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Aug 7, 2023
This week’s themeAdjectives This week’s words culminant perficient reprehensible nondescript ostrobogulous 
Illustration: Anu Garg + AI Previous week’s theme Lesser-known counterparts 
A.Word.A.Day
with Anu GargSome words are overused: great, interesting,* and nice, for example. These adjectives have been diluted to the point that they often don’t mean a thing. Everything -- from breakfast cereal to groundbreaking scientific discovery -- gets described as great. When you respond with “Interesting!” to what a neighbor said, maybe his views are engaging. More likely, you are just being polite and don’t want to say what you really want to say: “Wow! He believes Bill Gates is implanting chips via vaccines.” And don’t get me started on the word nice. Let’s give the overused adjectives a rest. Instead, this week we offer a set of fresh adjectives -- some positive, some negative -- but none of them merely great. What are some words you feel are overused to the point of being meaningless? Share below or email us at words@wordsmith.org. As always, include your location (city, state). *Fun fact: In the past, the word interesting was used as a euphemism for pregnancy. Example: Mrs. Smith is in an interesting condition. culminant
PRONUNCIATION:
(KUHL-muh-nuhnt)
MEANING:
adjective: Being at or reaching the highest point.
ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin culminare (to crown), from culmen (summit). Earliest documented
use: 1605.
USAGE:
“Like Nat King Cole, Del McCoury set out to be a crack instrumentalist
and -- thanks to an unexpected career bend -- wound up the culminant
vocalist in his field.” Michael Gray; Cold Hard Facts; Nashville Banner (Tennessee); Jan 23, 1997. A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
No amount of belief makes something a fact. -James Randi, magician and
skeptic (7 Aug 1928-2020)
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