My Favorite Word » C

Contradiction

form — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:26:07 +0000

This word is the epitome of the English language. When you say it, you just feel a surging wave of intelligence coursing through you. The context in which you say it… will always be that of a profound nature.

Jake
England

Chartreuse

form — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:30:04 +0000

I just love how it rolls off the tongue. It’s a color with variations of yellow and green. I don’t particularly like the color but I love the word.

Ashley

Cumbersome

form — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 15:19:31 +0000

It means troublesome, or a “burden.” I don’t think this word to be incredibly fancy, and I don’t think you’ll turn heads while using it; but I do think that it seems really silly to use such a long word for such a simple thing. Not my homework was hard, nay, my homework was cumbersome.

Steveo
WI

Coprolite

form — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 00:28:56 +0000

It’s fossilized poo, what’s not to like? It was the only interesting fact I learned while taking an intro to archeology class. I can’t believe there are some people who only study these!

Allie

Chicken

admin — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 17:50:00 +0000

I like to use this word as a substitute for swearing. Being around kids one summer made me have to do this. It ended up being great as this word is way more satisfying to yell out in public than any other choice four-letter word one may use. The only problem now is people think I’m completely unstable AND obsessed with chickens.

Rose Hips
Boston, MA

Caveat

admin — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 03:27:11 +0000

This word is quite interesting… but there’s a caveat:

And that is how it’s done. It means a warning, essentially. This word is so ominous and imposing that it’s not even English. As a fun little extra, it also has three (at least) quick phrases that you can throw into almost any situation:

Caveat lector (let the reader beware),
Caveat emptor (let the buyer beware), and
Caveat venditor (let the seller beware).

Derek
Missouri

Crinkly

admin — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 03:21:43 +0000

I love this word. To me it connotes the crinkly eyes people get when they smile. I have a friend with crinkly eyes. Obviously, you have to avoid using the word to describe people who are perhaps older, as to others it can be interpreted as rude.

Hatti

Concuño (Concuña)

admin — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 19:49:36 +0000

This is a Spanish word for which there is no English equivalent, and here in the Southwestern U.S. I get to use it fairly often. If you have no Spanish, then you say it this way: “con-COON-yo,” or “con-COON-ya” is the feminine version. What does it mean? It is the relationship of two men who marry sisters (with a feminine ending, two women who marry brothers). The closest usage in English is, in the Vulgate, a “half-assed brother in law.”

James
Albuquerque

Colloquial

admin — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 19:34:46 +0000

Colloquial is my favorite word at the moment specifically because it is an example of what it isn’t. Kinda the opposite of how the word polysyllabic has many syllables… Well colloquial is not a word used in informal simple conversation.

William-Alexander
James Madison University

Cranky

admin — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 00:07:22 +0000

It sounds just like what it is. I always think of a fussy baby when I hear it, but I like it when it’s applied to grown people because it’s so much less aggressive than “angry” or “furious.” If someone’s really mad and it’s ruining your mood, think “Oh they’re just cranky” and go about your way. It’s condescending (good word) but it makes me feel better.

Julia Dalley
Texas

Chortle

admin — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 23:28:41 +0000

It’s like all the fun you had reading comic books as a child, wrapped up in a single, deliciously gleeful word.

Let’s drink a toast with lashings of ginger beer – for chortle!

Splat
Hong Kong

Cozy

admin — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 06:12:40 +0000

Unlike “coozy,” the childish ripoff word invented by purveyors of cheap beverage encasements, “cozy” is simply delightful. No word elicits the sensation of being wrapped up in soft, warm blankets quite like this one. The “z” is the heart of this word’s emotion, but without the crisp yet gentle “c” to snap you into focus and the long, warm “o” to encircle your senses, the “z” would be lost. The “y” at the end adds a touch of playfulness and youth that hearkens back to one’s days of innocence. The era in which you described something as “icky” or “squishy” or “lightning-y” was the same one in which you would immerse yourself in towels fresh from the dryer, or cocoon yourself in your bedsheets to stave off the winter’s chill. Sadly, as we age we have less “cozy” moments. We ought not to lose touch with our desire for them. If we all took the time to settle down, bundle up, and smile contentedly, the world would be a much cozier place.

Tony
Aurora, IL