ob-STREP-er-uhs
The obstreperous child disrupted the entire classroom with his outbursts.
Fun Fact
From Latin ob (“against”) and strepere (“to make a noise”), obstreperous behavior isn’t just loud—it’s defiantly loud. Think protestors clashing with police, or characters in sitcoms who constantly shout over one another. It’s not just chaos—it’s resistant chaos.
dis-reh-PYOOT
(noun) The state of having a damaged or lost reputation; being held in low regard by others or by the public.
The firm’s disrepute spread faster than any press release could contain — three clients left before the week was out.
Disrepute combines the prefix dis- meaning “away” or “reversal” with repute, from the Latin reputare — “to reckon” or “to think over” — built from re- (“again”) and putare (“to think” or “to reckon”). Repute entered English in the 15th century meaning the general opinion held of someone; disrepute followed as its logical opposite, describing the condition of having that opinion turn decisively negative.
Fun Fact
The concept of reputational damage has a surprisingly litigious history. In medieval English law, damaging someone’s reputation through false speech was a criminal offense called scandalum magnatum — literally “scandal of the magnates” — originally applicable only to nobles and clergy. The offense was taken so seriously that a single damaging rumor could result in imprisonment. Modern defamation law is a direct descendant of these medieval protections, making disrepute one of the few conditions that has been legally actionable for nearly a thousand years.
Today's Word Meritorious mair-ih-TOR-ee-us Definition (adjective) Deserving praise or reward...
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