“Alexander Hamilton saw too clearly that greater freedom could lead to greater disorder and, by a dangerous dialectic, back to a loss of freedom. Hamilton’s lifelong task was to try to straddle and resolve this contradiction and to balance liberty and honor.”
From Ron Chernov’s biography “Alexander Hamilton”
In the above sentence Hamilton was in favor of the rebellion but opposed to the atrocities and chaos which he thought resulted in a loss of honor. Nevertheless, early on he picked up a musket and started shooting.
Dialectic is a noun that refers to the method of discussion where ideas are presented in a back-and-forth manner in order to arrive at a new understanding or truth. It is a dialogue between two or more contrasting perspectives or viewpoints, leading to the resolution of contradictions and the development of a deeper understanding of the subject at hand.
Kinda’ like a debate.
It is a term used in philosophy and closely connected to Socrates and Plato.
It is pronounced just like you think it should be.
Recent Example:
“To make the dialectic between two families a fair fight, Orbach has some theatrical heavy lifting to do.” Journal Sentinel, March 2024
To learn more about this great word and to hear the proper pronunciation go to: Webster dialectic
Word of the Week Revisited – #115 – sagacious
sagacious – an adjective used to describe someone who possesses keen discernment and sound judgment. “Her sagacious insights into human nature allowed her to give excellent advice to her friends.”
Quote of the Week…
“I am busy rocking the cradle and studying the art of fleecing neighbors.”
In a letter from Alexander Hamilton to his good friend Lafayette. At the time he was a new father and studying law at King’s College, NY (later Columbia).
Alexander Hamilton (1755, or 1757 – 1804) was born out of wedlock on the Caribbean Island, Nevis, and was orphaned as a child (a pretty tough start). He went on to become a war hero in the Revolutionary War leading a bayonet charge at the battle of Yorktown and then went on to become a Founding Father who served as the first Secretary of the Treasury. Quite an amazing story. He was killed in a duel with Aaron Burr.
Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial Wall
Photos taken by me at sunrise….
There are 58,307 names engraved on this wall.
That number would be much larger if it included all those who died later of assorted maladies caused by Agent Orange, the chemical we sprayed to defoliate the jungles.
What is most upsetting is that most of those names should not be there and would not be there had John F. Kennedy not been assassinated. In a 1963 National Security Memo, he called for the withdrawal from Vietnam of 1,000 military personnel by the end of the year and “by the end of 1965….the bulk of U.S. personnel”.
In November 1963, after being given a list of the most recent casualties he said “After I come back from Texas, that’s going to change. Viet Nam is not worth another American life”. The following day he was assassinated. Some consider it a coup d’état.
At the time of JFK’s assassination, the U.S. had about 15,000 troops in Viet Nam. By 1969 that number had swollen to 543,000. Great news….for our military-industrial complex.
As a side note my good friend, Larry Ireland, was a medic in Vietnam and received the silver star for valor in combat…..truly a war hero. He returned a PTSD alcoholic. He quit drinking only to suffer early-onset Parkinson’s. While undergoing treatment they discovered advanced prostate cancer. Unfortunately, he died a young man.
To read his diary from a year in combat, hit this link…..
Final Thoughts….
Until Next Time….
Don “Gramps” Cummins
You may send comments (complements only) or you may join the thousands of happy readers already on our mailing list….write to our publisher at cmmns@aol.com
154 great words
1 – exacerbate – to make worse “Your input just exacerbates an already difficult situation.”
2- assuage – to make a situation or feeling less intense. “I pray our Heavenly Father may assuage you of the anguish of your grief.”
3 – force majeure’ – unforeseeable circumstance that prevents someone from fulfilling a contract. “The tenant will not be required to pay rent due to the force majeure’ clause.
4 – sanguine – optimistic or positive, especially in an apparently bad or difficult situation. “I’m trying to be sanguine about this, but I see a major roadblock”
5 – segue – (seg way) proceed to what follows without pause. “She has the skill to easily segue from political conversations into subjects less controversial.”
6 – bifurcate – to cause to divide into two branches or parts. “We have decided to bifurcate this large project.”
7 – indolent – habitually lazy – “His failure in life may stem from his indolent ways as a youth”.
8 – ameliorate – to make better or more tolerable – “this drug should ameliorate your pain”
9 – truncate – to shorten by or as if by cutting off – “A truncated version of this report is on the web.”
10 – nascent – coming or having recently come into existence “His nascent idea for a business turned into a goldmine”
11 – béchamel – a rich white sauce – “He made a lump-free béchamel for her, and, in return, she gave him her love.”
12 – anarchy – absence of government – “The revolution began when anarchy took root in just one city”.
13 – rhetorical question – a question not intended to require an answer. “Is this a beautiful day or what?”
14 – milieu – the physical or social setting in which something occurs or develops.- “His discipline is a result of growing up as part of the military milieu”
15 – nadir – the lowest point – “The stock market reached its current nadir in March”
16 – black swan event – comes as a surprise and has a major effect. “This pandemic is considered by many to be a black swan event.”
17 – myopic – narrow in perspective and without concern for broader implications. “Your myopic view of this project is disturbing”.
18 – quixotic – foolishly impractical especially in the pursuit of ideals – “His quixotic pursuit for her affection was quite simply foolish
19 – prescience – human anticipation of the course of events – foresight. “His intuitive prescience helped to make him a success”
20 – laconic and laconic riposte – use of a minimum of words, and a short clever response to an insult or challenge. In response to a demand to immediately surrender the general sent back the following: “Nuts”
21 – protean – ability to change, versatile. “The coronavirus is protean in its ability to either make you sick or not.”
22 – ephemeral – lasting a very short time or perhaps only one day. “Custer was chasing an ephemeral Indian city.”
23 – catch-22 – a dilemma or difficult circumstance from which there is no escape because of mutually conflicting or dependent conditions. From the novel “Catch-22”.
24 – arrogate – to take or claim something without justification. “In order to accomplish his dream he arrogated to himself controversial powers”.
25 – obtuse – difficult to understand, lacking intellect. “The responses to his remarks this week were even more obtuse.”
26 – purloin – to appropriate wrongfully (steal), often pertaining to a theft that is a breach of trust. “When she opened her new office she purloined one of my listings”.
27 – salience – the quality of being particularly noticeable or important. “It is not clear that raising the electoral salience of the Supreme Court will work to the president’s advantage.
28 – confabulate – to talk normally or to hold a discussion. “He likes to confabulate.”
29 – animus – a usually prejudiced and often spiteful or malevolent ill will. “I have no animus or agenda for the Affordable Care Act.”
30 – puerile – to act or communicate in a juvenile, silly or childish manner. “His puerile ways are giving a poor impression at his job interviews”.
31 – regnant – having the greatest influence – “The regnant belief”.
32 – roil – to be agitated or chaotic – “the politics of slavery was roiling the United States”.
33 – sonder – The realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own.
34 – inculcate – To instill or teach someone an attitude, idea, or habit by persistent instruction. “They will try to inculcate you with a respect for culture.”
35 – mendacity – untruthfulness, lying. “He blew the whistle on the mendacity of the politician.”
36 – pejorative – Expressing contempt or disapproval. Having negative connotations. “Permissiveness is often used a pejorative term”.
37 – dystopian – A world or society in which people lead wretched, dehumanized fearful lives, often associated with a totalitarian government or an environmentally degraded world. “The dystopian future of a society bereft of reason”.
38 – Occam’s razor – The simplest answer may be the preferred answer.
39 – execrate or execrable – very bad – “The execrable hotel food.”
40 – immutable – unchangeable – “Do not make the mistake of assuming that public opinion is immutable. ”
41 – prurient – having or encouraging an excessive or unwholesome interest in matters of sex. “She’d been the subject of much prurient curiosity”.
42 – obsequious – exhibiting fawning attentiveness. Exaggerated deference of manner. “Waiters who are obsequious in the presence of celebrities.”
43 – iconoclast – a person who attacks settled beliefs or institutions “He was a prolific writer with a reputation for iconoclastic insight and irreverent prose.”
44 – oblique – something not parallel nor at a right angle to a specified or implied line – slanting. “We sat on the settee oblique to the fireplace.” Or something done in an indirect way such as “He issued an oblique attack on the president”.
45 – profligate – wasteful – wildly extravagant. “He has always been a profligate spender, which is why he is broke.”
46 – raconteur – a good teller of stories. “We always invite her to dinner because she is a fine raconteur”.
47 – taciturn – a person who is reserved or uncommunicative in speech…saying little. It usually connotes unsociability. “Nothing bothered the taciturn Hogan more that excessive praise.”
48 – fungible – capable of mutual substitution: interchangeable. “The court’s postulate is that male and female jurors must be regarded as fungible.”
49 – filibuster – The use of tactics in an attempt to delay or prevent action especially in a legislative assembly. This currently requires a 60 vote Senate majority. “They stopped the bill from coming to a vote by the use of a filibuster”.
50 – hegemony – preponderant influence or authority over others: Domination. “They battled for hegemony in Asia.”
51 – de facto – being such in effect though not formally recognized or contrary to established law “a de facto state of war” for a war that has not been officially declared.
52 – blockchain – an open, distributed leger that can record transactions between two parties efficiently and in a verifiable and permanent way.
53 – bête noire – A person or thing one particularly dislikes or is strongly detested. “The abuse of women was a bête noire for Lincoln.”
54 – evince -to constitute outward evidence of….to display clearly: reveal. “He evinced a depraved mind.”
55 – virago – a loud overbearing woman. Domineering, violent, or bad tempered. “Democrats, on the other hand, saw Jessie as a Republican virago.”
56 – metonym – a name, or expression used as a substitute for something else with which it is closely associated. “Washington is a metonym for the federal government of the US.”
57 – felicitous is an adjective defined as well chosen or suited to the circumstances such as “a felicitous phrase”.
58 – ennui – a feeling of listlessness and dissatisfaction arising from a lack of occupation or excitement. “He succumbed to ennui and despair”
59 – imprimatur – a noun meaning sanction or approval. “He gave the book his imprimatur.”
60 – fiat – A command or act of will that creates something without further effort. An authoritative determination. “He runs the company by fiat.”
61 – salient – meaning most notable or important. Of notable significance. “It succinctly covered all the salient points of the case.”
62 – meme – an idea, behavior, style, or usage that spreads from person to person within a culture. “The band encouraged fans to make memes to advertise the U.S. release of their EP.”
63 – delectation – delight or enjoyment. “Here are some chocolates for your delectation.”
64 – feckless – acting in an irresponsible, weak, or cowardly manner. Inept, incompetent. “feckless leadership.”
65 – ignominious – deserving or causing public disgrace or shame. despicable, “His was an ignominious withdrawal.”
66 – mollify – to soothe in temper or disposition. “He mollified his staff with promises of future raises.”
67 – prosaic – dull, unimaginative, commonplace. “prosaic advice.”
68 – diaspora – a noun meaning the dispersion of any people from their original homeland. “A diaspora of thousands of Afghans has arrived in the United States.”
69 – tête-à-tête – a private conversation between two people. “They had a tête-à-tête last night over a quiet dinner.“
70 – fatuous – silly and pointless. inanely foolish, “A fatuous comment.”
71 – ineffable – indescribable. “ineffable joy”
72 – putative -generally considered or reputed to be. Assumed to exist or to have existed. “His putative conversation had a big impact on the events of my life.”
73 – ineluctable – unable to be resisted or avoided. inescapable. “the ineluctable facts of history.”
74 – redolent – exuding fragrance, aromatic, scented. “The air is redolent of seaweed.” – or evocative, suggestive. strongly reminiscent of. “names redolent of history and tradition.”
75 – excoriate – a verb that means to censure or severely criticize. “The papers that had been excoriating him were now lauding him.”
76 – straw-man – an intentionally misrepresented proposition that is set up because it is easier to defeat than an opponent’s real argument. A weak or imaginary opposition (such as an argument or adversary) set up only to be easily confuted.
77 – élan or elan – a noun defined as vigorous spirit or enthusiasm. style, energy. “Big and muscular, he exuded a natural elan.”
78 – repartee – a conversation or speech characterized by quick, witty comments or replies, amusing. light sparring with words.“ He had a quick mind and a splendid gift for repartee.”
79 – louche is an adjective meaning disreputable or sordid often in a rakish or appealing way. “The louche world of the theater.”
80 – transgender – an adjective meaning of, relating to, or being a person whose gender identity differs from the sex the person had or was identified as having at birth. “A transgender American”.
81 – shambolic – an adjective meaning obviously chaotic, disorganized, confused or mismanaged. “The department’s shambolic accounting department.”
82 – minion – a noun defined as a follower or underling of a powerful person, especially a servile or unimportant one. A subordinate or petty official. “He’s one of the boss’ minions.”
83 – militia – a noun meaning a military force that is raised from the civilian population to supplement a regular army in an emergency. “Creating a militia was no answer to the army’s manpower problem.”
84 – evince – a verb meaning revealing the presence of (a quality or feeling)” To constitute outward evidence of or to display clearly. “His letters evince the excitement he felt at undertaking this journey.”
85 – egregious – outstandingly bad, shocking, flagrantly bad, conspicuously bad. Putin’s egregious war on Ukraine.
86 – sycophant – a person who acts obsequiously toward someone important in order to gain advantage. A servile self-seeking flatterer. “She mistook sycophants for true friends.”
87 – desultory is an adjective defined as lacking a plan, purpose, or enthusiasm. “Another desultory day of shopping.”
88 – misanthrope – a person that hates or distrusts humankind, human behavior, or human nature. One who avoids human society. “A streak of misanthropy is in his nature”
89 – euphemism – a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing. “My mother passed away”
90 – insouciance – lighthearted unconcern, nonchalance. “She wandered into the meeting with complete insouciance to the fact that she was late.”
92 – erudite – It is an adjective used to describe someone who has or shows great knowledge or learning. “Ken could turn any conversation into an erudite discussion,”
93 – ostensibly – purported to be true but not necessarily true. “His series is ostensibly about a single family tearing itself apart.“
94 – exigency (or often the plural exigencies) means a state of affairs that makes urgent demands or needs. “They better be quick in responding to the exigencies of a hurricane.”
95 – inexorable or inexorably meaning impossible to stop, unrelenting “The seemingly inexorable march of new technology“.
96 – torpor is a noun meaning “a state of physical and mental inactivity. Lethargy, apathy, dullness.” “They veered between apathetic torpor and hysterical fanaticism.”
97 – existential – of, or relating to, or affirming existence. “An existential threat to control of Congress.
98 – non-sequitur is a response that does not follow logically from or is not clearly related to anything previously said. “We were talking about the new restaurant when she threw in some non sequitur about her dog.”
99 – endemic is an adjective meaning a disease or condition regularly found among particular people or in a certain area. “Complacency is endemic in industry today”.
100 – bespoke is an adjective meaning custom-made articles. “He always wore a bespoke suit”.
101 – omnibus – an omnibus bill is a law that covers a number of diverse or unrelated topics, or a book containing a collection of works by one author or several authors, often related by a common theme.
102- archetype is a typical example of. “He is the archetype of a successful business man”
103 – alacrity denotes physical quickness coupled with eagerness or enthusiasm. “She accepted the invitation with alacrity”.
104 – aberration is a noun defined as “a departure from what is normal, usual, or expected, typically one that is unwelcome.” “They described the outbreak of violence as an aberration”.
105 – rectitude – a noun that means moral integrity, the quality or state of being correct in judgment or procedure. “The governor’s rectitude allowed him to make difficult decisions.”
106 – occidental – an adjective meaning countries of the west. “There is an Asian challenge to the occidental dominance”
107 – banal – an adjective meaning dull, boring. “The presentation was banal and way too long.“
108 – conjointly – an adverb meaning being together or in collaboration with another person or thing. “The project was completed conjointly between two teams.”
109 – nexus – a noun that refers to a connection or link between two or more things. It can also refer to a central point or junction where things come together. The bookstore has become something of a nexus for the downtown neighborhood.”
110 – incurious – an adjective meaning without curiosity. “The politician’s incurious nature was troubling.”
111 – invidious – an adjective defined as an action or situation likely to arouse or incur resentment of anger in others. “She put herself in an invidious position.”
112 – meme – noun, pronounced meem. It is an image or phrase, that is spread virally from one person to another through the internet and social media platforms. YOLO is an example.
113 – trope – a noun defined as a commonly used theme or device in literature, art, or other forms of media.
114 – anodyne – an adjective that refers to something that is not likely to provoke disagreement or offense. “They tried to ease the tension by engaging in anodyne conversation, avoiding controversial topics.“
115 – sagacious – an adjective used to describe someone who possesses keen discernment and sound judgment. “Her sagacious insights into human nature allowed her to give excellent advice to her friends.”
116- invective – used to describe strong, abusive, or severely critical language that expresses blame, anger, or disapproval. “As the election nears, political ad campaigns are increasingly utilizing invective to vilify their opponents.
117 – malfeasance – a noun, is a legal term that refers to the commission of an illegal or wrongful act, especially by someone holding public office or a position of trust. “The politician’s malfeasance finally came to light.”
118 – doyenne is a noun that refers to a woman who is the most experienced, respected, or prominent person in her field. “As the doyenne of modern architecture, her legacy continues to influence urban design “
119 – Pyrrhic is an adjective most commonly used in the phrase “Pyrrhic victory”, which refers to a victory or success that comes at such a great cost that it essentially equals defeat. “He won the battle but that eventually proved to be a Pyrrhic victory, as he lost the war.”
120 – vignette is a noun defined as a brief incident or scene in a play, movie or conversation. ““The article on environmental conservation dons a vignette of stunning wildlife photography.”
121 – supine is an adjective meaning either lying on one’s back “The patient was in a supine position”, or a condition of being inactive, passive, or indifferent. “The worker’s supine attitude was not helpful”.
122 – nominal – an adjective meaning either a small price to play or a role that exists in name only. The person does not have a legitimate title. “He is the nominal head of his party.”
123 – adjudicate – a verb that means to make a formal decision or judgment in a dispute. “The Supreme Court is set to adjudicate on the election dispute.”
124 – sartorial – an adjective that relates to tailoring, clothes or style of dress. “sartorial elegance“.
125 – halcyon – an adjective typically referring to a period of peace, tranquility, and prosperity. “The halcyon days of youth.”
126 – inchoate – an adjective that suggests a state of incompleteness, uncertainty, or potentiality. “The startup presented an inchoate business model that needed further refinement.”
127 – nefarious – an adjective used to describe someone or something that is extremely wicked, villainous, or evil in nature. “Hamas was condemned for its nefarious terror attacks on civilians”
128 – euphonious – an adjective describing sounds that are pleasing, melodious, or pleasant to the ear. “She has a wonderful euphonious voice that is a pleasure to listen to.”
129 – glean or gleaned is a verb meaning to gather information, knowledge, or insights from various sources. “The police used old-fashioned detective work to glean his whereabouts.”
130 – fiduciary can be an adjective or noun meaning relating to, or involving a confidence or trust such as “a fiduciary relationship”.
131 – recompense can be a noun or verb – to make amends to someone for loss or harm suffered. To compensate. “Offenders should recompense their victims.”
132 – inimical is an adjective meaning tending to obstruct or harm. “actions inimical or our interests.”
133 – abdicate is a verb used to describe someone avoiding responsibility by deliberately stepping aside or shirking their duties. “He abdicated his responsibility allowing him to blame others.”
134 – turpitude is a noun that refers to inherent baseness, vileness or depravity in a person’s character, actions or behavior. “He was found guilty of moral turpitude.”
135 – tropism is a noun defined as the turning of all or part of an organism in a particular direction in response to an external stimulus. “He doesn’t have a tropism toward intellectual content….”
136 – lexicon is a noun, defined as the vocabulary of a language, an individual speaker or group of speakers, or a subject. The fabulous Word of the Week is developing a lexicon of useful words selected to make you appear intelligent (even if you are not), but not pretentious.”
137 – sanctimonious is an adjective defined as making a show of being morally superior to other people. “What happened to all the sanctimonious talk about putting his family first?”
138 – Umbra is an adjective defined as the conical part of the shadow of a celestial body. “During a solar eclipse observers located within the umbra experience a complete blocking of the sun by the moon.”
139 – purchase – a verb with an alternate definition, an advantage (such as a firm hold or position) used in applying one’s power. “He clutched the steering wheel for more purchase.”
140 – effete is an adjective often us to describe someone who appears weak or lacking in vitality. “a good-humored, effete boy brought up by aunts.”
141- cudgel is a noun defined as a short club but is also often used to imply a forceful approach to argument or persuasion. “She used her quick wit as a cudgel to vanquish her opponents.”
142 – attenuate is a verb. To attenuate something is to diminish its intensity or strength. “The company implemented measures to attenuate the negative impact of the economic downturn.”
143 – averred is a verb and is the past tense of the verb “aver”. It means to assert or affirm confidently; to declare or state positively. “He averred that he was innocent.“
144 – pedantic is an adjective (pedant the noun) that refers to a person who is overly concerned with minor details and rules and tends to show off their knowledge in a boastful or condescending manner.” The essays are long, dense, and too pedantic to hold great appeal.”
145 – diktat is a noun and is defined as an order or command that is given with the expectation of strict obedience. “His campaign immediately trashed the rule as a diktat that will force Americans….”
146 – conflate is a verb that means to combine or blend different elements into one entity. “The politician’s speech consistently conflated facts and opinions.”
147 – errant is an adjective that is used to describe someone or something that is wandering or straying from the correct or accepted path. “The teacher blamed the problem on errant students.”
148 – entropy is a noun defined as a process of degradation or a gradual decline into disorder. “It is a marketplace where entropy reigns supreme.”
149 – internecine is an adjective that refers to conflict or warfare within a group or organization. “The party shrank from its responsibility in fear of internecine strife.”
150 – temporal is an adjective that refers to something relating to time as temporary or existing only for a certain period of time as opposed to eternity. “The temporal limitations of our physical bodies remind us of our mortality.”
151 – munificent is an adjective that refers to the quality or action of being extremely generous, often involving a considerable donation or gift. “The community center was built thanks to the munificence of a local benefactor.”
152 – circumscribe is a verb defined as to constrict the range of activity definitely and clearly. “His role was carefully circumscribed.”
153- bereft is an adjective that means deprived or lacking something, especially a non-material asset or quality. “Her room was stark and bereft of color”.
154 – dialectic – a noun that means a method of examining and discussing opposing ideas in order to find the truth, or an intellectual exchange of ideas. “To make the dialectic between two families a fair fight, he has some theatrical heavy lifting to do.”