The terms empathy and sympathy are often confused, and with good reason. Both of the words deal with the relationship a person has to the feelings and experiences of another person. One involves feeling a certain way about a person, and the other involves feeling the same way that another person does. In this article, we’ll explain the subtle differences between sympathy and empathy, discuss …
It’s July, which means summer is here and Cancer season is upon us. Obviously we’re talking about people born between June 21–July 22, meaning they are born under the Cancer sign of the zodiac. Cancer is the fourth sign (after Gemini and before Leo) in the zodiac calendar. Cancer (the word is Latin for crab) is also one of the four cardinal signs–specifically, it is the cardinal water …
At Dictionary.com we aim to pick a Word of the Year that embodies a major theme resonating deeply in the cultural consciousness over the prior 12 months. This 2016, some of the most prominent news stories have centered around fear of the “other.” Fear is an adaptive part of human evolutionary history and often influences behaviors and perceptions on a subconscious level. However, this particular …
Royalty is built on ceremony and tradition, and these ceremonies and traditions are excruciatingly planned down to the slightest detail, often years in advance. Here are some key terms that explain the intricacies of British royal rituals and the places they are performed, including the elaborate funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, coronations, royal weddings, and the final resting places of British monarchs. lie in state …
We make it no secret here that we think words are really cool. In English, we can do a lot of cool things with words like make metaphors, rhymes, or craft groan-worthy puns that even the most tolerant of dads will roll their eyes at. To help express our love of vocabulary, we found a bunch of fun terms that describe a lot of different …
Another new year, another round of the not-so-new tradition of making New Year’s resolutions. As a dictionary, we’re not here to give advice on self-improvement goals, which are often personal and private. Instead, we can provide some exceptional words you can use to describe the resolutions you may have planned ahead for 2024. As a bonus, these words are perfect inspiration if your resolution is …
This spring may be a bit steamier than usual, thanks to the return of the hit Netflix show Bridgerton. This Regency romance with a modern twist took audiences by storm last year with its unpredictable plot, historical setting, and very attractive cast of characters. If you watched the first season last year or you’re catching up now, you may find yourself wondering what some of …
pandemic: life upended, language transformed 2020 has been, well, a lot. At Dictionary.com, the task of choosing a single word to sum up 2020—a year roiled by a public health crisis, an economic downturn, racial injustice, climate disaster, political division, and rampant disinformation—was a challenging and humbling one. But at the same time, our choice was overwhelmingly clear. From our perspective as documenters of the …
