Obscure Vocabulary Words

forensicbuzz

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I am curious. How many of you knew that "ideation" is a real word? I didn't until I looked it up but it is a word I have never heard anyone actually use...kind of like the words "chortle", "guffaw", "effete", "eschew" or "insouciant". you see them in books but never hear anyone use them in conversation. I have said it before, I am very skeptical of nebulous job titles. WTBS, wish him the best in his job...whatever it may be. ;)
Eschew and insouciant are commonly enough used words. Chortle and guffaw are a little archaic today. Effete, although I know its meaning, is not a word I would probably use. Ideation is not a word I had ever heard until about 3 years ago. It has become an "it" word today. I have a fascination with words and their etymology. I probably would have made a good lexicographer.
 

EddieK

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Eschew and insouciant are commonly enough used words. Chortle and guffaw are a little archaic today. Effete, although I know its meaning, is not a word I would probably use. Ideation is not a word I had ever heard until about 3 years ago. It has become an "it" word today. I have a fascination with words and their etymology. I probably would have made a good lexicographer.
I had to look up three words in this paragraph
 

orientalnc

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Eschew and insouciant are commonly enough used words. Chortle and guffaw are a little archaic today. Effete, although I know its meaning, is not a word I would probably use. Ideation is not a word I had ever heard until about 3 years ago. It has become an "it" word today. I have a fascination with words and their etymology. I probably would have made a good lexicographer.
My attitude toward this latest turn in the thread is insouciant, so I will eschew ideation of further comments.
 

forensicbuzz

21st Century Throwback Dad
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Make it four then, guffaw too. I've heard the word a few times, but didn't know its definition
To me chortle and guffaw make me think of "It's a Wonderful Life" era speech. They're just not words that have much traction today.

Some of my favorite uncommonly used words: are melange, crapacious, twattle, and defalcation. I especially like crapacious and defalcation. (BTW, crapacious doesn't mean being crappy)
 

whitegoldsphinx

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To me chortle and guffaw make me think of "It's a Wonderful Life" era speech. They're just not words that have much traction today.

Some of my favorite uncommonly used words: are melange, crapacious, twattle, and defalcation. I especially like crapacious and defalcation. (BTW, crapacious doesn't mean being crappy)
Too bad. My first thought was that TFG was a crapacious head coach.
 

Augusta_Jacket

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To me chortle and guffaw make me think of "It's a Wonderful Life" era speech. They're just not words that have much traction today.

Some of my favorite uncommonly used words: are melange, crapacious, twattle, and defalcation. I especially like crapacious and defalcation. (BTW, crapacious doesn't mean being crappy)

Did you mean capacious instead of crapacious?
 

GT121314

Georgia Tech Fan
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It's not in any dictionary I know of. That, however, doesn't always mean it's not an actual word.
I agree. I'm not saying those two sources are the final word on if a word is a word, but I figure it would be mentioned somewhere official when it is searched. Not the top 4 results being slang dictionaries giving the exact definition forensic said that it did not mean :unsure:
 

forensicbuzz

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What language are you speaking? I can't find this word in Merriam-Webster or Dictionary.com. Top result is from Urban Dictionary meaning "being crappy"

I agree. I'm not saying those two sources are the final word on if a word is a word, but I figure it would be mentioned somewhere official when it is searched. Not the top 4 results being slang dictionaries giving the exact definition forensic said that it did not mean :unsure:
It's a really old word. But, I just realized autocorrect kept correcting the word I was spelling. It's Crapulous. Sorry. I was drinking last night and not paying enough attention to my spelling.
 

HurricaneJacket

Helluva Engineer
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I am curious. How many of you knew that "ideation" is a real word? I didn't until I looked it up but it is a word I have never heard anyone actually use...kind of like the words "chortle", "guffaw", "effete", "eschew" or "insouciant". you see them in books but never hear anyone use them in conversation. I have said it before, I am very skeptical of nebulous job titles. WTBS, wish him the best in his job...whatever it may be. ;)
I use it almost daily in my design engineering job
 

4shotB

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I use it almost daily in my design engineering job
And honestly, I imagine if I were still working a "real job" (i.e. a "high paying" job), I would be using it too. I used the buzz words liberally (corporate code switching if you will) in my day as I needed the paycheck.Had mouths to feed and bills to pay. Survivalism in the postmodern world. It worked. I jumped off the merry go round and left on my own volition. Left all the jargon in the trash and my good stapler on my desk for the next guy. :)
 
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