Since January of this year, I’ve been highlighting one word every week to help bring your attention to new words and expand your vocabulary. As writers, it’s so important to be able to utilize descriptive words, appropriate nouns, and verbs that make us want to take action now, to help us best tell our story, share our message, and get our point across to our readers. The word of the week posts have been so much fun to create and share with you over the past year. I look forward to continuing this “word of the week” feature in 2023!
Salubrious (adj.) – favorable to or promoting health or well-being
Probity (n.) – adherence to the highest principles and ideals
Actuate (v.) – to move to action; to start or motivate
Accede (v.) – to express approval or give consent
Celerity (n.) – rapidity of motion or action
Elucidate (v.) – to make (something that is hard to understand) clear or easy to understand
Benevolence (n.) – disposition to do good; an act of kindness; or a generous gift
Imperturbable (adj.) – marked by extreme calm, impassivity, and steadiness
Sedulous (adj.) – involving or accomplished with careful perseverance
Insipid (adj.) – lacking in qualities that interest, stimulate, or challenge; lacking taste or flavor
Tenacious (adj.) – not easily pulled apart; tending to adhere or cling to another substance; persistent in maintaining, adhering to, or seeking something valued or desired
Ubiquitous (adj.) – existing or being everywhere at the same time
Ameliorate (v.) – to make better or more tolerable
Malleable (adj.) – capable of being shaped, altered, or controlled by outside forces or influences
Loquacious (adj.) – full of excessive talk; wordy
Insinuate (v.) – to impart or suggest in an artful or indirect way; to introduce (something such as an idea) gradually or in a subtle, indirect, or covert way
Astute (adj.) – having or showing shrewdness and an ability to notice and understand things clearly; mentally sharp or clever
Palindrome (n.) – a word, verse, or sentence; or a number (such as 1881) that reads the same backward or forward
Affable (adj.) – being pleasant and at ease in talking to others; characterized by ease and friendliness
Sanguine (adj.) – marked by eager hopefulness; confidently optimistic
Fastidious (adj.) – showing or demanding excessive delicacy or care; reflecting a meticulous, sensitive, or demanding attitude; having high standards, difficult to please
Candor (n.) – unreserved, honest, or sincere expression; freedom from prejudice or malice
Sagacious (adj.) – having or showing an ability to understand difficult ideas and situations; and to make good decisions; it implies being wise or discerning
Felicitous (adj.) – very well suited or expressed; pleasant or delightful
Sumptuous (adj.) – extremely costly, rich, luxurious, or magnificent
Assiduous (adj.) – showing great care, attention, and effort; marked by careful unremitting attention or persistent application
Altruistic (adj.) – having or showing an unselfish concern for the welfare of others
Voracious (adj.) – having a huge appetite; ravenous
Symbiotic (adj.) – characterized by or being a close, cooperative, or interdependent relationship
Palpable (adj.) – capable of being touched or felt; tangible; easily perceptible by the mind; manifest
Audacious (adj.) – intrepidly daring; adventurous; marked by originality and verve (In other words, showing a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks.)
Virtuous (adj.) – having or exhibiting morality; morally excellent; righteous
Ethos (n.) – the distinguishing character, sentiment, moral nature, or guiding beliefs of a person, group, or institution
Munificent (adj.) – very liberal in giving or bestowing; characterized by great liberality or generosity
Ambivalence (n.) – simultaneous and contradictory attitudes or feelings towards an object, person, or action
Intrepid (adj.) – characterized by resolute fearlessness, fortitude, and endurance
Exultant (adj.) – filled with or expressing great joy or triumph
Preeminent (adj.) – having paramount rank, dignity, or importance
Equanimity (n.) – evenness of mind, especially under stress; right disposition, balance
Prosperous (adj.) – marked by success or economic well-being; enjoying vigorous or healthy growth; flourishing
Meritorious (adj.) – deserving of honor or esteem
Tenacious (adj.) – persistent in maintaining, adhering to, or seeking something valued or desired
Grit (n.) – firmness of mind or spirit; unyielding courage in the face of hardship or danger
Gratitude (n.) – the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness
Placid (adj.) – serenely free of interruption or disturbance
Well, there you have it – my word of the week highlights from 2022.
Words are so powerful. The words we choose to speak and to write can have a profound impact (both positive or negative) on the person receiving the message. Choose your words wisely. The wider your vocabulary is, the better you can select the right word from your toolbox… your brain.
Be sure to follow along on Instagram for more “Word of the Week” posts!
