Word of the Day
onerous
adjective
burdensome, oppressive, or troublesome; causing hardship
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Why Dictionary.com chose onerous
More about onerous
- First recorded between 1350–1400.
- From the Latin root onus, meaning “burden,” from which we also get the English onus.
EXAMPLES OF ONEROUS
- The tennis player found the contract too onerous, so she refused to sign it.
- The hike became more onerous as the trail became muddier in the rain.
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Why Dictionary.com chose divulgate
More about divulgate
- First recorded between 1375–1425 as a now-archaic adjective meaning “public.”
- From the Latin dīvulgātus; related to the word divulge.
EXAMPLES OF DIVULGATE
- The whistleblower chose to divulgate the evidence despite potential repercussions.
- The first three chapters of the author’s upcoming novel were accidentally divulgated to the public.
shilly-shally
verb
to show indecision or hesitation; be irresolute
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Why Dictionary.com chose shilly-shally
More about shilly-shally
- First recorded in 1690–1700 as an adverb.
- From the adverb phrase “shill I, shall I,” meaning “undecidedly;” an ablaut form of the repeated question “Shall I? Shall I?”
EXAMPLES OF SHILLY-SHALLY
- The jury appeared to be shilly-shallying on the verdict, delaying the final decision.
- There’s no time to shilly-shally! We need to go now!
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