Arrant

Arrant is an adjective that means complete or utter. Coming from Middle English, our word of the day was often used to describe someone on a journey. It would sometimes refer to a criminal, as in an arrant thief. Its meaning has shifted over time and more recently, it has become a synonym of word like ‘complete’ or ‘absolute.’ My wife feared that without anything to do all day, I’d become an arrant bum. She had good reason to fear. I haven’t left the bed in weeks.