Friday Five #17: Words I Love

You already suspected I was a nerd. Here’s solid evidence.

Is posting on the Friday evening of a holiday weekend sure to bring lots of web traffic? Doubtful. I guess that’s why it’s a good thing I don’t get lots of web traffic anyway. For those of you stopping by, thank you!

I don’t care enough to try to figure out why I keep seeing the word “demure” everywhere right now¹, but if people are showing a growing interest in vocabulary, I am all for it.

Photo by Mick Haupt on Unsplash

Just this week I told my incredulous teenage daughter that one of my favorite classes in high school was etymology, and it’s true. I love learning new words. Here are some underutilized words we should all work into everyday conversation:

1. Effervescent. Her effervescent personality was pleasant in small doses.

2. Mellifluous. The audience grew silent as soon as the mellifluous tone of her voice reached their ears.

3. Ameliorate. Using fancy words is a sure way to ameliorate boredom in conversations.

4. Dither. Although I have been known to dither when making important personal decisions, in my professional life I am quite decisive.

5. Eschew. Let’s eschew silly online trends.

Now it’s your turn: what are some of your favorite words? (If you don’t have favorite words or in fact feel that such a thing is absurd, please eschew mockery.)

1. Ok, I just looked it up. Spare yourself the time and don’t do it.