Meaning: 1. To strive to equal or excel by imitation. 2. To rival, to compete with at the same activity. Notes: The first thing to note is that emulate is not a synonym of imitate. The latter simply means "to copy". The former means "to copy with the intent to rival or excel". As...

In "What's the Good Word?" for March 19, 2013, Dr. Goodword wrote, "Today the word [tycoon] has a slightly pejorative tinge and is usually reserved for aggressive, highly visible wealthy men. We call Donald Trump and Mitt Romney tycoons, but I think most of us would hesitate using tha...