the operative word
the most important word in a phrase, which explains the truth of a situation:
He was a painter - "was" being the operative word, since he died last week.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Linguistics: sentences & expressions
- anagram
- catchphrase
- cliché
- cliché-ridden
- coin
- compound sentence
- concessive clause
- declarative sentence
- expression
- figure of speech
- fronting
- mission statement
- nugget
- phrasing
- proverb
- refrain
- relative clause
- simple sentence
- tail
- war cry
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