Beautiful and Ugly Words
One of the hardest tasks for a writer is finding the right word to convey your meaning in a narrative passage, or a character’s individuality in dialogue. The Oxford English Dictionary estimates there are around 170,000 words in current use. That’s without mentioning the additional 47,000 words now considered obsolete!
I love a good onomatopoeia, don’t you? These are words which sound like their meaning. Simple ones are animal noises; moo, miaow, etc, but I also enjoy others. Sussuration is a favourite, meaning a whispering or murmuring sound such as ‘They fell asleep listening to the sussuration of the leaves in the trees.’ It’s a gentle, beautiful word isn’t it. Or, on another scale, Cacophany means a loud, confused noise. It’s a hard, ugly word.
One of the many fascinating features of our language is how often words with pleasurable associations are also delightful on the tongue, and how many words, by contrast, look and sound as disagreeable as their meaning.
I’ve had these lists for about as long as I’ve been writing. I don’t recall how they came to me so I reproduce them here with thanks to the originator.
Enrich your prose by using words that do and say exactly what you want.
Beautiful Words
Amorphous: indefinite, shapeless | Lassitude: fatigue |
Beguile: deceive | Lilt: cheerful or buoyant song or movement |
Caprice: impulse | Lithe: flexible, graceful |
Cascade: steep waterfall | Lullaby: soothing song |
Cashmere: fine, delicate wool | Luminescence: dim chemical or organic light |
Chrysalis: protective covering | Mellifluous: smooth, sweet |
Cinnamon: an aromatic spice; soft brown colour | Mist: cloudy moisture, or similar obstacle |
Coalesce: unite, or fuse | Murmur: soothing sound |
Crepuscular: dim, or twilit | Myriad: great number |
Crystalline: clear, or sparkling | Nebulous: indistinct |
Desultory: half-hearted, meandering | Opulent: ostentatious |
Diaphanous: gauzy | Penumbra: shade, shroud, fringe |
Dulcet: sweet | Plethora: abundance |
Ebullient: enthusiastic | Quiescent: peaceful |
Effervescent: bubbly | Quintessential: most representative or typical |
Elision: omission | Radiant: glowing |
Enchanted: charmed | Redolent: aromatic, evocative |
Encompass: surround | Resonant: echoing, evocative |
Enrapture: delighted | Resplendent: shining |
Ephemeral: fleeting | Rhapsodic: intensely emotional |
Epiphany: revelation | Sapphire: rich, deep bluish purple |
Epitome: embodiment of the ideal | Scintilla: trace |
Ethereal: celestial, unworldly, immaterial | Serendipitous: chance |
Etiquette: proper conduct | Serene: peaceful |
Evanescent: fleeting | Somnolent: drowsy, sleep inducing |
Evocative: suggestive | Sonorous: loud, impressive, imposing |
Exuberant: abundant, unrestrained, outsize | Spherical: ball-like, globular |
Felicity: happiness, pleasantness | Sublime: exalted, transcendent |
Filament: thread, strand | Succulent: juicy, tasty, rich |
Halcyon: care-free | Suffuse: flushed, full |
Idyllic: contentedly pleasing | Susurration: whispering |
Incorporeal: without form | Symphony: harmonious assemblage |
Incandescent: glowing, radiant, zealous | Talisman: charm, magical device |
Ineffable: indescribable, unspeakable | Tessellated: checkered in pattern |
Inexorable: relentless | Tranquility: peacefulness |
Insouciance: nonchalance | Vestige: trace |
Iridescent: luster | Zenith: highest point |
Languid: slow, listless |
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Ugly words
Cacophony: confused noise | Leech: parasite, |
Cataclysm: flood, catastrophe, upheaval | Maladroit: clumsy |
Chafe: irritate, abrade | Mediocre: ordinary, of low quality |
Coarse: common, crude, rough, harsh | Obstreperous: noisy, unruly |
Cynical: distrustful, self-interested | Rancid: offensive, smelly |
Decrepit: worn-out, run-down | Repugnant: distasteful |
Disgust: aversion, distaste | Repulsive: disgusting |
Grimace: expression of disgust or pain | Shriek: sharp, screeching sound |
Grotesque: distorted, bizarre | Shrill: high-pitched sound |
Harangue: rant | Shun: avoid, ostracize |
Hirsute: hairy | Slaughter: butcher, carnage |
Hoarse: harsh, grating | Unctuous: smug, ingratiating |
| Visceral: crude, anatomically graphic |
I’ve never taken it in before and have just noticed the list of Beautiful Words is much longer – as it should be in our beautiful language.
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