# Words that used to have negative connotations, but are now neutral or positive **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 1, 2013, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-used-to-have-negative-connotations-but-are-now-neutral-or-positive/662345 "2013-07-01T14:06:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2013, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-used-to-have-negative-connotations-but-are-now-neutral-or-positive/662345/1 "2013-07-01T14:06:07Z")
[Inspiration thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=692435) One obvious example is “queer.” Once used as a horrible insult, implying you were homosexual. It’s been turned into a neutral word by “Queer Nation” ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2013, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-used-to-have-negative-connotations-but-are-now-neutral-or-positive/662345/2 "2013-07-01T14:13:59Z")
Long before it meant “agreeable,” _[nice](http://etymonline.com/?term=nice)_ had a slew of negative meanings that are now obsolete or rare: “foolish,” “weak,” etc. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2013, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-used-to-have-negative-connotations-but-are-now-neutral-or-positive/662345/3 "2013-07-01T15:17:11Z")
“Shine” has completely lost its pejorative sense. “Occupy” was once considered too sexually suggestive to be used in polite company. ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2013, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-used-to-have-negative-connotations-but-are-now-neutral-or-positive/662345/4 "2013-07-01T15:58:30Z")
“Geek” is now a badge of honor for the most part. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2013, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-used-to-have-negative-connotations-but-are-now-neutral-or-positive/662345/5 "2013-07-01T16:17:41Z")
Vixen. Originally it meant [“an ill-tempered or quarrelsome woman”](http://www.thefreedictionary.com/vixen). These days when I hear it at all it’s used to mean a highly attractive, sexy woman. I think it’s because of linguistic bleed-over from “foxy woman”/“she’s a fox”, combined with “bitch” taking over for the old meaning of the word. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2013, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-used-to-have-negative-connotations-but-are-now-neutral-or-positive/662345/6 "2013-07-01T21:54:14Z")
Decadent - then, it meant sometime decaying and sinful, usually Roman society or something. Now, it means really “sinfully” good chocolate. I suppose, like how awful became increasingly a dysphemism, “awesome” originally had more elements of fear at what you were beholding. And nice used to be spelled niſe, of course. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-used-to-have-negative-connotations-but-are-now-neutral-or-positive/662345/7 "2013-07-02T01:37:36Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > One obvious example is “queer.” Once used as a horrible insult, implying you were homosexual. And, before that, it was an innocuous synonym for “weird”. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-used-to-have-negative-connotations-but-are-now-neutral-or-positive/662345/8 "2013-07-03T21:23:14Z")
> [@gonzoron](#): > > “Geek” is now a badge of honor for the most part. Similarly, “hacker” is often used these days to mean “skillful” as much as to mean “criminal,” and not just in the hacker culture (so to speak). ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-used-to-have-negative-connotations-but-are-now-neutral-or-positive/662345/9 "2013-07-03T23:54:29Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > One obvious example is “queer.” Once used as a horrible insult, implying you were homosexual. It’s been turned into a neutral word by “Queer Nation” One might argue that it became “neutral” exactly _because_ it was so offensive, and in the Queer Nation style of usage, remains neutral (or actually, a badge of pride) only as long as it’s offensive (in the general popular usage). This dynamic happens when a group like Queer Nation adopts the word as a gesture of defiance against the popular rampant homophobia. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2013, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-used-to-have-negative-connotations-but-are-now-neutral-or-positive/662345/10 "2013-07-04T00:18:14Z")
I think “fond” used to mean “foolish.” ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2013, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-used-to-have-negative-connotations-but-are-now-neutral-or-positive/662345/11 "2013-07-04T02:45:59Z")
“Yankee” was originally a derogatory term. There are still people who use if that way but most Americans (at least outside of the South) don’t have a problem with calling themselves Yankees. And it’s generally a positive term in New England (except in Fenway Park).