When you don't know the meaning of a word, there's one obvious place to turn: the dictionary.
Naturally, some words tend to confuse people more than others, as evidenced by Merriam-Webster's list of the 10 most looked-up words in its online dictionary.
So what are the most sought-after definitions in the English language? Probably not what you expect. You won't find hyper-obscure scientific terms, for example, because not enough people know them to bother looking them up.
Rather, the most looked-up words are ones that are "middle of the road linguistically" — common enough to perpetually perplex readers, as Merriam-Webster lexicographer Kory Stamper told Business Insider.
Here are the 10 most looked-up words and their definitions:
Pretentious
Someone is pretentious if they express unwarranted or exaggerated importance, worth, or stature. Think beer snobs or Prius drivers, as the stereotypes go.
Ubiquitous
Ubiquitous is used to describe something that is widespread and constantly encountered, like television or fast food.
Cynical
Someone is cynical if they are distrustful of people's motives, or believe that human conduct is motivated primarily by self-interest. A cynical person might question why you offer to do them a favor, thinking to themselves, "what do they really want?"
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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