Words engage my interest. An hour’s study of one of my thesauri is time well spent. Dictionary definitions often obfuscate the delicate nuances; gentle coaxing achieves precise meaning. Some words are confused or misused. Differences can be subtle. Here are some words that are sometimes confused with each other, occasionally misused, or shaded. Some are common, others arguable, a few intriguing.
Adverse, Averse: Adverse which means harmful, unfavorable, or antagonistic should not be used to refer to people, but, rather, to things that are contrary to one’s interests. Averse implies opposition, a strong disinclination to do something. Averse is used with reference to people. She is averse to speculation in banking stocks. Adverse weather conditions caused our flight to be canceled.
Among, Between: Among is normally used to indicate inclusion within a group of more than two but can also be used when entities are considered as a mass or collection. Between separates, compares, or connects two things, or more when entities are considered as distinct. My choice among entrees was overwhelming. You must decide between MS Explorer and FireFox as your default browser. The UFO landed between the house, shed, and garage.
Amount, Number: Amount is used for bulk quantities; number for countable quantities. A large number of yen and euros make a large amount of currency.
Apogee, Perigee: These are opposite terms. Apogee is the farthest point in the orbit of a planet around another body. It can also be considered to mean “highest.” The perigee occurs when the planetary orbit is closest to that body. Perigee is less commonly defined as “lowest.” Are the tides lower when the moon is at its apogee in its orbit around the earth? Be sure to see Mars tonight; it is at its perigee with respect to the earth.
Auspicious, Propitious: Auspicious indicates that things are favorable for some future event. It carries with it the suggestion of something important. Propitious describes favorable conditions at this point in time. The shaman declared all signs auspicious for the success of tomorrow’s hunt. Tonight’s new moon was propitious for the air drop of supplies the rebels so badly needed.
Biannual, Biennial: A biannual sale occurs twice a year, or semi-annually. A biennial plant flowers every other year. Hollyhocks are biennial flowers that can be planted biannually for early and late bloom.
Burglary, Robbery: Breaking and entering with intent to commit a crime like theft is termed a burglary. In a robbery the thief directly takes another’s property by force or threat of force. A neighbor reported a probable burglary in progress when she saw a door ajar in the empty house next door. The masked man robbed the couple of their money, jewelry, and credit cards.
Complement, Compliment: An item chosen to complete, augment or accompany something will complement that item. A compliment is an expression or act of praise, courtesy or respect. I complimented the hostess on her choice of complementary sauces for the rack of lamb.
Cement, Concrete: Cement is a powdery ingredient used with water and sand to make concrete. He needed six bags of cement to mix for the concrete sidewalk.
Disinterest, Indifferent: Disinterest implies having no self-interest in something. Indifferent implies having no care for something at all. The petitioners agreed that only a disinterested arbitrator would be allowed to facilitate the settlement. As I do not ride, I am indifferent to your choice of saddle for the gymkhana.
Emergency, Crisis: While both are serious situations, emergencies must be dealt with urgently. Crises are grave situations indicating a turning point on which everything may depend. The assignation of Archduke Ferdinand created a crisis that led to World War I. The evacuation of British forces at Dunkirk in World War II was an emergency.
Exiguous, Exigent: Exiguous means scant or meager. Exigent is an adjective indicating some urgency or demand for action. The extremely exiguous state of the homeless family created an exigent response at the shelter.
Gaff, Gaffe: A gaff is fishing apparatus. Gaffe is an error. He realized his gaffe when he handed me the net instead of the gaff to hook the grouper.
Flammable, Inflammable: Flammable items are easily ignited and are capable of burning rapidly. Inflammable means exactly the same thing. The prefix “in” does not mean “not.” It means “in flame.” If something is not easily ignited it is non-flammable. Parents should avoid purchasing both flammable and inflammable sleepwear for their children.
Hanged, Hung: Pictures are hung; people are hanged. ‘Nuf said.
Hellenic, Hellenist: The Hellenic period covers Greek history and culture before the conquests of Alexander the Great. Thereafter the period is properly referred to as Hellenistic. The urn dates from the Hellenic period approximately 550 BCE. His poetry was written in 149 CE and is a fine example of Hellenistic letters.
Infer, Imply: Infer means to reach a conclusion based on evidence, reason or deduction when drawing conclusions that are not explicit. Imply refers to understanding something based on implication without being stated outright. The jury inferred the defendant’s guilt after hearing all the evidence. The scowl on the lawyer’s face implied he was unhappy with their decision.
Invent, Discover: One can discover something that was hidden but a person invents things that did not exist before. Wilhelm Roentgen discovered x-rays. The slinky and the telegraph were invented by clever individuals.
Jewel, Gem: A jewel can be a precious stone, a precious stone in an ornament of some kind, or a precious stone used in a watch or other precision instrument. A gem is a cut precious stone or an engraved precious stone. That is a ten jeweled timepiece you’re wearing. The marquis cut diamond gem shone brilliantly.
Lie, Lay, Lie: 1) Lie means to speak falsely. Lie, Lied, Lied. 2) Lay means to place something. It requires a direct object. Lay, Laid, Laid. 3) Lie means to recline or rest horizontally. It does not take a direct object. Lie, Lay, Lain. As he lie (3) on the couch, John lied (1) when he said that he laid (2) the book on the shelf.
Libel, Slander: While both are the defamation of another libel is written, published or broadcast by official media. Slander is oral defamation answerable in a civil court. Libel would be tried in a criminal court. The explorer’s slanderous accusations did not convince his partner to retract his potentially libelous description of what happened in his book about their expedition.
Loath, Loathe: One who is reluctant is described as loath. To feel intense hatred or dislike for someone or something is to loathe it. John was loath to leave his driver’s license with the librarian. No matter how hard I try I simply loathe asparagus.
Majority, Plurality: A majority consists of any amount over 50%. A plurality is the highest of three or more candidates when none received a majority. Alice won a majority of votes with 60% choosing her for mayor. Theo’s plurality of 34% was enough to earn him a spot in the run-off election for alderman of the Fourth Ward.
Percent, Percentage: Percent is used with a specific number. Use percentage when no number is specified. Marie scored 86% on her math test. What percentage of the corn crop is being sold for ethanol?
Politician, Statesman: These words carry different connotations. Politician can be used disparaging, implying scheming for one’s own ends. Statesman is never used disparagingly. It implies wisdom and foresight in one dedicated to the interests of his country or party. George Marshall was a statesman; Joseph McCarthy a politician.
Recant, Retract: To deny one’s words or to go back on something one said is to recant one’s words. Retract one’s statement is to withdraw it so that the situation remains as it was before your statement. Howard recanted his promise to keep silent when questioned by the authorities. The newspaper retracted its endorsement of the incumbent and blew the race for governor wide open.
Solecism, Solipsism: A solecism is an error or mistake. It can apply to mistakes in grammar, syntax, manners, or etiquette. Solipsism is the belief that the only truth one can be sure of is that one exists, all else is speculation. Eating artichokes while wearing white gloves is a solecism but it is solipsistic to think no one else is in the dining room to see you do it.
Soufflé, Mousse: A mousse is a light, sweet pudding made with cream, beaten whole eggs, and gelatin that is served cold. A soufflé is a puffy, light, and savory baked dish made from beaten egg whites and containing fish, cheese, etc. that is usually served warm. A dessert of chocolate mousse followed the main course of salmon soufflé.
Unconsciously, subconsciously: When one acts unconsciously, they do something without realizing that they are doing it. A subconscious act is one performed without full knowledge of why it is done. I must have been unconscious when I put the cat in the refrigerator. He subconsciously cracked his knuckles despite his promise to be very quiet.
