# Your Favorite/Most Beautiful Word **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 29, 2000, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-most-beautiful-word/43144 "2000-11-29T04:27:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Davidbw1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7993a0/32.png) [@Davidbw1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Davidbw1)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2000, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-most-beautiful-word/43144/21 "2000-11-29T20:29:26Z")
I’m a personal fan of Discombobulated (Not a real word, but still cool as anything) ---
**Author:** ![bluecanary](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bluecanary/32/3614_2.png) [@bluecanary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bluecanary)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2000, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-most-beautiful-word/43144/22 "2000-11-29T22:47:12Z")
I like long words with plenty of i’s So ‘invidious’, ‘intrinsic’ and ‘individual’ do me fine! ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2000, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-most-beautiful-word/43144/23 "2000-11-29T22:47:31Z")
Calliope sounds cool… I like nictitating, too, **mnemosyne**. It sounds vaguely insectile, like chitinous. Herculean, reptilian, icicle, svelte. [Julie Andrews voice] These are a few of my favorite words… [/Julie Andrews voice] ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2000, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-most-beautiful-word/43144/24 "2000-11-30T00:41:46Z")
Serendipity. The poster’s cool too, but I’ve always loved this word. ---
**Author:** ![sk8rixtx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/858c86/32.png) [@sk8rixtx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sk8rixtx)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2000, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-most-beautiful-word/43144/25 "2000-11-30T00:46:55Z")
Oblique. It’s so smooth, sleak, elegant. Yet it’s different. ---
**Author:** ![ren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@ren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ren)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2000, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-most-beautiful-word/43144/26 "2000-11-30T00:51:28Z")
From a cartoon: Harrasser: “A Dictionary?!? What sort of an idiot reads the dictionary?” Reader: “An onomatomaniacal lexicomane” I kinda like “ambisinister” which is the opposite of ambidextrous and describes me uite perfectly. ---
**Author:** ![ren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@ren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ren)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2000, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-most-beautiful-word/43144/27 "2000-11-30T00:52:48Z")
> [@](#): > > describes me uite perfectly. case in point. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2000, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-most-beautiful-word/43144/28 "2000-11-30T00:56:19Z")
SWYFEN Ah, suche swete swefen. EMBUGGERANCE Mere embuggerance, nothing more. ---
**Author:** ![Sangria](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/87869e/32.png) [@Sangria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangria)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2000, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-most-beautiful-word/43144/29 "2000-11-30T01:44:36Z")
**elysian** is good for me too. It’s like another one I like from English Lit - **Excalibur** There’s also **Excelsior** but I forget who says that. Is it the motto of New York City? It’s always on one parade float there. ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2000, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-most-beautiful-word/43144/30 "2000-11-30T02:05:53Z")
Brobdingnagian Really big word for really big. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2000, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-most-beautiful-word/43144/31 "2000-11-30T02:44:30Z")
Seeing this thread has **embiggened** us all. ---
**Author:** ![Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Goose)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2000, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-most-beautiful-word/43144/32 "2000-11-30T03:02:12Z")
The word grok never ceases to amaze me. ---
**Author:** ![Skwerl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Skwerl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skwerl)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2000, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-most-beautiful-word/43144/33 "2000-11-30T03:31:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Goose \* > \*\*The word grok never ceases to amaze me. \*\* I don’t know why. It’s a perfectly cromulent word. ---
**Author:** ![Serendipity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Serendipity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serendipity)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2000, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-most-beautiful-word/43144/34 "2000-11-30T03:36:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by AuntiePam \* > \*\*Serendipity. The poster’s cool too, but I’ve always loved this word. \*\* The real reason I chose my username – so other posters who love the word _serendipity_ would be tricked into complimenting me. 😉 I’m surprised no one has mentioned **onomatopoeia** yet. That’s the perfect word, as far as I’m concerned. ---
**Author:** ![kiffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/d78d45/32.png) [@kiffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiffa)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2000, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-most-beautiful-word/43144/35 "2000-11-30T03:55:55Z")
Gossamer when I am in this mood. Shank when I am in that mood. ---
**Author:** ![MonkeyMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@MonkeyMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyMan)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2000, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-most-beautiful-word/43144/36 "2000-11-30T04:52:49Z")
Inconceivable! I prefer using words that _should_ be words, like Jebediah Springfield’s: “A noble heart embiggens the smallest man.” Another favorite word is also my favorite wrestling move: the sluh. To perform the sluh one must attach oneself to one’s opponent and go limp. It’s inconveivable that this perfectly cromulent move doesn’t enjoy more popularousnessitude. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2000, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-most-beautiful-word/43144/37 "2000-11-30T05:11:39Z")
Lots of terrific words in this thread. Now who can put them all in one meaningful paragraph? ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2000, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-most-beautiful-word/43144/38 "2000-11-30T05:11:53Z")
Damn. You guys beat me to “heinous” and “defenestration”. So I guess I’ll have to go with “cryptic”. Don’t ask me why. ---
**Author:** ![BigGiantHead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b4bc9f/32.png) [@BigGiantHead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigGiantHead)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2000, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-most-beautiful-word/43144/39 "2000-11-30T05:29:35Z")
As a longtime sufferer of periphrasis, I’ve always been fond of **mendacity** and **prurience**. Big pretty words for lying and lust. I’ll start working on that paragraph, **Muffin**. Oh, and **w.s.b.bird** - now you’ve laid the gauntlet, somebody’s just gotta - WHY? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![infinitii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e8c25b/32.png) [@infinitii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/infinitii)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2000, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-most-beautiful-word/43144/40 "2000-11-30T06:21:47Z")
everyone has missed the perfect word: OK it is just two letters of pure awesomeness. it is also the most international word and is quite cool. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-most-beautiful-word/43144.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-most-beautiful-word/43144.md?page=3)