Посты канала Word Every Day

astute • / uh-STOOT / • adjective

Someone or something described as astute has or shows an ability to notice and understand things clearly. In other words, they are mentally sharp or clever. Astute can also describe someone who is crafty or wily.

• They made some astute observations about the movie industry.
• Astute readers will notice the error.

jabberwocky • / JAB-er-wah-kee / • noun

Jabberwocky refers to meaningless speech or writing.

• When the character gets angry or flustered, she talks in a sort of agitated jabberwocky that is really quite comical.

flounder • / FLOUN-der / • verb

To flounder is to struggle, whether that struggle is about moving or obtaining footing (as in “horses floundering through deep snow”) or about knowing what to do or say.

• Caught off-guard by the reporter’s question, the mayor floundered for a few moments before remembering the talking points he had rehearsed.

obtuse • / ahb-TOOSS / • adjective

Obtuse is a formal word that describes someone who is not able to think clearly or to understand what is obvious or simple. It can also suggest a refusal to see something apparent to others, or a willful ignorance of or insensitivity to the real facts of a situation. Obtuse can also describe something that is difficult to understand because it is unclear or imprecise.

• They were too obtuse to take a hint.
• The text is poorly written and downright obtuse.

chutzpah • / KHOOTS-puh / • noun

Chutzpah is shameless or disrespectful boldness often paired with reckless self-confidence. Someone with chutzpah dares to do or say things that seem shocking to others.

• It took a lot of chutzpah to stand up to her boss the way she did.

pertain • / per-TAYN / • verb

To pertain to someone or something is to relate, refer, or have a connection to that person or thing.

• That law pertains only to people who live in this state.

non sequitur • / NAHN-SEK-wuh-ter / • noun

A non sequitur is a statement that either does not logically follow from, or is not clearly related to, what was previously said.

• We were talking about the new restaurant when she threw in some non sequitur about her dog.

livid • / LIV-id / • adjective

Livid means "very angry, enraged, or furious." It may also describe things having a dark purplish or reddish color.

• The teen's parents were livid when they discovered she had lied about her whereabouts.
• He had a livid bruise on his right arm.

gallant • / GAL-unt / • adjective

Someone or something described as gallant is very courageous and brave. Gallant is also sometimes used to mean “large and impressive” (as in “a gallant ship”), or to describe someone who has or shows politeness and respect for women.

• Though they failed to reach the summit, the mountaineering team made a gallant attempt.

hagiography • / hag-ee-AH-gruh-fee / • noun

Hagiography is biography that idealizes or idolizes a person and their life.

• The book gives a good idea of his virtues without resorting to hagiography.