The meanings of these words are not related although they share the root word station. Stationary is an adjective meaning “staying in the same place.” Dictionaries say “immobile,” but this is not quite correct; immobile means not moving, like a statue—not moving any parts. But stationary only implies staying in the same location. A person […]

These two adjectives are almost the same, but practicable has a narrower meaning than practical. Practicable describes anything (such as a plan, a theory, a method, or a suggestion) that can be put into practice. Something practicable is something that can be done without too much difficulty. Practical can also mean “easy to put into […]

These nouns have different meanings and origins, although they may remind you of each other. Spores are the reproductive organs of certain plants and fungi (e.g. mushrooms), very much like seeds—tiny grains that grow into new plants or fungi under the right conditions. In fact, spores really are simple, primitive seeds. Most spores are unicellular […]

These two adjectives are very close in meaning, but distinct—both can mean important, “meaningful, worthwhile, valuable, or not empty.” The essential difference is between having substance (substantial) and making substance (substantive). Only substantial can be used for physical things, and amounts: Mike has a substantial/*substantive belly. Jane has a substantial/*substantive bank account. In these sentences, substantial means […]

These two adjectives are not related, but one brings to mind the other—because people who are stolid often seem solid. Solid means “without gaps or breaks, or multiple parts—made of one continuous piece”: we say that a blank sheet of paper is solid white. Statues are solid. A stone wall is solid. When a person speaks […]