- Today's Word
Nascent
NAY-sent
Definition
- (adjective) Coming into existence; beginning to develop.
Example
The nascent movement gained attention quickly through social media.
Fun Fact
From Latin nasci (to be born), “nascent” is used in science, tech, and culture to describe emerging trends or phenomena. A nascent idea might be a sketch on a napkin, or a nascent technology might still be in beta testing. In astronomy, a nascent star is still forming from cosmic dust—proof that greatness often starts small.
(adjective) Obviously planned or forced rather than arising naturally; lacking authenticity or spontaneity.
The film’s ending felt contrived — a sudden reconciliation between characters who had spent two hours proving they could never forgive each other.
Contrived comes from the verb contrive, rooted in the Old French controver, meaning “to imagine” or “to find out,” itself from the Latin contropare — “to compare” or “to devise.” It entered English in the 14th century originally meaning simply to plan or devise something cleverly. Over time the word acquired its current negative undertone, shifting from neutral ingenuity toward the suggestion of something manipulated or artificially engineered to produce a desired effect.