Callous is an adjective that means โhard-heartedโ or โcruel.โ
There was an almost callous coldness to the way she served out the last game to win the match.
Saying โnoโ to your children can be very hard, and they will sometimes see you as callous for the things you do.
Because they have to maintain some emotional distance, doctors can appear callous when dealing with their patients.
Continue reading: Callous | Definition, Meaning & Examples
When you imply something (i.e., suggesting something without stating it directly), then you are making an implication. Implication is a noun, which also means implicating someone in a crime (i.e., strongly suggesting they were involved in the act).
The plural form, implications, is used in academic writing and refers to the consequences or influence of a studyโs findings .
If this is true, then the implications are far-reaching and potentially disastrous.
Is the implication that there might be the chance of promotion later in the year?
The suspectโs full and frank confession led to the inevitable implication of his brother in the offense.
Continue reading: What Are Implications | Definition, Meaning & Examples
A protagonist is the main character in a work of fiction. It is a noun that can be used in a more general sense outside of fiction to refer to the principal people involved in a real-life situation. This use is less common, however.
The idea of a protagonist comes from ancient Greek drama and refers to the actor who plays the main role in a play and is often opposed by an antagonist.
Macbeth is the protagonist of the eponymous Shakespeare play.
The Luddites were protagonists in the 19th-century fight for workersโ rights in the UK.
The teacher stepped in and separated the two protagonists in the brawl.
Continue reading: What Is a Protagonist? | Definition & Examples
Alike is both an adverb and an adjective that means โin a similar way.โ The degree of similarity expressed by alike varies with context, from almost identical to a general resemblance.
My father and I sound very alike on the phone, and people have difficulty knowing which one of us it is.
Lab-grown diamonds and the real thing are so alike that for most people itโs not worth paying extra for the real ones.
Continue reading: Alike | Meaning, Definition & Examples
Loquacious is an adjective that means โfond of talkingโ or โvery talkative.โ The context of its use will determine if it carries negative or positive connotations.
In many instances, loquacious and talkative can be used interchangeably, but sometimes loquacious implies a speaker who is eloquent or articulate, whereas โtalkativeโ would not carry this meaning.
This was his last house call, and the doctor lapsed into a surprisingly loquacious frame of mind.
Normally shy and diffident, Marty was especially loquacious at the meeting, perhaps because he felt so passionately about the subject.
If you want to know more about citation, reasoning, or rhetoric, check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.
Reasoning
Continue reading: What Does Loquacious Mean? | Definition & Examples
Vice versa is a Latin phrase that we use in English as an adverb meaning โconverselyโ or โthe other way around.โ
The literal translation is โthe position having been reversed,โ and that is still what it means. For example, โGirls perform better in some subjects than boys, and vice versaโ means that boys also perform better than girls in some subjects.
I miss spending time with my family, and vice versa.
All squares are rectangles, but not vice versa.
The big question with a cream tea is jam first, then clotted cream, or vice versa?
Although vice versa comes from Latin, it has been used in English for so long that it does not need italics, much like โad nauseamโ and โmea culpa.โ It does not take a hyphen, and there is a common misspelling โvice a versa,โ which is always incorrect.
Continue reading: What Does Vice Versa Mean? | Definition & Examples
Misnomer means an incorrect, unsuitable, or misleading use of a name or label. Misnomer is a noun, and it can also refer to the incorrect designation or name itself.
Calling it โPriority Boardingโ was a misnomer, as everyone got on the same bus after we went through the boarding gate.
There are so many get-out clauses and restrictions that it is a misnomer to call this a โguarantee.โ
In legal documents, such as contracts, it is especially important to make sure everything is correctly named. There are ways of correcting any misnomer in a document, and if the misnaming is deliberate, then an offense might have been committed.
Continue reading: What Is a Misnomer? | Meaning, Definition & Examples
As well as is a common phrase that means โin addition to.โ It functions as either a preposition or a conjunction and is used to join two parts of a sentence together. Typically, as well as adds emphasis to the part of the sentence that precedes it. Some synonyms for as well as are โplus,โ โbesides,โ and โalong with.โ
As well as being beautiful to look at, the guitar played like a dream.
The manifesto went into the proposed tax changes, as well as explaining how they would be paid for.
Continue reading: As Well As | Synonym, Meaning & Examples
Bear with me is a way of asking someone to be patient with you. It can stand on its own, if the reason for patience is already known. More typically it will be followed by a subordinating conjunction (e.g., โwhileโ or โasโ) introducing the reason you are asking for patience.
I see the problem with your account; can you bear with me while I see if I can fix it?
We have had hundreds of applications, so please bear with us as we work through them.
Continue reading: Bear With Me | Meaning & Examples
Eponymous is an adjective that describes a thing or person (e.g., a creator, inventor, discoverer, or founder) after which something is named. It can also describe the actual thing that has been named after that something or someone.
In the literary world, works that are named after their main character or protagonist can be described as eponymous (e.g., Huckleberry Finn).
In light of Bob Dylan’s renown as a songwriter, it is interesting that his eponymous first album included only one original composition.
The Elizabethan era in English history coincides with the reign of the eponymous Queen Elizabeth I.
The Doppler effect is named after the eponymous physicist who first explained it, Charles Doppler.
Continue reading: What Does Eponymous Mean? | Definition & Examples
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