mundane

An ordinary, unexciting thing can be called mundane: "Superman hid his heroic feats by posing as his mundane alter ego, Clark Kent."
Mundane, from the Latin word mundus, "world," originally referred to things on earth. Such things were supposed to be uninteresting when compared to the delights of Heaven; hence the word's present meaning. Writing about reality TV shows, aNewsweek writer opined, "In reality bizarro-world, the mundaneis presented as the spectacular" in other words, people's everyday routines are now televised as entertainment.
DEFINITIONS OF:

mundane
1

adjfound in the ordinary course of events Synonyms:

everyday, quotidian, routine, unremarkable,workaday ordinary not exceptional in any way especially in quality or ability or size or degree
adjconcerned with the world or worldly matters

mundane affairs
Synonyms:

terrestrial secular, temporal, worldly characteristic of or devoted to the temporal world as opposed to the spiritual world
adjbelonging to this earth or world; not ideal or heavenly

yet a mundane wonder of unimagined kind

Synonyms:

terrene earthly of or belonging to or characteristic of this earth as distinguished from heaven

terrestrial
Not straying far from its Latin root "terra" meaning "earth," terrestrial means "of the earth." If it's terrestrial, you'll find it on earth. If it's extraterrestrial, you'll find it emerging from a UFO.
The adjective terrestrial can also be used to describe something that lives on land (as opposed to living in water, for example). "On their trip to the rain forest, the scientists were charged with cataloging terrestrial animals. Another group was going to be in charge of cataloging the aquatic animals." The adjective can also be used to describe something that is mundane in character. The teenager cried, "My life is boring and full of terrestrial events like going to band practice and to class!"
DEFINITIONS OF:

terrestrial

1 adjof or relating to or characteristic of the planet Earth or its inhabitants this terrestrial ball
Synonyms:

planetary
adjconcerned with the world or worldly matters

he developed an immense terrestrial practicality

Synonyms:

mundane secular, temporal, worldly characteristic of or devoted to the temporal world as opposed to the spiritual world
adjof this earth

the nearest to an angelic being that treads this terrestrial ball

Synonyms:

sublunar, sublunary earthly of or belonging to or characteristic of this earth as distinguished from heaven
adjof or relating to or inhabiting the land as opposed to the sea or air Synonyms:

tellurian, telluric, terrene

adjoperating or living or growing on land Synonyms

onshore on the edge of the land overland traveling or passing over land
Antonyms:

aquatic operating or living or growing in water show more antonyms...

incongruity
Incongruity means out of place something that doesn't fit in its location or situation. The art show patrons couldn't help but chuckle at the incongruity of a toilet sitting in the middle of an exhibition of Renaissance paintings.
An incongruity is very different from everything around it, to the point of being inappropriate to the situation. A cat at a dog's birthday party would be an incongruity, as would a pacifist at a meeting of the War Lovers' Society. Incongruity is the idea that something is incongruous, or inappropriate. A purple towel is an incongruity in an all black-and-white bathroom.
DEFINITIONS OF:

incongruity
1

N the quality of disagreeing; being unsuitable and inappropriate Synonyms:

incongruousness
Antonyms:

congruence, congruity, congruousness the quality of agreeing; being suitable and appropriate
Types:

irony incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs Socratic irony

admission of your own ignorance and willingness to learn while exposing someone's inconsistencies by close questioning
Type of:

incompatibility the quality of being unable to exist or work in congenial combination

When you monkey around, you waste time. When you monkey around with something, you often fiddle with it in an attempt to fix it or figure it out. You might, for example, monkey around with your dad's broken computer.
If a mother who's heading off to work warns her teenager, "Don't just monkey around today," she means that she wants her child to accomplish something worthwhile. If you monkey around, you might do a few random tasks, but mostly you're just fooling around. The expression comes from the way monkeys play: they don't accomplish much, but they have a lot of fun.

If you describe something as mutilated, it has been disfigured or maimed. After a disaster, it can sometimes be hard to identify the mutilated bodies.
The adjective mutilated is a gory word that's good for describing maimed or injured bodies. When something's mutilated, it's often harmed in such a way that it's no longer recognizable. A mutilated face might be cut so badly that you can't identify who it belongs to, and a mutilated arm could be crushed so terribly that it no longer looks like an arm. The Latin root mutilareliterally means "with a part cut off."

malicious
Someone who is malicious enjoys hurting or embarrassing others. If you're writing a book about good and evil, you'll want to come up with a truly malicious character to do all the bad stuff.
Malicious is the adjective based on the noun malice, which means the desire to harm others. Both words come from the Latin word malus, for bad. If someone is malicious he doesn't just make bad things happen; he loves to make bad things happen.
DEFINITIONS OF:

malicious
1

adjhaving the nature of or resulting from malice

malicious gossip "took malicious pleasure in...watching me wince"- Rudyard Kipling

Synonyms

despiteful, spiteful, vindictive showing malicious ill will and a desire to hurt; motivated by spite leering showing sly or knowing malice in a glance malevolent wishing or appearing to wish evil to others; arising from intense ill will or hatred beady-eyed having eyes that gleam with malice

bitchy, cattish, catty marked by or arising from malice poisonous, venomous, vicious marked by deep ill will; deliberately harmful venomed full of malice or hate vixenish shrewish and malicious
Antonyms:

unmalicious not malicious or spiteful

Virulence is a harmful quality possessed by microorganisms that can cause disease. You can also use the noun virulence to describe someone's malicious actions.
A virus spreads disease, and virulence is a quality possessed by viruses that are on the loose and spreading. This could be as common as the flu or as unusual as chemical warfare. You can also speak of the virulence of hostile, harmful words and actions. Publicly insulting and discrediting someone is an example of virulence. With either meaning, virulence indicates danger and harm. The Latin root is virulentus, "poisonous."

Have you ever been somewhere brand new, but you feel like you've been there before? That odd feeling is called dj vu.
There are a lot of strange feelings, but one of the weirdest is dj vu: seeing or hearing something you know is new to you but seems oddly familiar. When you feel like you've seen or done something before, it can feel like you're dreaming, or like your life is a movie. Actually, you've probably just seen something similar before or maybe you saw the familiar building on TV. Dj vu feels odd, but it's very common.

firsthand
DEFINITIONS OF:

firsthand
1

adjreceived directly from a source

firsthand information
Synonyms

primary of first rank or importance or value; direct and immediate rather than secondary
advfrom the original source; directly

I heard this story firsthand

Synonyms:

at first hand

If you disapprove of the overly submissive way someone is acting like the teacher's pet or a celebrity's assistant call them by the formal adjective obsequious.
There are many words in the English language for a person or an action that is overly obedient and submissive. Obsequious people are usually not being genuine; they resort to flattery and other fawning ways to stay in the good graces of authority figures. An obsequious person can be called a bootlicker, a brownnoser or a toady. You can also say that someone gives an obsequious bow, a gesture that means, "your wish is my command."

If something is reviled, you alone dont dislike it; a whole community of like-minded souls has to hate its guts. For instance, spam is widely reviled. (The junk e-mails, not the potted meat. Somebody out there really does like that potted meat.)
If youre the only one who hates, say, your math teacher, its not fair to say that person is reviled. If she is majestically unpopular with the entire senior class and is routinely the butt of geometry-themed insults, well then sadly, this instructor is indeed reviled. Generally, when someone or something is reviled, much of the poison aimed is in print, such as critical reviews or insulting editorials.

guts
DEFINITIONS OF:

guts
1

nfortitude and determination

he didn't have the guts to try it

Synonyms:

backbone, grit, gumption, moxie, sand

Type of:

fortitude strength of mind that enables one to endure adversity with courage

fortitude
Fortitude refers to strength in the face of adversity or difficulty. Eating fried worms might require a lot of intestinal fortitude.
When someone has fortitude it means that they have emotional power or reserves and the ability to withstand adversity. People who have fortitude are described in an admiring way for their courage and this word comes from the Latin word fortitudo, meaning "strength." Jacueline Bisset, someone who knows about beauty, said, "Character contributes to beauty. It fortifies a woman as her youth fades. A mode of conduct, a standard of courage, discipline, fortitude and integrity can do a great deal to make a woman beautiful."
DEFINITIONS OF:

fortitude
1

nstrength of mind that enables one to endure adversity with courage Types:

backbone, grit, gumption, guts, moxie, sand fortitude and determination

Type of:

natural virtue (scholasticism) one of the four virtues (prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance) derived from nature braveness, bravery, courage, courageousness a quality of spirit that enables you to face danger or pain without showing fear