Supercilious

Truly... if ever a word sounded the opposite of what it is, it's supercilious. Personally, I think this word should apply to "super-sillious" people; when in fact, it's rather the opposite.

according to Mirriam-Webster:

Definition of SUPERCILIOUS

: coolly and patronizingly haughty <reacted to their breach of etiquette with a supercilious smile>

— su·per·cil·ious·ly adverb

— su·per·cil·ious·ness noun

Though they may deny it, single-malt Scotch drinkers often take on a supercilious arrogance when they notice blended whisky drinkers with ice in their glasses.




Scotch....photo by JonathanCohen

.....sentences anyone?  and be as "super-sillious" as you want!

Benevolent

be·nev·o·lent

adj \bə-ˈnev-lənt, -ˈne-və-\

Definition of BENEVOLENT....Mirriam Webster

1a : marked by or disposed to doing good <a benevolent donor> b : organized for the purpose of doing good <a benevolent society>

 

2: marked by or suggestive of goodwill <benevolent smiles>

— be·nev·o·lent·ly adverb

— be·nev·o·lent·ness noun

 

See benevolent defined for English-language learners »

Examples of BENEVOLENT

1. a gift from a benevolent donor
2. He belonged to several benevolent societies and charitable organizations.
3. Trees that size are like whales, sort of benevolent in their huge bulk … —Sebastian Junger, This Old House, March/April 1998

..... I must say I love the word benevolent. It just looks like it's a nice word don't you think?

Stolid

stol·id....thanks to Mirriam-Webster

adj \ˈstä-ləd\

Definition of STOLID

: having or expressing little or no sensibility : unemotional

— sto·lid·i·ty\stä-ˈli-də-tē, stə-\ noun

— stol·id·ly\ˈstä-ləd-lē\ adverb

Examples of STOLID

1. She remained stolid during the trial.
2. <the butler responded to the duchess's constant demands with stolid indifference>

Origin of STOLID

Latin stolidus dull, stupid

First Known Use: circa 1600

Related to STOLID

Synonyms: catatonic, deadpan, empty, expressionless, impassive, inexpressive, numb, blank, vacant

Antonyms: demonstrative, expressive 

...because there are two examples included of stolid in a sentence, I will just add my two cents instead. This word is often confused with the word "solid" and it's easy to see why. Instead of mixing them up, I suggest that if you didn't know the meaning of the word "stolid" before today....use the word "solid" to help you remember what it means. I'm going to think of "stolid" as an emotional "solid."

My dog Murphy can be very stolid.

Reticent

ret·i·cent  (rt-snt) .....today's definition from thefreedictionary.com 

adj.

 

 

1. Inclined to keep one's thoughts, feelings, and personal affairs to oneself. See Synonyms at silent.

2. Restrained or reserved in style.

3. Reluctant; unwilling.

 

 

Adj.

1.

reticent - temperamentally disinclined to talk untalkative taciturn - habitually reserved and uncommunicative

 

2.	reticent - cool and formal in manner             restrained, unemotional undemonstrative - not given to open expression of emotion

 

3.	reticent - reluctant to draw attention to yourself self-effacing, retiring unassertive - inclined to timidity or lack of self-confidence; "a shy unassertive person"

 

 

Her reticent behavior, most unusual for her; made me think she must be up to something.

Placate

pla·cate....dictionary.com

[pley-keyt, plak-eyt]

–verb (used with object), -cat·ed, -cat·ing.

 

to appease or pacify, esp. by concessions or conciliatory gestures: to placate an outraged citizenry.

 

 

and from yourdictionary.com

 

 

pla·cate (plā′kāt′, plā kāt′; also plak′āt′)

transitive verb placated -·cat′ed, placating -·cat′·ing

to stop from being angry; appease

 

 

 

 

sentence:  When Kendra took the inappropriate bottle opener away from baby Jackson, he got upset. She tried to placate him by distracting him with one of his toys.

 

 

.....today's sentence was based on a true story!

Acrimonious

ac·ri·mo·ni·ous...Mirriam-Webster

  [ak-ruh-moh-nee-uhs]

–adjective

caustic, stinging, or bitter in nature, speech, behavior, etc.: an acrimonious answer; an acrimonious dispute.

After enjoying our lovely meal out, I was tempted to indulge in the chocolate torte. The little devil on my left shoulder said, "go ahead Nancy....you only live once...you know you want it!"  The little angel on my right side said, "do you really think you should?  I mean it's not as if you're still hungry..." 

I flicked that little angel off my shoulder and acrimoniously whispered, "...come back later when you can tell me what I want to hear!"

Then I ordered the torte.

Amorphous

Definition of AMORPHOUS....thanks to Mirriam-Webster

[uh-mawr-fuhs

1a : having no definite form : shapeless <an amorphous cloud mass> b : being without definite character or nature : unclassifiable <an amorphous segment of society> c : lacking organization or unity <an amorphous style of writing>

2: having no real or apparent crystalline form <an amorphous mineral>

— amor·phous·ly adverb

— amor·phous·ness noun

I'm pretty sure that after Thursday my shape will be more amorphous than ever thanks to turkey, stuffing and pie.  Urp!

turkey....by roadfun.