A good vocabulary will give you the ability to maximize the opportunities you have to improve your situation at work, deal with people on a personal or professional basis, and get more out of the time you spend reading or studying. Many self-help gurus promote the importance of personal growth – we’re here to tell you that one of the most important things you can do to increase your chances of success and improve yourself is to improve your vocabulary. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that the vocabulary skills you have now are what you’re stuck with forever! Take ownership of your vocabulary and study to improve your way with words every day.

In this post we talked about the word myrmidon, and today (to go along with the focus on ownership and personal growth) we’re going to review several more words that begin with the letters MY.

myriad (MEER-ee-ad) adjective or noun
Definition: Uncountable number, a great many.
Example: Her parents gave her a myriad reasons why she shouldn’t take a year off to live in France, but she decided to go anyway.

myopic (my-AH-pik) adjective
Definition: Nearsighted, but also in the sense of “shortsighted” (not able to see the possible results from actions, or only able to see what you want to see).
Example: With their myopic focus on reducing debt in the short term, many national leaders are ignoring the need for infrastructure development in the future.

mynah (MY-nah) noun
Definition: An Asian starling that has the ability to mimic and repeat spoken words.
Example: The owner of a mynah or parrot will often have to repeat words over and over to teach their birds to “talk,” but sometimes the birds will pick up phrases on their own.

mystify (MIH-stih-fy) verb
Definition: To confuse; or to make unclear.
Example: A good stage magician will be able to mystify the audience while doing even the simplest trick.

There’s no mystery to it: a well-planned and faithfully-followed vocabulary study routine will give you the confidence to say, “MY English language skills are absolutely top-notch!”