Words
Too many fine words have been so misused that their original
meaning is lost, and the words have lost their value. Think of
words like awesome, cool, gay, brilliant. But there is
hope --- this page contains words I like, words that haven't
been hijacked and that still convey their message with impact.
I've provided sentences that use the words, perhaps in ways you
would not have considered. Use the examples to expand not only
your vocabulary, but how you USE words in your written
messages.
If you'd like me to add any of your favourite words, send me
an e-mail at helen@masteringbusinesswriting.com
Absurd:incongruous, unreasonable,
ridiculous, silly
- "Apple" and "Moon" are examples
of the absurd names some movie stars
give their children.
Serenity: the
quality of being serene, calm, tranquil, unperturbed
- Since Pam had exceeded her sales
target for the month, she was the picture of
serenity as the sales meeting
began.
Splendid: magnificent,
sumptuous, glorious, excellent
- The
splendid array of food was a
highlight of the wedding celebrations.
- The team did a
splendid job of launching the new
product.
Bombastic:
full of pompous,
pretentious language with little meaning
- He subjected the staff to a long,
bombastic speech about the importance
of communication, but his own communication skills left a
lot to be desired.
Spectacular:
dramatically beautiful; impressive
- Every turn in the mountain road
revealed another
spectacular vista.
- The launch of our new product was
a spectacular success.
Elegant: graceful,
tasteful, stylish; simple but effective
- Maria's
elegant home exactly suited her own
style and personality.
- The team came up with an
elegant solution to its most complex
challenge.
Impecunious: having little or no
money
- Even though he came from an
impecunious family, he had a circle of wealthy
friends.
- The young woman emigrated to
escape the impecunious circumstances of her
country.
Dismay: consternation, distress
or discouragement; dismayed: filled with these
feelings
- The coach's decision to leave the
team was greeted with dismay by the
players.
- I was dismayed to learn I was not
offered the job.
Ubiquitous: pervasive, universal,
found everywhere
- In every country we visited, the
"golden arches" of McDonald's were
ubiquitous.
- Students on campus were seemingly
all plugged in to the ubiquitous IPod.
Silo: literally, a tall
cylinder or tower for storing grain. In business, it refers to
departments or teams that keep strictly to themselves and don't
exchange information with other groups.
- The company culture has created
silos, resulting in employees who know nothing about their
colleagues in other departments.
- It's difficult to foster strong
teams when people have a silo mentality.
Vicarious: experienced or
enjoyed by imagining one's own participation in the experiences
of another.
- Although I have never visited
Paris, I took vicarious pleasure in my daughter's trip
there last summer.
- Bob experienced a vicarious
thrill when his son scored the winning goal in the
championship game.
Grueling: extremely tiring
or demanding
- Although David enjoyed studying
for his degree, it did add to his already grueling
schedule.
- I am an avid runner, but the
marathon is too grueling for me.
Peak: summit
- I could see the peak of the
mountain through the mist.
Peek: surreptitious
glance
- The child couldn't resist taking
a peek at his birthday gift.
Pique: (French origin)
resentment, or to stimulate
- He left in a fit of
pique.
- The candidate's resume piqued my
interest.
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