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It’s not clear how many words there are in the English language. Some sources report a rough number of 470,000 words, while others estimate our vocabulary includes about 1 million words. But some linguists have shared that they wouldn’t be surprised if the number was off the mark by a quarter-million.
Words are the building blocks of a language, and with so many terms, it’s no surprise that some of them can get a little… creative, if not utterly weird. When it comes to strange words, our dear English language is a whole treasure chest of oddities.
If weirdness is your cup of tea, we’ve compiled a list of some of the most unusual, creative, and downright funniest words in English, each with its own meaning explained. Whether you’re looking for some lesser-known words to spice up a conversation or just want to be able to say, “Wait, I know what that means”, these are the words for you!
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#2
Gobbledygook Meaning: a language that is incomprehensible or is made unintelligible by excessive use of technical terms.
#3
Snollygoster Meaning: a shrewd, unprincipled person, especially a politician.
#4
Brouhaha Meaning: a noisy and overexcited reaction or response to something.
#7
Everywhen Meaning: an unusual way to say “always” or “all the time."
#8
Rigamarole Meaning: a long and complicated and confusing procedure.
#9
Lackadaisical Meaning: a person who is lacking enthusiasm and determination; carelessly lazy.
over it already 3 years ago
Pretty sure lackadaisical is an adjective, not a noun. Remove the 'a person who is' from the definition and it's fine.
#10
Whippersnapper Meaning: a young and inexperienced person considered to be presumptuous or overconfident.
Onion Cutting Ninja 3 years ago (edited)
ATLA, The king of Omashu, Aang says, "Get over here you young whippersnappers!" also in Tintin and the Crab with the Golden Claws I think it could be a different one when tintin and haddock are on the boat and haddock starts a fire he calls tintin a whippersnapper.
#11
Dragooned Meaning: coerce (someone) into doing something.
Robert Trebor 3 years ago
Dragoons - mounted soldiers at times used for law enforcement before police forces were formed. Horses can be quite effective at crowd control.
#12
Lollygag Meaning: This word describes a person that is messing around and doing something that isn’t useful.
#13
Shenanigans Meaning: high-spirited or mischievous activity.
#14
Canoodle Meaning: kiss and cuddle amorously.
#15
Bamboozle Meaning: to confuse, frustrate, or throw off thoroughly or completely.
#16
Malarkey Meaning: insincere or foolish talk.
#17
Cantankerous Meaning: difficult or irritating to deal with.
#18
Sozzled Meaning: intoxicated, very drunk.
#19
Wassail Meaning: spiced ale or warmed wine drunk during celebrations for Twelfth Night and Christmas Eve.
#20
Quomodocunquizing Meaning: making money in any way you can.
#21
Bloviate Meaning: talk at length, especially in an inflated or empty way.
#22
Chockablock Meaning: crammed full of people or things.
#23
Lickety-split Meaning: at great speed.
Let’s All Just Try And Be Decent 3 years ago
As in, "let's get going lickety-split" to hurry people up, rather than, "well he's going lickety-split" which I've never heard used. Just my experience
#24
Argle-bargle Meaning: Meaningless gibberish — whether done by talking or writing.
#25
Bumbershoot Meaning: an umbrella.
#27
Spondulicks Meaning: money, cash.
Huddo's sister 3 years ago
There was an episode of Daria where Jane and Daria kept making bets, with the 'currency' differing each time, spondulicks being one of them. Think they included Simoleans.
#28
Hullaballoo Meaning: a commotion or uproar that's on the unpleasant side.
Let’s All Just Try And Be Decent 3 years ago
Not always unpleasant, if used in a jokey way or for example, referring to a noisy fun party that got a bit mental but not dangerous
#32
Ill-willie Meaning: having an unfriendly disposition.
#33
Hoosegow Meaning: Jail or prison.
Wingo Lamo 3 years ago
"Low brow but I rock a little know-how No time for the piggies or the hoosegow Get smart, get down with the pow wow Never been a better time than right now!"
#34
Yooper Meaning: a native or resident of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
#35
Stumblebum Meaning: a clumsy or inept person.
#36
Skulduggery Meaning: a devious device or trick.
#37
Lickspittle Meaning: a person who reveres authority.
#38
Penuche Meaning: sort of fudge that is made from brown sugar, buttercream, and nuts.
#40
Eeksie-peeksie Meaning: absolutely equal or even.
#41
Skirl Meaning: to play music on the bagpipe.
#42
Batholith Meaning: a very large igneous intrusion extending to an unknown depth in the earth's crust.
#43
Spleenwort Meaning: type of fern, often growing on rocks or walls.
#44
Herky-jerky Meaning: moving in irregular or unpredictable movements.
#45
Diddly-squat Meaning: the least amount.
#46
Fartlek Meaning: endurance training in which a runner alternates periods of sprinting with periods of jogging.
#47
Widdendream Meaning: state of mental agitation or confusion.
#48
Vomitory Meaning: an entrance piercing the banks of seats of a theater, amphitheater, or stadium.
Hugh Cookson 3 years ago
This is actually from the Latin ' Vomitorium', meaning the entrance to and from an Amphitheatre or Gladiotorum.
#49
Mollycoddle Meaning: treat someone in an indulgent or overprotective way.
#50
Bumfuzzle Meaning: a state of bewilderment, confusion.
#51
Blatherskite Meaning: a person who talks at great length without making much sense.
#52
Buttress Meaning: a structure of stone or brick built against a wall to strengthen or support it.
#53
Granny-dumping Meaning: the abandonment of an elderly person, especially a relative, at a hospital.
#54
Gazump Meaning: to demand a higher price from (the buyer of a house) than that agreed on.
Vix Spiderthrust 3 years ago (edited)
No. It means to cut someone out of a deal by offering a higher price than them.
#55
Gardyloo Meaning: used in Edinburgh as a warning cry when it was customary to throw slops from the windows into the streets.
#56
Widdershins Meaning: in a direction contrary to the sun's course, counterclockwise.
#57
Salopettes Meaning: trousers with a high waist and shoulder straps, typically made of a padded fabric and worn for skiing.
#58
Palaver Meaning: unproductive conversation or long dispute between people from different worldviews or cultures.
#59
Potvalor Meaning: boldness or courage resulting from alcoholic drink.
#60
Airy-fairy Meaning: impractical and foolishly idealistic.
#62
Borborygmus Meaning: a rumbling or gurgling noise made by the movement of fluid and gas in the intestines.
#64
Cleek Meaning: a large hook.
#65
Flummery Meaning: meaningless or insincere flattery.
#66
Syzygy Meaning: celestial phenomenon in which three celestial bodies are lined up in an almost perfectly straight line.
#68
Boondoggle Meaning: an unnecessary, wasteful, or fraudulent project.
#69
Jackalope Meaning: a mythical animal depicted as a hare or rabbit with horns.
#70
Mugwump Meaning: a person who is independent (as in politics) or who remains undecided or neutral.
kitten levels tokyo 3 years ago
A lot of these sound like they are from 1920s political cartoons.
#71
Winklepicker Meaning: a shoe or boot that features a sharp-pointed toe, popular in the 1950s.
kitten levels tokyo 3 years ago
Go up to a well-dressed woman wearing pointy-toed high heels and say loudly “NICE WINKLEPICKERS!” to see if she knows this word.👍 (Nice conversation starter.)
#72
Tittynope Meaning: a small quantity of anything left over.
#73
Wabbit Meaning: weary or exhausted.
Do-nut touch da donut 3 years ago
Wabbit... thats wht the hunter dude calls bugs bunny!! ... this def dont fit bugs lol
#74
Gubbins Meaning: miscellaneous bits and pieces or gadgets.
#75
Finifugal Meaning: the resistance to an end of something.
#76
Tweep Meaning: a person who uses the Twitter.
#77
Hoecake Meaning: a small cake made of cornmeal.
#78
Cutesy-poo Meaning: embarrassingly or sickeningly cute.
kitten levels tokyo 3 years ago
Maybe we should use “-y poo” as a suffix on any word to mean “too much.” IE “Enough with the talky-poo already!”
#79
Gaberlunzie Meaning: a former licensed professional beggar.
#81
Frippery Meaning: showy or unnecessary ornament in architecture, dress, or language.
#82
Pettifogger Meaning: an inferior legal practitioner, especially one who deals with petty cases or employs dubious practices.
Huddo's sister 3 years ago
Was that what the lawyer was described as being in Great Expectations?
#83
Rigmarole Meaning: a lengthy and complicated procedure or a lot of rambling.
#84
Fanty-sheeny Meaning: anything showy or impressive, fanciful, absurdly over the top.
#85
Teazel Meaning: a tall prickly Eurasian plant with spiny purple flower heads.
#86
Foggy Bottom Meaning: term that refers to the U.S. Department of State.
#87
Callipygian Meaning: having well-shaped buttocks.
#88
Ragamuffin Meaning: a ragged often disreputable person.
#89
Impignorate Meaning: to pawn off or mortgage something in your possession.
#90
Snickersnee Meaning: a knife, especially one used as a weapon.
#92
Cabotage Meaning: the right to operate sea, air, or other transport services within a particular territory.
kitten levels tokyo 3 years ago
“To deliberately destroy, damage, or obstruct someone’s cabbage.”
#93
Godwottery Meaning: an affected quality of archaism, excessive fussiness, and sentimentality.
Kathryn Schakel 3 years ago
It seems to me that the majority of this list can be described as godwottery!
#94
Erf Meaning: a plot of land.
#95
Slumgullion Meaning: cheap or insubstantial stew.
Mary Daniel 3 years ago
Soup you make at the end of the week, emptying all your leftovers in a big pot.
#96
Waesucks Meaning: used to express grief or pity.
#97
Ballyrag Meaning: to intimidate by bullying
Olivia Dean 3 years ago
We use this term more to describe statements or actions used to incite or provoke strong reactions in others
#98
Dottle Meaning: a remnant of tobacco left in a pipe after smoking.
#99
Confabulate Meaning: engage in conversation; talk.
Debby Keir 3 years ago
In medical terms it means to fill in the gaps (due to memory loss) with imaginary things.
#100
Peccadillo Meaning: a slight offense, a lapse in judgment.
#101
Inkle Meaning: a colored linen tape or braid woven on a very narrow loom and used for trimming.
#102
Cattywampus Meaning: refers to “an imaginary fierce wild animal,” or may mean “savage, destructive.”
#103
Maltipoo Meaning: a dog that is a cross between a Maltese and a poodle.
#104
Wamble Meaning: to feel nausea.
Olivia Dean 3 years ago
Anybody remember the kids show called the Wombles? Miss those furry guys.
#106
Blunderbuss Meaning: a short large-bored gun firing balls or slugs.
#107
Bailiwick Meaning: the sphere in which one has superior knowledge or authority.
#108
Knickerbocker Meaning: a descendant of the early Dutch settlers of New York.
#109
Knurly Meaning: Gnarled or knotty; hard and misshapen.
#110
Panjandrum Meaning: a powerful personage or pretentious official.
What do you think ?
Caroline Sinclair 3 years ago
Half of these are still in use in Britain, and occur frequently in the sort of books that I read (few of which were written in the current century). Most of the rest are just weird.
IamMe 3 years ago
A lot of them are used in the US, too. At least, in the northeast they are.
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Craig Silberman 3 years ago
yikes! what does it say about my age or background that I know most of these words, and even use many of them?
Vix Spiderthrust 3 years ago
You are Stephen Fry and I claim my five pounds.
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Will Cable 3 years ago
Wazzock - a foolish or annoying person.... eg "You utter pea brained wazzock"
Alecto76 3 years ago
Armed with this list I shall be a wazzock to all my family and friends!
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Amused panda 3 years ago (edited)
One of my favourites: Gongoozler - an idle spectator, originally used to refer to a person idly watching activity on a canal
Autistic apricot 3 years ago
A few I use in conversation, some I knew but could never find a place to say.Most of them however, I have never heard of before
Lesley Relph 3 years ago
At the age of 63, I knew around half of these words, most of which were very familiar.
Rednose 1 year ago
How about "kerfuffle?" I can't believe that was left out. (A commotion or fuss, especially one cause by conflicting views.)
Keley Babs 3 years ago
Would be cooler if they explain the origin of all these words, what language they originate from and what's the breakdown of their meaning
censorshipsucks 3 years ago
My favourite is "Scurryfunge", which seems to be something that only women are taught to do. It's really quite silly.
Pieter LeGrande 3 years ago
Discombobulated - the disconcerting feeling that your brain has shredded itself. Spondonicles - tools of uncertain usage invented by backyard mechanics to solve some esoteric problem that would otherwise require the simultaneous use of four separate tools.
cogadh 3 years ago
diph·thong /ˈdifˌTHäNG,ˈdipˌTHäNG/ noun a sound formed by the combination of two vowels in a single syllable, in which the sound begins as one vowel and moves toward another (as in coin, loud, and side ). a digraph representing the sound of a diphthong or single vowel (as in feat ). a compound vowel character; a ligature (such as æ ).
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Caroline Sinclair 3 years ago
Half of these are still in use in Britain, and occur frequently in the sort of books that I read (few of which were written in the current century). Most of the rest are just weird.
IamMe 3 years ago
A lot of them are used in the US, too. At least, in the northeast they are.
Load More Replies... Craig Silberman 3 years ago
yikes! what does it say about my age or background that I know most of these words, and even use many of them?
Vix Spiderthrust 3 years ago
You are Stephen Fry and I claim my five pounds.
Load More Replies... Will Cable 3 years ago
Wazzock - a foolish or annoying person.... eg "You utter pea brained wazzock"
Alecto76 3 years ago
Armed with this list I shall be a wazzock to all my family and friends!
Load More Replies... Amused panda 3 years ago (edited)
One of my favourites: Gongoozler - an idle spectator, originally used to refer to a person idly watching activity on a canal
Autistic apricot 3 years ago
A few I use in conversation, some I knew but could never find a place to say.Most of them however, I have never heard of before
Lesley Relph 3 years ago
At the age of 63, I knew around half of these words, most of which were very familiar.
Rednose 1 year ago
How about "kerfuffle?" I can't believe that was left out. (A commotion or fuss, especially one cause by conflicting views.)
Keley Babs 3 years ago
Would be cooler if they explain the origin of all these words, what language they originate from and what's the breakdown of their meaning
censorshipsucks 3 years ago
My favourite is "Scurryfunge", which seems to be something that only women are taught to do. It's really quite silly.
Pieter LeGrande 3 years ago
Discombobulated - the disconcerting feeling that your brain has shredded itself. Spondonicles - tools of uncertain usage invented by backyard mechanics to solve some esoteric problem that would otherwise require the simultaneous use of four separate tools.
cogadh 3 years ago
diph·thong /ˈdifˌTHäNG,ˈdipˌTHäNG/ noun a sound formed by the combination of two vowels in a single syllable, in which the sound begins as one vowel and moves toward another (as in coin, loud, and side ). a digraph representing the sound of a diphthong or single vowel (as in feat ). a compound vowel character; a ligature (such as æ ).
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