Varmint is an informal word that means "wild animal" or "critter." Your uncle Bob might see a mouse and yell loudly, "Get out of my kitchen, you varmint!"
You won't be surprised to encounter varmints during a walk in the woods, though you probably don't expect to run into them in your bathroom or at the library. A pesky animal is most likely to be referred to this way, like a raccoon that keeps knocking your trash cans over. You can also call a human a varmint, especially if it's someone who's driving you crazy. Varmint, since the 1500's, has been an American slang version of vermin.
Get Word of the Day delivered straight to your inbox!
Test your vocabulary proficiency level with our award-winning program and see how you rank against millions of English language learners worldwide.
These words are two sides of the same coin: ways to get more or to make something go further. One side is about saving; the other is about spending less.
Warning! These similar sounding words have very different meanings. To prescribe is to recommend and to proscribe is to forbid. One little letter makes a big difference.
Both have to do with right and wrong, but amoral means having no sense of either, like a fish, but the evil immoral describes someone who knows the difference, doesn't care, and says "mwah ha ha" while twirling a mustache.
A correlation is exactly what it sounds like: a co-relation, or relationship — like the correlation between early birds waking up and the sun rising. But corollary is more like a consequence, like the corollary of the rooster crowing because you smacked it in the beak. Both words love the math lab but can hang with the rest of us, too.
Both words have to do with the mind, but it's more important to be conscious, or awake, than conscience, or aware of right and wrong. Remain conscious while listening to your friend's moral dilemma so you can use your conscience to give good advice.
To wave is to move to and fro, like when you wave your hand. Hello there! To waive, with a sneaky "i," is to give up your right to do something.
Our definitions were written by humans, for humans. Each word has a friendly explanation that makes it easy to remember.
Discover thousands of example sentences from current newspapers, magazines, and literature.
Find the word you’re looking for faster than any other online dictionary. That’s less time searching, more time learning.