Vocabulary Word Meanings: From Meticulous, Malleable to Myriad

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Meticulous

adj – extremely careful about details

Brian was fairly neat and careful about most things, but when it came to his stamp collection, he was absolutely meticulous.

Malleable

adj- able to be reshaped by force, pliable; impressionable

Also used as: Malleability (noun)

She enjoyed working with younger students, while their minds were still malleable.

Meager

adj – small in size or amount; thin; weak

Also used as: Meagerness (noun) ; meagerly (adv)

The movie promised plenty of action, but the plot was meager

Morose

adj- depressed

I was already morose, and four days of rain made it worse.

Magnate

noun- a person of great power

A billionaire real estate magnate, he owned a quarter of the town.

Magnanimous

adj- big hearted; generous; forgiving; noble

Also used as: Magnanimously (adv) ; magnanimity (noun)

Note that the root magn means great or large, while anim pertains to the mind soul or spirit. Thus, big hearted.

Even after ten years in prison as an innocent man he was magnanimous upon his release.

Malediction

noun- evil speech; curse

Also used as: Maledictory (adj)

When angered, he could be a fountain of unkind thoughts and malediction.

Malefactor

noun- person who tries to hurt others, criminal

Also used as: Malefaction (noun)

She՚d hoped he would be a benefactor, but he turned out to be the opposite-a malefactor.

Malice

noun- a desire to cause harm or suffering

Also used as: Malicious (adj) ; maliciously (adv)

He wasn՚t just mean; he was malicious.

Malign

verb- to say evil or harmful things about someone; defame; vilify

Also used as: Malignant (adj)

He was so angered to learn the tumor was malignant, he maligned the entire hospital staff.

Mender

verb- wanders in a carefree manner; follow a winding course; ramble

Also used as: Meandering (adj) ; meander (noun)

Meandering through the woods without a destination was Nancy՚s favorite activity.

Minute

adj- very small in size

Minutiae, which means minor details.

A deer tick is minute and can barely be seen on the skin.

Mitigate

verb- make less severe; mollify

Her soft tone had a mitigating effect, and the argument ended.

Marred

adj- spoiled, scratched, blemished

Also used as: Mar – verb

The new table arrived on time but was marred by scratches and dents.

Mellifluous

adj- smooth; sweetly flowing

Also used as: Mellifluously- adv; mellifluent- adj

Many people enjoy the mellifluous second of water running over rocks.

Mendacity

noun- a lie, a false statement

Also used as: Mendacious- adj; mendaciously- adv

Sarah grew tired of Paula՚s mendacities and began to look for a more honest employee.

Misconstrue

verb- misunderstand; interpret incorrectly

it՚s easy to misconstrue someone՚s meaning in an email, so be careful.

Mundane

adj- ordinary; earthly (not spiritual) ; practical; temporary

Some scientific theorists have trouble with mundane things such as using a washing machine.

Myriad

adj- large number; many

The myriad choices in a store can be confusing.