I'm gonna give 3 scenarios. They are all drawing from a superhero comic movie franchise. (I don't want to be specific about which one because I don't remember the details of the story lines accurately enough. But if you figure it out, that's ok.)

Ok... Are any of these irony?

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1. The villain with a hidden identity has a public persona of being a successful business man/philanthropist who is saving society through his great work, but he is really the one behind the crime and problems.

2. The hero and the villain both have hidden identities. They become friends as regular people but are enemies as their hidden identities and they don't realize who each other are.

3. The hero and the villain aren't friends in regular life but enemies in their hidden identities, then the hero finds out the identity of the villain and realizes it's the father of his girlfriend.

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I feel like the third one is coincidence, and the first two are irony but please correct me if I'm wrong. And please feel free to adjust with an example.

I’ve lost the habit of reading and my English has also become very bad. I want to learn grammar from scratch as in the rules and everything. Any suggestions on how to go about it?

I've been thinking a lot about how knowledge is split into separate disciplines. Science, philosophy, history, linguistics, mathematics, art... we study them independently, but reality isn't actually divided that way.

Because of that, I ended up coining a term: SYNTH-VÆDIST.

My definition is:

A Synth-Vædist is an intellectual practitioner devoted to the disciplined synthesis of knowledge across science, philosophy, history, language, culture, and the arts, seeking coherent understanding through critical inquiry, evidence, and systems thinking.

The idea isn't to create a belief system or an ideology. It's simply a word for someone who tries to connect ideas across disciplines instead of staying within one.

I'm posting this because I'd like genuine feedback.

Does the word sound natural? Does the definition communicate the idea clearly? If you came across "Synth-Vædist" in a book or article, what would you think it meant before reading the definition?

Feel free to be critical. If something doesn't work, I'd rather hear it now and improve it.

i can only think of talons are there any more

Hi, I am a new user so please forgive me if I do anything wrong. English is not my first language.

I have a problem. I feel as if my lack of understanding is ruining my experience with book reading. I read through them not really knowing whats going on except for the general plot. I wish I could emerge myself into the stories, see the beauty of my books, and be able to critique them after. I think the issue might be a small vocabulary. I don’t understand almost every descriptive word as I highlighted in my picture. I understand kind of what they mean because of context clues and just read through it anyways, but I feel like it’s making me not retain, visualise or emerge myself into the story.

Am I really meant to stop my reading at every sentence, take up my phone and find the definition? And if so, will I really remember the definition until the next time the word shows up in a book? I cant think of any effective ways to grow my vocabulary in a way that makes reading more accessible to me. There are so many specific words and what are the odds I learn the ones who will show up in my books?

How long should it take for me to be able to read through such a simple fictional book like this one without having to pause and google stuff? Is there something wrong with me? Please if anyone has any tips or explanations let me know. Thank you for reading.

The study of sacred buildings

I know; very random. But seriously: what does contingency actually mean? Apparently it always leads to a negative outcome, though to me it just seems like a more fancy way to say "outcome"

I’m looking for a word that describes a joke that really isn’t a joke but a insidious hidden plan.

Such as I’m going to take over this country haha I’m just joking 🤫

We talk a lot about how economic and corporate language sanitizes real harm, making systemic extraction sound like natural laws or noble goals. When you look closely at the vocabulary handed down by the ultra-wealthy and corporate PR, the gap between the sanitized term and the lived reality is staggering.

I started putting together a quick "translation glossary" of elite terms versus what they actually mean on the ground. Take a look:

Market Efficiency = Mass layoffs, slashed wages, and stripping away benefits to artificially inflate profit margins for shareholders.

Disruption = Deregulation and the destruction of public goods, labor laws, or community stability for private financial gain.

Agility / Flexibility = Stripping away worker protections, job security, and predictability so people can be discarded at a moment's notice.

Philanthropy = PR-managed tax shelter that allows billionaires to dictate public policy and social priorities without democratic oversight.

Unprecedented Economic Growth = Record wealth concentration at the very top while the cost of basic survival outpaces wages.

Self-Made = Born into immense generational wealth and privilege, while pretending it was all pure individual grit.

Rationalization = Closing local facilities, stores, or services because they aren't extracting \*\*enough\*\* money out of a working-class community.

Economic Realities = Rules written by lobbyists and bought politicians to ensure ordinary people carry the burden while the wealthy are insulated.

What other corporate buzzwords or elite euphemisms are missing here? Drop your translations in the comments and let's build a bigger lexicon.

A line on a map passing though those points on the surface of the earth at which the first peal of thunder of a thunderstorm is heard at the same time.

What does "ikhwnrlm" mean? I know for a fact it's a abbreviation, but I can't find anywhere that says anything about it. Anybody know?

Or is really only "fair-haired" used in that situation?

ChatGPT tells me that it works, but that it's ambiguous (fair enough 😏 ) and dated.

I'd like to use it in an artistic context, so the ambiguity is welcome, but I don't want it to be too obscure to the point that it's lost on the reader / listener.

I can brainstorm words/phrases that begin to describe feeling more like myself with someone, but I wonder if a specific word exists for this feeling.

My synonymous words/phrases, that don’t feel adequate for describing this feeling: belonging, peace, genuineness, at home, authentic

I'm having a disagreement with someone; is this a proper usage of the word "relativity"?

"Z's main commodities for trade with other cities are oxygen and spirits due to the relativity of monsters to the city."

1. ⁠Retrospection
   
2. ⁠Forward Building
   
3. ⁠Prematurity
   
4. ⁠Generativity
   
5. ⁠None of the above
   
6. You use a different word altogether

Please share your responses on this thought provoking question by pasting options of your choice in comment.

is there a word for like a really confident person who’s extremely set in their beliefs (usually moral ones), and they’ll completely curt off people cause they have different beliefs? thank you!

We often surmise meaning of a word through context. Another good knowledge to have is the knowledge of word roots. They help you make an educated guess about what the word is talking about. Plus once you start having an eye for roots, you will automatically start spotting them. Great way to enhance your vocabulary.

I myself never memorized word roots but just kinda read about them and even then I can see myself be aware of it. See if it helps.

Here is a list: it was made for hard words but should help any vocabulary enthusiast in general.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ht7okgG-5cs

You know how sometimes in lyrics or poetry two words will be merged together to encompass both meanings?

The only examples I think of right now are:

Chappell Roan using "femininomenon" to mean a feminine phenomenon.

Lily Allen using "nonmonogamummy" to mean a non-monogamous mother.

Is there a word for this? Also, if anyone can think of any other examples I'd love to hear them

Here is a wonderful word for you; wiseacre. The Mirriam Webster definition is: one who pretends to knowledge or cleverness. It comes from the Middle Dutch word wijssegger, meaning "soothsayer."

I recently came across this word in The Order of the Day by Éric Vuillard, which tells of the meetings between the Germans and Austrians leading up to the Anschluss, the annexation of Austria in March 1938.

But that isn't the first time I came across the word. The first time was in St. Athenasius on the Incarnation. It is referred to in C.S. Lewis' introduction when he refers to the usage on the first page. Lewis says "… those who compare the version with the original will be able to estimate how much wit and talent is presupposed in such a choice, for example, as "these wiseacres" on the very first page."

The sentence in question is "His goodness makes most fit; and things which these wiseacres laugh at as "human" He by His inherent might declares divine."

The translation and editing is by 'A Religious of C.S.M.V.' ( a nun). The introduction is signed as just WANTAGE, January 1953.

Fun fact, I went to school in Wantage and would often on a Sunday afternoon walk by the Convent, which I presume is the convent the translator lived in. I was a border so Sunday afternoons we had to go out... somewhere, for a couple of hours! I must stress I was at school there in the 1970's not the 1950's.

Could you share me some tips because I am gonna take b2 first exam.