Commonly confused words

  yoke (a wooden bar fastened across the necks of two oxen and attached to the plow) I had to borrow a yoke and two oxen to plow the field. literary (a situation or an experience that restricts your freedom and makes life very difficult to endure) The country is still under the …

  balmy  air, weather, etc. (warm and pleasant) A balmy breeze was blowing across the river. It’s a balmy evening, isn’t it?   barmy (crazy, foolish) I’ll go barmy if I stay here any longer. I think this is a barmy idea.   envocabulary.com

  inflict (to make suffer something unpleasant or painful) Years of war inflicted severe damage on the economy. The fences fitted with razor blades inflicted serious injuries on refugees fleeing war.   afflict (cause suffering; distress) The disease has afflicted hundreds in the region. He was afflicted by the death …

  venal (willing to do anything in return for money, corrupt) The venal court official accepted a bribe. He was involved in several venal practices.   venial formal (a minor sin or offense that can be forgiven) Stealing a pen is a venial sin, while stealing a car is a …

  disinterested (impartial, unbiased) My advice was quite disinterested. I didn’t expect you to be so calm and disinterested.   uninterested (not interested) I am really uninterested in politics. He was completely uninterested in my career.   envocabulary.com