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Word of the Day

Word of the day

toothsome

[ tooth-suhm ] [ ˈtuθ səm ] Show IPA Phonetic Respelling

adjective

pleasing to the taste; palatable.

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Why Dictionary.com chose toothsome

More about toothsome

  • Toothsome was first recorded in 1545–55.
  • The tooth in toothsome comes from the meaning “taste, relish, or liking.”
  • The –some suffix was formerly used to form English adjectives like quarrelsome and burdensome.

EXAMPLES OF TOOTHSOME

  • The bakery displayed an array of toothsome pastries that tempted passersby to indulge in something sweet.
  • The aroma from the kitchen enticed them with the promise of a toothsome meal.
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Word of the day

finagle

[ fi-ney-guhl ] [ fɪˈneɪ gəl ] Show IPA Phonetic Respelling

verb

to get or achieve something by guile, trickery, or manipulation.

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Why Dictionary.com chose finagle

More about finagle

  • Finagle is an Americanism that was first recorded in 1925–30.
  • Finagle comes from a variant of fainaigue, which means “to shirk” or “to break a rule when playing cards.”
  • The –le ending on a verb means it refers to a frequent repeated action, also used in dazzle or twinkle.

EXAMPLES OF FINAGLE

  • With his charming smile and persuasive words, he was able to finagle a raise from his boss.
  • She managed to finagle her way into the VIP section of the concert, despite not having a ticket.
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Word of the day

bombastic

[ bom-bas-tik ] [ bɒmˈbæs tɪk ] Show IPA Phonetic Respelling

adjective

(of speech, writing, etc.) high-sounding; high-flown; pretentious.

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Why Dictionary.com chose bombastic

More about bombastic

  • Bombastic was first recorded in 1695–1705.
  • Bombastic comes from the noun bombast, which means “pompous speech; pretentious words.”
  • Bombast came into English from Middle French around 1560.
  • Bombast originally referred to a type of padding from the bombax family of trees, to which the silk-cotton tree genus belongs.

EXAMPLES OF BOMBASTIC

  • The politician’s bombastic claims fell flat in the face of evidence to the contrary.
  • The professor’s bombastic language in class left their students feeling overwhelmed and disconnected from the material.
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