Big words worth using
A long word is only worth using when it says something a short one cannot. Every word here names an idea that would otherwise take a whole sentence. Sesquipedalian is included for anyone overdoing it.
ambivalent
am-BIV-uh-luhnt, adjective
Having mixed or contradictory feelings about something.
“He felt ambivalent about the promotion: more money, but far less time at home.”
anomaly
uh-NOM-uh-lee, noun
Something that deviates from what is normal.
“One warm week in January is an anomaly, not a season.”
arbitrary
AHR-bih-trair-ee, adjective
Based on whim rather than reason or rule.
“The 9 p.m. cutoff seemed arbitrary until they explained the shift change.”
catalyst
KAT-l-ist, noun
Something that triggers change.
“The blackout became the catalyst for the whole grid upgrade.”
conflate
kuhn-FLAYT, verb
To mistakenly merge two distinct things into one.
“The report conflates users who left with users who never signed up.”
corroborate
kuh-ROB-uh-rayt, verb
To confirm with supporting evidence.
“Two receipts corroborated her account of the timeline.”
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eclectic
ih-KLEK-tik, adjective
Drawing from many diverse sources.
“Her eclectic playlist ran from opera to garage punk.”
egregious
ih-GREE-juhs, adjective
Outstandingly bad; shocking in its degree.
“An egregious typo shipped on the billboard itself.”
empirical
em-PIR-i-kuhl, adjective
Based on observation rather than theory.
“The empirical answer, because they tested it, ended the argument.”
epitome
ih-PIT-uh-mee, noun
A perfect example of a quality or type.
“The corner diner is the epitome of unhurried breakfast.”
exacerbate
ig-ZAS-er-bayt, verb
To make a problem worse.
“Honking exacerbates precisely nothing.”
juxtapose
JUHK-stuh-pohz, verb
To place side by side for contrast.
“The exhibit juxtaposes drone photos with hand-drawn maps.”
mitigate
MIT-ih-gayt, verb
To make less severe or harmful.
“Sandbags mitigated the worst of the flooding.”
pragmatic
prag-MAT-ik, adjective
Dealing with things in a practical way rather than by theory or ideals.
“We took the pragmatic route and shipped a simpler version first.”
quintessential
kwin-tuh-SEN-shuhl, adjective
Representing the most perfect example of a quality or type.
“The corner diner is the quintessential American restaurant: coffee, counter, and pie.”
ubiquitous
yoo-BIK-wih-tuhs, adjective
Present or found everywhere at once.
“Smartphones are now so ubiquitous that payphones read as museum pieces.”
ameliorate
uh-MEEL-yuh-rayt, verb
To make a bad situation better.
“Small raises did little to ameliorate the staffing crisis.”
anachronistic
uh-nak-ruh-NIS-tik, adjective
Belonging to a different time period; conspicuously out of date.
“The fax machine felt anachronistic in an office run entirely on chat apps.”
apocryphal
uh-POK-ruh-fuhl, adjective
Of doubtful authenticity, although widely circulated as true.
“The story about the CEO’s garage prototype is almost certainly apocryphal.”
cogent
KOH-juhnt, adjective
Clear, logical, and convincing.
“One cogent paragraph beat forty slides.”
dichotomy
dahy-KOT-uh-mee, noun
A division into two opposed parts.
“The old dichotomy of work and life dissolves when you love the work.”
equivocate
ih-KWIV-uh-kayt, verb
To use vague language to avoid committing oneself.
“Asked for a delivery date, the vendor equivocated for a week.”
esoteric
es-uh-TER-ik, adjective
Understood by only a small, specialized group.
“The debate turned on an esoteric point of maritime law.”
hegemony
hi-JEM-uh-nee, noun
Dominance of one group over others.
“The platform’s hegemony over search shaped a decade of the web.”
idiosyncratic
id-ee-oh-sin-KRAT-ik, adjective
Peculiar to one individual; distinctively personal.
“His idiosyncratic filing system worked for him alone.”
obfuscate
OB-fuh-skayt, verb
To deliberately make something unclear or difficult to understand.
“The report seemed designed to obfuscate rather than explain the losses.”
ostensible
ah-STEN-suh-bl, adjective
Stated as true, though perhaps not actually so.
“The ostensible reason was scheduling; the real one was budget.”
quixotic
kwik-SOT-ik, adjective
Extremely idealistic to the point of being unrealistic or impractical.
“His quixotic plan to bike across three continents somehow succeeded.”
sesquipedalian
ses-kwih-puh-DAYL-yuhn, adjective
Given to using long words.
“His sesquipedalian emails required a second reading and a dictionary.”
verisimilitude
vair-ih-sih-MIL-ih-tood, noun
The appearance of being true or real.
“The film’s verisimilitude came from casting actual fishermen instead of actors.”
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