# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2007, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-pretty-but-their-meanings-are-not/417516/21 "2007-08-30T19:09:28Z")
Gonorrhea. ---
**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, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-pretty-but-their-meanings-are-not/417516/22 "2007-08-30T19:11:56Z")
Bulbous Bouffant Blubber Macadamia ---
**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2007, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-pretty-but-their-meanings-are-not/417516/23 "2007-08-30T22:00:44Z")
Latrine ---
**Author:** ![Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alive_At_Both_Ends)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2007, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-pretty-but-their-meanings-are-not/417516/24 "2007-08-30T22:24:45Z")
Anathema. ---
**Author:** ![GilaB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@GilaB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GilaB)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2007, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-pretty-but-their-meanings-are-not/417516/25 "2007-08-31T00:27:47Z")
Mistral (a dry, cold wind) ---
**Author:** ![Penchan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/74df32/32.png) [@Penchan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penchan)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2007, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-pretty-but-their-meanings-are-not/417516/26 "2007-08-31T00:55:28Z")
Veruca. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2007, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-pretty-but-their-meanings-are-not/417516/27 "2007-08-31T02:10:53Z")
tyranny (a favorite for years) ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2007, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-pretty-but-their-meanings-are-not/417516/28 "2007-08-31T06:15:21Z")
And, in honor of George Costanza: Manure. ---
**Author:** ![Catfood\_Purrito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Catfood\_Purrito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catfood_Purrito)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2007, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-pretty-but-their-meanings-are-not/417516/29 "2007-08-31T06:44:23Z")
Melena. It just sort of flows off the tongue and sounds like it should be a woman’s name (I think I’ve even heard of it being used as such). Except, it means bloody feces. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2007, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-pretty-but-their-meanings-are-not/417516/30 "2007-08-31T07:02:55Z")
[Alexia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexia_%28disorder%29)… such a pretty name for a little girl. Or a brain disorder. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2007, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-pretty-but-their-meanings-are-not/417516/31 "2007-08-31T07:35:38Z")
[QUOTE=Cazzle] [Alexia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexia_%28disorder%29)… such a pretty name for a little girl. Or a brain disorder. [/QUOTE] Bwahahaha - I actually have a friend named Alexia. Should I tell her about this? Ah, who am I kidding? We all know I will. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_chao_goes_mu/32/3191_2.png) [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2007, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-pretty-but-their-meanings-are-not/417516/32 "2007-08-31T19:36:02Z")
[QUOTE=Robot Arm] Bulbous Bouffant Blubber Macadamia [/QUOTE] Gazebo. ---
**Author:** ![MrJackboots](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MrJackboots](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrJackboots)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2007, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-pretty-but-their-meanings-are-not/417516/33 "2007-08-31T20:17:41Z")
[QUOTE=Zambini57] Grotesque. Sounds elegant. It’s not. [/QUOTE] It’s even more so with _grotesquerie_. ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2007, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-pretty-but-their-meanings-are-not/417516/34 "2007-08-31T20:39:52Z")
Tourette Syndrome. It sounds like a diabolocal urge to ballet dance. ---
**Author:** ![rucciface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ba9def/32.png) [@rucciface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rucciface)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2007, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-pretty-but-their-meanings-are-not/417516/35 "2007-08-31T20:54:22Z")
“Atrocious” is a very pretty word, to me. ---
**Author:** ![RoniaBorkason](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9dc877/32.png) [@RoniaBorkason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RoniaBorkason)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2007, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-pretty-but-their-meanings-are-not/417516/36 "2007-08-31T20:55:24Z")
Well, there is what I would love to name a kitten if it didn’t mean what it does: Skanky. It just strikes me as a cute, kitteny-sounding word, but I can never use it. ---
**Author:** ![Sofaspud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8491ac/32.png) [@Sofaspud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofaspud)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2007, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-pretty-but-their-meanings-are-not/417516/37 "2007-08-31T20:58:40Z")
Lubrication. ---
**Author:** ![5\_time\_champ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/278dde/32.png) [@5\_time\_champ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5_time_champ)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2007, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-pretty-but-their-meanings-are-not/417516/38 "2007-08-31T21:08:24Z")
Melanoma ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2007, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-pretty-but-their-meanings-are-not/417516/39 "2007-08-31T21:10:36Z")
[QUOTE=cher3] There’s someplace around that uses Candida as a business name. Granted they are a biotech firm and all, but still. [/QUOTE] And then there’s Candida Royalle, the porn star. Seriously, you want people to think of yeast when they think of you? ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2007, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-pretty-but-their-meanings-are-not/417516/40 "2007-09-01T10:44:10Z")
Say _lavatory door_ with a Antonio Banderas accent. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-pretty-but-their-meanings-are-not/417516.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-pretty-but-their-meanings-are-not/417516.md?page=3)