Learn New Words 2!
In all my workshops I talk about always learning new words. I read the dictionary sometimes (nerd- i know). Growing your vocabulary will inevitably improve your writing. I have shared an alphabet of interesting words you may not have known, and some that we do know but I think we should use them more!
Try using some of these words in a sentence…
Abstemious:
ADJECTIVE
Someone who is abstemious avoids doing too much of something enjoyable such as eating or drinking.
Badinage:
UNCOUNTABLE NOUN
Badinage is humorous or light-hearted conversation that often involves teasing someone.
Curmudgeon:
COUNTABLE NOUN
If you call someone a curmudgeon, you do not like them because they are mean or bad-tempered.
Deliquesce:
VERB (intransitive)
1. (esp of certain salts) to dissolve gradually in water absorbed from the air
2. (esp of certain fungi) to dissolve into liquid, usually at maturity
3. (of a plant stem) to form many branches
Egregious
ADJECTIVE [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
very bad indeed.
Farouche:
ADJECTIVE
1. sullen or shy
2. socially inept
Grame
NOUN
Sorrow; anger
Harangued
1. VERB
If someone harangues you, they try to persuade you to accept their opinions or ideas in a forceful way.
An argument ensued, with various band members joining in and haranguing Simpson and his girlfriend for over two hours. [VERB noun]
2. COUNTABLE NOUN [usually with supplement]
A harangue is a long, forceful speech that someone makes to try and persuade other people to accept their opinions.
Indecorous
ADJECTIVE
improper or ungraceful; unseemly
Jubilant
ADJECTIVE
If you are jubilant, you feel extremely happy because of a success.
Kempt
ADJECTIVE
(of hair) tidy; combed
Laconic
ADJECTIVE
If you describe someone as laconic, you mean that they use very few words to say something, so that they seem casual or unfriendly.
Mirth
UNCOUNTABLE NOUN
Mirth is amusement which you express by laughing.
Necessitous
ADJECTIVE
very needy; destitute; poverty-stricken
Officious
ADJECTIVE
If you describe someone as officious, you are critical of them because they are eager to tell people what to do when you think they should not.
Palindrome
COUNTABLE NOUN
A palindrome is a word or a phrase that is the same whether you read it backwards or forwards, for example the word ‘refer’.
Querulous
ADJECTIVE
Someone who is querulous often complains about things.
Rakish
ADJECTIVE [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
A rakish person or appearance is stylish in a confident, bold way.
Stasis
UNCOUNTABLE NOUN
Stasis is a state in which something remains the same and does not change or develop.
Traduce
VERB [usually passive]
If someone has been traduced, unpleasant and untrue things have deliberately been said about them.
Uxorial
ADJECTIVE
of or relating to a wife
Venial
ADJECTIVE
easily excused or forgiven
Wamble
VERB (intransitive)
1. to move unsteadily
2. to twist the body
3. to feel nausea
NOUN
4. an unsteady movement
5. a sensation of nausea
Xeno
COMBINING FORM
Indicating something strange, different, or foreign
Yonder
ADVERB [ADVERB with verb]
Yonder is an old-fashioned or dialect word for ‘over there’.
Now look yonder, just beyond the wooden post there.
Yonder is also a determiner.
His mother, Claudia, lies under yonder tree.
Zany
ADJECTIVE [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
Zany humour or a zany person is strange or eccentric in an amusing way.
These definitions are taken from Collins Online Dictionary. It is worth noting that dictionaries add new words each year so remember, learning new words is just an ongoing process, enjoy it!
I hope you enjoyed my 2nd alphabet of words and their meanings. Please like my Facebook page:
D3 Creations – Writing Workshops | Facebook and share words that you’ve learnt or just like the sound of. I’d also love to hear the sentences you created using these words!