Word of the Day Archives

[Prior Week]

Venality [ve·nal·i·ty] n.  1. The condition of being susceptible to bribery or corruption. 2. The use of a position of trust for dishonest gain: "The venality of a corrupt court."

Acerbic [a·cer·bic] adj.  Sharp or biting, as in character or expression: The director occasionally allowed an acerbic tone to an otherwise subtle dialogue.

Furtive [fur·tive] adj.  1. Marked by quiet, caution or secrecy; taking pains to avoid being observed.  2. Characterized by stealth; surreptitious.

Incredulous [in·cred·u·lous] adj.  1. Skeptical; disbelieving: incredulous of stories about flying saucers.  2. Expressive of disbelief: an incredulous stare.

Gratuitous [gra·tu·i·tous] adj.  1. Given or granted without return or recompense; unearned.  2. Unnecessary or unwarranted; unjustified: a gratuitous remark.

Incongruous [in·con·gru·ous] adj.  1. Lacking in harmony; incompatible.  2. Not in agreement, as with principles; inconsistent: a plan incongruous with reason. 3. Not in keeping with what is correct, proper, or logical; inappropriate: incongruous behavior.

Anecdotal [an·ec·dot·al] adj.  Based on casual observations or indications rather than rigorous or scientific analysis: "There is anecdotal evidence that the stock will soon double in price."

Anachronism [a·nach·ro·nism] n.  One that is out of its proper, chronological, or historical order, especially a person or practice that belongs to an earlier time.  [the sword is an anachronism in modern warfare].