Do you find 21st-century life shallow and superficial? Take another look: In fact, ours is an era of extraordinary depth — linguistically speaking, anyway. As the 2011 song by Adele put it, we're rolling in the deep.
Continue reading...
Do you find 21st-century life shallow and superficial? Take another look: In fact, ours is an era of extraordinary depth — linguistically speaking, anyway. As the 2011 song by Adele put it, we're rolling in the deep.
Continue reading...
Evasive Maneuvers
Euphemisms old and new
Inaccurate Refrains and Other False Notes
June 11, 2019
Enjoy the following evasions, and consider using them in your bank robbery notes and Yelp reviews.
Continue reading...
Language Lounge
A Monthly Column for Word Lovers
The Most Influential Lexicographer You've Never Heard Of
June 3, 2019
Charles Sanders Peirce found work writing definitions for the Century Dictionary, which may be the greatest dictionary you've never heard of.
Continue reading...
Article Topics:
Word Count
Writers Talk About Writing
Are You Really a Perfectionist?
May 23, 2019
If you've ever been inclined to call yourself a perfectionist, I suggest you take a deeper look at your writing habit before you accept the epithet.
Continue reading...
Article Topics:
Automatically create lists of vocabulary from any text
using the Visual Thesaurus VocabGrabber.
January 18th is celebrated as Thesaurus Day to honor the birthday of the author of the first thesaurus, Peter Mark Roget. Get into the spirit by reading our two-part interview with Roget biographer Joshua Kendall here and here. Also check out an ode to the thesaurus penned by Franklin P. Adams here and Johnny Carson's hilarious "Funeral for a Thesaurus Editor" sketch here.
On the first Monday in September, the United States observes Labor Day, while Canadians celebrate Labour Day. If you want to know why labour is the accepted spelling in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries like Canada, while Americans prefer labor (and color, favor, honor, humor, and neighbor), check out this classic Word Routes column by Ben Zimmer.
Article Topics:
"Dreyer's English": An Utterly Readable Style Guide
March 18, 2019
- 1 Comment
That Only Happens in the Movies
March 4, 2019
- 6 Comments
Engaged, Vintage, Deleted Drivel, Begob!
February 11, 2019
- 2 Comments
Teach Your Children Well
February 1, 2019
- 5 Comments
How to Bolster Your Long-term Motivation for Writing
Click here to browse all the articles in our archive by date.
January 23, 2019
- 4 Comments
- Indicates content available exclusively to Visual Thesaurus subscribers.Click here to subscribe today.
Featured Word Lists
- compatriot
- expatriate
- expatriation
- paternal
- paternity
- untimely
- miserable
- specimen
- distribute
- nevertheless
More Top Rated Word Lists:
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know(100 words)
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000(1000 words)
GRE High Frequency Words(334 words)
100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"(100 words)
300 Most Difficult SAT Words(300 words)
Power Prefix #1: anti-(10 words)
Some Helpful Poetry Terms(24 words)
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List(358 words)
OVERHEARD
RECENT COMMENTS FROM OUR SUBSCRIBERS
When New Words Reach a Tipping Point, It Can Be a Game Changer
A Cup of Rosy Tea said,
"Should be useful, thanks."
- Wednesday June 12th, 9:10 PM
Inaccurate Refrains and Other False Notes
Bosse B. said,
"Dear Pwter! Must you have such immeasurable fun writing these columns?"
- Tuesday June 11th, 5:24 PM
When New Words Reach a Tipping Point, It Can Be a Game Changer
这就是我！ said,
"So useful!, thanks to vocabulary.com! 🙏"
- Monday June 10th, 8:51 PM
The Most Influential Lexicographer You've Never Heard Of
Orin Hargraves said,
"I'm not sure what informs your suggested correction, Joseph M. G., but my use of "some" is consistent with its most common meaning: being an..."
- Tuesday June 4th, 8:15 AM
Graeme Roberts said,
"What a sad story about a great man. Thank you!"
- Monday June 3rd, 8:51 PM
Joseph M. G. said,
"You should correct your lede: "My title this month assumes that you have heard of some lexicographer: . . . ." It's "some lexicographers," not "some..."
- Monday June 3rd, 3:14 PM
Are You Really a Perfectionist?
Daphne Gray-Grant said,
"Thanks for the book title; I'll take a look at it. Our society does require technical/engineering perfectionists but it ALSO requires socially skilled..."
- Sunday June 2nd, 2:47 PM
Harold W. said,
"There's a new book out called 'The Perfectionists' by Winchester, which is about the technical/engineering perfectionists who program our lives more..."
- Wednesday May 29th, 11:40 AM
She Created a Monster
Ellen M. said,
"And there was a second influential popular genre launched at the same Geneva hideaway: Dr Polidori's Der Vampyr, while not as original, deep or..."
- Saturday May 18th, 1:00 PM
catwalker said,
"We could cast the net a bit wider. You haven't mentioned precursors such as the Golem in Jewish folklore. As well, we have both 'Young Frankenstein'..."
- Monday May 13th, 2:10 PM
POPULAR TOPICS
Lesson Plans
Put the VT to work in your classroom
Stage Directions: the Vocabulary of Theatrical Delivery
November 1, 2013
How can interpreting the language of stage directions enhance students' comprehension of drama?
Continue reading...
