prih ten shəs adjective 1. assuming or marked by an air of importance or superiority that is unwarranted. She had acquired a British accent while living abroad that made her sound pretentious…
Word of the Day
Daily definitions and usage information for all who want to increase and hone their vocabulary.
debacle
də ba kəl noun 1. a sudden collapse into disaster; downfall. The stock market crash of 1929 caused an economic debacle. 2. a complete failure, often deserving ridicule; fiasco. He was so nervous that…
predetermine
pri dih tuhr mihn transitive verb 1. to form or set (a decision, course of action, or the like) ahead of time. The computer’s price was predetermined by foreign competition. 2. to…
ameliorate
ə mil yə reIt transitive verb to make better; improve. The measures taken did little to ameliorate the situation. intransitive verb to become better; improve. His condition had ameliorated to the point that we could…
irreverent
ih re 0v@ 0r@nt adjective 1. not having or showing reverence or respect. She considered it irreverent for anyone to call the pastor by his first name. 2. having or showing a…