-y

Usage

• fealty

  If you show fealty to a queen, you show your loyalty to her.

• medley

  A medley is a collection of various things, such as different tunes in a song or different types of food in a meal.

• progeny

  Progeny are children or descendants.

• pithy

  A pithy statement or piece of writing is brief but intelligent; it is also precise and to the point.

• anarchy

  A state of anarchy occurs when there is no organization or order in a nation or country, especially when no effective government exists.

• impunity

  If you say that someone does something with impunity, you dislike the fact that they are not being punished for doing something illegal.

• atrophy

  Atrophy is a process by which parts of the body, such as muscles and organs, lessen in size or weaken in strength due to internal nerve damage, poor nutrition, or aging.

• clemency

  If someone is granted clemency, they are punished less severely than they could have been—they have been shown mercy.

• unsavory

  If you describe something as unsavory, you mean that it is unpleasant or morally unacceptable.

• hegemony

  Hegemony manifests when a country, group, or organization has more political control or influence than others.

• cacophony

  A cacophony is a loud, unpleasant mixture of sounds.

• malady

  A malady is a serious illness; it can also be used to refer to serious and widespread problems within a society or an organization.

• epiphany

  An epiphany is the moment when someone suddenly realizes or understands something of great significance or importance.

• travesty

  If you say that one thing is a travesty of a second thing, you mean that the first is an extremely bad, crude, or absurd version of the second.

• apathy

  Apathy is a lack of interest or unenthusiastic involvement in an activity; there is no effort to change or improve it at all.

• synergy

  Synergy is the extra energy or additional effectiveness gained when two groups or organizations combine their efforts instead of working separately.

• euphony

  Euphony is a pleasing sound in speech or music.

• melancholy

  If you are melancholy, you look and feel sad.

• parody

  A parody is a humorous imitation of more serious writing or music.

• ignominy

  Ignominy is a dishonorable or shameful situation in which someone feels publicly embarrassed and loses the respect of others.

• antipathy

  Antipathy is a strong feeling of dislike or hostility towards someone or something.

• panoply

  A panoply is a large and impressive collection of people or things.

• dichotomy

  If there is a dichotomy between two things, there is a division of great difference or opposition between them.

• anomaly

  If something is an anomaly, it is different from what is usual or expected; hence, it is highly noticeable.

• hierarchy

  A hierarchy is a system of organization in a society, company, or other group in which people are divided into different ranks or levels of importance.

• effigy

  An effigy is a crude likeness or statue of a person, often of someone who is disliked.

• gentry

  The gentry are the elite, nobility, or upper-class members of a society.

• jeopardy

  When you are in jeopardy, you are in danger or trouble of some kind.

• potency

  Something's potency is how powerful or effective it is.

• unwieldy

  Something that is unwieldy is hard or awkward to handle because of the way that it is shaped.

• periphery

  The periphery of a place is its boundary or outer edge.

• topography

  The topography of an area is how the land lies, that is, if it is flat, rolling, mountainous, etc.

• tyranny

  If a ruler practices tyranny, they unjustly and cruelly use power over the people they rule.

• symmetry

  Objects that possess symmetry have equally balanced halves or evenness of shape after being divided in half.

• apoplexy

  Apoplexy is a sudden loss of consciousness or normal bodily function as a result of a ruptured or blocked blood vessel.

• hagiography

  Hagiography is the study of and/or the writing of the lives of saints; that is, it is both writing the biography of a saint and the subsequent study of its contents.

• oligarchy

  An oligarchy is a government that is run by a small group of highly influential and powerful people.

• oligopoly

  An oligopoly is a market condition in which there are only a limited number of suppliers of a particular product.

• penury

  Penury is the state of being extremely poor.

• assembly

  An assembly is a meeting of people for a special event or specific reason, such as a musical concert or storyteller.

• accompany

  When you accompany another person, you go along with them as their friend or partner to do something, such as go for a walk.

• misery

  Someone who is experiencing misery is suffering greatly or is very sad.

• category

  A category is a class or group of similar things, such as fruit, nuts, or nouns.

• luxury

  A luxury is something that you do not need but is still quite nice to have; it can also describe a situation in which you are very comfortable and are surrounded by expensive things.

• theory

  A theory is a guess or an idea as to why something happens that has not yet been proven.

• occupy

  When something is occupied, it is filled, which can refer to a house that is lived in or to someone's time.