Nubbi Dubbi Apps

Word of the day:

exodus

noun | EK-suh-dus

What It Means

An exodus is a situation in which many people leave a place at the same time—in other words a mass departure or emigration.

// The resort town eagerly anticipated the mass exodus from the cities to its beaches as summer approached.

Examples

“Experts link lower rents to a possible drop in demand after population losses during a recent exodus from parts of Southern California. As the state’s population has stagnated, some believe demand may cool and dampen rent growth.” — Anthony de Leon, The Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024

Word of the day:

underwhelm

verb | un-der-WELM

What It Means

To underwhelm someone is to fail to impress or excite them.

// Despite the hype, the movie underwhelmed most reviewers, who criticized its slow pace and poor special effects.

Examples

"Wake me up when NBA All-Star Weekend ends. Let’s start with the Dunk Contest, which is supposed to be the most exciting event. It wasn’t. Most of the dunks, and the judging of said dunks, underwhelmed." — Zachary Pereles, CBS Sports, 19 Fe

Word of the day:

discomfit

verb | diss-KUM-fit

What It Means

To discomfit someone is to make them confused or upset. Discomfit is a formal synonym of the also formal (but slightly less so) disconcert.

// Jacob was discomfited by the new employee’s forward, probing questions.

Examples

“Bosley Crowther, chief film critic for The New York Times, didn’t quite know what to make of Dr. Strangelove at the time of its release in January 1964. … What exactly was Kubrick’s point? ‘…I want to know what this picture proves.’ We may find it odd for an influential critic to expect a movie to ‘prove’ anything. Kubrick’s aim was manifestly not to prove, but to subvert and discomfit.” — Andrew J. Bacevich, The Nation, 23 Mar. 2023

Word of the day:

ulterior

adjective | ul-TEER-ee-er

What It Means

Ulterior describes things (usually motives, objectives, reasons, agendas, etc.) that are kept hidden in order to achieve a particular result.

// Rory found it hard to not be suspicious of the accountant for offering these services for free; her eagerness to help suggested she has an ulterior motive.

Examples

"Disney's most recent incarnation of depravity is also one of their more sinister: the smiling nice guy who turns out to be anything but that. Frozen, in fact, received a little flack from mommy bloggers in 2013 due to this choice, with some expressing apprehension about showing children that kindly adults could be hiding ulterior motives. Yet we’d argue that is what makes Hans such an effective villain and early demonstration to children of the fact that folks may not be what they appear." — David Crow, Den of Geek, 4 Nov. 2023

Word of the day:

maladroit

adjective | mal-uh-DROYT

What It Means

Maladroit is an adjective that means "incompetent" or "very awkward." It is usually used in formal speech and writing, and often describes people who lack skill in handling situations.

// The governor has been criticized for his maladroit handling of the budget crisis.

Examples

"Barry Allen, a.k.a. the Flash, is the dweebiest Justice League superhero. He's also the most endearing. Barry's got a bit of Peter Parker's boyishness. He's maladroit in a way that's equally maddening and winning." — Mark Feeney, The Boston Globe, 16 June 2023

Word of the day:

gratuitous

adjective | gruh-TOO-uh-tuss

What It Means

Gratuitous describes things that are not necessary, appropriate, or justified, as in "a gratuitous insult" or "a gratuitous assumption." Gratuitous can also mean "free."

// The film was criticized for its gratuitous violence.

// A local veterinary technician provides gratuitous services to the animal shelter twice a month.

Examples

"The Hunger Games trilogy followed Katniss Everdeen as she won a fight to the death and eventually sparked a nationwide rebellion, a dystopian treatment that explores how gratuitous violence can lead to generational trauma. While the book's topics are serious, Levithan tells Rolling Stone that much of The Hunger Games' success came from Collins' ability to respect her younger readers' ability to handle deep material, making the books reach an audience of all ages." — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 25 Nov. 2023

Word of the day:

unfettered

adjective | un-FET-erd

What It Means
Unfettered describes what is not controlled or restricted. It is a synonym of both free and unrestrained.

// The biographer has been given unfettered access to the family's collection of personal correspondence.

Examples

"Kevin Desjardins, president of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters, said that, before the CRTC, foreign streamers for a decade were allowed unfettered access to the Canadian market, which increasingly put local TV networks at a disadvantage." — Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Dec. 2023

ferret

verb | FAIR-ut

What It Means

To ferret means to find something, such as information, by careful searching. It is usually followed by the word out.

// We love having her in our study group because she's good at ferreting out the answers to the study guide.

Examples

"The St. John's coach was captured on ABC cameras at the Garden for Game 4 between the Knicks and Cavaliers on Sunday, allowing some enterprising lip readers to ferret out the digits he was giving to someone." — Michael Blinn, The New York Post, 25 Apr. 2023

Word of the day:

exhort

verb | ig-ZORT

What It Means

To exhort someone is to try to strongly urge them to do something.

// The volunteers exhorted the young adults to register to vote before the upcoming election.

Examples

“Now and again, the band pauses as the musicians praise and exhort each other. ‘More cowbell.’ ‘Let’s do it for timing, and then we’ll break it down.’ ‘I would love a violin solo right there.’ ‘It’s G minor, not B-flat?’” — Reed Johnson, The Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2023

Word of the day:

permeable

adjective | PER-mee-uh-bul

What It Means

Permeable is a synonym of penetrable that is used especially to describe things that have pores or openings that permit liquids or gases to pass through.

// The new housing project will include a permeable parking lot to help mitigate stormwater runoff.

Examples

“The idea is to enable cities to soak up and retain excess water with designs focused on nature, including gardens, green roofs, wetlands and permeable sidewalks—allowing water to both sink into the ground and flow outwards.” — Laura Paddison, CNN, 26 Mar. 2023

Word of the day:

detritus

noun | dih-TRYE-tus

What It Means

Detritus refers to debris—that is, the pieces that remain when something breaks, falls apart, or is destroyed.

// On her trip to Central America, she was fascinated by how much people have learned from the detritus of ancient civilizations.

Examples

“[Artist, Fiona] Connor’s one-to-one scale version of the sidewalk squares required a single concrete pour in her studio before she got to work painstakingly recreating the cracks, fissures, graffiti, blackened chewing gum debris, stamps and metal plates common to L.A. sidewalks. She is chronicling the detritus of urban life, the echoes of the city’s past evident in the patches, and nature’s attempt at reclamation all visible in the humble squares of concrete and asphalt.” — Marissa Gluck, The Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2023

Word of the day:

nebbish

noun | NEB-ish

What It Means

Nebbish refers to a timid, meek, or ineffectual person.

// Considered a bit of a nebbish by her colleagues, she surprised everyone by speaking up boldly against the proposed changes at the meeting.

Examples

“[Actor, Paul] Rudd is outstanding, as he toys with his own likability in his performance. Initially, he uses his Paul Rudd charm to persuade Marty [Markowitz, character] and us, that ‘Dr. Ike’ is a good man whose goal is to help this poor nebbish. We all get swept up in his promise not to let people use Marty, and he lets his wife and his friends think he’s performing a mitzvah by bringing the introverted Marty out of his shell.” — Matthew Gilbert, The Boston Globe, 17 Jan. 2023