# Words that you'd like to use more often in conversation **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 11, 2007, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-youd-like-to-use-more-often-in-conversation/426002 "2007-11-11T06:33:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-youd-like-to-use-more-often-in-conversation/426002/21 "2007-11-11T19:55:02Z")
Come to think of it, I’ve also mystified coworkers with “truculent” and “lugubrious.” Not in the same sentence…not even the same day. ---
**Author:** ![Shryn\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c2a13f/32.png) [@Shryn\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shryn_King)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-youd-like-to-use-more-often-in-conversation/426002/22 "2007-11-11T23:56:36Z")
**aplomb** I was talking to someone the other night and it worked in the conversation and I used it; and, then it didn’t work because he said, “what?”, and I backed off thinking that maybe I hadn’t pronounced it right. I had pronounced it correctly. I had used it appropriately. Next time I hope to have the aplomb to carry it off. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-youd-like-to-use-more-often-in-conversation/426002/23 "2007-11-11T23:59:17Z")
I would like to work **kerfuffle** more into conversations, but I’m satisfied with the occasional **albeit**. I had to laugh at my daughter…she thought to increase her vocabulary she should read the dictionary. I told her to keep doing what she’s doing…read books voraciously. She’s currently reading the entire _Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy_. ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Ryle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8dc957/32.png) [@Mark\_Ryle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Ryle)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2007, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-youd-like-to-use-more-often-in-conversation/426002/24 "2007-11-12T04:33:22Z")
[QUOTE=Litoris] Malodorous and mellifluous have been used recently. Yeh, I guess I like -uous and -ous words. [/QUOTE] There’s something I’ve always liked about _incredulous_ when it modifies a pronoun, as in “I was incredulous!,” instead of saying “I couldn’t believe it!” or 'I was astounded." It has the advantage of your hearer being able to discern the meaning from the context and your expression even if they don’t know the word. I once saw Maureen Dean use it repeatedly in a TV interview during Watergate, and each time it impressed me. I don’t _think_ I use it to impress, but just to vary the diet in conversation. But I never get tired of it. Occasions to use it are never lacking but I severely limit it because of the danger of sounding like a showoff, as Mo Dean did that day. ---
**Author:** ![threnodyangelfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@threnodyangelfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threnodyangelfire)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2007, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-youd-like-to-use-more-often-in-conversation/426002/25 "2007-11-12T05:11:23Z")
I got the word “Skullduggery” on the homepage of a very dry financial website I was Producing at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Ryle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8dc957/32.png) [@Mark\_Ryle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Ryle)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2007, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-youd-like-to-use-more-often-in-conversation/426002/26 "2007-11-12T05:35:24Z")
[QUOTE=threnodyangelfire] I got the word “Skullduggery” on the homepage of a very dry financial website I was Producing at the time. [/QUOTE] Remember to spell it _skulduggery_. Two L’s is a variant spelling almost never used. Surprisingly too, because the word seems to lend itself to ‘skull’-type associations. Also to _skulk_, in the sense: to hide or conceal something (as oneself) often out of cowardice or fear or with sinister intent. (m-w. com) ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2007, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-youd-like-to-use-more-often-in-conversation/426002/27 "2007-11-12T07:25:02Z")
> [@Martini Enfield](#): > > I’ve got my own list of words I’d like to use more often in conversation if the situation ever arose, with the current favourite being “Shenanigans”. I so rarely get to use it, though. Australia must be a sad place if you don’t get to use “shenanigans”. If it makes you feel any better, I’ve already used your share, and your neighbor’s too. > [@WhyNot](#): > > As for the OP, I love the word “seafoam”, but you’d be surprised how often it doesn’t come up. Isn’t there seafoam on Lake Michigan? As for me, I’m a language geek, so I use uncommon words all the time and probably don’t even realize it. I do feel bad when I throw one right over someone’s head. Cultural references, too, since I tend to know less about the TV shows of the last couple of years than I do about philosophy, sociology, psychology, and more obscure things (to my generation). I was disappointed today when a 19-year-old Super Christian was describing his church men’s group get-togethers and I cut in with “so you guys talk about Kierkegaard?”, only to get a blank stare in response. I was going to explain it, but thought better of it for some reason I couldn’t nail down. I was glad, since it was only a few seconds later that I heard him say that they spent their time “…you know, philosophizing…” I would, however, like to have more occasions to use the word “fisticuffs”. Just doesn’t lend itself as naturally now that I’m not into hockey anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Cyberhwk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7993a0/32.png) [@Cyberhwk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyberhwk)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2007, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-youd-like-to-use-more-often-in-conversation/426002/28 "2007-11-12T09:20:54Z")
Bumfuzzled & Obfuscate I’m just not quick enough to remember a word like “obfuscate” before blurting out “get around.” ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2007, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-youd-like-to-use-more-often-in-conversation/426002/29 "2007-11-12T10:26:58Z")
Gobsmacked. Because when I use it around my fellow Americans they tend to look…well, gobsmacked. Also catawampus. And I’m a big fan of defenestrate and copacetic. I’m frequently copacetic when I’m not being defenestated. If I am I go all catawampus. I also like bugger, as if I drop something on my foot at work I can get away with shouting it out like I couldn’t with “Oh shit”. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2007, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-youd-like-to-use-more-often-in-conversation/426002/30 "2007-11-12T18:50:57Z")
Caterwauling is another excellent word that just doesn’t come up as much as you’d think it would. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-youd-like-to-use-more-often-in-conversation/426002.md?page=1)