Bored is the adjective you use to describe the feeling of being uninterested or tired of something (e.g., “I’m bored; there’s nothing to do”). Boring is the adjective used to describe the person or thing that is uninteresting (e.g., “My teacher is so boring; he drones on and on”).
Only people can be bored. People or things can be boring. After the phrase “I am,” the correct word is almost always bored (unless you’re meaning to insult yourself).
Aesthetics is the plural form of the nounaesthetic, meaning “style” or referring to a particular artistic movement (e.g., “the Surrealist aesthetic”).
You can use aesthetics when referring to more than one style (e.g., “The two painters’ aesthetics are quite different”).
Aesthetics is also used to refer to the field of philosophy devoted to the nature of beauty. In this case, it is used as a singular noun (e.g., “Aesthetics is concerned with sensory reactions”).
Use aesthetic when you are referring to one particular style (e.g., “a punk aesthetic”) or when using the word as an adjective (e.g., “aesthetic features”).
QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you make sure you’re using singular and plural nouns correctly.
On a related note, if you’re not sure whether the word you need is alternate or alternative, we normally use “alternative” when the meaning is the opposite of “mainstream” (e.g., “alternative music”).
Why not use QuillBot’s free Paraphraser to help you find the best synonym for “alternate” in your specific context?
Appraised is the simple past tense and past participle of the verb appraise, which means “set a value for” (e.g., “The house was appraised at $350,000”).
Apprised is the simple past tense and past participle of the verbapprise, which means “tell or inform” (e.g., “The president has been apprised of the situation”).
QuillBot’s Grammar Checker can ensure you’re using words like appraised and apprised correctly.
A palette knife is a type of knife with a flat, flexible blade that is used for spreading rather than cutting, primarily used in art (“e.g., “Spread the paint using a palette knife”).
“Palette knife” is also the British English term for “offset spatula” or “icing spatula.”
A palate cleanser is a food or drink that refreshes your sense of taste to help you appreciate the next thing you will consume (e.g., “White bread is a good palate cleanser for wine tasting”).
You can also use the term “palate cleanser” figuratively to describe anything that offers a refreshing break from an intense or repetitive experience (e.g., “I’ve just finished a very intellectual novel, so I’m going to read a thriller as a palate cleanser”).
On a related note, if you’re having difficulty deciding whether palate, palette, or pallet is the word you need; “palette” typically means “a set of colors” and “pallet” usually refers to “a wooden platform for storing and moving goods.”
QuillBot’s free Paraphraser will help you find alternative ways of expressing the concept of a “palate cleanser” in your writing.
A color palette is the set of colors used in a painting or design (e.g., “We chose rich shades of orange because we wanted a very warm color palette for this room”).
If you can’t decide whether palette, pallet or palate is the word you need, “pallet” typically means “a wooden platform” and “palate” typically refers to your “sense of taste.”
QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker will help you to use the term “color palette” correctly in your writing.
Diffusion is the process of “diffusing,” meaning to “spread out” or “disperse.” In science, “diffusion” refers to how particles in gases and liquids naturally “spread out.”
Diffusion in a sentence examplesDiffusion of new technology began to accelerate.
A hot gas will diffuse more quickly than a cold one.
It can be tricky deciding whether diffuse or defuse is the right word; use “diffuse” if you mean “spread out.”
QuillBot’s free Paraphraser will help you to find alternative ways of expressing “diffusion” in your specific context.
You can use diffuse as a verb meaning “spread out” (e.g., “Knowledge of these new techniques gradually diffused throughout the country”) or an adjective meaning “spread out” or “dispersed” (e.g., “How can we make the light less glaring and more diffuse?).
On a related note, if you can’t decide whether diffuse or defuse is the word you need, bear in mind that you can only use “defuse” as a verb meaning “make safe,” “less dangerous,” or “calmer.”
Have you tried QuillBot’s free Paraphraser? You can use it to find alternative ways of expressing “diffuse” in your specific context.