Wayne State Word Warriors Words to Rescue, 2014-2015 Edition

For six years, logophiles at Wayne State University have curated a crowd-sourced list of "old words [that] deserve a bit more love," selecting a top ten list of words especially in need of attention at the new year.

Here's a selection of our favorites from the 2014 and 2015 lists. Adopt one and promise to use it regularly in the coming year!

Check out "Word Warriors: Four Years of Words Worth Reviving, 2009-2013" here.
Note: sentence examples drawn from the Word Warriors page.
16 words 384 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. arcadian
    idyllically rustic
    When Leeman retired, he left the city and built a tiny house in a quiet, arcadian corner of the Berkshires.
  2. eldritch
    suggesting the operation of supernatural influences
    The feeble light of the waning moon, the crumbling stones, the dark shadows of skeletal trees and the mournful cries of owls gave the old cemetery such an eldritch aspect that we got out of there as fast as we could.
  3. fug
    (British informal) an airless smoky smelly atmosphere
    Saying goodbye to the cats, Roger stepped out of his cool house into the fug of August in southern Louisiana.
  4. humdinger
    something or someone of remarkable excellence
    I've been in big storms before, but that Sandy was a real humdinger.
  5. lubricious
    characterized by lust
    Brad swears that Katie gave him a radiantly lubricious wink, but I think she just had something in her eye.
  6. martinet
    someone who demands exact conformity to rules and forms
    As a manager Geoffrey was such a martinet that staff meetings were mostly just his ranting about our imaginary foibles.
  7. mephitic
    of noxious stench from atmospheric pollution
    After grading his class' term papers, Edmund felt that he had confronted and overcome something so vile and mephitic that only bourbon could reward the achievement and erase the memory.
  8. perfidy
    an act of deliberate betrayal
    Being dumped by Alice was bad enough, but what really galled Roger was the perfidy of his so-called friends, who knew of her dalliances and never said a word to him.
  9. pestiferous
    contaminated with infecting organisms
    I've made my living primarily as a science journalist, learning what evolutionary biology and ecology I know by self-education and pestiferous questioning of experts. (David Quammen)
  10. Weltschmerz
    sadness on thinking about the evils of the world
    Brian's long bouts of weltschmerz made him think he was a romantic poet, but most people just thought he was depressed.
  11. caterwaul
    make a shrill and unpleasant screeching sound
    As the storm raged on, the caterwaul from the wind as it whipped through the trees kept me from getting any sleep.
  12. knavery
    lack of honesty; acts of lying or cheating or stealing
    His presidency was founded on malice, lies and knavery.
  13. melange
    a varied mixture or assortment of things
    Her painting was a melange of colors and shapes that dazzled the eyes.
  14. philistine
    a person who is uninterested in intellectual pursuits
    Ever the philistine, my dad never understood the joy I found in foreign films and classical music.
  15. rapscallion
    one who is playfully mischievous
    April Fools' Day was better than Christmas for the young rapscallion.
  16. subtopia
    monotonous urban sprawl of standardized buildings
    As the city grew outward, our charming small town became a subtopia overrun with franchise pharmacies and strip malls.
Created on Wed Jan 07 10:03:28 EST 2015 (updated Wed Jan 07 14:17:02 EST 2015)

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