Meaning
Usage

"Maelstrom" - (noun) 

a destructive whirlpool which rapidly sucks in objects

Example: Little did the explorers know that as they turned the next bend of the calm river a vicious maelstrom would catch their boat.

a curse

Example: When I was arrested for speeding, I screamed maledictions against the policeman and the entire police department.

capable of being shaped or transformed

Example: Maximillian’s political opinions were so malleable that anyone he talked to was able to change his mind instantly.

weakly sentimental

Example: Although many people enjoy romantic comedies, I usually find them maudlin and shallow.

characterized by sick sentimentality

Example: Although some nineteenth- century critics viewed Dickens’s writing as mawkish, contemporary readers have found great emotional depth in his works.

deficient in size or quality

Example: My meager portion of food did nothing to satisfy my appetite.

having a lying, false character

Example: The mendacious content of the tabloid magazines is at least entertaining.

worthy of esteem or reward

Example: Manfred was given the congressional medal of honor for his meritorious actions.

extremely careful with details

Example: The ornate needlework in the bride’s gown was a product of meticulous handiwork.

to pass from one state to another, especially in music

Example: The composer wrote a piece that modulated between minor and major keys.

a wet swampy bog; figuratively, something that traps and confuses

Example: When Theresa lost her job, she could not get out of her financial morass.

gloomy or sullen

Example: Jason’s morose nature made him very unpleasant to talk to.

concerned with the world rather than with heaven, commonplace

Example: He is more concerned with the mundane issues of day-to-day life than with spiritual topics.

able to change

Example: Because fashion is so mutable, what is trendy today will look outdated in five years.

noble, generous

Example: Although I had already broken most of her dishes, Jacqueline was magnanimous enough to continue letting me use them.

wanting harm to befall others

Example: The malevolent old man sat in the park all day, tripping unsuspecting passersby with his cane.

an authoritative command

Example: In the Old Testament, God mandates that no one should steal.

diverse, varied

Example: The popularity of Dante’s Inferno is partly due to the fact that the work allows for manifold interpretations.

an independent, nonconformist person

Example: Andreas is a real maverick and always does things his own way.

a common saying expressing a principle of conduct

Example: Miss Manners’s etiquette maxims are both entertaining and instructional.

a mixture of differing things

Example: Susannah’s wardrobe contained an astonishing medley of colors, from olive green to fluorescent pink.