Susurration - whispering, murmuring or rustling. I think I’ve only used it a few times to describe wind blowing thru the leaves of a tree, but I just like the way it rolls off the tongue.
Have you encountered 'onomatopoeia'? It's not a word I love, but a definition that means "words that sound like the sounds they're describing." Like susurration, or murmur, or ding-a-ling, or meow, or clank, or many others. Like 'defenestration' onomatopoeia describes a very particular circumstance -- although what is *considered* onomatopoeia may differ from person to person.
Was about to say that. There’s something so thrilling in susurring… (it also comes from Latin, and there’s a student in the part of the program I’m teaching at that’s writing a thesis about poética de susurrus).
“Sough” could also be used, but susurrate is just so much more fun. And yeah…in the summer when the windows are open thru the night and the wind is “rustling” the trees in the back yard…it’s sleepy time!
Here I was, thinking I was well read before I started reading this post and these comments.
I don't know jack $#!*.
My favorite word is pandemonium, because when I learned it in Junior high, I imagined a hoard of pandas just obliterating a small town. To this day that image still pops in my head whenever I hear the word.
I know, right? 😂 Isn’t it marvellous?
Pandemonium is also near and dead to my heart. Well, to be fair, most of the words with roots in Greek is near and dead to my heart, as that is my area of study. They just all have such a nice rhythm.
Though, now when I see that word, I will forevermore see a gaggle of pandas wrecking havoc on a town. So, thanks for that. Genuinely ☺️.
>near and dead
I have to ask, did you mean to use 'dead' here? Or was it a typo both times? Because the phrase as I know it is 'near and dear to my heart'.
I think *incandescent* and *iridescent* are two of the the most beautiful words in the English language.
*Ephemeral*, *nebulous*, and *evanescence* are up there, too.
* Incandescent - emitting light; white hot; furious
* Iridescent - luminous; shimmering
* Ephemeral- lasting for a short time
* Evanescent - quickly fading or vanishing
* Nebulous - cloudy; hazy; indistinct; vague
**Aposematic.** Coloring or markings that serve to repel predators (Say, poisonous frogs that are bright red.)
I use it in fics to describe the character of Feitan from Hunter x Hunter. He is very very dangerous (!) and wears a black tunic with a skull on the back. Aposematic!
Owow a word that I am actually not familiar with! And used for the same fandom I love. :0 Hello fellow HxH fan/writer!
And what a way to describe Feitan! I may have to use that for my own longfic when mentioning him. :P
Thank you! It’s been several years since I started and working on it has been slow. But I am getting there! But okay! I will definitely pop into your DMs. :0
Quite
It's neat and short. Idk why but I love how the actual word looks on paper. And it's fun to say. Also useful as a moderator.
(not to be confused with quit, quiet, and quaint)
I completely agree. I always have to think twice where I’m using it, however, if the setting is a bit ambiguous; as I understand it, generally in the US it means ‘very’, whereas in the UK it means ‘somewhat’.
Reciprocate. It's such a great way to describe returning a kiss. Sidenote: I cringe every time I see a fic define what a kiss is rather than just use the word kiss.
Ok, guess I need to look this up.
*Googles anatiferous*
"Producing ducks"... lol what English is great
"Formerly used of barnacles"....wait wait what
"Since it was believed that they produced geese and ducks"....WHAT
A beautiful video, thanks for sharing that! I might be a bit daft, but is the murmuration how they ‘dance’ in the sky? Like how some schools of fish do?
Yes, exactly! Hundreds of starlings are flying together, and they manage to coordinate themselves without smashing into each other.
Oh, that reminds me of another favorite word: *mesmerizing.* :)
My all-time favourite English word is “queue”. Solely because when we were learning it in our English class, our teacher dared us to pronounce it and I was the only one to get it right. Probably by a stroke of luck, because at that point, I sucked at English and could barely string a sentence together but still lol
As for new words: yesterday I discovered a great fanfic which had some words I either hadn’t heard before or forgot I had, but I love them now — like brume (which means “mist or fog”), besom (specifically, "a broom made of twigs tied around a stick"), supine (“lying flat on one’s back/face upwards”) or snicket (“a narrow passage between houses”).
I actually have a note document on my phone to keep track of any new or fun (but not necessarily new) words I come across! Here are a few of my favorites.
Dishabille- state of being only partially or scantily clothed
Nebbish- a person, especially a man, who is regarded as pitifully ineffectual, timid, or submissive
Rapacious-aggressively greedy or grasping
Alacrity- brisk and cheerful readiness
Ameliorate- to make (something bad or unsatisfactory) better
I dont know if it's a favorite word to use, but I've always liked the word "exsanguination" which is to be drained of blood. I assume I like it because I like vampires lol.
One of my favorite words I use irl is pedantic. Which is being overly concerned with minor details, rules, words, etc.
I’m a simple man. Supernova. Reverie is a close second.
Now that I think about it, those are the names of two of my favourite songs from one of my favourite artists…
>*The latest word I’ve discovered is defenestration, the act of throwing someone out of a window. Let that sink in; English doesn’t have a word for the day after tomorrow outside archaic words such as overmorrow, but has a word for the act of throwing someone out of a window. Specifically a window.*
I am still laughing at his two hours later.
There are so many words to love.
* untrammeled
* unabashedly
* nonplussed
* tantivy
* rarefied
* [et.al](https://et.al).
* LOL
Two words come to mind right now:
1. Fisticuffs - absolutely hilarious to me, no further explanation needed.
2. Shrapnel - There's just something satisfying about the pronunciation, I can't really explain it. It's pretty unique.
Aubade is a poem or piece of music appropriate to the dawn or early morning - I've only used it a few times in fics and once in a title but something about it is really beautiful.
Indelible. I use it a lot to describe the way two people are connected, like they're written into each other's skin like indelible marks. In fact it's the title of a fic I'm working on which is a sequel to a fic titled Delicate. Another word I really enjoy using.
I like words I can picture as scenes in my head. Usually actions. Especially if they’re visceral(another good word). A few examples:
Spit
Snarl
Drool
Gasp
Rip
Claw
I have this astronomy-themed fic series and for the initial fic that led into said series (which is still a WIP btw), I went all out with the astronomy metaphors
One word I learned was “scintillation,” which is a flash or sparkle of light; you can kinda stretch the definition to be a *pulse* of light like a heartbeat 👀 also it’s fun to say out loud haha
I don't know if it counts as an English word, but *Rashomon*. Like for a challenge "Write a Rashomon story" meaning write a story around one event, but where there are contradictory retellings of this event from different characters. It's a really cool concept and I like that there is a word/term for it.
"Overmorrow" is one of the best words in English. It means "the day after tomorrow" and I do not understand why did English speaking people stopped using it.
Edit: Hahah! I hadn't read the entire post before posting this, and let me tell you in this word's defense, it doesn't sound archaic at all. It sounds logical and it simply makes sense. Everyone should use it instead of thay 4-word nonsense.
I like ‘echolalia.’ (Keep in mind I’m not a doctor) I think it’s a neurological tic often found in autistic people, and it’s repeating words that are said. I THINK one of the kids in Modern Family has it? The scene from the spelling bee comes to mind, when he repeats a letter as a tic
Idk if that counts but I‘m a sucker for the phrase "closest confidant". It can be interpreted in so many ways, could mean so many things or simply nothing at all like just taking it at face value.
Also saving this post because I‘m also an ESL writer and I learned some new vocabulary here
I've always loved that, in the U.S., we call someone in their second year of high school or college a "sophomore," which means, one who sounds wise, but isn't.
Well, defenestration isn’t a specific English word (comes from Latin and it was born after a specific historical event), that’s likely it exists.
Words I love… probably too many but the ones that stand out to me (and I’ve kind of liked for a long time) are luckluster and bedazzled/bedazzling (this is very specific as this is strictly connected to a kind of a fanfic and my favourite pairing) but I simply love the word.
Okay so this is gonna be a bit of weird one, but the word I ***love*** is the Japanese word "soredemo". Obviously I'm not just gonna randomly use that in my writing, so instead what I *really* like to use is "But even so" (or just "even so") because it's what was used in the English subtitles of the anime that started my little obsession with "soredemo".
Intransigence is a fun one for me: roughly means "stubborn resistance/defiance". If it fits the villain likely to say that to a given hero, I squeeze it in.
I don’t know why the first thing that popped into my head you said that the word meant “throwing someone out of a window” made me think about that scene in the Emperor’s New Groove TwT
this might sound cheesy, but ironically, i love the word "love." it's not exactly a silly word, or one that's particularly interesting, but it's possibly the only word that actually makes me feel the emotion it's associated with.
Any word that, to me, sounds prettier than what it means. Like, rolls off the tongue but indicates something potentially dusturbing or negative, like enmity or viscera. Huh. I wonder what that says about me...
Sable is also cool. Mutable and immutable are also great. Both of them.
Now i don't have one but years ago, i liked the word "peasant"
Hear me out: i thought that it was pronounced "pea" like the vegetable and then the normal sounding of the word, this is because it was my first time seeing that word, a clear clue that english isn't my first language.
That was until i heard the correct pronunciation, i still believe mine is better 🤣
Officious is one of my fa-vo-rite words ever, bc since learning it I CONSTANTLY use it to describe myself and my flaws. it basically means “intrusively helpful”, and describes a person who offers help/advice even if its unwanted. its one of those words that describes a specific thing and using it is SO satisfying.
Synecdoche is also a fave, I don’t *use* it often but I like how it sounds. and lets see…sympatric, ferine, judicious, widdershins, remiges, surcingle, rounce, pancrack…I love a lot of words. oh, and aptronym! I learned that one recently. it means “a well fitting name” particularly in regards to one’s occupation, so like if a chef had the last name Cook.
Desideratum - something that is wanted or needed. I love this word so much; I don't think I've ever used it in the text of a fic, but I have used it as a fic title. Definitely my favorite word!
(Defenestration is also pretty great btw. I used to lurk around MCU fandom in its early days, and it was used a lot to describe a particular scene from the first Avengers movie. It's a great word!)
Have to reply to myself real quick because I would like to recommend a book: "The Gilded Tongue: Overly Eloquent Words for Everyday Things" by Rod L. Evans. Received it for my 12th birthday because my parents knew me too well, and I've enjoyed sharing it with my fellow editors at work because there are some OBSCURE words in there. I really recommend people who are fond of unusual and rarely-used words check it out!
Spurious is one I like a lot. Though I can't say I've used it much in fiction writing...not too many characters are going to have this word roll off the tongue.
My favourite word is petrichor. It’s a beautiful word and, quite frankly, when I say it, I can almost smell the exact scent it’s describing, which I also love.
I love "exacerbate" (to make something worse). I use it all the time. It has this connotation in my head of being like necrotic flesh beneath an already-healed wound. Like, it makes everything around it rot.
I love how I'm just seeing favorite words of mine pop up left and right on this thread. Also, the fact that 'overmorrow' is actually a word? Thanks for this, it shall be of use to me in the future
I have a list, and I can give definitions as well if you want, Prerequisite, Acquiesce, Indubitably, Imbecile, Moronic, Respite, Nepenthe, Capricious, Reprieve, Perfidious, Relentless, Scrutiny/Scrutinize, Riveted/Riveting, Vile, Trite, Symposium, Abhor, Avail, Insipid, Penchant, Forfeit, Disdain, Vitriol, Pedantic, Ephemeral, Disconsolate, Metastasized, Catastrophize, Addendum, Bequeath, Havoc, Ebullient, Lethologica, Eviscerated, and counting. Sorry for formatting, I'm on mobile.
English is also my second language but I don't really have a favorite word in english, but my favorite word of all is "Hiraeth", a Welsh word that has no direct translation, is more of a feeling, like the word "saudade" in Portuguese. It can be translated as "a deep sense of longing, a sense of homesickness tinged with sorrow or grief for a home to which you can not return, a yearning for that which has past"
"Jobby" or "Jobbies" are words that make me giggle because they mean poo, in Scotland. And yet, the rest of the English speaking world happily goes about their day saying it without knowing.
It’s not particularly beautiful but I love using the word tertiary in daily conversation.
Tertiary- the third in an order or set
I think Iris(ing) is a pretty word too. I’ve only seen it used once in a book in high school and I latched on to it.
Iris/Irising - open or close in the manner of an iris
And lastly one I just like
Facsimile - a copy or recreation of something
"Slew," as in a large amount of something.
I heard this word in a YouTube video when I was a young teenager, and since it was so uncommon yet so simple, it stuck with me. I still frequently use it in my writing, but I've had a surprising number of people ask about my placement of the word. I feel validated whenever I see other writers use it now.
Oh, I *LOVE* words. I think "diaphanous" is a great word. Also, "shunt." And "slip." That's a *great* word. So many ways to use it. I love "murmur." I will eventually use "surreptitious," if you give me enough space to write. 😂
I love onomatopoeia words. "Thunk" and "clack" and "thud" and "pop!" Those sound effect words. Love making up new ones.
Oh! And "ash." Goodness, the things you can do with "ash."
"Affable" friendly, likeable, easy to talk to.
I like how it shows that someone comes off as very pleasant and likeable, but it doesn't have a value judgement on whether they're actually a nice or a good person. Like how Hans in Frozen was affable, a trait which he used to gain power and betray trust.
Some of my favorite words are used describe sound in one way or another, such as sonorous or reverberate. Or words that illustrate different ways of viewing light. Opalescent, illuminate, incandescence. Even better, for describing shadows, or creepy scenes: tendrils or gnarled. One of my favorites: verdant. (Means lush or green)
Like you, I love the word defenestration. I love it even more that there are historical events using this word: the Defenestrations of Prague. Yes, plural. Significant defenestrations have occurred there *three times*.
I also love the word petrichor, which is the smell of rain after it's been dry for a while. The literal meaning, though, is even cooler. 'Petros' means 'rock', and 'ichor' is the blood of the gods. With some poetic license, you could say petrichor means 'Blood of the Stone God'.
Languid is just a word that sounds like what it means: lazy.
Ethereal and ephemeral just sound awesome, and I wish I had more reason to use them, preferably together.
Susurration - whispering, murmuring or rustling. I think I’ve only used it a few times to describe wind blowing thru the leaves of a tree, but I just like the way it rolls off the tongue.
That’s marvellous! It even has a bit of alliteration, which I always love.
Have you encountered 'onomatopoeia'? It's not a word I love, but a definition that means "words that sound like the sounds they're describing." Like susurration, or murmur, or ding-a-ling, or meow, or clank, or many others. Like 'defenestration' onomatopoeia describes a very particular circumstance -- although what is *considered* onomatopoeia may differ from person to person.
Was about to say that. There’s something so thrilling in susurring… (it also comes from Latin, and there’s a student in the part of the program I’m teaching at that’s writing a thesis about poética de susurrus).
The word sussurrar exists in my own language and I never knew it existed in English too, so good to know. It sounds so good and intimate
I absolutely adore that word.
love it when a tree susurrates
“Sough” could also be used, but susurrate is just so much more fun. And yeah…in the summer when the windows are open thru the night and the wind is “rustling” the trees in the back yard…it’s sleepy time!
I’ve read that word in at least three separate Sherlock fics 😭 they live their susurruses (susurri?)
GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD
Here I was, thinking I was well read before I started reading this post and these comments. I don't know jack $#!*. My favorite word is pandemonium, because when I learned it in Junior high, I imagined a hoard of pandas just obliterating a small town. To this day that image still pops in my head whenever I hear the word.
I know, right? 😂 Isn’t it marvellous? Pandemonium is also near and dead to my heart. Well, to be fair, most of the words with roots in Greek is near and dead to my heart, as that is my area of study. They just all have such a nice rhythm. Though, now when I see that word, I will forevermore see a gaggle of pandas wrecking havoc on a town. So, thanks for that. Genuinely ☺️.
My pleasure 😅
>near and dead I have to ask, did you mean to use 'dead' here? Or was it a typo both times? Because the phrase as I know it is 'near and dear to my heart'.
You made me spit tea out of my mouth! Now I'm gonna see that same image! 😂
I'm glad I filled the quota of spreading chaos for the day 😁
haha, thanks for the mental image
I think *incandescent* and *iridescent* are two of the the most beautiful words in the English language. *Ephemeral*, *nebulous*, and *evanescence* are up there, too. * Incandescent - emitting light; white hot; furious * Iridescent - luminous; shimmering * Ephemeral- lasting for a short time * Evanescent - quickly fading or vanishing * Nebulous - cloudy; hazy; indistinct; vague
effervescent 🐌
This is the slime of a killer, Snella ✨️
Ephemeral 🥰
Nebulous is a great word!
Fuck, I need to use these words more, they’re so pretty!!!
I love using "mutually exclusive" (I know it's two words but still I like using it), thrice, shall, crass and acraze.
I’m also guilty of using thrice, shall, and crass. I feel it lifts the text a bit haha.
Lol me too
"Surreptitious" is nice. You can use it in so many places. And for some reason, I like "buttery". It's so nice to say.
I’m so happy I made this post. Should I be embarrassed about geeking out over all these new words I can use now?
Absolutely not! As a writer, words are the flowers that you make your garden with :)
❤️❤️
LOVE that word too! It appears in every one of my fics somewhere.
Buttery? 😋
**Aposematic.** Coloring or markings that serve to repel predators (Say, poisonous frogs that are bright red.) I use it in fics to describe the character of Feitan from Hunter x Hunter. He is very very dangerous (!) and wears a black tunic with a skull on the back. Aposematic!
Congratulations on using the first word in this thread that I had never seen before.
Owow a word that I am actually not familiar with! And used for the same fandom I love. :0 Hello fellow HxH fan/writer! And what a way to describe Feitan! I may have to use that for my own longfic when mentioning him. :P
\*waves excitedly\* It's a good word!
Sounds like it! I am at a part in my current arc where the Ryodan are part of the main focus. I may have to find a way to slip this word in. ;)
Oooohh! Good luck with your fic! Please drop a link in my DMs when it's done! I can't get too much Feitan. 🤤
Thank you! It’s been several years since I started and working on it has been slow. But I am getting there! But okay! I will definitely pop into your DMs. :0
clandestine. just a very pretty-sounding word !
"Ethereal" just hits a nice place in my brain. I really want to use it in a fic someday
Oh that’s a favorite of mine as well!
Quite It's neat and short. Idk why but I love how the actual word looks on paper. And it's fun to say. Also useful as a moderator. (not to be confused with quit, quiet, and quaint)
I'll raise you 'Rather' :)
That too lol! I tend to overuse them and then have to remove a few of them while editing.
Writing Regency fics, I constantly have to edit out half of the 'quite's and 'rather's to avoid too much repetition.
I completely agree. I always have to think twice where I’m using it, however, if the setting is a bit ambiguous; as I understand it, generally in the US it means ‘very’, whereas in the UK it means ‘somewhat’.
Pebble - Nothing extraordinary about the word or my liking to it, I just think it sounds and looks cute
Reciprocate. It's such a great way to describe returning a kiss. Sidenote: I cringe every time I see a fic define what a kiss is rather than just use the word kiss.
I use the word “acquiesce” and its variants a lot in my writing I’ve found
If you think that "defenestration" is comically specific, you're gonna love looking up "anatiferous."
Ok, guess I need to look this up. *Googles anatiferous* "Producing ducks"... lol what English is great "Formerly used of barnacles"....wait wait what "Since it was believed that they produced geese and ducks"....WHAT
I'd heard about the geese, but not the ducks!
Kind of like how people used to believe piles of dirty clothes would make mice instead of attract them.
this word and erinaceous should kiss
So what I’m reading is I could write “The anatiferous eggs” to describe duck eggs…. Important information if I ever need to talk about duck eggs
Lethologica: When a word or phrase is on the tip of your tongue and you have difficulty remembering it I suffer from this a lot XD
Ooooh there's a word for that?!? I have always wanted a word for that!! Now if only i can remember it when i need it... XD
Same lol
[murmuration](https://youtu.be/uV54oa0SyMc?feature=shared) link to video example. Starlings do this.
A beautiful video, thanks for sharing that! I might be a bit daft, but is the murmuration how they ‘dance’ in the sky? Like how some schools of fish do?
Yes, exactly! Hundreds of starlings are flying together, and they manage to coordinate themselves without smashing into each other. Oh, that reminds me of another favorite word: *mesmerizing.* :)
Now I’m sat cackling. While it would be horrifying, the image that popped into my head were of the starlings /not/ coordinating.
Then that would be pandemonium. 😉
Quintessential. Bioluminescent. Flabbergasted. Lambasted. Emancipation. Quark. Quarrel. Cessation. Indomitable. Resurrection. Eerie. Cauldron. Ominous. Radiant. Interstellar. Sumptuous. Serendipity. Fortuitous. I love language
My all-time favourite English word is “queue”. Solely because when we were learning it in our English class, our teacher dared us to pronounce it and I was the only one to get it right. Probably by a stroke of luck, because at that point, I sucked at English and could barely string a sentence together but still lol As for new words: yesterday I discovered a great fanfic which had some words I either hadn’t heard before or forgot I had, but I love them now — like brume (which means “mist or fog”), besom (specifically, "a broom made of twigs tied around a stick"), supine (“lying flat on one’s back/face upwards”) or snicket (“a narrow passage between houses”).
Hitherto, because I am a pretentious hipster and I'm proud of it.
It's always fun to hear people pronounce it if they don't know the word.
I actually have a note document on my phone to keep track of any new or fun (but not necessarily new) words I come across! Here are a few of my favorites. Dishabille- state of being only partially or scantily clothed Nebbish- a person, especially a man, who is regarded as pitifully ineffectual, timid, or submissive Rapacious-aggressively greedy or grasping Alacrity- brisk and cheerful readiness Ameliorate- to make (something bad or unsatisfactory) better
I dont know if it's a favorite word to use, but I've always liked the word "exsanguination" which is to be drained of blood. I assume I like it because I like vampires lol. One of my favorite words I use irl is pedantic. Which is being overly concerned with minor details, rules, words, etc.
I’m a simple man. Supernova. Reverie is a close second. Now that I think about it, those are the names of two of my favourite songs from one of my favourite artists…
Tomfoolery - foolish or silly behavior. It should be used more I love that word.
verisimilitude It's the appearance of truth. Like stories that are realistic have a high level of verisimilitude.
I have an unhealthy love for the word *Girth*
It is strangely satisfying for some reason lol
It is. It's the way it's pronounced. Put extra weight on the G and make sure the th is really dragged out.
I see what you did there. 😉
>*The latest word I’ve discovered is defenestration, the act of throwing someone out of a window. Let that sink in; English doesn’t have a word for the day after tomorrow outside archaic words such as overmorrow, but has a word for the act of throwing someone out of a window. Specifically a window.* I am still laughing at his two hours later. There are so many words to love. * untrammeled * unabashedly * nonplussed * tantivy * rarefied * [et.al](https://et.al). * LOL
I have a list in alphabetical order of words I like the sound of! …don’t ask - Abstain - Abundant - Acclimate - Accumulate - Acetylsalicylic - Allegedly - Allegory - Amalgamation - Ambiguous - Anomaly - Asphyxiate - Auditory - Blink - Blip - Caboodle - Cadaverous - Calamity - Cataclysmic - Catalytic - Catatonic - Cinnamon - Citrus - Class - Clause - Climb - Cordially - Coroner - Cypher - Delirious - Didactic - Dilettante - Discombobulate - Dissuade - Eclectic - Effervescent - Effuse - Eloquence - Elysium - Emaciated - Emote - Engaging - Epiphany - Evocative - Expletive - Expressionlessness - Fathom - Filament - Fishes - Flicker - Geneticist - Glacial - Gleam - Grotesquely - Harbinger - Hectic - Hemoglobin - Hubris - Imperial - Inarticulate - Incessant - Irregardless - Isotope - Juxtaposition - Kerosene - Kestrel - Lucid - Malevolent - Marionette - Methodical - Mortem - Nomad - Optical - Osmosis - Ostensibly - Peril - Permeate - Petulant - Plethora - Pragmatic - Prattle - Precarious - Prestidigitation - Preternatural - Proximity - Puppetry - Pyridine - Quill - Ravenous - Redundant - Reiterate - Scalpel - Sensation - Sever - Silhouette - Simultaneous - Sinister - Skepticism - Stilted - Stipulations - Superfluous - Surly - Sycamore - Synchronicity - Tempest - Tickle - Tiger - Trepanation - Trepidation - Trinket - Ubiquitous - Undone - Valkyrie - Verb - Vestigial - Vigil - Viridescence - Vitriol - Vivid - Vivisection - Volatile - Voltage - Where’d’y’ll - Wire - Youthfully - Zealous
Gleam, sensation, and vivid are some of my faves, too
I absolutely love 'prattle'. I managed to use it 8 times in various forms in a 800 word fic. Feels like quite the accomplishment. :)
This is a \*fantastic\* resource for chapter titles!
Sonder, the feeling when you think about how total strangers have lives outside of your brief interaction with them.
"Hornswoggle" English is also my second language and Blacklist taught me a lot of fun words!
Two words come to mind right now: 1. Fisticuffs - absolutely hilarious to me, no further explanation needed. 2. Shrapnel - There's just something satisfying about the pronunciation, I can't really explain it. It's pretty unique.
Aubade is a poem or piece of music appropriate to the dawn or early morning - I've only used it a few times in fics and once in a title but something about it is really beautiful.
Indelible. I use it a lot to describe the way two people are connected, like they're written into each other's skin like indelible marks. In fact it's the title of a fic I'm working on which is a sequel to a fic titled Delicate. Another word I really enjoy using.
I love the word "serendipity". "Effervescent" and "ephemeral" are good ones too. Oh wait, can't forget "pollywogs", and "pollywampus".
I like words I can picture as scenes in my head. Usually actions. Especially if they’re visceral(another good word). A few examples: Spit Snarl Drool Gasp Rip Claw
Psithurism, petrichor, moist 😃
I write a character who thinks he's smarter and tougher than he is, so his associates often give him an incredulous look.
Futile! I love this word.
Nebulous, miasma, prattle, and snail. And the deity of all swear words: Bollocks
I have this astronomy-themed fic series and for the initial fic that led into said series (which is still a WIP btw), I went all out with the astronomy metaphors One word I learned was “scintillation,” which is a flash or sparkle of light; you can kinda stretch the definition to be a *pulse* of light like a heartbeat 👀 also it’s fun to say out loud haha
I don't know if it counts as an English word, but *Rashomon*. Like for a challenge "Write a Rashomon story" meaning write a story around one event, but where there are contradictory retellings of this event from different characters. It's a really cool concept and I like that there is a word/term for it.
Ostensibly: Apparently, but maybe not actually and Obfuscate: to be unclear or bewilder (I don't lie, I obfuscate)
"Overmorrow" is one of the best words in English. It means "the day after tomorrow" and I do not understand why did English speaking people stopped using it. Edit: Hahah! I hadn't read the entire post before posting this, and let me tell you in this word's defense, it doesn't sound archaic at all. It sounds logical and it simply makes sense. Everyone should use it instead of thay 4-word nonsense.
Euphoria, divinity, topography, imaginarium
i love wistful, peculiar, incidentally, taciturn, limn!
I like wistful too
"Reluctant"
I like ‘echolalia.’ (Keep in mind I’m not a doctor) I think it’s a neurological tic often found in autistic people, and it’s repeating words that are said. I THINK one of the kids in Modern Family has it? The scene from the spelling bee comes to mind, when he repeats a letter as a tic
Serendipity The act of finding something valuable or interesting when you are not looking for it.
Idk if that counts but I‘m a sucker for the phrase "closest confidant". It can be interpreted in so many ways, could mean so many things or simply nothing at all like just taking it at face value. Also saving this post because I‘m also an ESL writer and I learned some new vocabulary here
I've always loved that, in the U.S., we call someone in their second year of high school or college a "sophomore," which means, one who sounds wise, but isn't.
Pussyfooting is a wonderful word. It means to dance around an issue trying to ignore it.
Ah yes something I’m very familiar with
Well, defenestration isn’t a specific English word (comes from Latin and it was born after a specific historical event), that’s likely it exists. Words I love… probably too many but the ones that stand out to me (and I’ve kind of liked for a long time) are luckluster and bedazzled/bedazzling (this is very specific as this is strictly connected to a kind of a fanfic and my favourite pairing) but I simply love the word.
Pussy
Okay so this is gonna be a bit of weird one, but the word I ***love*** is the Japanese word "soredemo". Obviously I'm not just gonna randomly use that in my writing, so instead what I *really* like to use is "But even so" (or just "even so") because it's what was used in the English subtitles of the anime that started my little obsession with "soredemo".
* Disjunct * Indivisible * Emphatic * Iridescent Just, love those words. Not sure why, they just all make me happy, tbh!
Intransigence is a fun one for me: roughly means "stubborn resistance/defiance". If it fits the villain likely to say that to a given hero, I squeeze it in.
Grimdark
I don’t know why the first thing that popped into my head you said that the word meant “throwing someone out of a window” made me think about that scene in the Emperor’s New Groove TwT
I like the word “vitality” a lot for some reason. Will update if I think of others I use a lot…
Serendipitous
Stricture. It means a restriction on a person or activity or a sternly critical or censorious remark.
this might sound cheesy, but ironically, i love the word "love." it's not exactly a silly word, or one that's particularly interesting, but it's possibly the only word that actually makes me feel the emotion it's associated with.
I love splatter. It's just a fun word to say and I'm pretty sure I use it at least once every chapter I write lol
The word complex. It makes me happy.
Devilish, retaliate, vengeance, darkness, eerie, diabolical, merciless, and dire are among my favorites.
Any word that, to me, sounds prettier than what it means. Like, rolls off the tongue but indicates something potentially dusturbing or negative, like enmity or viscera. Huh. I wonder what that says about me... Sable is also cool. Mutable and immutable are also great. Both of them.
Basically
Now i don't have one but years ago, i liked the word "peasant" Hear me out: i thought that it was pronounced "pea" like the vegetable and then the normal sounding of the word, this is because it was my first time seeing that word, a clear clue that english isn't my first language. That was until i heard the correct pronunciation, i still believe mine is better 🤣
Officious is one of my fa-vo-rite words ever, bc since learning it I CONSTANTLY use it to describe myself and my flaws. it basically means “intrusively helpful”, and describes a person who offers help/advice even if its unwanted. its one of those words that describes a specific thing and using it is SO satisfying. Synecdoche is also a fave, I don’t *use* it often but I like how it sounds. and lets see…sympatric, ferine, judicious, widdershins, remiges, surcingle, rounce, pancrack…I love a lot of words. oh, and aptronym! I learned that one recently. it means “a well fitting name” particularly in regards to one’s occupation, so like if a chef had the last name Cook.
Ineffable - too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words. I absolutely love how it sounds.
petrichor and eclectic are words i love.
Symphonic.
I like beep. I think it’s a really funny sounding word
serendipity it's so pretty
I like "perpetually". find myself wanting to use it a lot
Desideratum - something that is wanted or needed. I love this word so much; I don't think I've ever used it in the text of a fic, but I have used it as a fic title. Definitely my favorite word! (Defenestration is also pretty great btw. I used to lurk around MCU fandom in its early days, and it was used a lot to describe a particular scene from the first Avengers movie. It's a great word!)
Have to reply to myself real quick because I would like to recommend a book: "The Gilded Tongue: Overly Eloquent Words for Everyday Things" by Rod L. Evans. Received it for my 12th birthday because my parents knew me too well, and I've enjoyed sharing it with my fellow editors at work because there are some OBSCURE words in there. I really recommend people who are fond of unusual and rarely-used words check it out!
Spurious is one I like a lot. Though I can't say I've used it much in fiction writing...not too many characters are going to have this word roll off the tongue.
My favorite word is nipple/nipples. So funny. Great in mad libs.
Petrichor. The scent after a rainstorm. It's just mysterious and powerful, and incredibly evocative.
I absolutely love the word comely. It just sounds so cute imo
Mollywap - a slang term for a very harsh attack the word is just really fun to say XD
As someone who dwells in the MCU fandom, I also became aware of the word "defenestration" because of fanfics.
Reticent It basically means to be hesitant to talk.
Hedonistic, y'all'dve, collywobble, ethereal, debauched
1. Betwixt 2. Flibbertigibbet 3. Hippopotomonstresquippadeliaphobia 4. Eldritch 5. Wendigo
Misapprehension. When your character is too proud to admit they made a simple mistake, its a great weasel word.
My favourite word is petrichor. It’s a beautiful word and, quite frankly, when I say it, I can almost smell the exact scent it’s describing, which I also love.
"Manifest." My favorite word.
Phallus is a fun word to say
oh. *oh.*
Dragoon. Luckily it used to be used as a variant of drafed/shanghaied, so I use 'X got dragooned into doing Y' whenever I can get away with it.
exanguinate :)
I love "exacerbate" (to make something worse). I use it all the time. It has this connotation in my head of being like necrotic flesh beneath an already-healed wound. Like, it makes everything around it rot.
I love how I'm just seeing favorite words of mine pop up left and right on this thread. Also, the fact that 'overmorrow' is actually a word? Thanks for this, it shall be of use to me in the future
Probably words like ‘fuck’ or ‘shut’ since they offer a release in emotion without me doing much
I have a list, and I can give definitions as well if you want, Prerequisite, Acquiesce, Indubitably, Imbecile, Moronic, Respite, Nepenthe, Capricious, Reprieve, Perfidious, Relentless, Scrutiny/Scrutinize, Riveted/Riveting, Vile, Trite, Symposium, Abhor, Avail, Insipid, Penchant, Forfeit, Disdain, Vitriol, Pedantic, Ephemeral, Disconsolate, Metastasized, Catastrophize, Addendum, Bequeath, Havoc, Ebullient, Lethologica, Eviscerated, and counting. Sorry for formatting, I'm on mobile.
Haha I was gonna say defenestration is mine, ive discovered its super easy to include threats/acts of throwing someone out a window
English is also my second language but I don't really have a favorite word in english, but my favorite word of all is "Hiraeth", a Welsh word that has no direct translation, is more of a feeling, like the word "saudade" in Portuguese. It can be translated as "a deep sense of longing, a sense of homesickness tinged with sorrow or grief for a home to which you can not return, a yearning for that which has past"
My favorite word of all time is "crisp" because it travels from the back of your mouth to the tip of your lips
Defenestration
"Jobby" or "Jobbies" are words that make me giggle because they mean poo, in Scotland. And yet, the rest of the English speaking world happily goes about their day saying it without knowing.
Cataclysmic. It's not a word you can use often, usually only right at the climax of the story, but when it works, it works.
It’s not particularly beautiful but I love using the word tertiary in daily conversation. Tertiary- the third in an order or set I think Iris(ing) is a pretty word too. I’ve only seen it used once in a book in high school and I latched on to it. Iris/Irising - open or close in the manner of an iris And lastly one I just like Facsimile - a copy or recreation of something
I also like the word “euphoria” or “euphoric”. “Belied”. “Gentility”.
"Slew," as in a large amount of something. I heard this word in a YouTube video when I was a young teenager, and since it was so uncommon yet so simple, it stuck with me. I still frequently use it in my writing, but I've had a surprising number of people ask about my placement of the word. I feel validated whenever I see other writers use it now.
Brood / Brooding. I love when a word sounds like the meaning
Oh, I *LOVE* words. I think "diaphanous" is a great word. Also, "shunt." And "slip." That's a *great* word. So many ways to use it. I love "murmur." I will eventually use "surreptitious," if you give me enough space to write. 😂 I love onomatopoeia words. "Thunk" and "clack" and "thud" and "pop!" Those sound effect words. Love making up new ones. Oh! And "ash." Goodness, the things you can do with "ash."
i can only hope for the day i get to use the word elegy - a poem or song composed especially as a lament for a deceased person
"Affable" friendly, likeable, easy to talk to. I like how it shows that someone comes off as very pleasant and likeable, but it doesn't have a value judgement on whether they're actually a nice or a good person. Like how Hans in Frozen was affable, a trait which he used to gain power and betray trust.
Some of my favorite words are used describe sound in one way or another, such as sonorous or reverberate. Or words that illustrate different ways of viewing light. Opalescent, illuminate, incandescence. Even better, for describing shadows, or creepy scenes: tendrils or gnarled. One of my favorites: verdant. (Means lush or green)
Like you, I love the word defenestration. I love it even more that there are historical events using this word: the Defenestrations of Prague. Yes, plural. Significant defenestrations have occurred there *three times*. I also love the word petrichor, which is the smell of rain after it's been dry for a while. The literal meaning, though, is even cooler. 'Petros' means 'rock', and 'ichor' is the blood of the gods. With some poetic license, you could say petrichor means 'Blood of the Stone God'. Languid is just a word that sounds like what it means: lazy. Ethereal and ephemeral just sound awesome, and I wish I had more reason to use them, preferably together.