lettuce
noun
I like a little lettuce and tomato on my sandwiches.
cabbage
noun
heartfelt
adjective
a heartfelt thank-you
You have our heartfelt thanks.
abyss
noun
looking down at the dark ocean from the ship’s rail, the cruise passenger felt as though he was staring into an abyss
laborious
adjective
Such painstaking and laborious reworking and rewriting was Bohr‘s preferred working method, an approach he also took to his scientific tasks. - The Quantum Ten: A Story of Passion, Tragedy, Ambition and Science, by Sheilla Jones
The language has seen rapid uptake by technology companies eager to harden their code, including Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, but converting older software into Rust is a laborious and expensive process. — IEEE Spectrum, 28 Jan. 2026
redoubtable
adjective
There is a new biography of the redoubtable Winston Churchill.
tenet
noun
the central tenets of a religion
strip
verb
I stripped the bed and washed the sheets.
They stripped the room when they left.
embark
verb
embarked on a new career
Millions of Europeans embarked for America in the late 19th century.
aspire
verb
She aspired to a career in medicine.
scorn
noun
They treated his suggestion with scorn.
imbibe
verb
She imbibed vast quantities of coffee.
ire
noun
He directed his ire at the coworkers who reported the incident.
allergy
noun
His plant and pollen allergies were dreadful.
wretched
adjective
families living in wretched poverty
What a wretched performance that was.
dressed in wretched old clothes
cut out
adjective
not cut out for this job
showdown
noun
A showdown between the two seemed inevitable.
guesswork
noun
Their actions are more likely to be guided by guesswork rather than systematic analysis.
comeuppance
noun
One of these days, he’ll get his comeuppance for treating people so arrogantly.
far-reaching
adjective
a far-reaching decision
far-fetched
adjective
gave some far-fetched excuse
name-calling
noun
Other concerning behaviors may include constant messaging, controlling actions, name-calling, threats, or refusing to respect your boundaries. — Elissa Jorgensen, Dallas Morning News, 9 Jan. 2026
flair
noun
a flair for the dramatic
wunderkind
noun
A former wunderkind of computer science, Lennox is now 50.
piecemeal
adverb
remodeled their house piecemeal because of budgetary constraints
adjective
Some people want the changes to be made all at once, but I think we should take a more piecemeal approach.
crybaby
noun
“Don’t be such a crybaby,” she told her little sister.
Hugo ended his letter. “For God’s sake, Don’t be a crybaby!” - The Quantum Ten: A Story of Passion, Tragedy, Ambition and Science, by Sheilla Jones
breath
noun
It’s so cold outside that I can see my breath.
breathe
verb
breathe air
breathe the scent of roses