Tag: Smarturday

exuberant vs. deficient exuberant (adjective) – effusively and almost uninhibitedly enthusiastic; abounding in vitality; extremely joyful and vigorous deficient (adjective) – lacking some element or characteristic; insufficient; inadequate Can you wake up full of joy, or do you grumble aloud “oh boy”? Does sun streaming in bring delight, or do you try to shut your […]

genuine vs. swindle genuine (adjective) – possessing the claimed or attributed character, quality, or origin; authentic; real; free from pretense, affectation, or hypocrisy; sincere swindle (verb/noun) – to obtain by fraud or deceit; anything deceptive; a fraud Natural inclinations vs. learned behavior  Intuitive steps vs. cultured habit Flowing action vs. conditioned reaction Would you consider […]

amour propre (noun) – a sense of one’s own worth; self-respect Do you have a good sense of your own worth? Are you critical or generous with your assessment? Do you give yourself the benefit of the doubt? Can you approach your self-evaluation more impeccably? Can you recognize that you are trying your best? If […]

jaunty vs. diffident jaunty (adjective) – having or expressing a lively and self-confident manner; smartly trim; a stylish or spirited confidence diffident (adjective) – lacking confidence in one’s own ability, worth, or fitness; timid; shy; restrained or reserved in manner, conduct, etc. Embody feeling jaunty; avoid unnecessary flaunties. Make a difference; avoid diffidence. When you […]

mettle vs. meddle mettle (noun) – courage and fortitude; disposition or temperament meddle (verb) – to involve oneself in a matter without right or invitation; interfere officiously and unwantedly Meld your mettle. Be slow to meddle. What is your metal? Will you earn a medal? Are you working on your mettle, or are you busy […]

forbearing vs. immoderate forbearing (adjective/verb) – being patient or practicing self-control when subjected to annoyance or provocation; refraining or holding back appropriately immoderate (adjective) – not moderate; exceeding just or reasonable limits; excessive; extreme; intemperate; without bounds Be forbearing one with another and set not your affections on things below. Pride not yourselves in your […]

respire (verb) – to inhale and exhale air for the purpose of maintaining life; breathe; to breathe freely again, after anxiety, trouble, etc. Respirate, wait Respirate, wait Therein lies a path to being great Want to rush ahead? Still living with dread? Take a moment to pause in order to check cause If you move […]

elasticity (noun) – the state or quality of being capable of returning to original length, shape, etc., after being stretched, deformed, compressed, or expanded; flexibility; resilience; adaptability; ability to resist or overcome depression; buoyancy Does your mind quickly snap to rubber bands, too? I believe that we can be extremely elastic individuals but only if […]

self-effacing (adjective) – tending to make oneself, one’s actions, etc, inconspicuous, especially because of humility or timidity; modest “Humility is an emotion that arises when we recognize our limitations, imperfections, and interdependence with others. It can manifest as a sense of openness, curiosity, or gratitude. Humility can be a powerful emotion, helping us to learn […]

rejuvenate vs. enervate rejuvenate (verb) – to restore to youthful vigor, appearance, etc.; to make fresh or new again enervate (verb) – to deprive of force or strength; to destroy the vigor of; to weaken We naturally enervate throughout each day. Random issues and stressors pop up as we go about our lives. If we […]

rapprochement vs. encroachment rapprochement (noun) – an establishment or reestablishment of harmonious relations encroachment (noun) – an act or instance of advancing beyond proper, established, or usual limits; trespassing Being in tune vs. out of touch Are you establishing harmony? It may not always be much Build your symphony. Being a solo artist can get […]

accretion vs. depletion accretion (noun) – an increase by natural growth or by gradual external addition; growth in size or extent; the growing together of separate parts into a single whole depletion (noun) – a serious decrease; the exhaustion of abundance or supply Are you growing or shrinking? Expanding or compressing?? Accreting or depleting??? Prejudices,it […]

acknowledge vs. disparage acknowledge (verb) – to admit to be real or true; recognize the existence, truth, or fact of; to show or express appreciation or gratitude for disparage (verb) – to speak of or treat slightingly; depreciate; belittle; to bring reproach or discredit upon; lower the estimation of Which do you do more of: […]

self-compassion vs. self-contempt self-compassion (noun)- the practice of being kind and understanding with oneself, rather than being harshly self-critical when faced with failure, mistakes, or feelings of inadequacy self-contempt (noun)- contempt or loathing for oneself or one’s actions; a strong feeling of disliking and having no respect for oneself If your compassion does not include […]

avid vs. vapid avid (adjective) – showing great enthusiasm for or interest in; eager vapid (adjective) – without liveliness or spirit; dull or tedious; flat Gratitude energizes appreciation for life. It helps you feel avid instead of vapid. The change can be quite rapid if you shift your mindset and count your blessings. Gratitude enlivens […]

irenic vs. ironic irenic (adjective) – tending to promote peace or reconciliation; peaceful or conciliatory ironic (adjective) – using words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning; of, relating to, or tending to use irony or mockery; coincidental; unexpected These two words do not contrast inherently; irenic and ironic can […]

logic vs. logorrhea logic (noun) – the science that investigates the principles governing correct or reliable inference; the system or principles of reasoning applicable to any branch of knowledge or study; reason or sound judgment, as in utterances or actions; convincing forcefulness; inexorable truth or persuasiveness logorrhea (noun) – pathologically incoherent, repetitious speech; incessant or […]

magnanimous (adjective) – generous in forgiving an insult or injury; free from petty resentfulness or vindictiveness For me, forgiveness and compassion are always linked: How do we hold people accountable for wrongdoing and yet at the same time remain in touch with their humanity enough to believe in their capacity to be transformed? -bell hooks […]

diffident vs. effulgent diffident – adjective – lacking confidence in one’s own ability, worth, or fitness; timid; shy. Also, restrained or reserved in manner, conduct, etc. effulgent – adjective – shining forth brilliantly; radiant When I think about these two words, my mind jumps to indifferent and effusive: indifferent – adjective – without interest or […]

Inquisitive vs. Indubitable Inquisitive (adjective) – given to inquiry, research, or asking questions; eager for knowledge; intellectually curious Indubitable (adjective) – that cannot be doubted; patently evident or certain; unquestionable I think very few things should be considered indubitable; I choose to remain inquisitive about almost anything and everything. Sure, the sun will rise, and […]

Kilter vs. Off-kilter Kilter – noun – good condition; working order Off-kilter – adjective – not exactly straight or in perfect balance; not completely well; somewhat ill I find these two definitions to be quite intriguing. To me, their definitions do not strike me as being exact opposites. Why does kilter not also discuss being […]

Abridged vs. Saga Abridged – adjective – reduced or lessened in duration, scope, authority, etc.; diminished or curtailed Saga – noun – any narrative or legend of heroic exploits or any very long story with dramatic events or parts How many bridges are involved in an abridged version versus a saga? I think there would […]

Word vs. Sword Wordsmith vs. Swordsmith Wordsman vs. Swordsman I think swordsman is such a cool word, aside from its masculine default. If you drop the first letter off it, what do you get? Wordsman. Why is that not also a word currently? Conversely, wordsmith exists yet swordsmith does not? Some bizarre differences… I think […]

Suggest vs. Sugjest I am here to try and write the best witticisms that I can. Therefore, I believe it is within my right(/write) to occasionally flex (and even introduce) adaptations to existing words in order to best fit the needs of these writings. What else really is a writer’s license, eh? Along those lines, […]