# Name a word that doesn't mean what most people think it means **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 9, 2009, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-word-that-doesnt-mean-what-most-people-think-it-means/480523 "2009-01-09T14:23:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Noel\_Prosequi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b19c9b/32.png) [@Noel\_Prosequi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noel_Prosequi)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2009, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-word-that-doesnt-mean-what-most-people-think-it-means/480523/101 "2009-01-10T15:10:05Z")
\*Effete \*- means lacking in vigour, exhausted, sterile. The “effeminate” meaning is a modern nuisance. _Noisome_ - means disgusting or harmful (typically, as an odour). Not loud. My favourite word of the moment, however, is _pleonasm_. It pretty much means redundant. It’s just that we already have a word for redundant… ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2009, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-word-that-doesnt-mean-what-most-people-think-it-means/480523/102 "2009-01-10T18:50:21Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > _Bring_. It means to cause a thing to be carried to where the speaker is. _Take_ means to carry a thing to somewhere else. Not always. There are some situations where the deictic aspects of words are used for affective (or psychological) reasons. Ex: A: Gramma’s in the hospital again. B: Oh no! Are you going to visit her? A: Yeah. B: I’ll go with you. And let’s bring her some flowers. Why does B choose _bring_ instead of _take_? To show empathy with the hospitalized grandmother; to “put herself in her grandmother’s place.” It’s not about physical location, but rather feeling. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2009, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-word-that-doesnt-mean-what-most-people-think-it-means/480523/103 "2009-01-10T19:08:00Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > _Bring_. It means to cause a thing to be carried to where the speaker is. _Take_ means to carry a thing to somewhere else. In addition to what guizot has pointed out about using “bring” to emphasize the importance of the object instead of the subject, “bring” actually is a word with many definitions, quite a few of which are not limited to causing things to come towards you. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2009, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-word-that-doesnt-mean-what-most-people-think-it-means/480523/104 "2009-01-10T19:25:53Z")
> [@Jragon](#): > > Same with “perused.” Perused does NOT mean to casually look something over, or to skim, it means that you’re hunched over the sales reports for the 16th time in an hour with your tongue stuck out trying to memorize every last minute detail for your meeting later. (Though I see the “casually look it over” definition has made it into Merriam-Webster and isn’t even listed as slang. Either way, the ROOTS back me up.). Actually, it means both. There are a few words that have completely contradictory meanings, and ‘perused’ is one of them. ‘Cleave’ is another; it can mean to split apart or to join together. You can use either sense and be correct. > [@RickJay](#): > > … But you’re not allowed to say “literally.” That’s too easy. And wrong. People have been using it in the ‘incorrect’ sense for centuries. > [@Elenfair](#): > > “Awesome.” Oh, come on. Going by the meanings of the individual parts of the word, yes, it does mean ‘inspiring awe’. But to say that it doesn’t also mean ‘really cool\*’ is to ignore the fact that language changes. Like it or not, the word has at least two meanings. \*And yes, I am aware that the word ‘cool’ itself has had several shifts in meaning. However, right now it does mean ‘of or applying to something I think is really good or impressive’. ---
**Author:** ![IdahoMauleMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/71c47a/32.png) [@IdahoMauleMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IdahoMauleMan)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2009, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-word-that-doesnt-mean-what-most-people-think-it-means/480523/105 "2009-01-10T19:33:03Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > … But you’re not allowed to say “literally.” That’s too easy. > > What word can you think of that people sometimes use despite not knowing what it actually means? I’ll start: > > **Bemused.** Often used (including on this board) to mean “mildly amused” or “Caused to be amused.” It actually means to not understand something; the usual synonym given is “bewildered.” It can also mean to be preoccupied so as not to notice something. Redoubtable. Most people think it means the opposite of what it actually means. ---
**Author:** ![legalsnugs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/45deac/32.png) [@legalsnugs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/legalsnugs)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2009, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-word-that-doesnt-mean-what-most-people-think-it-means/480523/106 "2009-01-10T23:00:14Z")
Firmament. Pulchritude. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2009, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-word-that-doesnt-mean-what-most-people-think-it-means/480523/107 "2009-01-10T23:17:52Z")
> [@legalsnugs](#): > > Firmament. > > Pulchritude. What people misuse “pulchritude,” and what do they think it means? ---
**Author:** ![Vox\_Imperatoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Vox\_Imperatoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vox_Imperatoris)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2009, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-word-that-doesnt-mean-what-most-people-think-it-means/480523/108 "2009-01-10T23:41:17Z")
> [@Jragon](#): > > I think that’s up for interpretation. DEFCON 5 is where it “started” as such, there’s more tension there than the no-holds-barred-we’re-all-fucked nuclear war that is DEFCON 1. Now when people are saying a situation is overly-hostile I agree with you, but I think 5 is apt for describing tension. But DEFCON 5 isn’t even tension—that would be DEFCON 2 or 3. DEFCON 5 is everything is nice and cheery. For most of the Cold War silos were always at DEFCON 4. Valete, Vox Imperatoris ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2009, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-word-that-doesnt-mean-what-most-people-think-it-means/480523/109 "2009-01-10T23:44:03Z")
vagina ---
**Author:** ![PsychoNoddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e36b37/32.png) [@PsychoNoddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PsychoNoddy)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2009, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-word-that-doesnt-mean-what-most-people-think-it-means/480523/110 "2009-01-11T00:03:59Z")
“mitigate” if you’ve written “mitigate against” then you almost certainly meant “militate against”. In some respects these two words are verging on opposites. “surreal” doesn’t mean unusual or weird or strange or remarkable or even bizarre. “hoi polloi” doesn’t mean the same as hoity-toity (which, I suspect, might be where the confusion comes from). “docile” doesn’t mean dopey and “random” doesn’t mean whatever it’s being used to mean these days; or is this random usage an Australian-only phenomenon? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2009, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-word-that-doesnt-mean-what-most-people-think-it-means/480523/111 "2009-01-11T01:22:35Z")
> [@PsychoNoddy](#): > > and “random” doesn’t mean whatever it’s being used to mean these days; or is this random usage an Australian-only phenomenon? Yeah, I’ve heard people using ‘random’ to describe something that’s actually just strange and somewhat unusual. ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2009, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-word-that-doesnt-mean-what-most-people-think-it-means/480523/112 "2009-01-11T03:37:29Z")
> [@MissGypsy](#): > > I’m surrounded by people who use “ignorant” as a synonym for “rude.” I’m amazed my head hasn’t exploded, because every time I hear it, I want to smack someone on the head with a dictionary. My ex-husband was a colossal dumbass and got a lot of words wrong, but “ignorant” was one of the most cringe-worthy. He thought it meant “belligerent” as in “If they give me any crap I’ll have to get ignorant with them!” I was embarrassed for him, but secretly amused. “My, won’t they be impressed THEN!” ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2009, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-word-that-doesnt-mean-what-most-people-think-it-means/480523/113 "2009-01-11T03:43:54Z")
> [@TV\_time](#): > > **Moot** as in the phrase, “That’s a moot point”, means debatable, but has in the last couple of decades come to mean just the opposite. I have often wondered how that evolution of a word came about. What’s worse is the people who not only don’t know what it means, but who say “mute”, instead of “moot”. ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2009, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-word-that-doesnt-mean-what-most-people-think-it-means/480523/114 "2009-01-11T03:53:22Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > As far as I know it means last but one. What do people often mistake it to mean? I think there is a cultural difference here. “Penultimate” is a common word in the UK (is the IoM in the UK?) and pretty much everyone knows what it means. In the US it is a much less used word and many people have no idea what it means. What mistaken meaning they might ascribe, I know not. ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2009, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-word-that-doesnt-mean-what-most-people-think-it-means/480523/115 "2009-01-11T04:01:14Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Okay, but it still arguably doesn’t mean “ugly”, which is what people tend to use it for. It’s meant as _elaborately complex_, rather than just _unattractive_. While you may have etymology on your side, you are going to lose this one. You will find dictionaries that do give “ugly” or “repulsive” as meanings. [Example](http://www.thefreedictionary.com/grotesque). > [@](#): > > grotesque [groh-tesk] > Adjective > > 1. strangely distorted or bizarre: a grotesque and pervasive personality cult > 2. ugly or repulsive ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2009, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-word-that-doesnt-mean-what-most-people-think-it-means/480523/116 "2009-01-11T04:09:03Z")
> [@Captain\_Carrot](#): > > Yeah, I’ve heard people using ‘random’ to describe something that’s actually just strange and somewhat unusual. I think the assumption behind saying something like “and then he said X, which was totally random” is that X is a non sequitur, and/or was a brainfart. As if the speaker had a long mental list of phrases ranging from “my name is Phil” to “whales are blue” and picked one at random. Or was that not what you were referring to ? @Captain Carrot : so _that_’s why we always say “cleaved in two”. The apparent pleonasm had always puzzled me. Color my ignorance fought. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2009, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-word-that-doesnt-mean-what-most-people-think-it-means/480523/117 "2009-01-11T04:18:18Z")
Healthy. I get so tired of people saying they’re eating “healthy vegetables” or “healthy fish.” Those fish and vegetables, people, are DEAD. How can they be healthy if they’re DEAD? They are _healthful_. You hope to remain healthy by eating them. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2009, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-word-that-doesnt-mean-what-most-people-think-it-means/480523/118 "2009-01-11T04:31:19Z")
> [@Noel\_Prosequi](#): > > My favourite word of the moment, however, is _pleonasm_. It pretty much means redundant. It’s just that we already have a word for redundant… Not quite. It means redundant speech (as opposed to I dunno, redundant measures taken in case one of them fails), and furthermore denotes purposeless redundancy, whereas plain ol’ redundancy can have a point. “It’s a free gift” is a pleonasm, while “I saw it with my very eyes !” isn’t. In the same vein, “If we don’t succeed, we will fail” while it is undeniably a redundant statement, isn’t a pleonasm either but a truism. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2009, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-word-that-doesnt-mean-what-most-people-think-it-means/480523/119 "2009-01-11T05:17:54Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > Not always. There are some situations where the deictic aspects of words are used for affective (or psychological) reasons. Ex: > > A: Gramma’s in the hospital again. > B: Oh no! Are you going to visit her? > A: Yeah. > B: I’ll go with you. And let’s bring her some flowers. > > Why does B choose _bring_ instead of _take_? To show empathy with the hospitalized grandmother; to “put herself in her grandmother’s place.” It’s not about physical location, but rather feeling. Sorry, this is still not correct. “Take” is the only correct word in your example; “bring” may feel warmer to you, but it’s incorrect. ---
**Author:** ![Randy\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee7513/32.png) [@Randy\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randy_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2009, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-word-that-doesnt-mean-what-most-people-think-it-means/480523/120 "2009-01-11T05:19:59Z")
As long as we’re having a prescriptivist orgy here… **whence** Many use it interchangeably with “where” when they wish to sound smart: “From whence did you get this case of Pabst Blue Ribbon?” However, strictly speaking, it means “from what source/place,” so including the word “from” is redundant. “Whence derives this government’s mandate?” “We must return whence we came.” “Whence did you pull that vibrator?” However, I really came into this thread to mention “disinterested,” and I will disagree with the previous poster who said it is synonymous with “unbiased.” Compare: [ul][li]_Even though I own a 10% stake in the company, I feel I can remain unbiased during the trial.[_]Even though I own a 10% stake in the company, I feel I can remain disinterested during the trial.\*[/ul]The first sentence is logical, if dubious, while the second sentence is impossible, or at least has a totally different meaning. The speaker would have to sell his share in the company before becoming disinterested, but it’s possible he’s a really good judge, and can remain unbiased throughout the proceeding.[/li] This is why it ticks me off that the previously non-standard definition of “disinterested” has become the standard. There is no totally equivalent word, and when I want to communicate the concept to someone, I now have to use 10 words instead of one to ensure that the listener understands. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-word-that-doesnt-mean-what-most-people-think-it-means/480523.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-word-that-doesnt-mean-what-most-people-think-it-means/480523.md?page=7)