Emulate

Emulate

Family

(I don't actually know if this is a family, but that's what it's representing in this blog)

Kids often emulate their parents. They start out by looking up to their parents as role models. Then, throughout their lives, they try to and may succeed in having the characteristics that they admire in their parents.

Spelling: E-m-u-l-a-t-e

Definitions:

- “To strive to equal or excel, especially through imitation” (1).

- “To compare with successfully; approach or attain equally with” (1).

- “Computer Science To imitate the function of (another system), as by modifications to hardware or software that allow the imitating system to accept the same idea, execute the same programs, and achieve the same results as the imitated system” (1).

- “To compete with successfully; approach or attain equality with” (4).

Most likely definition:
- “To compete with successfully; approach or attain equality with” (4).

Parts of Speech:
- Verb
o transitive verb: needs a direct object (2)
- Adjective

Forms of Word:
- Past tense: emulated
- Present tense: emulating
- Future tense: emulate
- Third person singular: emulates
(1) (3)

Example Sentences:

- As a boy, George had such admiration for his dad that he attempted to emulate his every move.

- Many artists try to emulate the styles of previous artists that they look up to. Through mimicking these styles the artist can improve their own talents.
Pronunciation:
Em-u-late
(1)

When is this word a good word to use?

- In a newspaper article discussing a student/mentor relationship or a rivalry (especially the sports column).

- In a novel.

- When talking to someone who has a very high vocabulary and doesn’t mind fancy words.

- A political debate, interview or speech.

- At a job interview.

Synonyms:

- Imitate: Imitate is similar to emulate, but different because to imitate something/someone is to replicate that person or thing. To emulate is to try to be like something/ someone and maybe succeed.

- Mimic: Mimic is similar to emulate but different because to be emulated is often a positive thing to happen to oneself and to be mimicked is similar to being copied, which is more negative
Antonyms:

- Oppose: oppose is pretty close to the opposite of emulate. Most of the time, emulate is to try to, and maybe succeed in being like something. This means that the person emulating the other is in one way or another working towards similar goals of the other or wanting to or succeeding in possessing similar characteristics as the other.. To oppose is to work to gain a goal that is opposite to that of another or to be opposite in characteristics to another.

- (to be) original: To emulate is try to be or succeed in being like another. To be original is to be different.

- (to be) individual: To emulate is to try to be or succeed in being like another. To be individual is to be different.

Rating:
I would rate this word as three out of five stars in usefulness.
The word, ‘emulate’ is a good word because it is an interesting word that might catch the attention of others. It has a meaning that applies to everyday life or at least a lot of life in general. Finally, it is also somewhat easy to spell and short enough to be practical.
On the other hand, the word, ‘emulate’ is not always commonly used, which means that anyone who hears it might not get what the person who said it is trying to say. Also, the definitions for the word are pretty narrow, so finding a use for it might be harder than it seems.




1) http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/emulate
2) http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/trnsintr.html
3) http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/emulate
4) http://www.thefreedictionary.com/emulate
5) Microsoft word shortcut menu
6) http://encarta.msn.com/thesaurus_561572445/emulation.html
7) photo © Erika Mlejova
for openphoto.net CC:NonCommercial-ShareAlike

Aloof

Pronunciation: Uh-loof

· Spelling: A-L-O-O-F

· Part of Speech: Adjective

· Direct Definitions:

o At a distance; in a withdrawn manner

o Distant, unsympathetic, or supercilious in manner, attitude, or feeling. (Most common definition.)

· Related forms

o Aloofly (uh·loof·ly), adverb

o Aloofness (uh·loof·ness), noun

· Synonyms

o My word is a lot like distant, but aloof is much more unkind while distant is more like “he is not being unkind just not there mentally.”

· Antonyms

o Is the exact opposite of unreserved because unreserved is when someone has no problem conversing with anyone, the don’t hold themselves “Aloof” of others.

· Original sentences

o She was so aloof all she did was treat us like poor hobos.

o They all held themselves aloof, supposedly so high above us all… To them, we are nothing.

· Uses: When in a conversation of contempt about others, generally with someone with whom you confide, as such conversations can be considered offensive to those being talked about.

· Rating: We gave aloof 3 of 5 stars because while it’s a cool, descriptive word, it rarely comes up in conversation, and circumstances rarely offer the opportunity to use it effectively. Conervsing with contempt about someone may be an everyday occurance for some people, but aloof is much more specific than that, and is thus too hard to use for a full 4 stars, let alone 5.

Bibliography:

Cite http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/aloof

http://www.babylon.com/define/92/Synonym-Antonyms.html

http://www.synonym.com/antonym/aloof/

Quandary
Spelling: q-u-a-n-d-a-r-y
Definitions for “quandary”:
1) “A state of difficulty or perplexity; a state of uncertainty, hesitation or puzzlement; a pickle; a predicament.”
2) “ To put into a quandary; bring into a state of uncertainty or difficulty;”
3) “To be in a difficulty or uncertainty; hesitate”
(Century Dictionary )

Most common definition:
1) “A state of difficulty or perplexity; a sate of uncertainty, hesitation or puzzlement; a pickle; a predicament.”
(Century Dictionary )

Part of Speech: noun
Forms of Speech:
- Singular: quandary
- Plural: quandaries
Two original sentences:
- Once Jim walked past the orange stop sign for the third time, he was in a terrible quandary.
- While Will and Georgia inspected the depth in which our car had sunk into the mud (about two feet), I racked my brain to find a way to get out of this quandary.
- The fact that we had no parachute was a considerable quandary for us to overcome.
Pronunciation: kwon-duh-ree

Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2010. All rights reserved.
When to use quandary:
-When speaking in an intellectual conversation, generally about specific, troubling events. Used in places and with people where/with whom you wouldn't use terms like "in a pickle" but would opt for a more serious descriptive word - in this case, quandary
Synonyms:
- Predicament: Quandary is very alike to the word predicament. Both words are delightfully colorful, and not always commonly used. But, to be in a predicament is more often to be in an unstable and worrisome situation. A quandary is more likely to be a situation that causes a person to pause in confusion and unease.
- To be in a pickle: No I’m not referring to the food. To be in a pickle is a phrase used to represent a problematic state of being. A cliff is not to be in a pickle, but to be falling off of a cliff is to be in a pickle. A quandary is really close to this phrase, but more professional sounding. It would not be suggestible to tell one’s boss that their company is in a pickle. It would be more professional to say that the company is facing a quandary.
Antonyms:
- Solution: The word quandary is basically the opposite of the word solution because a quandary is situations something might be a problem or may not make sense, and a solution is a fix to a problem, or an answer to something that doesn’t make sense.
- Moment of clarity (antonym phrase): A quandary is a moment of confusion or hesitation, so a moment of clarity would be its opposite.
- Order: The word “order” is almost the opposite of the word “quandary” because order is the opposite of confusion. To be in a quandary is to be very confused.
Usefulness Rating:
This word has been rated as four stars out of five stars. Quandary is a great word to describe a befuddling situation (the word befuddling is a very good word too). This word allows the speaker/writer to sound intelligent, and it is also specific enough to allow for clear and easy communication. One problem with the word quandary is that it is easy to misuse. In some situations the word quandary can be too serious or too relaxed, and can cause the speaker/writer to sound sarcastic or silly.