15 Great Words

Sometimes we take words for granted. We use them to communicate, we misuse them, we use them out of context, we use them in groups. But take time to consider single words and you discover things you may never have noticed before.

Where the Wild Things Are

The word ‘ruckus’ reminds me of Maurice Sendak’s ‘Where the Wild Things Are’.

Words are fabulous…here are 15 great words.

1. Abominable: Unpleasant, repugnant, disagreeable, loathsome, odious or detestable. This word is cool to say: think ‘a-bomb-in-a-bull’.
2. Antithetical: Opposed or contrasted. When you say this word, it feels like the letters here are opposed to each other as they form in your mouth.
3. Benevolent: expressing goodwill, kind, helpful. I just love how this feels to say this word.
4. Brouhaha: Uproar; excitement, hubbub, confusion, turmoil…and an all-round fun word.
5. Discombobulate: to confuse, upset, frustrate. I like how your mouth feels when you say this word.
6. Galoshes: Waterproof shoes or boots: think Wellington boots, rubber boots, gum boots. I particularly like this word because it sounds like the noise made when you wear them and walk through puddles.
7. Labyrinthine: something that has lots of parts and is therefore confusing; complicated, maze-like. Even to say this word feels all twisty and turny.
8. Nemophilist: someone who likes the forest and forest scenery, its beauty and solitude; a haunter of the woods. Who knew there was a word for this!
9. Ossify: To become rigid or inflexible, to harden like bone. If a substance could make a noise as it hardened like bone, I think it would sound like this word.
10. Penumbra: a partial or imperfect shadow of an opaque body. I love the meaning of this word, like a kind of partial-shadow.
11. Transmogrification: To change appearance, to transform (often grotesquely). Really just a cool word to say.
12. Twee: Daiintly, quaint; nice to the point of being saccharine. (It even sounds sweet)
13. Widdershins: counterclockwise, anticlockwise. I like this word, it sounds magical.
14. Woebegone: beset with woe, sorrowful, downcast. When you feel this way you wish your woe-be-gone.
15. Ruckus: commotion, fracas, disturbance, rumpus. This word reminds me of Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are.

Can you list your 5 favourite words?

Image from Maurice Sendak’s Where The Wild Things Are.

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