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.
bustling excitement or activity
Hoopla is the lively buzz that builds around an exciting event. It can accompany any occasion that gets everyone talking, such as a big celebration or a grand opening. Sometimes the hoopla is as memorable as the event itself!
All the hoopla surrounding the movie premiere drew hundreds of excited fans to the red carpet.
living or growing in woodlands
Silvicolous describes something that lives or grows in woodlands. The word is especially useful when discussing habitats, since it distinguishes woodland species from those found in open fields or other environments. A patch of moss on a shaded forest floor and a hungry bear poking its nose in a tree are both silvicolous.
Many silvicolous birds build their nests high up in the canopy.
to travel or journey, especially to walk on foot
To peregrinate is to travel or journey, especially on foot. It's a grand-sounding word for something as simple as setting out and seeing where you end up. When you peregrinate, what you discover along the way can matter more than where you finish.
The eager backpackers enjoyed peregrinating from town to town.
a greed for riches
Avarice is an insatiable greed for wealth. The word has a bite that is stronger and more judgmental than simply wanting money. A small fortune may be enough for most people, but someone with avarice always wants more.
The fable warns that avarice can leave a person rich in possessions but poor in friendships.
a punctuation mark (‽) that combines the question mark and exclamation point
What did you just say‽ Interrobang, of course! An interrobang is a funny little punctuation mark that looks like a question mark and an exclamation point sharing the same dot. It was devised in 1962 as a way to add flourish to rhetorical questions. Who says punctuation can't be fun‽
Since her text message expressed both excitement and a bit of disbelief, she ended it with an interrobang.
