This one is for (aspiring) writers and those wanting to enhance their verbiage. Other than being able to share your story, arguably the most rewarding part about being a writer is the never-ending discovery of words you may not know. Rare but beautiful words may help one impart emotions or situations that may take multiple words, if not sentences, in just one short term. If you ever wondered if there was a word to describe a particular situation or feeling, there probably is. You just don't know about it (yet).
One may think that the many obscure words are irrelevant in day-to-day living. After all, wouldn't they be more common if people got to use them more often? Well, technically, yes. However, there are many reasons to adapt words you've never heard of. Other than making your vernacular more beautiful, rare words help convey an idea more concisely, whether written or spoken. Besides that, using cool unknown words adds great panache to one's lingua.
Below, we've compiled many rare words with beautiful meanings and typically unknown words that could be applied to everyday language. Just be sure you know what they mean and how to spell them correctly! Discovered any words that you liked and will try to add to your vocabulary? Let us know by giving them an upvote! Also, what other uncommon words should be added to the list? Comment down below!
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Clinomania
Meaning: an excessive desire to stay in bed.
Tidsoptimist
Meaning: a person who’s habitually late because they think they have more time than they do.
Dysania
Meaning: the state of finding it hard to get out of bed in the morning.
Lethologica
Meaning: the inability to remember a word or put your finger on the right word.
Phosphene
Meaning: the stars or dots you see when you rub your eyes.
I didn’t know those had a name! I just always thought of them as stars, or patterns, or light blobs!
Alexithymia
Meaning: inability to identify and express or describe one’s feelings.
Nibling
Meaning: the gender-neutral term for nieces or nephews.
Cryptomnesia
Meaning: when you forget that you’ve forgotten something, and perceive it as a new, original thought.
I am sure this happens to me a lot, but if it makes me happy I dont mind!
Potvaliancy
Meaning: brave only as a result of being drunk.
Schadenfreude
Meaning: a feeling of enjoyment that comes from seeing or hearing about the troubles of other people.
Sangfroid
Meaning: the ability to stay calm in difficult or dangerous situations.
Whippersnapper
Meaning: a young and inexperienced person considered to be overconfident.
Only person I ever heard this word from was Sean McGuire in Red Dead Redemption 2
Psithurism
Meaning: the sound of wind in the trees and leaves.
Quidnunc
Meaning: a person who seeks to know all the latest news or gossip.
Decathect
Meaning: to withdraw one’s feelings of attachment from (a person, idea, or object), as in anticipation of a future loss.
Pentapopemptic
Meaning: a person who has been divorced five times.
Tacenda
Meaning: things not to be mentioned or made public—things better left unsaid.
Vernacular
Meaning: the everyday speech of the people.
Ultracrepidarian
Meaning: someone who gives opinions beyond one’s area of expertise.
Callipygian
Meaning: having a shapely bottom.
Paresthesia
Meaning: the prickly feeling when your limb 'falls asleep' – also known as pins and needles!
That prickly feeling is your blood going back into the veins it was stopped from doing so.
Swivet
Meaning: a state of nervous excitement, haste, or anxiety; flutter.
Foofaraw
Meaning: a great fuss or disturbance about something very insignificant, or an excessive amount of decoration or ornamentation, as on a piece of clothing, a building, etc.
Pogonotrophy
Meaning: the act of cultivating, or growing and grooming, a mustache, beard, sideburns or other facial hair.
Floccinaucinihilipilification
Meaning: the act of considering something to be not at all important or useful - used mainly as an example of a very long word.
Gowpen
Meaning: the hollow of two hands held together as if forming a bowl.
Sprezzatura
Meaning: perfect conduct or performance of something (as an artistic endeavor) without apparent effort.
Gregarious
Meaning: temperamentally seeking and enjoying the company of others.
Balter
Meaning: dancing clumsily without any particular grace or skill but usually with enjoyment.
In sweden: "fuldans", translates to 'ugly dance'. Knowingly to dance bad just for the enjoyment.
Snollygoster
Meaning: an unscrupulous, untrustworthy person.
Cachinnate
Meaning: to laugh very, very loudly.
I had a relative who did this, they sounded like a donkey braying.
Epitome
Meaning: a typical or ideal example.
Yerk
Meaning: strike sharply.
Lachrymose
Meaning: given to tears or weeping.
Akrasia
Meaning: the state of mind in which someone acts against their better judgment through weakness of will.
Mumpsimus
Meaning: adherence to or persistence in an erroneous use of language, memorization, practice, belief, etc., out of habit or obstinacy.
Frivolous
Meaning: not serious in content, attitude, or behavior.
Fodder
Meaning: coarse food composed of plants or leaves and stalks.
Dwale
Meaning: another name for deadly nightshade; belladonna.
Petulantly
Meaning: in an easily irritated or annoyed manner.
Panacea
Meaning: hypothetical remedy for all ills or diseases.
Hullabaloo
Meaning: a commotion or a fuss/another word for kerfuffle.
Compunction
Meaning: anxiety arising from awareness of guilt.
Pogonotrophy
Meaning: the cultivation of beards, beard-growing.
Acrophobia
Meaning: a morbid fear of great heights.
Proline
Meaning: an alcohol-soluble amino acid occurring in high concentrations in collagen.
Umami
Meaning: one of the basic tastes.
Quotidian: Everyday or commonplace. Brushing one's teeth would be considered a quotidian activity.
Also "mundane", as in "Jamie Kennedy's acting is quotidian at best".
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Quotidian: Everyday or commonplace. Brushing one's teeth would be considered a quotidian activity.
Also "mundane", as in "Jamie Kennedy's acting is quotidian at best".
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