transitive verb 1. to punish, often corporally.The masters frequently chastised the students with a cane. 2. to criticize harshly.The priest was chastised by the church for espousing radical ideas.The principal chastised the…
Word of the Day
Daily definitions and usage information for all who want to increase and hone their vocabulary.
heresy
noun 1. a religious belief or doctrine not in keeping with the established doctrine of a church, esp. the rejection of or dissent from any aspect of Roman Catholic Church dogma by…
interlude
noun a pause, space, or event that intervenes; interval.In the interlude between the scheduled presentations, we took a walk outside the convention center.There was only a brief interlude before the bombing began…
Weekly Quiz
With the Wordsmyth Vocabulary Center activities, you can study these words, play games with them, and assess your knowledge of their meanings with a quiz. Go to the Vocabulary Center, the words…
accrue
intransitive verb to grow or accumulate over time, esp. as something of benefit.Interest accrues in a savings account.Our knowledge of the past accrues with the work of historians. See the full entry