This tag is for questions seeking a single word that fits a meaning. If you actually seek a phrase, or don't care, see the "phrase requests" tag too.
-5
votes
1answer
199 views
What's the opposite of dramatic irony? [closed]
I know that dramatic irony is when the audience knows things the characters don't, but what do you call it when the characters in a story know information that the audience does not?
-2
votes
2answers
39 views
Event: “archived” vs. “filed” vs. “shelved”
I'm coding a database that has an Events table with a status field. When an event's date has not yet passed, the status is Published.
I would like to use a term to mean that the date of the event has ...
8
votes
5answers
333 views
What is the English equivalent to the Japanese word 学者バカ, “Scholar’s fool”?
I’m interested in the words “instant omniscience,” which Calvin Trillin, a former editor for Time magazine, used in a New Yorker magazine article (March 20) entitled "Time Edit":
“There were some ...
-1
votes
5answers
160 views
Word describing 'not content with small achievement, but working hard to achieve higher level'
I am looking for a single English word which describes the mental quality of being not content with small achievement, but working hard to achieve higher level. For example, an artist who is not ...
2
votes
2answers
96 views
Is there a single word or a phrase that can be used to denote either Before or After? [duplicate]
I am looking for a word that does not refer to now, but can refer to either before or after. In case of phrases, the lesser the words, the better is.
It is to name a Java class file whose basic task ...
2
votes
1answer
158 views
What is another way to say 10 months? [closed]
I'm just curious because we call 10 years a decade.
The word (decade) is derived (via French) from the Ancient Greek dekas which
means ten.
As sighted from wikipedia: Decade
Is there ...
5
votes
6answers
208 views
Word for devastativeness?
I am composing a problem for my students. It goes something like this:
You are writing a software for an observatory. You have a database of near-Earth objects that contains the following ...
10
votes
3answers
489 views
Word for “parents with children who have moved out”?
How do you call someone, or someone's point in life when their children moved out and they have more time, or are willing to make riskier career choices?
0
votes
5answers
190 views
A non-negative, non-prejudicial term for state of being without a significant other, single? [closed]
What do you call the state of being single, without a significant other?
Singlehood?
Singleness?
Singledom?
Solity?
I don't like the single+suffix varieties.
Notes:
I want something equality ...
-1
votes
1answer
141 views
Is there a word for people who are afraid of change? [closed]
We would like to know if there is a single word to describe fear of change.
0
votes
3answers
101 views
One word for “fierce passion” [closed]
I am looking for one single word to replace the phrase fierce passion. The entire sentence is:
I found in myself a fierce passion to understand the language of man.
1
vote
3answers
59 views
Is there a single word for “Use the contribution of”
Is there a single word (or more elegant word) for "Use the contribution of"? Ok, some more context:
I'm looking to make a more-dynamic alternative of:
The team will be composed of analysts.
Too ...
2
votes
2answers
170 views
One word for self-clicked photographs
Recently I came across this word which means "one's self-clicked photograph". I, however, do not remember where I read it or what that word was. The article in which I saw the word was regarding ...
16
votes
8answers
1k views
What do you call a disease with an unknown cure?
We call a disorder with an unknown cause or etiology as idiopathic. But what about a disease with an unknown cure — is there a single-word adjective (or phrase) that captures both the current ...
0
votes
2answers
70 views
Word for Success + Triumph
Are there words that mean succeed and nurture, kind of like triumph and foster together? Looking for something that conveys a winning environment that helps people achieve their goals. Halcyon is the ...
-1
votes
3answers
236 views
What is the female equivalent for “handsome”?
In the first days in a relationship, a girl welcomes a guy with "hey handsome". Would be "hey honey" an appropriate response?
2
votes
4answers
100 views
Proper English for “started shooting anywhere” [closed]
What's the proper word to describe someone shooting anywhere around in order to kill as many as possible:
The terrorists entered the room and started shooting ________, 5 were killed, 1 injured.
-2
votes
1answer
65 views
A single word for someone who spends their wealth very foolishly
What is a single word for someone who spends their wealth very foolishly?
For example: A person is obligated to take care of their children but instead spends their money on unnecessary things ...
-4
votes
1answer
73 views
How to call a person who works with statistics? [closed]
I mean person who administrates something is called administrator. Person who manages something is called manager. How to call a person who works with statistics?
1
vote
3answers
88 views
Antonym of “recurrent” [closed]
What is the antonym of recurrent? This is like I have to few activities which I have to perform each month so these are recurrent but there are few activities which I only perform once. So what should ...
2
votes
6answers
143 views
Word for the fear in spooky environment
Sometimes when I am in spooky environment (like on a deserted street at midnight with little light), I would have this fear that I would start having hallucinations (like seeing things that don't ...
1
vote
1answer
51 views
Word for “having intension to do something, but do not know where to start”
Sometimes I feel like doing something (let's say writing an article about the lovely weather today) but I do not know what to write. How to describe this phenomenon?
You have the intension to do ...
1
vote
1answer
221 views
Is there any rhyming word for the word 'month'? [closed]
I searched but I found that the word 'month' I am looking for, has no perfectly rhyming word. Is it true? Can anyone suggest rhyming words for this word?
I also have certain words like 'millionth'. ...
1
vote
1answer
93 views
logic and reasoning
My sentence:
Sometimes a question can have multiple answers where all of them share some kind of evidence but none of them can be a [strict — right — 100% sure that it is the answer — what else?] ...
0
votes
1answer
141 views
What do you call a person who admits that she has a bad side and a good side too? [closed]
What do you call a person who considers himself both bad and good? Bob, for example, burns his enemy's house as revenge, after which he says, "Good Bob wants to apologize, but bad Bob wanted ...
1
vote
4answers
296 views
Word to describe someone who does whatever they please?
I’m looking for a word that could be used to describe someone that does whatever he wants and doesn't listen to anyone else. Someone like Julius Caesar maybe?
1
vote
1answer
90 views
The “Nobody claps, one person claps, everyone claps” Phenomenon
What is the word to describe the phenomenon where at first nobody has the intension to clap (after a performance, lecture, etc). But suddenly one person starts clapping loudly, breaking the silence, ...
3
votes
3answers
96 views
Name for anti-decoy
There is this trick when you give a person two choices: one which you want her to accept; and the other, which is significantly worse than the first one. This way you create the illusion of choice, ...
3
votes
3answers
166 views
What is a word for “cannot-be-wrong” attitude?
When speaking with someone recently I was continuously taken aback by how he could not concede even the slightest detail in my argument (which was not unreasonable), and it happened another time ...
0
votes
2answers
93 views
What do you call this type of person? [closed]
What do you call someone who is seemingly working with you but is actually working against you?
1
vote
2answers
54 views
Are there single words that are defined as “to remain to examine what others passed up”
I was beach combing the other day and I wanted to know a word for
"to remain to examine what others have passed up."
This happens in beach combing when you are following your fellow companion and ...
1
vote
6answers
216 views
What is the word for thinking about what someone is thinking?
In chess you are constantly thinking about what your opponent might be thinking. Is there a specific word in English for this?
Meta-cognition comes close but not exactly what I am looking for. ...
3
votes
3answers
162 views
Do the spaces between the teeth of a comb have a name?
According to Google, they are called "Umpernaters," but I can't find that word anywhere in dictionaries, so I'm tempted to think it's just a legend.
Is there a real term?
3
votes
1answer
104 views
Equivalent of “anthropomorphism” for babies
Anthropomorphism is about attributing human emotions to other animals.
I have a one-month old baby at home, and was wondering if there was a corresponding word for attributing adult human emotions to ...
1
vote
1answer
88 views
Is “introductive” a word? Or should I use “introductory”?
I was very surprised when open office's spell check underlined the word introductive. I checked a few dictionaries and only a few (including The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford University ...
0
votes
2answers
94 views
How to call an item that's neither an accessory nor a piece of jewelry
First let us paint a picture together.
Think of an individual whom wears clothes (like the lot of us); this individual also has an item around the wrist, which is not an item that affixes to another ...
0
votes
4answers
188 views
What is the converse of “hence”?
Imagine I have two sentences. The second one causes or precedes the first one, like:
It is raining. There are a lot of clouds.
You can say:
There are a lot of clouds. Hence, it is raining.
...
2
votes
1answer
84 views
An English equivalent of 'intelligentsia'? [duplicate]
Webster says:
Definition of INTELLIGENTSIA:
intellectuals who form an artistic, social, or political vanguard or elite
Origin of INTELLIGENTSIA
Russian intelligentsiya, from Latin ...
3
votes
2answers
107 views
Hypernym for “conjunction” and “disjunction”
Is there a hypernym for conjunction and disjunction, in their logical senses? Just using "junction" doesn't seem right to me.
-1
votes
1answer
115 views
What is the term for sentences like these?
What are sentences like "men are to women as culture is to nature" called?
5
votes
5answers
317 views
One word for the act of being born?
Is there any one word for the act of being born?
The closest things I could think of are:
I was born
I come to life
She is giving birth to me
I'm interested in knowing if there is one word to ...
-1
votes
1answer
108 views
A word to describe thing or activity that is usually happens with other people [closed]
For example:
The movie contains violent scenes, (that usually can be seen in) the Tarantino movies.
He barely know us, but gave us a warm welcome, (that's usually given by) close friends.
What ...
4
votes
7answers
220 views
Antonym of “Cascade”
In our company, at the beginning of year, we have what is known as Goals Cascading. Essentially, the senior most people in the firm set goals for the entire firm and then the people at the next level ...
1
vote
2answers
189 views
A word to describe something that has a clear-cut purpose and consequently works out of the box
I'm looking for a word that would convey the idea of something that adresses a definite problem set and consequently lets you do so without much effort.
Here's an example:
Hammers are designed to ...
2
votes
2answers
119 views
Is there a word similar to vocabulary, but meaning the body of phrases known to a person?
I could say I have a wide vocabulary if I know the meaning of many words. What would I say if I know many phrases?
Or, if I learn a new phrase, then I have added it to my ____.
I am not looking for ...
4
votes
5answers
268 views
A word to describe “work that is ready to be done”
I'm writing an application that generates a spec sheet for a publication. At the top there will be a list of the various components (ads, articles, etc.) and how many there are for each status type:
...
0
votes
4answers
109 views
How would you describe an operator which has no fixity? [closed]
Traditionally mathematical operators are either prefix, postfix or infix. All the three forms of notation are equivalent and can be converted from one to another.
Formal systems such as programming ...
3
votes
3answers
183 views
What's the opposite of Proof of Concept?
From an Information Technology perspective, what's the opposite of Proof of Concept?
I need to ask my client if they want us to build them a Proof-of-concept (app in its basic form) or a full-fledged ...
0
votes
5answers
87 views
Word for person prying on my personal stuffs [closed]
which adjective can I use to describe my neighbor, who is always trying to keep eye on my personal matters like what am I bringing from market or what am I cooking etc?
Regards,
2
votes
1answer
61 views
Adjective antonym of “discriminate”
In biology, hierarchical clustering is used to separate studied samples into different groups, thus if successful, the clustering criteria can be seen to "discriminate" between group A vs. B.
I am ...
