These two adjectives have related but different meanings. Both concern “nailing things down”—to use an English metaphor. As you may know, finite means “limited” and both words are about limiting definitions.Definite means “certain, unambiguous, clear, specific, decisive”: You should make a definite plan, or you may waste time.I need a definite answer, yes or no, […]

These two verbs are unrelated. Their meanings are related to the meanings of cry and scry, the latter of which means to see.To decry means “to speak badly of, to declare that someone or something is wrong.” It is important that we loudly decry all who promote hatred in our society. To descry, in contrast, […]

Deadly means “likely to kill somebody” and can be used to describe almost anything: The training she received in spy-school made her a deadly secret agent. The venom of baby snakes is deadlier than that of adult snakes. With millions of deadly weapons stocked up, maybe we could spend more on education? Deathly, on the other hands, […]

Both of these words refer to elements of old aristocratic European culture which do not appear in America often today, but which are not as uncommon in the UK.Croquet is a sport in which players hit a wooden ball through small gate-like objects, called wickets, on a lawn (a field of grass)—such as the lawn […]

Credible means “believable;” it may describe an idea, text, or person: I found neither the author, nor his book, credible; he uses dishonest arguments. Creditable, on the other hand, means “worthy of credit”; credit, here, means praise or respect—usually for an action or product, not a person: Your efforts to help the poor are quite […]