- Today's Word
Abject
AB-jekt
Definition
- (adjective) Extremely bad, degrading, or wretched; experienced or present to the maximum degree.
Example
They lived in abject poverty, with little food or shelter to get through the winter.
Fun Fact
“Abject” comes from the Latin abjicere, meaning “to throw away.” Originally referring to someone cast down or rejected, the term evolved to describe utter hopelessness or misery. It’s commonly used to emphasize emotional extremes—abject fear, abject failure, abject humiliation—highlighting situations where someone feels completely defeated or exposed.
(adjective) Eager to argue or fight; aggressively defiant and quick to confront.
The truculent customer refused every solution the staff offered, seeming more interested in the argument itself than in any actual resolution.
Truculent comes from the Latin truculentus, meaning “fierce” or “savage,” derived from trux meaning “wild” or “cruel.” It entered English in the 16th century, initially describing something literally savage or brutal, before settling into its modern meaning of aggressive confrontational behavior and a hair-trigger readiness to fight or argue.