Word of the Day
Learn a new word every day! The Dictionary.com team of language experts carefully selects each Word of the Day to add some panache to your vocabulary.
an abnormal fear of work
Ergophobia is a strong fear or anxiety related to work. In psychology, it refers to a condition that can interfere with daily life. More casually, ergophobia can be used loosely to describe work-related dread, though its roots point to something deeper than just a bad day at the office.
His ergophobia made him very anxious as the weekend drew to a close.
resounding loudly, especially with a sorrowful sound, as a bell
Plangent describes a resonant, echoing sound, often marked by sadness or solemnity. It's the tone of a tolling bell, a distant horn, or a mournful chant. When something rings out loudly and deeply, it might be plangent.
The cello's plangent tones reverberated across the concert hall, filling the air with a certain sadness.
to take place or occur as something additional or extraneous
Supervene refers to something that happens unexpectedly, especially as an added or secondary event. The word can imply disruption, used when one thing suddenly inserts itself into the flow of another. Plans shift, outcomes change, and just like that, something new has supervened.
Just as the meeting was ending, an emergency issue supervened, causing it to drag on even longer.
lying or exaggerating to an abnormal degree
Mythomania is the tendency to lie or exaggerate to an extreme degree. The word blends Greek roots meaning "story" and "madness," capturing the over-the-top nature of the behavior. When mythomania strikes, facts may fade, but the story lives on.
Her habit of absurdly embellishing stories suggested a case of mythomania.
to address someone familiarly
To tutoyer someone is to speak to them with easy familiarity, like switching from "sir" to "bro." The word comes from French, where it marks a precise grammatical shift to informal pronouns. Whether you're getting closer or letting your guard down, tutoyer is all about speaking freely.
After becoming friends with my neighbor, we began to tutoyer, dropping the formal titles completely.
