Today's Word

Quibble

[KWIB-uhl]

Definition

(verb) To argue or raise objections about a trivial matter or minor point, especially in an attempt to evade a truth or responsibility. As a noun, it refers to the act of raising such an objection or the objection itself.

Example

Instead of addressing the main issue, the politician quibbled over the exact wording of the question, frustrating both the interviewer and the audience.

Fun Fact

The word “quibble” is believed to have originated in the early 17th century. It may be related to the now-obsolete word “quib,” meaning a quip or witty remark. Some linguists suggest it might be connected to the Latin word “quibus,” which was used in legal documents and could be seen as a source of petty arguments. Over time, “quibble” has come to be associated with nitpicking or splitting hairs, often in a way that detracts from the main point of a discussion or argument.

Previous Words

Ennui

Today's Word

Ennui

on-WEE

Definition

(noun) A feeling of listlessness and dissatisfaction arising from a lack of occupation or excitement; world-weary boredom.

Example

She wasn’t unhappy exactly — just gripped by a creeping ennui that made everything feel slightly less vivid than it probably was.

Word Origin

Ennui comes directly from French, where it derives from the Old French enui, meaning “annoyance” or “worry,” rooted in the Latin in odio — literally “in hatred” — from the phrase mihi in odio est, meaning “it is hateful to me.” The word entered English in the 18th century largely through literary use, as English writers borrowed it to describe a particular quality of sophisticated dissatisfaction that ordinary boredom didn’t quite capture — the sense that the world has been fully sampled and found wanting.

Fun Fact

Ennui became the defining emotional condition of the Romantic era — so fashionable among 19th century European aristocracy and intellectuals that it was practically a status symbol. To be afflicted with ennui was to signal that you had experienced enough of life to be tired of it — a luxury available only to those with no practical concerns. The Byronic hero, epitomized by Lord Byron himself, made world-weary dissatisfaction into an aesthetic. Byron reportedly cultivated his ennui so deliberately that contemporaries noted he seemed bored by his own boredom — which is either the most Romantic thing imaginable or a very efficient use of a personality trait.

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Quibble

Definition

Example

Previous Words

Ennui

Ennui

Definition

Example

Word Origin

Ennui

Iniquity

Protean

Enervate

Veracity