Grotesque (adjective)

Meaning:
Very strange, ugly, or distorted in a shocking or unnatural way.

Example Sentences:
• The statue had a grotesque face that frightened visitors.
• The story described a grotesque creature lurking in the shadows.

Synonyms:
Hideous, bizarre, monstrous, deformed

Heedful (adjective)

Meaning:
Careful to pay attention; mindful and attentive to what is said or happening.

Example Sentences:
• She was heedful of the teacher’s instructions during the experiment.
• Drivers must be heedful of road signs to avoid accidents.
• He remained heedful of the risks before making a decision.

Synonyms:
Attentive, mindful, cautious, observant, alert

Sneaky (adjective)

Meaning:
Doing things in a secretive, sly, or dishonest way—often to avoid being noticed or to gain an unfair advantage.

Example sentence:
The cat gave a sneaky jump onto the table.

Tranquil (adjective)

Meaning:
Calm, peaceful, and free from disturbance or stress.

Example Sentences:
• The lake looked tranquil in the early morning light.
• She felt tranquil after spending time in nature.

Xenophobia (noun)

Meaning:
An intense dislike, fear, or prejudice against people from other countries or cultures.

Example Sentences:
• Xenophobia can create divisions between communities.
• Education and cultural exchange help reduce xenophobia.

Put up or shut up - "If you say someone should put up or shut up, you mean that they should either take action in order to do what they have been talking about, or stop talking about it."

Example Sentence:
If you think you can beat me in chess, put up or shut up—let’s play a match.

Oracle (noun)

Meaning:
someone who knows a lot about a subject and can give good advice

Example:
Professor Ross is regarded as the oracle on eating disorders.

Ubiquitous (adjective)

Meaning:
Present, appearing, or found everywhere; very common.

Example Sentences:
• Smartphones have become ubiquitous in modern society.
• The brand’s logo is ubiquitous, appearing in almost every major city.

Window shopping (noun / gerund) 👇

Meaning:
Looking at goods displayed in shop windows or online stores without intending to buy anything—just browsing for interest or enjoyment.

Example Sentences:
• We spent the afternoon window shopping at the mall.
• She loves window shopping for clothes even when she doesn’t plan to buy anything.

Menacing (adjective)

Meaning:
Looking or sounding threatening, dangerous, or likely to cause harm.

Example Sentence:
• The dark clouds gave the sky a menacing appearance.

Dogfishing (internet slang)

Meaning:
Dogfishing is when someone uses photos of a cute dog (often not their own) on social media or dating profiles to attract attention, likes, or matches from other people.

Example Sentences:
• He added a picture with a puppy on his dating profile—later she realized it was dogfishing.
• Many people use dogfishing to get more matches on dating apps.

Mulish (adjective)

Meaning:
Very stubborn; refusing to change your opinion or do what others want.

Example Sentences:
• The child was mulish and refused to apologize.
• Despite the advice, he remained mulish about his decision.

Synonyms:
Stubborn, obstinate, headstrong, inflexible.

Annihilation (noun)

Meaning:
Complete destruction or total elimination of something.

Example Sentences:
• The explosion caused the annihilation of the entire building.
• The team faced annihilation after losing the match by a huge margin.

Accumulate (verb)

Meaning:
To gradually gather, collect, or build up something over time.

Example Sentence:
• She managed to accumulate a large collection of books over the years.

Haggle (verb)

Meaning:
To negotiate or argue over the price of something in order to get a better deal, usually in a persistent or bargaining way. 💰

Example Sentence:
• She tried to haggle with the shopkeeper to lower the price of the jacket.

Disparage (verb)

Meaning:
To speak about someone or something in a negative or disrespectful way.

Example Sentence:
• He often disparages his coworkers’ ideas.

Discrepancy (noun)

Meaning:
A lack of agreement or consistency between two or more things; a difference that should not exist.

Example Sentences:
• The accountant noticed a discrepancy in the financial records.
• There was a discrepancy between the two reports.

Synonyms:
Difference, inconsistency, mismatch, disparity.

Discern (verb)

Meaning:
To recognize, notice, or understand something clearly—often something that is not obvious at first.

Example:
• She could discern a hint of sadness in his voice.