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Lake Superior State University releases a list every year of words "that are overworked, redundant, oxymoronic, clichéd, illogical, nonsensical -- and otherwise ineffective, baffling, or irritating."
At Wayne State University, the Word Warriors release a list that "promotes words especially worthy of retrieval from the linguistic cellar."
This year's list (and the words' definitions):
- Anagapesis -- Loss of feelings for someone who was formerly loved.
- Blatteroon -- A senseless babbler or boaster.
- Brontide -- A low, muffled sound like distant thunder heard in certain seismic regions, especially along seacoasts and over lakes and thought to be caused by feeble earth tremors.
- Dysania -- The state of finding it hard to get out of bed in the morning.
- Footle -- Engage in fruitless activity; mess about.
- Maleolent -- Foul-smelling, odorous.
- Paralian -- Someone who lives by the sea.
- Snollygoster -- A shrewd, unprincipled person, especially a politician.
- Sophronize -- To imbue with moral principles or self-control.
- Ultracrepidarian -- Expressing opinions on matters outside the scope of one’s knowledge or expertise.