Today's Word

Awestruck

[AW-struk]

Definition

(noun) To overwhelm someone with an impressive display or experience, leaving them in a state of wonder and admiration. It’s when you cause someone to be so amazed that they’re momentarily speechless or frozen in place.

Example

The street performer’s incredible magic trick completely awestruck the crowd, leaving everyone wide-eyed and open-mouthed for several seconds.

Fun Fact

The word “awestruck” combines “awe” with “struck,” capturing the idea of being hit by a sense of wonder. Neuroscientific research has shown that experiencing awe can have positive effects on the brain and body. A study in the journal “Emotion” found that awe-inspiring experiences can lower levels of cytokines, proteins that signal inflammation in the body. This suggests that being awestruck may have tangible health benefits, potentially reducing the risk of depression and autoimmune diseases.

Previous Words

Iniquity

Today's Word

Iniquity

ih-NIK-wih-tee

Definition

(noun) Gross injustice or wickedness; a deeply immoral act or condition that violates fundamental principles of right and wrong.

Example

The report documented decades of iniquity — not isolated lapses in judgment but a systematic, deliberate pattern of harm that had been protected at every level.

Word Origin

Iniquity derives from the Latin iniquitas, meaning “unevenness” or “injustice” — built from in- (“not”) and aequus (“equal” or “just”). The same root aequus gives us equity, equal, and adequate — making iniquity the precise negation of fairness and balance. It entered English in the 14th century through Old French, used predominantly in religious and moral contexts to describe sin and wickedness before expanding into its broader legal and ethical sense of profound injustice.

Fun Fact

The Den of Iniquity — a phrase so embedded in English that it has become almost a cliché — has a surprisingly specific origin. In Victorian England, moral reformers used the phrase to describe the gin houses, gambling dens, and brothels of London’s East End, producing pamphlets with titles so lurid they guaranteed readership. The campaign was partly genuine moral concern and partly a class-coded attack on working-class leisure — the same activities conducted in private clubs by wealthy men attracted no equivalent outrage. The phrase outlasted the campaign by centuries, which is how language tends to preserve the anxieties of eras that no longer exist.

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Awestruck

Definition

Example

Previous Words

Iniquity

Iniquity

Definition

Example

Word Origin

Iniquity

Protean

Enervate

Veracity

Inchoate