stultify, jostle, revile, edify, obfuscate: meanings and examples

Learn these 5 words from Word Master set 9. Each entry includes a definition, example sentence, pronunciation, and synonyms. Use the interactive cards above to practice them.

1. stultify · verb/ˈstʌltəˌfaɪ/

   to make someone appear foolish or to hinder growth, creativity, or effectiveness

   His silly mistakes stultified the whole project, making everyone look foolish.

   Synonyms: fool, dumb down, belittle

   Origin: from Latin 'stultificare', from 'stultus' meaning foolish

2. jostle · verb/ˈdʒɑː.səl/

   to push or bump against someone or something in a crowd

   In the busy market, people would jostle for space to see the colorful fruits.

   Synonyms: bump, shove, push

   Origin: Middle English, from the verb 'jostlen', frequentative of 'jost' (to push or to thrust), possibly of uncertain origin.

3. revile · verb/rɪˈvaɪl/

   to criticize in an abusive or angrily insulting manner

   The crowd began to revile the player after he missed the penalty kick.

   Synonyms: berate, scold, insult

   Origin: The word 'revile' comes from the Latin 'revilare', where 're-' means 'again' and 'vilis' means 'cheap' or 'worthless'.

4. edify · verb/ˈɛdɪˌfaɪ/

   to instruct or improve someone morally or intellectually

   The teacher tried to edify her students with interesting stories about history.

   Synonyms: educate, instruct, teach

   Origin: from Latin 'aedificare', meaning 'to build, establish' or 'to improve morally'

5. obfuscate · verb/ˈɑb.fə.skeɪt/

   to deliberately make something unclear or difficult to understand

   The teacher tried to explain the topic, but his long words only served to obfuscate the main idea.

   Synonyms: confuse, complicate, obscure

   Origin: from Latin 'obfuscare', meaning to darken, from 'ob-' (over) + 'fuscare' (to darken)