Why use a well-known word when you could amaze your friends with a very formal
one instead?
These are some rather high-sounding words for familiar ideas and everyday
things.
I don’t think I will ever find myself using any of them though as I prefer the more simple words rather than the complicated ones.
acrasia – weakness of will
adscititious – additional
anfractuous – winding
apricate – to bask in the sun
bibliothecary – a librarian
bruxism – grinding of the teeth
cachinnate – to laugh loudly
cacoethes – a bad habit or itch
cacology – a bad choice of words
canities – whiteness of the hair
claudication – a limp, lameness
decumbent – lying down
dulcitude – sweetness
edacious – gluttonous
erubescent – blushing
esclandre – notoriety
filipendulous – hanging by a thread
firmament – the sky
parablepsis – oversight
pedetentous – proceeding slowly
pervicacious – very obstinate
pinguitude – fatness
pregustation – a foretaste
prosilient – outstanding
pulchritude – beauty
Rhadamanthine – rigorously just and severe
rubiginous – rust-coloured; rusty
rutilant – shining; glowing ruddily
salutiferous – conducive to good health
scribacious – given to writing
spissitude – density
strepent – noisy
Stygian – gloomy
suaveolent – fragrant
subdolous – crafty
Next week we conclude our look at formal words for familiar things.
* All words in this blog post have been supplied by The 12th edition of The Chambers Dictionary. ISBN 97805501002379
Twitter: ITSergioFelix
Dang… I think I need to read more.
The only words I would understand from this list if they were spoken to me, they would be “bibliothecary” and “firmament”.
For the rest, I would be completely lost!
Sergio
Sergio Felix thinks you may like this post too..Benefits Of Having A Host Gator Reseller Account For Your Online Business
Twitter: chattopatrick
Hi Sergio,
Don’t worry about any of the words on this list. They are super uncommon. If you were to use them then you would confuse anyone you came across, apart from a bibliothecary obviously.
P.
P.S. One June 6 I am starting a three part Words Wednesday series, where for the first time ever, all the words really are worth learning if you don’t know them already.
Twitter: aislesoffiles
Hi Patrick,
I’ll add two more words to Sergio’s list, “bruxism” and “pulchritude”.
The others look vaguely familiar from dusty texts of a long-ago high school English literature class!
And I always thought “pulchritude” was such an ugly-sounding word for beauty!
Twitter: chattopatrick
I think I might have known two of the words too…they are all rather difficult this week to be honest.
P.
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Hello there Patrick I keep on visiting your site to know this odds, and for that I really would like to thank, I will copy all this odd words and use it this days.
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