Synonym of the day

Synonym of the day

whimsical

whimsical is a synonym of playful

adjective [ hwim-zi-kuhl, wim- ]

whimsical is another word for playful

The adjective playful means different things in different contexts. When we call a puppy playful, we usually mean it is frolicsome or full of fun (naturally!). When we describe a remark as playful, we mean it is pleasantly humorous or jesting. Whimsical describes a particular kind of playfulness—one that is wildly imaginative and a bit unpredictable. When used to describe a person, whimsical emphasizes a capricious and fanciful disposition; when describing a work of art or piece of writing, whimsical suggests a kind of extravagantly playful expression that incorporates elements of fantasy.

Commonly found as

whimsical + fun
The pattern of the piano teacher's scarf was whimsical and fun, depicting the score of her favorite musical.
wonderfully whimsical
The play was wonderfully whimsical, and it was a delight for audiences of all ages.

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Synonym of the day

confront

confront is a synonym of challenge

verb [ kuhn-fruhnt ]

confront is another word for challenge

The verb challenge is used a few different ways. It can refer to summoning another person to a contest of skill (I challenge you to a duel!), or to taking exception to something or calling it into question (She challenged the wisdom of the plan). The latter sense is more confrontational than competitive—which brings us to today’s synonym: confront. To confront something is to face and deal with it boldly and directly. One might confront an individual, which suggests communicating verbally with someone and holding them to account, or confront a problem or issue, which suggests taking action to effect change.

Commonly found as

confront head-on
The crisis had a disproportional impact on women, and the CEO wanted to confront those disparities head-on.
confront + reality
At the summit, a group of scientists urged leaders from around the world to confront the reality of climate change.

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Synonym of the day

digress

digress is a synonym of ramble

verb [ dih-gres, dahy- ]

digress is another word for ramble

Fair warning: today’s verbs have a hard time staying on track. The first one, ramble, means “to talk or write in a discursive, aimless way.” The synonym digress means “to deviate or wander away from the main topic or purpose in speaking or writing.” The two terms are close in meaning, but to digress, there must first be a straight course or defined path (of thought or argument) from which to depart. Rambling, on the other hand, requires no initial purpose or point, and implies slightly more free-form or perhaps even incoherent expression.

Commonly found as

I digress
After extolling the virtues of oranges for three minutes straight, the professor caught herself and smiled: "But I digress," she said, and she returned to her lecture.
digress briefly
On arriving at the Van Gogh, the docent digressed briefly to explain that there had recently been a remodel of the museum and that the works were not in their regular sequence.

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