Which is your favorite english word and why?

1. 61

   stefferposted 15 years ago

   Which is your favorite english word and why?
   
   Ones in a while i come across some great english words
   and often i question myself what they mean(since i am not a native english speaker).
   
   Today i saw the word OXYMORON.
   
   I think it is a nice word, but don't understand the meaning of it.
   
   So, if we all place our favorite English word and if possible the meaning of the word, we all learn a bit more, and thus can write better articles.
   
   So my favorite word of the day is oxymoron.

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   1. 69

      hublimposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      An Oxymoron is a figure of speech where two contradictory terms are used together.
      
      Examples would be:
      
      Bitter Sweet
      Deafening Silence
      Poor Little Rich Girl
      Military Intelligence.

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      1. 60

         Jonathan Jancoposted 15 years agoin reply to this

         Compassionate Conservative
         Liberal Facist
         Biblical Truth

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2. 69

   hublimposted 15 years ago

   My favourite word is Sarcasm
   
   Deriving from a Greek word meaning “to strip off the flesh,” sarcasm is caustic, cutting humour in the form of ironic praise, or speaking oppositely in order to wound.
   
   Scottish people use this form of humour quite extensively, and I enjoy it greatly.
   
   Being sarcastic would be telling a lazy person not to work too hard.

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   1. 61

      prettydarkhorseposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      i like that word...that describes me, my humor is sarcasm....
      
      but my favorite word though is blessed...sometimes I also like the two words...thank you....and four
      words...I care for you..

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3. 70

   AEvansposted 15 years ago

   My favorite word is " Naughty" meaning:
   
   Suggestive of sexual impropriety or badly behaved or mischievous! It is also an adj. and I enjoy using many of those.
   
   Naughty is my word and is my mark here at HP when someone misbehaves.

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4. 80

   dohn121posted 15 years ago

   Criminy!
   
   It's much more acceptable than the alternative   However, if a bang my thumb with a hammer, I'll be choosing some more elaborately expressed diction.

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5. 81

   earnerposted 15 years ago

   My favourite word isn't because most people aren't sure what it means, my favourite word is the word: QUEUEING.
   
   It is my favourite because it has the most consecutive vowels in one English word.

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   1. 60

      R P Chapmanposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      I like queueing too, but then I am English!
      
      I also like words that sound nothing like you spell them, an example being the surname, Featherstonehaugh (which is pronounced Fanshaw).
      
      You've just got to love the language!

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   2. 60

      Jonathan Jancoposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      Waiting in line? Right?

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6. 0

   Lady_Eposted 15 years ago

   My favourite word is simply: lovely.
   
   I say that word about 50 times aday.
   
   Saying thank you - "that's lovely"
   complimenting - "you look lovely"
   checking students work - "that's lovely"
   meeting new people - "lovely to meet you"
   on the phone - "lovely to hear from you"
   
   Its just a lovely word.

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7. 61

   europewalkerposted 15 years ago

   Tomorrow is my favorite word.  The chance to do the things I didn't do today.

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8. 61

   deartfuldodgerposted 15 years ago

   raconteur
   
   I dont know why, just am drawn to it
   also ---Belladonna

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9. 57

   speaseposted 15 years ago

   Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis  This is my favorite English word.  I learned this word when I was 2, my dad thought it would be cool if I could pronounce the longest word in the English language.  It is a lung disease. People were pretty impressed.  The spell checker says it's spelled wrong, it must not be in the dictionary.

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      R P Chapmanposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      That's a win in Scrabble if ever I saw one!

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10. 62

    Lisa HWposted 15 years ago

    My favorite word has always been, "integrity".  Not only do I like its meaning, but I like its spelling and sound.  It sounds strong and yet has a certain elegance to it.  It has four syllables (so would seem like a long-ish word), and yet it is a very simple word.

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11. 68

    beth811posted 15 years ago

    supercalifragilisticexpialidocious  - used as a nonsense word by children to express approval or to represent the longest word in English.
    
    My 12-yr old daughter and I love to say this word fast again and again. We had fun twisting our tongue by this word.

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    1. 0

       poetlorraineposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       That is Mary Poppins word i remember that too, we used to love to say it over and over......

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12. 0

    poetlorraineposted 15 years ago

    i have always liked the word beautiful..... when we were about 8 and we had spelling test our teacher taught us to say
        B*e*a*u*t*i*f*u*l... as a lot of us just could not remember how to spell it....  sometimes i think of her when i see it written...
    
          Althogh we all know it's meaning i will go and check dictionary definition.....

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13. 74

    barryrutherfordposted 15 years ago

    Forgiveness.
    
    we all I feel should do more of it to ourselves & others...

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14. 60

    theageofcakeposted 15 years ago

    i have a few that stand out.
    
    "Pariah," for one.  it means outcast, but i find it interesting that this particular word sounds so similar to the word messiah, which of course means savior or liberator. 
    
    There's also "malleable," which means flexible or adaptable.  I like the way this rolls off the tongue, but I also like its meaning.  Adaptability, after all, is essential to survival and progress.
    
    Last, but not least: "Antidisestablishmentarianism."  It means, strangely, 'the opposition to the belief that there should not be an official church in a country,' but I didn't know that until looking it up just now.  I learned this word from an early nineties nickelodeon show called Doug (one of the students is able to spell the word effortlessly despite being less than 10 years old).  For some reason, it stuck.

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15. 61

    stefferposted 15 years ago

    Wow thanks everybody for these great responses
    
    You see, we are all learning new things, great.
    and thanks for the explenation for oxomoron.

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16. 65

    jenblacksheepposted 15 years ago

    I like 'effervescence.' Its the word used to describe when liquids bubble, like champagne or beer etc.

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17. 66

    Philentposted 15 years ago

    My favorite English word this past few days is "whisper" I just love the fact that the way you say it is actually the same as its meaning...

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