Word a Day
witticism
What does witticism mean?
witticism (noun): a message whose ingenuity or verbal skill or incongruity has the power to evoke laughter.
Definition: Princeton WordNet 3.1.
How do you pronounce witticism?
/ˈwɪtɪsɪzəm/ (IPA, American English). The app reads every word aloud.
Where does witticism come from?
From witty + -icism; coined in the 1670s by John Dryden, by analogy to criticism.
Etymology: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Test yourself: do you know “witticism”?
Tap an answer to check it. The same questions the app asks.
What does “witticism” mean?
a temporary passion or infatuation, as for some new amusement, pursuit, or fashion; a fad
Not quite: that's what craze means.
a premonition; a feeling that something, often of undesirable nature, is going to happen
Not quite: that's what presentiment means.
the forcible inclusion or entry of an external group or individual; the act of intruding
Not quite: that's what intrusion means.
a message whose ingenuity or verbal skill or incongruity has the power to evoke laughter
Right! That's what “witticism” means.
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