Education & Reference Underused/Forgotten Words

[Illinois Nazi]

Masticate

 

[Damon_3388]

I like the word vexed and believe its underused

crux
brandish
erstwhile
epitome
nary
sartorial (although Messenger did use it on here recently)
superfluous
supercilious
adjunct
adjacent
juxtaposition

In a football sense:
ruck-rover (everyone is just an inside or outside midfielder these days)
followers (ruckman, ruck-rover, rover)

 

[The_Reaper]

skedaddle

 

[Biggy_Boy]

crux
brandish
erstwhile
epitome
nary
sartorial (although Messenger did use it on here recently)
superfluous
supercilious
adjunct
adjacent
juxtaposition

In a football sense:
ruck-rover (everyone is just an inside or outside midfielder these days)
followers (ruckman, ruck-rover, rover)

I hear the bolded plenty.

Juxtaposition was a popular one in English class.

 

[mdc]

Juxtaposition was a popular one in English class.

Yup, it is the overused word in high school English.

The uni equivalent is "trope".

 

[ThePuppetMaster]

Expecto Patronum!

 

[Damon_3388]

I hear the bolded plenty.

Juxtaposition was a popular one in English class.

Yup, it is the overused word in high school English.


The uni equivalent is "trope".

Yeah, people seem to pull them out in academic situations or when they're deliberately trying to mention unusual words, but they're virtually non-existent in regular conversation and writing.

 

[Caesar]

Nearly all of Caesar's posts contain these so called words...

Hopefully I'm not that bad. I try not to use words to the detriment of being clear and concise... to me that's a far worse crime than a limited vocabulary.

Most of my favourite words I never use, mostly because they're just too much, too archaic, and too unnecessary. 'Propinquity', 'insouciance', 'perspicacity' and the like.

The best unused words describe something very precisely in one word that you can't really do without using two or more others. 'Labyrinthine' conjours up an image that no other word quite manages. 'Serendipitous' adds a whole other level to merely 'lucky' or 'fortunate'. 'Heuristic' is far better and more encompassing than the unwieldy 'rule of thumb'.

On a more pedestrian note, I love 'whilst' which IMO has been replaced far too much by the more boring 'while'. Mix it up a little, it's fun.

 

[Rabbit of Caerbannog]

Willn't.

 

[mdc]

'Labyrinthine' conjours up an image that no other word quite manages.

Us common folk like to use mazy, you sesquipedalian twat.

D)

On a more pedestrian note, I love 'whilst' which IMO has been replaced far too much by the more boring 'while'. Mix it up a little, it's fun.

This reminds me - unbeknownst is superb.

 

[Caesar]

Mazy just makes me think of something that tastes like corn.

 

[grizzlym]

Byzantine is a good word. I often use it to refer to the MRP.

 

[Tulip]

'Serendipitous' adds a whole other level to merely 'lucky' or 'fortunate'.

A favourite for the less talented, but better educated commentators out there.

Brian Taylor

 

[Messenger]

Please

Thank you

 

[thesting]

One of my personal favorites - "Gubernatorial".

Of or relating to a state governor or the office of state governor.

 

[Igloo]

My favourite word - apoplectic - is not used nearly enough.

 

[krisholio14]

Scunge or Scungy

 

[Chrisrocks53]

balderdash

 

[mdc]

balderdash

codswallop

 

[Caesar]

Rot and piffle.

 

[woopedazz]

gumption

 

[mdc]

hullabaloo

 

[blues4flag]

Acrimony.

If only because it kept coming up in a book I was reading (Count of Monte Cristo, perhaps?) and I had to look it up in the dictionary some 30 times before it stuck.

 

[grizzlym]

cadenza and conniption.

 

[mdc]

cadenza and conniption.

what's the non-technical definition?