Imagine someone who, in every way, always tries to improve things to make them more efficient.  Therefore, he loves things such as the automation of work because its more efficient. He loves tinkering with things to make them better and hates when things are being done in a certain way when another way exists that would make things faster, clearer, or in some way perform better.  Another example is this person might think the English language should include various proposed punctuation marks such as the irony mark and the authority mark because this would, in his eyes, improve the language. He treats all subjects like this; he always will always look for and advocate for changes in any system to improve it, disregarding traditions or norms as he does so.   I'm not looking for 'perfectionist'; this person doesn't strive necessarily for perfection, but rather sees improvement as an obvious goal that should be worked toward.  Nor am I looking for a word such as determined, motivated, or go getter. I'm looking for a word that focuses on one's obsession for improvement and efficiency.  Any word (noun, verb, or adjective) related to this concept would be appreciated!
123131
I need to find or invent a word that suggests a system might be "adapted or improved to conform to a higher standard". A verb, noun, adjective or even adverb would be acceptable, but so far I haven't found quite what I'm looking for.  Context Examples:  "We are upgrading the current system for greater Enterprise [conformity to a higher standard]."  "I believe we need to change our approach. We need to [adapt to conform to a higher standard]."  "It will take some time to write an article that's more [improved to conform to a higher standard] than I've written before."
57070
I used to know this word but cannot remember it.   Basically it’s someone who likes the prospect of being knowledgeable about many things, or at least wants the appearance of erudition, but who is unwilling to put in the time and effort to learn new things.  He may put in just enough effort to learn some trivia to impress others.  And pretentious isn’t the word I was thinking of.
67155
What is a term or name for someone who is very adept at solving puzzles or situations that require though processing and logic.   I ran across , however this only deals with crossword puzzles. I'm looking for something that could be applied on a broader sense.
48558
I’m looking for a word I’m struggling to remember that refers to a job or role which is inconsequential and usually created in order to install someone in a company, not based on their merit.  An example would be creating a vague new role for a friend’s son. The word I’m looking for refers to the actual job itself - it’s a noun that would replace the ‘job’ (e.g “they put so and so’s cousin in a ____”).   I believe the word may not be a strictly formal or technical word but I don’t think it was slang.
21620
I am looking for one word to describe someone who always does what he loves.   Loving means enjoying something very much, free-spirited means not restrained by convention. Is there a hybrid word?   I mean a word that describes someone who is independent and always does what he loves. Please also try to not make the word too esoteric. Also, the word needs to be positive.  How will it be used?  I am submitting an application for college, and they require me to supply a word to describe myself. I have always done what I love. So, I require a word to describe someone who loves what they want. There is no sentence, in particular, just a prompt asking me to describe myself in one word.
57422
One who has potential, but never gives the effort to show it.   What would be the best word or words that match this description?
90118
I posted a question today about ""and I used the verb "find" in the progressive.:  I'm finding more and more that "having to" is also used instead of "have to".  Someone comments it's a "recency illusion" or a stereotypical characteristic of Indian English. I'm not a native speaker of English, and I never have been in touch with Indian a bit. I've been reading about stative verbs in the progressiveand I've seen and heard them not a few times in movies, dramas, novels, games, grammars, most of which are put out in the U.S.A. or the U.K., so I thought it would be OK to use the special progressive use in proper contexts, but now I think I'm missing something important, and I'm confused a lot. If you know what it is, please tell me about it with good explanations and examples. Now I'm going to show you some of the examples of the progressive with stative verbs that I've been collecting on my own for two years or so, (quite a few of them from grammars, some from dramas, novels and stuff...) and I want to know you native speakers' opinions on that. If your views on the usage diverge a lot, I'm going to have to think about which side I'm on,and one of the two is preferred over the other, then I'll follow it.        It’s mattering more and more which university you get your degree at.   She is not finding London totally easy.   I’m finding (=discovering, realizing) that his problem is more complicated than I had expected.   No, I’m sort of thinking that I’d like to try a bit higher level heel, anyway.   I’m thinking that we should pay a short visit to Clara.   One night in the middle of the night, I'm hearing dripping.   How are you liking your new job?   I was quite liking the performance until the first interval.   Tim, are you wanting any fruit?   It sounds that you're wanting to take care of yourself physically as well.   The only thing I'm lacking is a wardrobe.   He’s forgetting his French faster and faster.    I'm already forgetting what I was taught this morning.   You're forgetting that our resources are not unlimited.   I’m forgetting that I promised to visit Smith this evening.   The river is smelling particularly bad today.   My scarf is no longer smelling of lavender.   She’s looking much stronger this week.   You’re looking more like a sleep dog than most sleep dogs.   He’s looking worse and worse by the minute.   Your soup is tasting better every day.   That example is sounding less and less acceptable with each repetition.       ※. What I'm asking you is as follows:  1. the validity of the expression "I'm finding more and more that..." in the context of the original post 2. whether or not stative verbs in the progressive is widely acceptable &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;and questions about your opinions on that &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; (As I already said, if most of you reject the usage like the examples, then I should avoid it. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;If most of you welcome it, I'll keep on with it.)
87544
Some people write bloated books and long essays with skilful use of hooks, e.g. Jared Diamond; some others speak in long-drawn sentences with torrents of words, e.g. Noam Chomsky. It reminds me of a tactic politicians use in public discourse to waste people's time. I came across this word before but I can't retrieve it from either memory or the internet.
124158
I want to be able to describe the love for, or obsession with, words. It may also be a condition from other's perspective. It maybe because he is a lunatic who wants to aggrandize his vocabulary, a crazy person who can't forget the words he hears wafting around, or someone who wants to set a world record or something. Try fitting it in these:  He is a _______ who can blurt a thousand synonyms for good. He is so ______ that he can be called a dictionary with a heartbeat. He is showing what a _____ he is. If thesaurus was a ghost, he would be dwelling in that _____'s body.  Any word or phrase would do.
102141
I often find myself saying things like "I have to finish at the end of a chapter because I'm OCD". Here, I'm just using the term colloquially. I dislike using it because I don't have OCD, and I'd like to not be subtly perpetuating the misconception that real OCD is just a minor or very mild thing. I considered going with "obsessive compulsive", but that strikes me as long-winded and too likely to make the person default to thinking "OCD". Any suggestions?
84224
Are there idioms (or single words) in English for people who behave like they have come from another world where everything is perfect and know nothing about the reality? They usually come up with ideas that can never work, but look attractive if you don't analyze them properly. They know nothing about science, and it seems they don't know that people lie, cheat and get violent. PS in Russian we usually use the word "эльфы" (elves) for such people, and they are supposedly visiting our world from the "world of elves". It's usually considered pejorative.
100141
Check this sentence from  (US Department of Education)     Technology ushers in fundamental structural changes that can be integral to achieving significant improvements in productivity.   Cannot it be better as...     Technology ushers in fundamental structural changes that can be integral to achieve significant improvements in productivity.   The preposition to takes gerund (-ing) here. Any rule?
16226
From :   (formal) showing great care and effort in your work synonym: diligent  (formal) working very hard and taking great care that everything is done as well as it can be synonym: diligent  (formal) showing care and effort in your work or duties  These definitions look alike. What they have in common is that these words mean to take care and to put effort into your work. All words are formal. None of these seems to be a proper term in a specific field, e.g. medical, law. I also looked at  to get more details. This adds the connotation of steady and earnest to diligent and unremitting attention and persistent application to assiduous. But in the end, these additional information are again describing an equal thing, i.e., continuously doing your work. The entry on sedulous doesn't add any more content; it refers to diligent and again describes the word with perseverance. From this point (checking dictionaries only), I don't see any difference at all. I continued with a corpora search. From : Diligent is most used in combination with work, effort, research, study but also student, people.  She's a diligent student. His diligent research identified the value of ...  Assiduous is also most used with work, effort, research but not with student, people. Merriam-Webster's Learner's Dictionary entry on  lists student as example though.  He's assiduous in his work. With assiduous attention to detail ...  Sedulous is most used, um, to little results.  has even less content. Merriam-Webster's example is, once again, a student. So, diligent is used most often, followed by assiduous and sedulous is quite rare. All words are formal. All words seem to be usable as an attribute to a person (e.g., student) but also specifying the intense care and effort on work, e.g., a research. I don't see any significant difference in these words, besides frequency. When is a student diligent, assiduous or sedulous? And when is a research diligent, assiduous or sedulous? Or simply: What are the subtle distinctions which aren't represented by dictionaries?
64790
I'm looking for a single word noun that would perfectly summarize the stereotypical nerdy uptight virgin student council president.   Basically, a more proper version of the slang word "square": a person who always does what they're supposed to even if it means sacrificing things like fun and happiness and who casts a judgemental gaze on anyone who does otherwise.   I'm trying to describe a certain person, and so far I've got "an OCD, judgemental, paranoid, uptight", but I need a noun to finish it off.
110709
There is a girl in my lab who, despite having been corrected numerous times in the past, continues to disregard the lab procedures regarding chain of command. She constantly goes over supervisors' heads, stepping far out of line and creating somewhat major problems.   She is a snobbish type with an aura of undeserved superiority and arrogance that borders on a personality disorder and, if I were better read, I would have a much grander metaphoric comparison for her inflated sense of self worth. She is unwilling, or simply unable, to admit her mistakes and has an excuse or response at the ready for any and every question/action/accusation that comes her way.  Anyway, she did it again this morning and I have been obsessed over finding a word that accurately describes this behavior of intentionally ignoring and disregarding her position and the rules set forth. I feel like it's on the tip of my tongue and that I know the word, but just can't remember.  Any ideas?
34915
Source:  by Douglas Crockford (2008) Example:  My goal here is to help you to learn to think in JavaScript. I will show you the components of the language and start you on the process of discovering the ways those components can be put together.  Although it is usually the case that you mostly hear people say something like &quot;this will help you become a better person&quot;, is there any particular reason as to why he chose not to leave out the to and say help you to learn instead? If you've got something interesting to say, could you please elaborate on it as well? I would very much like to receive some coherent explanation and get this thing finally straight. The only time I know of, though, that you would use the to is when you say it like this:  It helps a lot to think of the rather difficult concept of classes used in modern software development as mere blueprints that architects and builders use to build houses. In life, it really helps to know your times tables by heart because not all the time do you have a calculator on you.  Because the aspect of the verb &quot;help&quot; is a little bit different here. But in all other cases, help do or help you do something is by far more common.
103314
Looking for some powerful, formal words with a slight negative connotation for a resume/performance assessment. The general context pertains to computer software development.  These aren't my problem areas, they are areas that were problems in someone else's work that I have identified (thus saving the day).  Here's the actual context:     Regularly conducted memory audits to identify problem areas