Category: Adjectives

1 a of food : no longer good or appealing : no longer fresh stale food stale bread 1 b : not clean, clear, or pure : having an unpleasant taste or smell stale air/water a room filled with stale smoke 2 : not interesting or new : boring Read More …

large and impressively beautiful majestic mountains/trees majestic phrases — majestically adverb mountains rising majestically above the surrounding hills

extremely sad and not able to be comforted She was inconsolable when she learned that he had died.

somewhat formal very many The old system’s problems were myriad. — usually used before a noun myriad problems Today we remember the myriad ways she helped others in her lifetime.

formal + literary showing or having very little strength, energy, or activity a long, languid sigh They proceeded at a languid pace. It was a hot, languid summer day. — languidly adverb He was leaning languidly against the wall. The river moved languidly.

In a zero-sum game or situation, all the gains and losses sum to zero (that is, they add up to zero). The winners win things only because the losers lose things. In other words, something zero-sum (like a game or a situation) involves people Read More …

[more off–key; most off–key] not in tune : above or below the proper pitch Some of the notes were slightly off-key. — off–key adverb He sang off-key.

  This word has Latin roots that mean “sitting in,” as in “sitting in a hiding place, lying in wait, about to trap or attack someone.” Insidious people and things are secret, sneaky, and tricky, as if they’re planning to trap things Read More …

  Adjective “Olfaction” is the ability to smell. (“Olfaction” has Latin roots that literally mean “smell making,” which explains why it looks like other words about making things, like “factory.”) So, something olfactory involves the sense of smell. Pronunciation: ole FACK tuh Read More …