Make Your Point > Archived Issues > UNCHARITABLE

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connect today's word to others: I'm sure you already know what uncharitable means, but let's use it more often--it's so much funnier than calling something "mean," "harsh," or "unkind."  For example, when Patricia Nelson Limerick wrote in "Dancing with Professors" that college professors are the type whom "nobody wanted to dance with in high school," Helen Sword referred to that description as an uncharitable one. How funny, right? With the word uncharitable, Sword implies that we ought to treat the poor nerdy professors with a bit more love and kindness. A bit more mag____ity, or generosity of spirit. (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "UNCHARITABLE" One meaning of "charity" is "a spirit or attitude toward other people of kindness, love, generosity, fairness, and/or forgiveness." Something charitable (full of charity) is kind, loving, generous, fair, and/or forgiving. So, something uncharitable is unkind, unloving, ungenerous, unfair, and/or unforgiving.     Pronunciation: un CHAIR it uh bull Part of speech: Adjective. (Adjectives are describing words, like "large" or "late." They can be used in two ways: 1. Right before a noun, as in "an uncharitable thing" or "an uncharitable person." 2. After a linking verb, as in "It was uncharitable" or "He was uncharitable.") Other forms: uncharitably, uncharity, uncharitableness; charity, charitable, charitably, charitableness How to use it: Talk about charitable or uncharitable people, actions, behavior, comments, thoughts, descriptions, interpretations, etc. examples: Our president is notorious for slapping people with uncharitable nicknames, turning Jeff Flake into Jeff Flakey, Steve Bannon into Sloppy Steve, and Kim Jong Un into Little Rocket Man. The main character in No More Dead Dogs loves to tell the truth, the whole truth, but he can't recognize that he's being uncharitable: "I told my soon-to-be ex-piano teacher that her fingernails reminded me of velociraptor claws. The cook at summer camp I informed that his pork chop could double as a bulletproof vest. My cousin Melinda's clarinet playing I described as 'somebody strangling a duck.'" study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "uncharitable" means when you can explain it without saying "not nice" or "unsympathetic." try it out: Fill in the blank: "To mention it would have been uncharitable, but _____." Example: "To mention it would have been uncharitable, but the store-bought cupcakes he offered us had expired four days before." before you review: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. Our game this month is "The Meanings of Maladies." I'll share a tidbit about the word for a particular symptom, disease, or condition, and you try to name it. We'll start with common maladies and work our way toward the rare and strange. From our previous issue: The word for this condition, which affects both people and animals, comes from the Latin word for "white." That makes it a close relative of another word for "egg white" as well as the first name of a certain fictional white-haired wizard. What's the condition?  Answer: Albinism. (Egg whites are albumen, and the white-haired wizard is Albus Dumbledore.) Try this today: Even if you've never heard of this rare condition that prematurely ages people, you can probably piece its name together: it's from Greek roots meaning "before or sooner" and "old man." What's the condition called?  review today's word: 1. The exact opposite of UNCHARITABLE is CHARITABLE. But a close opposite of UNCHARITABLE is A. COMPASSIONATE. B. CONQUERABLE. C. CONVEYABLE. 2. She describes the car--a bit uncharitably--as _____. A. in need of some repairs and some tender loving care B. a red four-door 1994 Mazda Protege with a fair bit of rust C. a boxy and hulking embarrassment to modern engineering Answers are below. a final word: Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From Liesl's blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. A 2. C