To insinuate something (especially something bad or insulting) is to say it in a subtle or indirect way. Insinuate can also mean "to gradually make (oneself) a part of a group, a person's life, etc., often by behaving in a dishonest way."

// When the teacher questioned the students about their identical test answers, they knew she was insinuating that they had cheated.

// They have managed to insinuate themselves into the city's most influential social circles.

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"... when perennial talk among beachgoers about where to spend those beautiful but fleeting summer days involves rumors that, perhaps Narragansett is, say, uninviting to nonlocals, officials contend that just isn't true. 'When people say that or insinuate that Narragansett Town Beach is unfriendly or unwelcoming to nonresidents, this is absolutely untruthful,' said Parks and Recreation director Michelle Kershaw." — Christopher Gavin, The Boston Globe, 3 Nov. 2024

Insinuating involves a kind of figurative bending or curving around your meaning: you introduce something—an idea, an accusation, a point of view—without saying it directly. The winding path is visible in the word’s etymology: insinuate comes from the Latin verb sinuare, meaning "to bend or curve," which in turn comes from the Latin noun sinus, meaning "curve." The influence of Latin sinus is visible elsewhere too: in the mathematical terms sine and cosine, the adjective sinuous ("having many twists and turns"), and the noun sinus ("any of several spaces in the skull that connect with the nostrils").

Sanguine is a formal word that today almost always describes someone who is confident and hopeful, or something that shows confidence and hopefulness. Sanguine can also describe something that is bloodred in color, something involving or relating to bloodshed, or a person’s reddish complexion.

// The young group of entrepreneurs is sanguine about the future of their business.

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“[David] Corenswet is remarkably sanguine about a film that has been the subject of immense scrutiny. The trailer is the most watched in the history of either DC or Warner Bros. Though he may not want the burden of Superman’s success or failure on his, yes, broad shoulders, it will land there anyway.” — Eliana Dockterman, Time, 1 Apr. 2025

If you’re the sort of cheery, confident soul who always looks on the bright side no matter what happens, you may be described as sanguine. Sanguine traces back to the Latin noun sanguis, meaning “blood,” and over the centuries the word has had meanings ranging from “bloodthirsty” to “bloodred,” among other things in that (ahem) vein, so how did it also come to mean “hopeful”? During the Middle Ages, health and temperament were believed to be governed by the balance of different liquids, or humors, in one’s body: phlegm, black bile, yellow bile, and blood. Those lucky people who were governed by blood were strong, confident, and even had a healthy reddish glow (all that blood, you know)—they were, in a word, sanguine. In time, the physiological theory behind the humors was displaced by scientific medicine, but the word sanguine is still commonly used to describe those who are cheerfully confident.

Behest can refer either to an authoritative order or an urgent prompting.

// The committee met again at the senator’s behest.

// At the behest of her friends, Marcie read the poem aloud.

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“... Raymond Carver and I were selecting stories for our American Short Story Masterpieces. When Ray and I worked on our selections, we would meet in Manhattan, where I lived, or in Syracuse, New York, where he lived. ... Each morning we’d read and then meet for lunch and talk about what we’d read. After lunch we’d read some more, and at dinner we talked about the afternoon’s reading. Sometimes we’d reread at the other’s behest.” — Tom Jenks, LitHub.com, 2 Aug. 2024

In Return of the Jedi, the villain Darth Vader speaks with an old-timey flair when he asks his boss, the Emperor, for instructions: “What is thy bidding, my master?” If the film’s screenwriters wanted him to sound even more old-timey, however, they could have chosen to have him ask “What is thy behest?” As a word for a command or order, behest predates bidding in English by a couple centuries, dating all the way back—long, long ago, though still in this galaxy—to the 1100s. Its Old English ancestor, the noun behǣs, referred to a promise, a meaning that continued on in Middle English especially in the phrase “the land of behest” but is now obsolete. The “command” sense of behest is still in good use, typically referring to an authoritative order, whether from an emperor or some other high-ranking figure. Behest is now also used with a less forceful meaning; it can refer to an urgent prompting, as in “an anniversary showing of classic films at the behest of the franchise’s fans.”

To mollify someone is to make them less angry. Mollify can also mean "to reduce in intensity."

// The celebrity's statement was intended to mollify critics.

// Time mollified her anger.

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"The philanthropic move is likely meant to mollify angry residents who are protesting against the celebrity-filled spectacle being held in their historic backyard." — Madeleine Marr, The Miami Herald, 25 June 2025

Mollify is particularly well-suited for referring to the action of soothing emotional distress or anger and softening hard feelings: the word comes from the Latin adjective mollis, meaning "soft." Mollis is also the root of the English adjective emollient, used to describe something (such as a hand lotion) that softens or soothes, and the noun mollusk, which refers to any one of a large group of animals (such as snails and clams) that have a soft body without a backbone and that usually live in a shell.

Histrionic is a word used disapprovingly to describe someone or something that is too emotional or dramatic.

// The head chef had a penchant for dish throwing, door slamming, and other histrionic displays of temper whenever a dish was sent back to the kitchen.

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“‘Where did I put ’em?/ Where’d I misplace ’em?/ Where did I leave ’em?/ Where did you take ’em?’ With a barrage of questions ... Jordan Hawkins kicks off his latest single in the throes of borderline histrionic emotional turmoil—as converted by a vocal performance that primarily trades in growls, rasp and impassioned falsetto ...” — Kyle Denis, Billboard, 10 Feb. 2025

If you’re already familiar with the history of histrionic, take a bow. But if you’re still waiting (in the wings or elsewhere) to learn, we’ve got you covered. The adjective histrionic traces back to the Latin noun histrio, meaning “actor.” Something described as histrionic tends to recall the high drama of stage and screen, and especially the theatrical form known as melodrama, where characters have very strong or exaggerated emotions. But something that is histrionic isn’t always overdone; histrionic is also used (though less frequently) simply to describe something related to acting or the theater, as in “histrionic talent/skills.” Note that the noun histrionics refers to either theatrical performances, or, more commonly, to a deliberate display of emotion for effect, as in “parents used to the child’s histrionics.”

Abeyance is a formal word that is almost always used in the phrase “in abeyance” to describe something in a temporary state of inactivity—that is, something in a state of suspension.

// The legal case is now being held in abeyance while the parties attempt to find a mutually acceptable solution.

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“A restaurant popular with college students ... will temporarily lose its liquor license for more than a week in October after the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission found multiple underage patrons consuming alcohol. ... The actual liquor license suspension issued lasts for 18 days, but only nine of those days must be served, from Oct. 7 to 15, according to the report. The other nine days ‘will be held in abeyance for a period of two years provided no further violations’ are found ...” — Katelyn Umholtz, Boston.com, 12 Sept. 2024

Jaw-dropping suspense is at the etymological heart of abeyance: the word’s Anglo-French forbear joined parts meaning “to open wide” and “to have the mouth wide open; gape, pant.” Almost always partnered with the word in, abeyance refers to a temporary lull in activity—a state of suspension (and perhaps suspense) before an action continues. If something, such as a plan or contract, is in abeyance, it is temporarily unable to take effect, be enforced, etc. When first borrowed into English in the early 16th century, abeyance referred to a lapse in succession during which there exists no person with a legal right to an estate or title of nobility; think of a property or title in this type of abeyance as being in a state of limbo, waiting for a rightful heir or owner. This meaning comes directly from its Anglo-French ancestor, which took the jaw-dropping suspense implied in the word’s parts and applied it to the edge-of-one’s-seat feeling when you don’t know who the next Earl or Countess will be.

Something described as trivial is of little worth or importance.

// Although her parents initially dismissed her love of pop music as a trivial matter, it became clear as she applied to colleges with strong popular music programs that much of her life was going to be dedicated to it.

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"No matter how trivial an activity might be, most people seem to feel an innate need to get better at it—whether it's kids learning double Dutch, me just shooting baskets in the driveway or somebody else proud at how much better he's getting at flipping pancakes." — David Brooks, The New York Times, 30 Mar. 2025

When English speakers adopted the word trivial from the Latin word trivialis in the 16th century, they used it to mean just what its Latin ancestor meant: "found everywhere, commonplace." But the source of trivialis is about something more specific: trivium, from tri- ("three") and via ("way"), means "crossroads; place where three roads meet." The link between the two presumably has to do with the commonplace sorts of things a person is likely to encounter at a busy crossroads. Today, the English word typically describes something barely worth mentioning. Such judgments are, of course, subjective; feel free to mention this bit of trivia to anyone and everyone who crosses your path.

To carp is to complain in an annoying way.

// They’re always carping about their boss.

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“David Fincher and Brad Pitt are together again with the sequel to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood—written by Quentin Tarantino and directed by David Fincher. ... And while I hear people carping about the wig on Brad Pitt—to quote Caddyshack, ‘you’ll take what you get and like it’ …” — Sasha Stone, AwardsDaily.com, 29 July 2025

Though someone might hypothetically carp about the fish known as carp, the similarity between the words is wholly coincidental. Both entered the English language in the 15th century but from different sources. Like many terms for plants and animals adopted at that point in the language’s history, the fish’s name traces back to Late Latin, but the verb is of Scandinavian origin. It shares an ancestor with the Icelandic verb karpa, meaning “to dispute.” We promise there’s nothing fishy about that.

Epitome means "a perfect example." It is usually used in the phrase "the epitome of," as in "the epitome of elegance."

// In his tailored suit and fashionable haircut, he was the very epitome of style.

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"The image of Diana standing on a polo field in a white British Lung Foundation sweatshirt is one of the most iconic images of the late princess. Dressed in jeans, a baseball cap, cowboy boots and a blazer over the logo crewneck, Princess Diana—who served as patron of the foundation—looked the epitome of '80s cool." — Kristin Contino, Marie Claire, 27 June 2025

Epitome first appeared in print in the early 16th century, when it was used to mean "summary." If someone asks you to summarize a long paper, you effectively cut it up, mentioning only the most important ideas. The etymology of epitome reflects this process: it comes from Greek epitemnein, meaning "to cut short." Your summary probably also presents all the key points of the original work, which may explain why epitome eventually came to be used for any person or object that is a clear or good example of an abstraction, as in "the epitome of grace" or "the epitome of health."

Simpatico typically describes two or more people or things with shared qualities, interests, etc. It can also describe someone who is agreeable or likeable.

// Even though they weren’t always simpatico with regard to the direction of their company, the pair managed to be successful partners for more than 35 years.

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“From the early 2010s, when he was a young teen rapper in Chicago ... Chief Keef was flooding his Instagram with self-documentation, all of which is essentially gone now. Enter Eduard Taberner Pérez, an amateur archivist and professional graphic designer, who compiled ‘Sosa Archive,’ a limited-run art book that gathers several thousand photos pulled from Keef’s Instagram, presenting then in visually simpatico grids of 12.” — Jon Caramanica, The New York Times, 5 Mar. 2025

Simpatico, which comes ultimately from the Latin noun sympathia, meaning “sympathy,” was borrowed into English from both the Italian simpatico and Spanish simpatico. In those languages, the word has been chiefly used to describe people who are well-liked or easy to get along with. Early uses of the word in English reflected those of their forebears, as in Henry James’s 1881 novel The Portrait of a Lady, in which one character says of another’s dying cousin, “Ah, he was so simpatico. I’m awfully sorry for you.” In recent years, however, the word has gained an additional sense describing things or people who get along well or work well together.