Today's Word

Fulsome

FUL-sum

Definition

(adjective) Excessive to the point of being insincere; overly flattering or abundant in a way that feels uncomfortable.

Example

Her fulsome compliments were so over the top that everyone in the room sensed she didn’t mean a word of them.

Word Origin

Fulsome comes from Middle English, where full meant “abundant.” Originally positive, the term gradually shifted to imply overabundance, and by the 17th century it took on its modern meaning: so much of something that it becomes unpleasant or false.

Fun Fact

In medieval courts, flattery wasn’t just social— it was strategic. Nobles often exaggerated praise to absurd levels to gain favor, protection, or political advantage. Historians note that entire diplomatic negotiations were built on excessive, theatrical compliments, so inflated that they read today like satire. This cultural tradition helped shape our modern idea of “fulsome praise” as something that feels flattering on the surface…but carries an uncomfortable edge underneath.

Previous Words

Abnegation

Today's Word

Abnegation

ab-nih-GAY-shun

Definition

(noun) The act of renouncing or rejecting something; self-denial or the setting aside of one’s own needs and desires.

Example

Her years of abnegation — skipping vacations, forgoing promotions, putting everyone else first — had gone largely unnoticed by the family she’d sacrificed everything for.

Word Origin

From Latin abnegatio, derived from abnegare, meaning “to refuse or deny” — formed from ab- (away from) + negare (to deny). The root negare also gives us negate, negative, and renege — all carrying the core sense of refusal or denial. The word entered English in the 16th century, used primarily in religious contexts to describe the denial of worldly pleasures in service of spiritual devotion.

Fun Fact

Abnegation sits at the heart of some of history’s most influential philosophical and religious traditions. In Buddhism, the renunciation of personal desire is considered essential to the path toward enlightenment — the Buddha himself abandoned a life of wealth and comfort before arriving at his teachings. In Stoic philosophy, voluntary abnegation was practiced as a discipline: Stoics would periodically deprive themselves of comfort and luxury not out of punishment but to prove to themselves that they could survive without it, and to appreciate what they had. Marcus Aurelius wrote extensively about this practice as essential to maintaining clarity and moral integrity.

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Fulsome

Definition

Example

Word Origin

Previous Words

Abnegation

Abnegation

Definition

Example

Word Origin

Abnegation

Bilk

Impinge

Permeate

Gamut