I’ve been reading quite a bit lately, which gets me thinking about language and words.
The German word Schadenfreude is what kicked this off: It means pleasure derived by someone from another person's misfortune.
We don’t often use a lot of emotion-centric language in English: Instead, we defer to metaphor and simile to communicate those ideas in a more abstract way.
It turns out there is an English word for schadenfreude, by the way: it’s epicaricacy. But um...I’ve never seen it in the wild, nor do I know how to pronounce it.
Anyway. This thinking has now crept into my work as a writer.
Lately I’ve found myself frustrated at not being able to come up with interesting, fresh words that communicate my intended meanings as I write. So I had to pay a visit to my old friend, the thesaurus.
I thought I’d share some of the wildly underutilized words I found as part of that visit (in case you too want to give your vocabulary a boost.) The words I’ve included here felt most relevant to an audience of fellow writers and readers, so I hope you enjoy.
Underutilized words writers should know
Anecdoche - A conversation in which everyone is talking, but no one is listening.
Anodyne - Not likely to provoke dissent or offense; inoffensive, often deliberately so.
Captious - Nitpicking; liable to find fault.
Concinnity - The skillful and harmonious arrangement or fitting together of the different parts of something.
Dilettante - A person who cultivates an area of interest, such as the arts, without real commitment or knowledge.
Imbroglio - A complicated disagreement; a confused or chaotic situation.
Insipid - Dull; lacking qualities that excite, interest or stimulate.
Lacuna - A gap or absent part, as in a manuscript or logical argument; a hiatus.
Limn - To outline clearly and sharply; to highlight. Often used in reference to painting or drawing, but it also refers to outlining in words.
Luculent - Clear in thought or expression.
Otiose - Idle, redundant, serving no useful purpose, sterile, fruitless.
Pedant - A person who is excessively concerned with minor details and rules or with displaying academic learning.
Redolent - Reminiscent or suggestive of, like a scent.
Sagacity - Keen discernment or insight; sound judgment
These are just a few fun ones I thought were worth sharing, but the message here is: Don’t let boring words get you down.
Search out ones you haven’t used for a while and put them into rotation.
Want more quick writing refreshers?
Of course, there’s also this affordable resource (which comes with writing exercises) that’s basically a crash course in writing well.
