Usage

Joyful and joyous

Joyful is an adjective that means feeling great happiness or causing to feel great happiness and joy. The adverb form is joyfully, the noun form is joyfulness. Joyful appears in the mid-thirteenth century. Joyous is an adjective that means feeling great happiness or causing to feel great happiness and joy. …

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Forceful vs forcible

Forceful means powerful, assertive, effective. Forceful is an adjective which may describe a person or argument, among other things. A derivative is the noun, forcefulness. Forceful comes into use in the 1570s. Forcible means accomplished through force. Forcible is an adjective which means vigorous, strong, effective. Derived forms are forcibleness, …

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Faraway vs far away

Faraway means distant, remote. Faraway may also mean mentally absent, dreamy. Faraway is an adjective, it appears before the noun it modifies. Faraway comes into the English language in 1816 as a compound word, occasionally faraway is hyphenated as far-away. Far away means remotely, afar. Far away is an adverb …

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Contaminate vs contaminant

Contaminate means to render something impure, to introduce a polluting substance or expose to corruption or infection. Contaminate is a transitive verb which is a verb that takes an object. Related words are contaminates, contaminated, contaminating. The adjective form is contaminative, the noun forms are contaminator and contamination. Contaminate comes …

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Desert vs. Dessert – When to Use Each One

Is it one S or two? When it comes to the words desert and dessert, most people struggle with the spelling, not the definition. It’s easy to know if you want to order a slice of cake for dessert versus whether you want to learn more about desert animals, but …

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Rational or rationale

Rational is an adjective which means in accordance with logic, sensible, reasonable, having the ability to reason. Rational connotes the absence of emotion when addressing a problem or argument and relying only on facts and logic. The adverb form is rationally and the noun forms are rationalness and more commonly, …

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Bounteous vs bountiful

Bounteous is an adjective which means given without restraint, given generously. Bounteous also means abundant, plentiful. The Oxford English dictionary considers bounteous to be an archaic word, related words are bounteously and bounteousness. Bountiful is an adjective which means given without restraint, given generously. Bountiful also means abundant, plentiful. Related …

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The Ampersand (&) – How and When to Use It

The ampersand used to be part of the alphabet and has been used since the Roman Empire. It is a symbol that replaces the word “and” and is often used as part of an official name or in various forms of informal writing.  Despite its longevity in the written language, …

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Poisonous vs venomous

Poisonous is an adjective which describes a plant, animal or other substance that causes sickness or death if inhaled, ingested or touched. Poisonous may also refer to a malicious or toxic environment or situation. The adverb form is poisonously, the noun form is poisonousness. Poisonous first appears in the 1570s, …

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Innate vs. Enate

Innate is an adjective that means a quality, attribute or talent that is inborn, natural, existing within someone or something since birth. The adverb form is innately, the noun form is innateness. Innate comes into the language in the early fifteenth century and is derived from the Latin innatus, the …

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