguine (SANG-gwin) means cheerfully optimistic; hopeful. As used by Vincent Okay Nwachukwu: “That ‘God will provide,’ is a sanguine statement laced with faith. He does not bring one out in the dark and…
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A Word to the Wise
replete (adjective)
Replete (ruh-PLEET) means filled or abundantly provided with something. As I used it today in my mini review of Midnight in Chernobyl: “Replete with vivid detail and sharply etched personalities, this…
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A Word to the Wise
slubber (verb)
To slubber (SLUH-ber) is to work hastily and carelessly; to perform in a slipshod manner. As used by Shakespeare in The Merchant of Venice: “I saw Bassanio and Antonio part; / Bassanio told him he would make…
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A Word to the Wise
intentionality (noun)
Intentionality (in-ten-shuh-NAL-ih-tee ) is being deliberate or purposeful. As I used it today: “You can learn to act intentionally without attachment.”
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A Word to the Wise
barlyhood (noun)
Barlyhood – a word rarely used these days – is a fit of unruly behavior brought on by heavy drinking. From “The Tunnyng of Elynour Rummyng,” a long, satiric poem written by John Skelton in around 1517: “And as…
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A Word to the Wise
convivial (adjective)
This is a joyful, exuberant, sociable time of year – made festive with the pleasures of good food, good drink, and good company. In other words, it’s the most “convivial” (kun-VIV-ee-ul) of all holidays.
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A Word to the Wise
Xmas (noun)
Many people are offended when they see this shortened form of the word “Christmas” – but it actually comes from the Greek for Christ, which is Xristos. It became popular in Europe in the 1500s. These days, we…
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A Word to the Wise
exultation (noun)
Exultation (ek-sul-TAY-shun) is a feeling of triumphant elation or jubilation; rejoicing. As used by John Burroughs: “There is something very human in this apparent mirth and mockery of the squirrels. It seems…
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A Word to the Wise
eye-minded (adjective)
To be eye-minded (AYE-mine-did) is to be disposed to perceive and understand things visually, and to recall sights more vividly than sounds, smells, etc. As used by Samuel Christian Schmucker in The Meaning of…
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A Word to the Wise
exacerbate (verb)
To exacerbate (ig-ZAS-ur-bate) is to make a problem or situation worse. As I used it today: “But is [raising the minimum wage] really the answer to poverty in this country? In fact, there’s considerable…
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A Word to the Wise
obviate (verb)
To obviate (AHB-vee-ate) is to anticipate and prevent or remove a need or difficulty. As I used it today: “To obviate [the urge that I’ll have to sell all my stocks if the market crashes], I’m doing a sort of…
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A Word to the Wise
yen (noun)
Yen (YEN) – aside from being the basic monetary unit of Japan – is a strong desire, craving, or urge. As used by Mark Waters: “My first inkling that I might have a yen for directing came when I realized I…
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A Word to the Wise
trenchant (adjective)
Trenchant (TREN-chunt) means intense, forceful. As used by William Milligan Sloane in The Life of Napoleon Bonaparte: “Bonaparte’s contributions to the discussion were terse and trenchant.”
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A Word to the Wise
archetype (noun)
An archetype (AR-kuh-tipe) is a very typical example of a person or thing. As I used it today: “There are many ways to write a lead. You can begin with a story or a secret or a prediction or a surprising fact…
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A Word to the Wise
rampant (adjective)
When you describe something as rampant (RAM-punt), you mean that it is not only common, it is getting worse in an uncontrolled way. As I used it today: “[Confusion about what is meant by the ‘Big Idea’] is…
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A Word to the Wise
hamartia (noun) and anagnorisis (noun)
Two terms from classical Greek tragedy. Hamartia (hah-mar-TEE-uh) is a fatal flaw or mistake that leads to the protagonist’s downfall. Anagnorisis (a-nag-NOR-ih-sis) is the point at which the protagonist…
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A Word to the Wise
brandish (verb)
To brandish (BRAN-dish) is to wave or flourish something (especially a weapon) in an ostentatious, menacing, or aggressive way. As used by Eric Liu: “The next time someone… brandishes the special status…
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A Word to the Wise
transcendent (adjective)
Something that is transcendent (tran-SEN-dunt) is beyond or above the range of normal or merely physical human experience. As I used it today: “[Iris Murdoch] says that you cannot experience [beauty] fully…
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A Word to the Wise
Machiavellian (adjective)
Someone who is Machiavellian (mak-ee-uh-VEL-ee-un) is focused on his own interests – scheming, deceiving, and manipulating others to achieve his goals. The word comes from the 16thcentury Italian philosopher…
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A Word to the Wise
glom (verb)
To glom (GLOM) onto something is to grab hold of it. As I used it today: “REGN-EB3 is made up of three antibodies that glom onto the [Ebola] virus, preventing it from replicating inside the host’s bodyand…
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A Word to the Wise
caducity (noun)
Caducity (Kuh-DOO-sih-tee) is the quality of being transitory or perishable. It can be used as a synonym for senility. As used by J.G. Millingen in Curiosities of Medical Experience: “Let us deduct even from…
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A Word to the Wise
problematic (adjective)
Something that’s problematic (prah-bluh-MAT-ik) is doubtful, uncertain, questionable. As I used it today: “My relationship with my trainer, for example, can be problematic at times, and it certainly drains my…
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A Word to the Wise
empathy (noun)
Empathy (EM-puh-thee) is the ability to understand, be aware of, and be sensitive to the feelings, thoughts, and experiences of another person. As I used it today: “There was a time in my life when I had such…
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A Word to the Wise
adventitious (adjective)
Something that is adventitious (ad-ven-TISH-us) happens or is carried on by chance rather than by design or its inherent nature. As used by Ralph Waldo Emerson: “The adventitious beauty of poetry may be felt…
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A Word to the Wise
desiccated (adjective)
To desiccate (DES-ih-kate) is to remove the moisture from; to become completely and thoroughly dry. As I used it today: “[When the bodies of the pharaohs] were found years later – desiccated, linen-wrapped…
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A Word to the Wise
opuscule (noun)
An opuscule (oh-PUSK-yool) is a work of art or music that is considered to be minor or insignificant. Some critics might, for example, describe Shakespeare’s King John or Pericles as an opuscule.
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A Word to the Wise
misogyny (noun)
Misogyny (mih-SAH-uh-nee) is a dislike of, contempt for, or ingrained prejudice against women. As I used it today: “Saudi Arabia, traditionally one of the world’s most misogynistic countries, has granted women…
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A Word to the Wise
parsimonious (adjective)
Parsimonious (par-sih-MOH-nee-us) means stingy or frugal; restrained. As I used it today: “So that was something else to think about – the fact that we are each parsimonious with the one thing we want for…
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A Word to the Wise
venerate (verb)
To venerate (VEN-uh-rate) is to revere; to regard with great respect. As I used it today: “With respect to your career, what’s more important: being admired for your character… or venerated for your success?
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A Word to the Wise
proscribe (verb)
To proscribe (proh-SKRIBE) is to formally forbid, denounce, or condemn. (Not to be confused with prescribe, which means recommend.) As I used it today: “Dictonary.com has published many insanely dumb essays…
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A Word to the Wise
pragmatic (adjective)
Pragmatic (Prag-MAT-ik) describes a way of dealing with things realistically, in a way that is based on practical rather than theoretical considerations. As I used it today: “There’s a pragmatic benefit to…
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A Word to the Wise
slavish (adjective)
Slavish (SLAY-vish) means like a slave; abjectly submissive. As I used it today: “If I thought that everyone that listened to me would always do exactly what I recommend, slavishly, I’d give no advice at all!”
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A Word to the Wise
abstruse (adjective)
Something that’s abstruse (ab-STROOS) is hard to understand; obscure. As I used it today: “Once we located a fast-growing market, we studied it. But again, we didn’t rely on abstruse market analysis to figure…
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A Word to the Wise
churlish (adjective)
Churlish (CHURL-ish) means rude, vulgar, surly. As used by Christopher Morley: “Happiness is surely the best teacher of good manners: only the unhappy are churlish in deportment.”
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A Word to the Wise
predilection (noun)
A predilection (preh-dih-LEK-shun) is a preference or special liking for something. As used by Erik Pevernagie: “All incidents which we experience are warily interpreted and translated in the dark chamber of…
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A Word to the Wise
circadian rhythms (noun)
Circadian (sur-KAY-dee-un) rhythms are natural, internal processes that regulate the body’s 24-hour sleep/wake cycle. They primarily respond to light and dark. As I used it today: “Yes, there are ‘night…
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A Word to the Wise
mundane (adjective)
Mundane (mun-DANE) means common, ordinary, banal, unimaginative. As I used it today: “One out of a thousand startups has the sort of success that makes for a good movie. The rest are mundane.”
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A Word to the Wise
impediment (noun)
An impediment (im-PED-uh-muhnt) is an obstacle or hindrance; anything that slows or blocks progress. As I used it today: “Meanwhile, keep in mind that there’s a positive side to these impediments. Thanks to…
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A Word to the Wise
pocketecture (noun)
I just invented a word I’d like to get people using… It’s “pocketecture,” and it refers to the design of pockets in any kind of bag. For people that love bags (as I do), pocketecture is very important. K…
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A Word to the Wise
ben trovato (adjective)
Ben trovato (ben-truh-VAH-toh), an Italian phrase, comes from a saying that was common in Italy in the 16thcentury: Se non è vero, è molto ben trovato. It means “Even if it’s not true, it’s a happy invention…
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A Word to the Wise
ludicrous (adjective)
Something that’s ludicrous (LOO-dih-krus) is so absurd or silly it makes you laugh. As I used it today: “I like [Quora] because the questions are usually inane and the answers are ludicrous.”
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A Word to the Wise
bamboozle (noun)
To bamboozle (bam-BOO-zuhl) is to deceive by trickery, flattery, etc. As used by Bill Bonner, above: “The president and his advisors assure us that the Dow will hit 30,000. Warren, Sanders, et al. have their…
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A Word to the Wise
rapacious (adjective)
Rapacious (ruh-PAY-shus) means aggressively greedy. As I used it today: “We know what they are – rapacious, unscrupulous monsters that are getting rich off of the hard work of honest people like me.”
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A Word to the Wise
halcyon days (noun)
In Greek mythology, the halcyon (HAL-see-un) bird was said to calm the wind and the waves. The phrase “halcyon days” refers to a tranquil period of happiness, success, and prosperity, especially in the past…
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A Word to the Wise
magnanimity (noun)
Magnanimity (mag-nuh-NIM-ih-tee) is a display of generosity. As I used it today: “The idea [of investing in start-up businesses brought to me by friends] was to roll the dice out of magnanimity, but not to end…
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