# Words that sound pretty, but their meanings are not **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 30, 2007, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-pretty-but-their-meanings-are-not/417516 "2007-08-30T16:56:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mouse\_Maven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@Mouse\_Maven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mouse_Maven)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2007, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-pretty-but-their-meanings-are-not/417516/1 "2007-08-30T16:56:51Z")
I think anemia and urea are beautiful words to say. They have a musical quality, IMHO. However, saying “urea” over and over again as a meditation mantra is a **bad** idea, trust me. Are there words that sound good to you, but don’t say often because they’re inappropriate or obscure? ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2007, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-pretty-but-their-meanings-are-not/417516/2 "2007-08-30T17:04:27Z")
Yersinia ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2007, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-pretty-but-their-meanings-are-not/417516/3 "2007-08-30T17:11:42Z")
Ooze ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2007, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-pretty-but-their-meanings-are-not/417516/4 "2007-08-30T17:13:47Z")
“Chlamydia” would make a lovely name for a girl. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2007, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-pretty-but-their-meanings-are-not/417516/5 "2007-08-30T17:17:04Z")
[QUOTE=JKellyMap] “Chlamydia” would make a lovely name for a girl. [/QUOTE] I thought the same thing about “Ambergris”. ---
**Author:** ![Soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2007, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-pretty-but-their-meanings-are-not/417516/6 "2007-08-30T17:35:59Z")
Syphilis, diarrhea, and lesion. Mmmmm. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2007, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-pretty-but-their-meanings-are-not/417516/7 "2007-08-30T17:40:56Z")
I once read that some experts selected “cuspidor” as the most beautiful word in English. Something that holds spit. Yersinia is a great one. 🙂 Effluent is another one that rolls off the lips, but has unpleasant connotations. Sailboat ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2007, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-pretty-but-their-meanings-are-not/417516/8 "2007-08-30T17:50:15Z")
Meretricious ---
**Author:** ![Zambini57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/4491bb/32.png) [@Zambini57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zambini57)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2007, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-pretty-but-their-meanings-are-not/417516/9 "2007-08-30T18:17:17Z")
Grotesque. Sounds elegant. It’s not. ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2007, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-pretty-but-their-meanings-are-not/417516/10 "2007-08-30T18:25:18Z")
There’s someplace around that uses Candida as a business name. Granted they are a biotech firm and all, but still. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2007, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-pretty-but-their-meanings-are-not/417516/11 "2007-08-30T18:33:33Z")
Fallopian - one of my favorite words to say! ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2007, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-pretty-but-their-meanings-are-not/417516/12 "2007-08-30T18:35:21Z")
Asbestosis. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2007, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-pretty-but-their-meanings-are-not/417516/13 "2007-08-30T18:41:22Z")
[QUOTE=Dorjän] Fallopian - one of my favorite words to say! [/QUOTE] Mine too! Angina. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2007, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-pretty-but-their-meanings-are-not/417516/14 "2007-08-30T18:42:12Z")
Yonic - not really dirty but good sound and a useful word to know ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2007, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-pretty-but-their-meanings-are-not/417516/15 "2007-08-30T18:45:32Z")
At the other end of the scale is the word “pulchritude,” which just does not sound like what it means. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2007, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-pretty-but-their-meanings-are-not/417516/16 "2007-08-30T18:53:24Z")
[QUOTE=KneadToKnow] At the other end of the scale is the word “pulchritude,” which just does not sound like what it means. [/QUOTE] As well as “fecund”. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2007, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-pretty-but-their-meanings-are-not/417516/17 "2007-08-30T19:01:23Z")
Dementia sounds like a Greek goddess. ---
**Author:** ![Nutty\_Bunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d07c76/32.png) [@Nutty\_Bunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nutty_Bunny)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2007, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-pretty-but-their-meanings-are-not/417516/18 "2007-08-30T19:03:02Z")
Sweetbreads ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2007, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-pretty-but-their-meanings-are-not/417516/19 "2007-08-30T19:05:49Z")
Dysentery Choleric Sycophantic Cyanide Drizzle Flatulence ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2007, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-pretty-but-their-meanings-are-not/417516/20 "2007-08-30T19:06:31Z")
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