learn a new word each week

petulant (pe ch ələnt)
adjective

1. childishly sulky or bad-tempered.
2. disrespectful in speech or behavior.

That through the utmost depths of poverty and affliction she had toiled, never turning aside for an instant from her task, never wearied by the petulant gloom of a sick man sustained by no consoling recollections of the past or hopes of the future; never repining for the comforts she had rejected, or bewailing the hard lot she had voluntarily incurred.

synonyms:
irritable, peevish, pettish, techy, testy, tetchy, scratchy, nettlesome, peckish, cranky, fractious.

bad tempered, querulous, fretful, cross, sulky, snappish, crotchety, touchy, grumpy, disgruntled, crabby;

antonyms:
genial, affable, cordial, friendly, amiable, easygoing, approachable, good-natured, cheerful, cheery; companionable, comradely, sociable, convivial;

japanese translation:
ふくれる – fu.ku.re.ru
- to be cross, or sulky

loquacious (lōˈkwā shəs)
adjective

1. talking or tending to talk much or freely.
2. characterized by excessive talk.

If we are merely loquacious and loud talkers, then we can afford to stand very near together, cheek by jowl, and feel each other’s breath; but if we speak reservedly and thoughtfully, we want to be farther apart, that all animal heat and moisture may have a chance to evaporate.

synonyms:
voluble, communicative, expansive, garrulous, unreserved, chatty, gossipy, gossiping; having the gift of gab, gabby, gassy, motormouthed, talky, windy.

antonyms:
reticent, taciturn, quiet, secretive, tight-lipped, buttoned-up, close-mouthed; silent, mute; reserved, withdrawn.

japanese translation:
饒舌 – loquacious
じょうぜつ – jou.ze.tsu

Eh, not worth it. People understand me the way I am-there isn’t any feeling or any thing that I am not able to express with the vocabulary I already have. I don’t feel the need to appear smart or more knowledgeable. I have other goals in my life that are surely more important than improving my vocabulary.

the most comprehensive place to define words is thefreedictionary.com.

it has great definition functionality, a comprehensive wordset, an intuitive thesaurus, and it references the word in the context of classic literature.

i look up words in other languages at eudict.com. i also look up kanji at saiga-jp.com.

spurious (spyoor.ee.uhs)
adjective

1. not genuine, authentic, or true; not from the claimed, pretended, or proper source; counterfeit.

Giovanelli had certainly a very pretty face; but Winterbourne felt a superior indignation at his own lovely fellow countrywoman’s not knowing the difference between a spurious gentleman and a real one.

synonyms:
affected, apocryphal, artificial, assumed, baseborn, bastard, bogus, brummagem, colorable, colored, contrived, counterfeit, counterfeited, deceitful, distorted, dressed up, dummy, embellished, embroidered, ersatz, factitious, fake, faked, false, falsified, fatherless, feigned, fictitious, fictive, forged, fraudulent, garbled, hypocritical, illegitimate, imitation, inauthentic, make-believe, meretricious, misbegotten, miscited, miscreated, misquoted, misreported, misstated, mock, perverted, phony, pinchbeck, pretend, pretended, pseudo, put-on, quasi, queer, self-styled, sham, shoddy, simulated, snide, so-called, soi-disant, substitute, supposititious, synthetic, titivated, twisted, unauthentic, unauthoritative, unfounded, ungenuine, unnatural, unreal, unreliable, warped.

antonyms:
genuine, legitimate, true, truthful, authentic, honest, veritable, attested, undisputed.

japanese translation:
偽物 – fake
にせもの – ni.se.mo.no

vapid (vap.id)
adjective

1. lacking liveliness, tang, briskness, or force.

it was a grey, white face, shriveled and pinched, weak eyes without depth, a vapid smile in which there was no meaning.

synonyms:
bland, boring, colorless, dull, flat, flavorless, inane, insipid, lame, lifeless, meaningless, pointless, spiritless, stale, tasteless, trite, unanimated, unexciting, unimaginative, uninspiring, uninteresting, weak.

antonyms:
lively, colorful.

japanese translation:
insignificant, boring:
つまらない – tsu.ma.ra.nai

I will randomly pick a new word a day and learn its meaning.

hussy (hə-sē)
noun

1. an immoral girl or woman.
2. A saucy or impudent girl.

that brazen little hussy.

synonyms:
minx, coquette, tease, seductress, Lolita, Jezebel; slut, harlot, loose woman; floozy, tart, vamp, tramp; trollop;

japanese translation:
あばずれ女 – hussy
あばずれおんな – a.ba.zu.re o.n.na

indigent \IN-dih-juhnt\, adjective:

Extremely poor; not having the necessities of life, such as food, clothing and shelter.

Indigent derives from Latin indigens, indigent-, present participle of indigere, “to need.”

I’ve read this word quite a few times and derived its general meaning from the context, but it’s good to know for sure now.

insolent (in se-lent)
adjective

1. showing a rude and arrogant lack of respect.

she hated the insolent tone of his voice.

synonyms:
impudent, cheeky, ill-mannered, unmannerly, rude, impolite, uncivil, discourteous, disrespectful, insubordinate, contemptuous; audacious, bold, cocky, brazen; insulting, abusive;

antonym:
polite, humble, modest, respectful, servile.

japanese translation:
傲慢 – arrogance
ごうまん – go.u.ma.n