upworthy
Add Upworthy to your Google News feed.
Google News Button
Pop Culture

People are sharing the adult problems that 'nobody prepared you for' and they're so true

Here are 21 of the most relatable.

being an adult, adult lessons, growing up
via PixaBay

Being an adult is tough.

Nothing can ever fully prepare you for being an adult. Once you leave childhood behind, the responsibilities, let-downs and setbacks come at you fast. It’s tiring and expensive, and there's no easy-to-follow roadmap for happiness and success. A Reddit user asked the online forum, “What’s an adult problem nobody prepared you for?” and there were a lot of profound answers that get to the heart of the disappointing side of being an adult.

One theme that ran through many responses is the feeling of being set adrift. When you’re a kid, the world is laid out as a series of accomplishments. You learn to walk, you figure out how to use the bathroom, you start school, you finish school, maybe you go to college, and so on.

However, once we’re out of the school system and out from under our parents’ roofs, there is a vast, complicated world out there and it takes a long time to learn how it works. The tough thing is that if you don’t get a good head start, you can spend the rest of your life playing catch-up.

Then, you hit middle age and realize that life is short and time is only moving faster.

Adulthood also blindsides a lot of people because we realize that many adults are simply children who grew older. The adult world is a lot more like high school than a teenager could ever imagine.

The Reddit thread may seem a bit depressing at first, but there are a lot of great lessons that younger people can take to heart. The posts will also make older people feel a lot better because they can totally relate.

Being an adult is hard, exhausting and expensive. But we’re all in this together and by sharing the lessons we’ve learned we can help lighten each other's load just a bit.

Here are 21 of the most powerful responses to the question: “What is an adult problem nobody prepared you for?”

1. Lack of purpose

"Lack of purpose. All your young life you are given purpose of passing exams and learning, then all of a sudden you are thrown into the world and told to find your own meaning," — Captain_Snow.

2. No bed time

"You can stay up as late as you want. But you shouldn't," — geek-fit

3. Friendships

"Where did all my friends go?" — I_Love_Small_Breasts

Most of them are at the same place as you are ... Probably wondering the same thing," — Blackdraon003

4. Bodily changes

"I'm closer to fifty than forty, would have been nice to be better prepared for some of the ways your body starts to change at this point that don't normally get talked about. For instance your teeth will start to shift from general aging of your gums," — dayburner.

5. People don't change

"Didnt know that other adults have the emotional intelligence of teenagers and its almost impossible to deal with logically," — Super-Progress-6386

6. Money

"$5K is a lot to owe, but not a lot to have," — Upper-Job5130

7. Our parents age, too

"Handling the decline and death of your parents," - Agave666

8. Free time

"Not having a lot of free-time or time by myself," — detective_kiara

9. No goals

"Not having a pre-defined goal once I was out of college. Growing up my goals were set for me: get through elementary school! then middle school! Then high school, and get into college and get a degree, then get a job, and then...? Vague "advance in your career, buy a house, find a spouse, have a kid or multiple, then retire." At 22 I had no idea how to break that down more granularly," — FreehandBirdlime

10. Constant upkeep

"Life is all about maintenance. Your body, your house, your relationships, everything requires constant never ending maintenance," — IHateEditedBGMusic

11. Exhaustion

"Being able to do so many things because I'm an adult but too tired to do any of them," — London82

12. Loneliness

"Being an adult feels extremely lonely," — Bluebloop0

13. Dinner

"Having to make dinner every. Fucking. Day," — EndlesslyUnfinished

14. Time changes

"The more life you’ve lived, the faster time seems to go," — FadedQuill

15. You're responsibile, even if you didn't mean it

"You are held to account for bad behaviour for which you are negligent even if you had no intention to cause harm. As a lawyer, I see this all the time. People don't think they're responsible for mistakes. You are," — grishamlaw

16. Work is like high school

"The intricacies of workplace politics," — Steve_Lobsen writes. "

"When you're in school, you think that you won't have to deal with gossiping and bullying once you leave school. Unfortunately, that is not true," — lady_laughs_too_much

17. Nowhere to turn

"How easy it is to feel stuck in a bad situation (job, relationship, etc) just because the cost and effort of getting out can seem daunting. And sometimes you just have to accept a figurative bowl full of shit because you can't afford to blow up your life," — movieguy95453

18. The happiness question

"Figuring out what makes you happy. Everyone keeps trying to get you to do things you're good at, or that makes you money, but never to pursue what you enjoy," — eternalwanderer5

19. Constant cleaning

"The kitchen is always dirty. You’ll clean it at least three times every day," — cewnc

20. Life costs money

"One adult problem nobody prepared me for is how expensive everything is. I always thought that as an adult I would be able to afford the things I wanted, but it turns out that's not always the case! I've had to learn how to budget and save up for the things I want, and it's been a difficult process," — Dull_Dog_8126

21. Keeping above water

"All of it together. I was relatively warned about how high rent is, car bills and repairs, how buying healthy food is expensive as hell but important for your health, how to exercise and save what you can, my parents did their best to fill in my knowledge about taxes and healthcare and insurance that my schooling missed, about driving and cleaning a household, about setting boundaries at work but working hard and getting ahead if you can, about charity and what it means to take care of a pet and others, about being a good partner if you were lucky enough to have one, about how dark and messed up the world is when you just read the news and what all that means to me and my community… I was reasonably warned about all of it.

"No one could have ever prepared me for how hard doing all of it at the same time and keeping your head above that water would actually be," — ThatNoNameWriter


This article originally appeared two years ago.

From Your Site Articles
adulthood
Pop CultureInternet
Badge
Land O'Lakes
Land O'Lakes® products are made from milk sourced directly from member-owned farms, including butters, cheeses, spreads and other dairy staples loved by consumers for cooking, baking and snacking
Community

Land O’Lakes and Clove are filling the nation’s food banks with much-needed butter and shoes

Land O’Lakes and Clove are teaming up to bring comfort to communities in need.

True

Food banks are a community staple for millions of Americans. Not only do they provide nutritional assistance to low-income families, they’re also often one of the few places where people can get non-food essentials like diapers, toiletries, paper towels, clothing and more. For the 44 million people in the United States facing food insecurity, pantries can literally be a lifeline.

But that lifeline is at risk. Food pantries rely on donations, both from individuals and government programs, to stay stocked. Rising poverty levels and budget cuts mean that food pantries sometimes can’t meet the demands of their communities—and as a result, families go without.

No person should struggle for basic needs—which is why Land O’Lakes is teaming up with Clove in the name of comfort ahead of the 2025 holiday season.

Comfort, meet comfort.

A partnership between a farmer-owned cooperative and a modern footwear brand might seem like an unusual pairing. But the reality is that both organizations provide things that are enjoyable and much needed for American families.

You might be surprised to learn, for example, that dairy is one of the most requested but least-donated items at food banks around the nation. From a nutritional lens, dairy is a source of high-quality protein that provides 3 of 4 nutrients—calcium, potassium and vitamin D—that low-income households are at risk of missing from their diets.

But on a larger scale, dairy provides comfort. Items like butter, milk and cream are in high demand, particularly around the end of the year since so many families use these items for baking holiday treats. And while shoes can be stylish gifts, they’re also a basic necessity for hardworking frontline workers who provide care for others and spend hours on their feet. In fact, 96 million people in the U.S. spend their work shift standing.

"We are so excited to collaborate with Clove Shoes and take a moment to celebrate the color of the moment, but also our everyday favorite, butter yellow," said Heather Anfang, president of Land O'Lakes Dairy Foods. "As a company who shares our values of community, hard work and comfort, we are thrilled for the launch of their shoe but also for our shared donation to those in need in an important area for our two brands in Philadelphia."

Meaningful giving when people need it most

Together, the organizations have donated dozens of sneakers and more than 3,750 pounds of butter to Philabundance, one of the largest food banks in Philadelphia and part of Feeding America’s nationwide network of food banks, pantries, and meal programs. As they team up to donate needed supplies, they’re also helping families feel nourished—inside and out—ahead of the cold winter months.

"As a Philadelphia-based brand, we’re proud to give back to the community we call home—nourishing our city and supporting those who care every day," shares Jordyn Amoroso, Co-founder and CBO. Clove has also gifted 88 shoes to the students enrolled at Philabundance Community Kitchen: a free, life-changing workforce development program run by Philabundance.

At a time when so many are stretched thin and families are moving into the holiday season facing food insecurity, collaborations like these can provide an unexpected value—a chance to revitalize local communities, to nourish families, and show how comfort can take many different forms.

Learn more about this unexpected partnership here.

CommunitySponsored Article - No Video PlayerSponsoredJoy
Learning

27 English words people have a hard time enunciating properly, even native speakers

"The word I notice people struggle with is 'vulnerable'. Something about that N following an L is tricky."

Image via Canva/Povozniuk

English words that are difficult to enunciate.

The English language is hard to master, even for native speakers. With over an estimated one million words in the language, not only are English words hard to memorize—they can be hard to properly pronounce and enunciate. Getting tripped up with pronunciation can make your communication unclear, or worse—make you sound uneducated.

As American English teacher Vanessa explains, many mispronounced words are common and used in daily conversation due to tricky consonants and vowels in English words. But by knowing the proper pronunciation, it can help you become a more confident speaker, which is why she shared 33 words that are hard for English language learners to pronounce, such as "probably," "drawer," and "sixth."

On the subreddit r/words, a person posed the question: "What's a word you've noticed many native English speakers have difficulty enunciating even though the word is used fairly often?"

Turns out, there are a menagerie of words people notoriously stumble over. These are 27 English words that people say are the hardest to enunciate.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Tricky 'R' words

"The word I notice people struggle with is 'vulnerable'. Something about that N following an L is tricky." - common_grounder

"Rural." - Silent-Database5613

“'Nucular' for nuclear." - throwawayinthe818

"Remuneration v renumeration (first one is correct)." - RonanH69

"February. It sounds like you're pronouncing it like it's spelled Febuary. But it's spelled February." - SDF5-0, ShadedSpaces

"Mirror. Some people pronounce it 'meer'." - weinthenolababy, diversalarums

"Anthropomorphize is a word I have to use semi-frequently with limited success each attempt." - ohn_the_quain

"I can’t say the phrase 'rear wheel' without considerable effort." - ohn_the_quain

"Eraser (erasure, but they're talking about the pink rubber thing)." - evlmgs

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Multiple syllables

"Exacerbated vs exasperated." - SNAFU-lophagus

"'Asterisk'. A lot of people wind up inadvertently name-checking Asterix. I think it's best for those who struggle to use the alternative name for that punctuation mark, the 'Nathan Hale', after the American patriot who famously declared, 'I can only regret that I have but one asterisk for my country!'" - John_EightThirtyTwo

"I realized recently I have always mispronounced mischievous. It's mis-chiv-us, not mis-chee-vee-us. I don't know if I've ever heard anyone pronounce that correctly." - callmebigley"

'Supposebly' [supposedly]. Drives me up the wall." - BlushBrat

"Library. My coworker knows I hate it, so he’ll say Liberry every time." - Jillypenny"ET cetera, not 'ect' cetera. I think people are used to seeing the abbreviation etc and since there is no diphthong tc in English their mind bends it into ect." - AdFrequent4623

"The amount of people who say Pacific when they're trying to stay specific is pretty alarming. I'm not even sure if they know it's a different word sometimes." - Global-Discussion-41

"Then there was my old boss who would confidently and consistently use the word tenant when he meant tenet." - jaelith"

"Probably." - Rachel_Silver

"Contemplate. It's one of those word I hear people stumble over more than anything, often it comes out as Comtemplate, Contempate or a combination of both." - megthebat49

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Foods

"Turmeric. People drop the first R. It drives me nuts!" - Jillypenny

"Oh, and it’s espresso, no X [ex-presso]." - Jillypenny

"Also cardamom with an N." - nemmalur

"Pumpkin (punkin)." - evlmgs

espresso, espresso gif, sipping espresso, espresso drink, drinking espresso sipping modern family GIF Giphy

Awkward vowels

"Crayon 👑. My ex pronounced it 'cran'. Drove me up a wall." - rickulele, premeditatedlasagna

'Mute' for moot. A good friend of mine, who's extremely intelligent and articulate otherwise, says that. Unfortunately, it's a word she likes to use. I haven't had the heart to tell her she's pronouncing it incorrectly, and it's been three decades." NewsSad5006, common_grounder

"Jewelry." - weinthenolababy

"I hear grown adults calling wolves woofs and they're not doing it to be funny." - asexualrhino

From Your Site Articles
enunciate
LearningEducation
Mental Health

Neuroscientist explains why it's impossible to 'live in the present' and what to do instead

"We spend three quarters of our day time traveling between past, present and future."

Photo Credit: https://www.canva.com/photos

A person meditates at the beach.

"Time is like a river made up of the events which happen, and a violent stream; for as soon as a thing has been seen, it is carried away, and another comes in its place, and this will be carried away too.” – Marcus Aurelius

How many times have philosophers and meditation experts suggested we "live in the now"? Countless bestselling books have been written on the topic and it's no doubt a helpful tool in reducing anxiety, depression, and other mental health barriers that many of us struggle with. In other words, it's a perfectly lovely idea—and an important one.

But, according to one neuroscientist, it's actually impossible. In fact, she suggests that we need to reframe how we think about time—and our space in it—in order to truly thrive.

On an episode of The Mindbodygreen podcast, Caroline Leaf, Ph.D., BSc, suggests that we give ourselves a break about "living in the present." She says to instead think about how time has a linear story. Everything in your past (and that's everything at the time you're reading this) will inform everything that is to come. So living "in the now", while a nice idea. is a fool's errand. The idea gives the illusion that if one can't do that, there's something wrong.

She says, "You have a narrative, you have a story, you are responding in this moment because of everything else about you. We spend between one-half and three-quarters of our day in our minds time-traveling between the past, present, and future." This is absolutely not to say we shouldn't strive for present-living. Just that we should be aware that there's always past experiences and future uncertainty that informs every waking moment.

Olivia Giacomo further explains this idea, writing in a podcast companion piece on Mindbodygreen.com to "think of your non-conscious mind as an endless forest, rich with thoughts and memories. Those memories are never rooted in the present: Once they occur, they're immediately existing in the past. Then once a memory has been consolidated, it has the power to affect your future by informing you of what has and could happen."

Many have tackled this idea and some disagree. In a piece for the BBC, clinical psychologist and professor at University College of London, Dr. Joseph Oliver, gives his thoughts on the matter. He discusses mindfulness and living "in the present," and while he notes that there is a distinction (mindfulness is more about taking note of one's thoughts), he does believe through meditation and practice one can learn to live in the now.

Regardless of how technical one wants to get about the possibility of "nowness," Leaf offers ways to reframe the idea of thoughts and feelings about the past and future taking up space in the mind and ultimately rewiring the brain. Jason Wachob gives a "step-by-step" using Leaf's methods:

"GATHER" information.

This is the time to dig deep into what you're really thinking. Leaf suggests breathwork and meditation. The question is: WHAT do I think? WHAT do I feel?

"REFLECT" on your thoughts.

Now we move into the "why" of it. Once you're relatively aware of what your thoughts and the emotions that follow them are, you can start reverse-engineering where it came from. Look for patterns in your triggers.

JOURNAL your feelings.

It's important to note that actually writing with your hand and not a computer is best. Leaf shares, "There's so much science behind writing," she says. "When you write, you activate certain parts of the brain in a beautiful way."

RE-FRAME:

"Take the sting out of the emotions," Leaf urges. Try to look at it from an aerial view, perhaps by asking yourself: Would this be bothersome if it happened to a friend…or is it just me who it overwhelms?

TAKE ACTION:

Defined as "active reach," this simply means thinking about ways (big or small) that you can take action when your mind starts to negatively wander. For me personally, when an anxious thought pops in, I literally say out loud (when I can), "That thought does not serve me." It's amazing how much it can help.

Again, Leaf isn't the first or only person to suggest these methods. It's similar in some ways to the concept of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which guides people to examine their thoughts, look at the feelings that are a result of those thoughts, look at patterns, and then try new approaches.

Redditors also had some questions on "in the now" as well. On the subreddit r/Meditation, someone asks, "Why is being present so important?" They ask a number of follow-up questions: "What does 'being present' mean in the context of awareness, consciousness, state of mind/being, etc.? Why is the human mind seemingly 'built' or easily resists being in the present moment? If being present is such a better way to exist, then why do we have a limited sense of perceiving time? I'll admit, I'm probably missing something really basic and simple here, but every time I see statements or quotes about 'being present' I sort of get confused because I feel like I'm present all the time whether I'm aware of it or not. So I ask, what does being present mean to you?"

There are many interesting comments, but perhaps the most profound is this:

"It's not so much being in the present. In Buddhism, there's the expression 'the 4th moment.' The 4th moment is 'nowness' — not past, present, or future. If you meditate and do something like watching your breath, you'll find that it's very difficult to pay attention for even a few seconds without spacing out. We cycle through emotional conflict, fantasy, bright ideas, and so on. We imagine that we're conscious beings who think by choice, but it turns out that we're almost entirely unconscious. So meditation cultivates attention — being where you are.
Why is that important? Aside from the most obvious point that we may not want to pass our lives in a vague reverie, there's also the fact that we actually don't enjoy discursive looping and conflicting emotions. They're a generator of anxiety."



From Your Site Articles
living in the present
Mental HealthHealth
Education

Man uses the shoe aisle to perfectly explain why middle-class Americans are hurting

The "garbage shoes" helped him demonstrate his point brilliantly.

Photo credit: Canva

Remember things being built to last?

Unfortunately, most Americans are well aware of shrinkflation, where food companies reduce the sizes of their products while the price remains the same at the grocery store. You see this in fast food restaurants when you pick up a burger and feel like your hand has grown a few inches, and at the supermarket when you buy a box of cookies, it weighs less than it did a few weeks ago. Companies use this strategy when they think you’ll be less likely to notice a dip in quantity than a hike in the price.

We see something similar in the world of retail, particularly fast fashion. Fast fashion offers cheaper garments made from low-quality materials that last about as long as the trend does, so people can throw them away and buy the next hot thing. This can be a real problem because fast fashion harms the environment and leads to exploitative labor practices. And the tough part is—even for the most conscious of consumer, it's hard to escape from.

Here's a prime example of what this looks like in the real world. A few months ago, a TikTokker named Tom (@SideMoneyTom), popular for making videos about consumer products, went viral for a video where he called out shoe manufacturers for dropping their quality while keeping prices high. “So many of you guys want to shoot the messenger, but look, it's not my fault shoes are made out of Styrofoam and oil now,” Tom says in a TikTok with over 528,000 views. “It's literally every shoe you look at now. It's not even just the cheap ones. I can find hundred dollar plus pairs of shoes all day long with glue squeezing out of their Styrofoam cracks.”

@sidemoneytom

Replying to @Oscar Magaña shoes are done #fyp #shoes #foryou

Tom notes that recently, shoes have been made with foam soles instead of rubber. Both have pros and cons. Foam is a little more comfortable, but rubber lasts a lot longer. Rubber shoes keep shape and support over time and are much more durable. Conversely, foam shoes compress over time, losing their support and comfort. When companies sell cheaper shoes that wear out more quickly, they make much more money because you must keep replacing them.

In the video, Tom adds that many companies that used to have shoes made with rubber heels, such as Carhartt and Timberland, have switched to foam. This is an interesting choice for brands that pride themselves on selling durable products.

Cora Harrington, a writer and lingerie expert, says that companies aren't entirely to blame. Americans don’t want to pay higher prices. “People don’t exactly want to pay more for all that stuff,” Harrington told Vox. "So what has to happen if everything is more expensive and the customers still want to pay the same price, something has to be cut and that’s often going to be the quality of the garment.”

“There is an entire generation of consumers at this point that doesn’t actually know what high-quality clothing feels like and looks like,” Harrington continues. “It gets easier, I think, for consumers to just not know any better.”

@sidemoneytom

Replying to @donkles #shoes #fyp #sketchers #nike

Many commenters have noticed the decline in shoe quality and praised Tom for pointing it out. "I am so happy I’m not the only one who is baffled by shoes being made of styrofoam and then being upcharged for them," one commenter wrote. "When shoes started being named some version of 'Air Light Cloud float,' my thought was it was because they went from quality rubber to cheap foam and less materials,” another commenter added.

Tom believes the decline in shoe quality is an example of a more significant trend affecting American consumers' products: quality is decreasing while prices remain the same. “The quality of everything is going to hell, and the prices are going up," Tom concludes his video. "The problem is, so many of us have just become used to it that we keep buying it, and we basically allow them to dumb down the quality of everything. Everything in our lives. These shoes are just the tip of the iceberg. Start thinking about it in your life. What are you gonna allow to be garbage quality?"

This article originally appeared in March. It has been updated.

From Your Site Articles
economy
EducationEducation & Information
Parenting

Dad explains genius thinking behind making kids order food for the whole family at restaurants

What a great idea.

Images courtesy of Instagram/@imscottdonnell (used with permission)

Parenting coach and father of four Scott Donnell explains why his kids order for the family while eating at restaurants.

Going out to eat as a family at a restaurant is a special time together. As you sit around the table, you get to spend quality time together and indulge in delicious meals. For Scott Donnell, a parenting coach and dad of four, he also uses the opportunity to help his kids build useful life skills.

He shared his parenting philosophy with fellow parents. "We have a family rule that when we go to a restaurant, one of the kids has to order for the whole table," he explained. "This is about public speaking, this is about communication. It's about memory."

Donnell tells Upworthy that challenging his kids to do this has taught them even more. "When kids order for the whole table, they take responsibility and learn assertiveness," he says. "They learn strong communication, presentation skills and initiative. And it’s fun!"

He continues to explain how having one of his kids order the family's meals at restaurants builds them up. "We tell [our daughter Reagan] what we want on the menu. We tell her the different things not to put on the food or in the food, what size to order. She is in charge of telling the waiter or waitress," he shares.

He adds that each kid [in this case, Reagan], must know the waiter or waitress's name, and address them by it while looking them in the eye. "She goes, 'Hello Bob, my name is Reagan. And I'd like to order this. My sister would like to order this. My brother would like to order this. My other brother would like to order this. My Dad would like to have this, and my Mother would like to have this.'"

Donnell notes that this also teaches his kids to be respectful of the waiter or waitress, and also bonds the family. "Get them engaged. Get them talking. Build relationships. Dinner is where your kids become friends," he says.

Many parents love Donnell's parenting strategy. "What a great idea❤️❤️❤️❤️," one commented.

Another added, "This is awesome. My four year granddaughter has been doing this for [us] for over a year. She has dairy allergies and knows how to navigate that for herself and how to be respectful and kind if the restaurant makes a mistake. Kids are amazing. Way to show your children that they are a responsible and caring part of your family. Little opportunities to learn can be a game changer! 👏👏👏👏"

One grandparent shared, "Yes yes yes!!! I always did this with my son and are encouraging our grandchildren to do the same!"

How to make the most out of family meals at restaurants

Donnell also adds that while spending time at the table when eating out with your family, it's important for kids to be tech-free.

"Going out to eat can sometimes be stressful for parents with younger kids," Donnell tells Upworthy. "Instead of handing them an phone or iPad to pacify them, use it as a learning experience. Train them in how they should behave in public, how they represent your family values, and ask great questions. Make meals more interesting than tech."

For parents looking to encourage their kids to try ordering at the table, he recommends also doing the 'special plate' strategy once orders have been placed and meals are served.

"Another great tip is the 'special plate' strategy," says Donnell. "The child who orders gets the special plate everyone gets to say one thing they love about them. Rotate each dinner, including parents."

From Your Site Articles
kids life skills
ParentingFamily
Education & Information

16 obscure words with common meanings that you can sprinkle into convos to sound smart

The average American only has around 42,000 words in their vocabulary.

Photo credit: Canva

These obscure words will make you sound smart during conversations.

The pursuit of expanding one's vocabulary has made games like Wordle more popular than ever. And while there are an estimated one million words in the English language, the average American only has about 42,000 words in their vocabulary.

With that in mind, most Americans have plenty of work to do to learn some more interesting words. Having the background knowledge to properly use them is like icing on the cake to sounding smart. Peppering your conversations with obscure words is a fun way to enhance conversations, too.

Drop these 16 obscure words during your next chat:

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Cacography

Cacography means "bad spelling or handwriting."

Indubitably

Indubitably means "too evident to be doubted; unquestionable."

According to Merriam Webster, indubitably has Latin roots that "arrived in Middle English in the 15th century from Latin indubitabilis, itself a combination of 'in-' ('not') and 'dubitabilis' ('open to doubt or question'). 'Dubitabilis' is from the verb dubitare, meaning 'to doubt,' which also gave us our 'doubt.'"

Abate

Abate means "to decrease in force or intensity."

Reciprocity

Reciprocity means "the quality or state of being reciprocal; mutual dependence, action, or influence."

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Ameliorate

Ameliorate means "to make better or more tolerable; to grow better."

According to Merriam Webster, ameliorate "traces back to melior, a Latin adjective meaning 'better,' and is a rather formal synonym of the verbs better and improve."

Incongruous

Incongruous means "lacking congruity; not harmonious; incompatible; not conforming; disagreeing; inconsistent within itself; lacking propriety."

Mellifluous

Mellifluous means "having a smooth rich flow; filled with something (such as honey) that sweetens."

According to Merriam Webster, mellifluous "comes from two Latin roots: the noun mel, meaning 'honey,' and the verb fluere, meaning 'to flow.' These linguistic components flowed smoothly together into the Late Latin word mellifluus, then continued on into the Middle English word mellyfluous, before crystallizing into the adjective we employ today."

Apoplectic

Apoplectic means "of a kind to cause or apparently cause stroke; extremely enraged."

Sanguine

Sanguine means "marked by eager hopefulness; confidently optimistic."

According to Merriam Webster, "Sanguine traces back to the Latin noun sanguis, meaning 'blood,' and over the centuries the word has had meanings ranging from 'bloodthirsty' to 'bloodred,' among other things in that (ahem) vein, so how did it also come to mean 'hopeful'? During the Middle Ages, health and temperament were believed to be governed by the balance of different liquids, or humors, in one’s body: phlegm, black bile, yellow bile, and blood. Those lucky people who were governed by blood were strong, confident, and even had a healthy reddish glow (all that blood, you know)—they were, in a word, sanguine."

@etoilemarley

12th May - word-grubber: someone who uses obscure words in everyday language ✍️❤️ the cabinet of linguistic curiosities 📘 #wordoftheday #wordlovers #etoilemarley #lostwords #logophiles

Terse

Terse means "using few words; devoid of superfluity; short, brusque."

Ephemeral

Ephemeral means " lasting a very short time."

Compunction

Compunction means "anxiety arising from awareness of guilt; distress of mind over an anticipated action or result; a twinge of misgiving; scruple."

According to Merriam Webster, "An old proverb says 'a guilty conscience needs no accuser,' and it's true that the sting of a guilty conscience—or a conscience that is provoked by the contemplation of doing something wrong—can prick very hard indeed. The sudden guilty 'prickings' of compunction are reflected in the word's etymological history. Compunction comes (via Anglo-French compunction and Middle English compunccioun) from Latin compungere, which means 'to prick hard' or 'to sting.'"

Paroxysm

Paroxysm means "a fit, attack, or sudden increase or recurrence of symptoms (as of a disease); convulsion; a sudden violent emotion or action; outburst."

Loquacious

Loquacious means "full of excessive talk; wordy."

Copacetic

Copacetic means "very satisfactory."

Renascent

Renascent means "rising again into being or vigor."

From Your Site Articles
obscure words
Education & InformationEducation
Trending Stories