Category: Word of the Day

Definition: (noun) Accumulated facts, traditions, or beliefs about a particular subject.

Synonyms: traditional knowledge.

Usage: He had taught the children something of the forest lore that he had himself learned from Tiger Lily and Tinker Bell, and knew that in their dire hour they were not likely to forget it.

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Definition: (adjective) Marked by excessive confidence.

Synonyms: overconfident, positive.

Usage: He was arrogant and cocksure but also sensitive and understanding, and I loved him dearly.

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Definition: (verb) Debase oneself morally, act in an undignified, unworthy, or dishonorable way.

Synonyms: condescend, lower oneself.

Usage: The neighborhood bully constantly shouts insults at the children, but they refuse to stoop to his level and instead choose to ignore his rude remarks.

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Definition: (noun) A loose coverall (coat or frock) reaching down to the ankles.

Synonyms: gaberdine, smock.

Usage: In the office he wore also a linen duster with huge pockets into which he continually stuffed scraps of paper.

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Definition: (adjective) Impossible or difficult to perceive by the mind or senses.

Synonyms: unperceivable.

Usage: The world may indeed be considered as a vast machine, in which the great wheels are originally set in motion by those which are very minute, and almost imperceptible to any but the strongest eyes.

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Definition: (adjective) Not of the nobility; common.

Synonyms: ungentle, untitled.

Usage: The princess loved the stable boy, but he was of ignoble birth, and her father refused to let them marry.

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Definition: (adjective) Not firm, solid, or securely in place; unstable.

Synonyms: unfirm.

Usage: He climbed carefully up the unsteady ladder and cleaned the leaves that had clogged the gutter around the house.

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Definition: (noun) The floor of a fireplace, usually extending into a room and paved with brick, flagstone, or cement.

Synonyms: fireside.

Usage: They sat on the hearth and warmed themselves before the fire.

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Definition: (adjective) Infirm, feeble, and often senile.

Synonyms: gaga, senile.

Usage: His mother was doddering and frail, so he hired aides to care for her around the clock.

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Definition: (adjective) Lacking in cunning, guile, or worldliness.

Synonyms: artless.

Usage: His ingenuous delight in it was a delight to her, and a new and mutual love-thrill was theirs—because of a flower.

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