~ The 21 Most Misused English Words ~

[MysteRy]

The 21 Most Misused English Words

Modern English is an interesting language - it's constantly evolving. Words are altered and definitions are updated accordingly. We can’t all be linguists, but we should know how to use the words we choose correctly.



1. Compelled

What they think it means: To do something voluntarily by choice.
What it actually means: To be forced or obligated to doing something.


To be compelled is to be forced to do something, regardless of whether you actually want to do it or not.

[MysteRy]

2. Bemused

What they think it means: Amused.
What it actually means: Confused.


While it sounds similar to Amused, its meaning is completely different. It originally comes from the middle-English words Be, which is an intensifier, and Muse, which is to contemplate.

[MysteRy]

3. Irony

What they think it means: Something that's funny.
What it actually means: Contrary to what you're expecting.
 

From the Greek word “eirōneia” - meaning “to simulate ignorance”. There are different kinds of irony but they generally are the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite.

[MysteRy]

4. Redundant

What they think it means: Repetitive.
What it actually means: Unnecessarily excessive.


Not all repetition is redundant. Something becomes redundant only when there's too much of it.

[MysteRy]

5. Effect

What they think it means: To cause something to change.
What it actually means: An event that causes a change.
 

If an individual wants to change another’s opinion, the individual will need to affect it somehow. The action taken was the effect that caused the change of opinion.

[MysteRy]

6. Travesty

What they think it means: A tragedy or something unfortunate.
What it actually means: A mockery or parody.


The death of Robin Williams was a tragedy.When some individuals made jokes about it – it was a travesty.

[MysteRy]

7. i.e.

What they think it means: For example.
What it actually means: In other words.


From the Latin “Id Est” (meaning: in that), i.e. is used when you want repeat something in a different manner – i.e. to say something again in another way.

[MysteRy]

8. Plethora

What they think it means: A lot of something.
What it actually means: More than is needed.


From the Greek “plēthōrē”, meaning “Be full”. 10,000 people in a stadium isn't a plethora of people, but put them in a small house and they suddenly become a plethora.

[MysteRy]

9. Disinterested

What they think it means: Bored.
What it actually means: Neutral.
 

If you are bored – you are uninterested (it doesn’t interest you). But if you are disinterested – you simply don’t care either way.

[MysteRy]

10. Obsolete

What they think it means: Old, out of date.
What it actually means: Not produced, used, or needed.
 

You might think that your old cellphone is obsolete, and you might be right, because that model probably isn't produced anymore. However, cellphones on the whole are still produced, used and needed, so cellphones in themselves are not obsolete. A good example of something that is obsolete is a steam engine – they’re so inefficient compared to today’s combustion and electric engines, that no-one produces, uses or needs them.

[MysteRy]

11. Chronic

What they think it means: Severe.
What it actually means: Over the course of a long time.
 

A person with chronic pain is not necessarily in severe pain, but has been experiencing the pain for a long time.

[MysteRy]

12. Nauseous

What they think it means: To feel ill.
What it actually means: To cause feelings of illness.

 
If you say that you are nauseous – you’re actually saying that you cause nausea in others. Instead, the word you should be using is nauseated.

[MysteRy]

13. Peruse

What they think it means: To skim or browse.
What it actually means: To observe in depth.

 
This word originates from 15th Century English. “Per”, meaning thoroughly, and Use. If you peruse a book, you are reading it with your full concentration, possibly re-reading it several times.

[MysteRy]

14. Defective

What they think it means: That something is broken or it has missing pieces.
What it actually means: Simply that it’s broken.
 

Imagine if you were to buy two new smartphones. One cannot be turned on, and the other’s screen is in pieces. The first is not defective, but rather deficient. The latter is indeed defective, as it’s literally broken.

[MysteRy]

15. Enormity

What they think it means: Huge, enormous.
What it actually means: Profoundly immoral or evil.


From the Latin “enormitas”, meaning ‘deviation from legal or moral rectitude’, enormity can only be used to describe size or quantity in regard to something that is perceived as bad (or worse).