Our blog explores all aspects of writing and proofreading, and passes along effective business writing tips. Do you have questions or concerns about workplace writing? Then join our discussion!
Blog
Word of the Week: Tractable
Tractable means docile; capable of being easily managed or controlled.
For example, “The new salesperson seemed too tractable to Keith, so he fired him.“
Word of the Week:
Impugn means to oppose or attack as false or lacking integrity.
For example, “Keith felt that the VP’s comments impugned his integrity.“
Word of the Week: Haggard
Haggard means tired; exhausted.
For example, “After a marathon session of endless meetings, Keith felt haggard.“
Word of the Week: Mellifluous
Mellifluous means having a smooth rich flow.
For example, “Keith’s mellifluous voice could be heard well beyond the shower where he was singing.“
Word of the Week: Recondite
Recondite means obscure; arcane; something that is little known.
For example, “The HR manual’s section on paid time off was so recondite that Keith threw the book away.“
National Thesaurus Day
When you expand your vocabulary, you expand your mind. So start expanding, by thumbing through a thesaurus and jotting down new favorite words to use in your everyday speech and writing.
There’s no better time to start than National Thesaurus Day, which just so happens to be January 18th! The first modern thesaurus, Roget’s Thesaurus, was compiled in 1805 by Peter Mark Roget. Since its publication, it has never been out of print.
The word thesaurus is derived from the Greek word thēsauros, which means “treasure.” A fitting name given that a thesaurus is a treasure chest of words!
According to Roget, the main purpose of his book is to enable users “to find the word, or words, by which [an] idea may be most fitly and aptly expressed.”
To help you get started, click on this link to thesaurus.com and start to expand, enlarge, inflate, stretch, dilate, distend, fatten, and tumefy your vocabulary!
Word of the Week: Incongruous
Incongruous means incompatible; not harmonious; inconsistent.
For example, “Keith felt that the new design for the headquarters building was an incongruous mix of modern and baroque.“
Word of the Week: Impervious
Impervious means impenetrable; not capable of being affected or disturbed.
For example, “Keith said he was impervious to jet lag and that sleep was for losers.“
Word of the Week: Deleterious
Deleterious means causing harm or damage, often in a subtle or unexpected way.
For example, “Keith felt that the CFO’s new strategy would have a deleterious effect on next quarter’s sales.“
Word of the Week: Hegemony
Hegemony means leadership or dominance over another person, group, country, etc.
For example, “Keith felt that his sales team’s hegemony in the Northwest was being threatened by a competitor that just moved into Seattle.“