Nerds & Words

I love words. Admittedly I'm a bit of a nerd. I have a curiosity about the phrasing people use, and I love when words express truths in powerful and poignant ways.

When I was a student I wasn't crazy about vocab tests. They were a necessary evil on the way to excelling in grammar, but I didn't ENJOY learning new words the way I enjoy it as an adult. Expanding vocabulary is a discipline. I pick up new words through reading and listening but it takes intention to consider the meaning, phrasing and context before I can use them well.

Learning what words mean and how to use them effectively is also as much an art as a science. Here are some of the most recent word gems I am appreciating lately:

✔️ Adumbrate: to foreshadow, faintly represent, outline or hint. Her blog post adumbrated her position on relevant social issues.

✔️ Ebullient: bubbly, vivacious. Her ebullient personality contributed to her effectiveness as a trainer.

✔️Ultracrepidarian: giving opinions beyond one's knowledge. I like to pair ultracrepidarian with bloviate: long-winded, to speak passionately and use more words than necessary. The ultracrepidarian bloviates about the state of the economy on his podcast. (Apropos as election season is here.)

Words are powerful. We should use them wisely, well and thoughtfully. What words are you working to integrate into your vocabulary?

-Mindy Muller, CFRE, President/CEO of CDP