50 Words That Deserve More Use

An Inexhaustive List

Let thy speech be better than silence, or be silent.

—Dionysius of Halicarnassus

I know nothing in the world that has as much power as a word. Sometimes I write one, and I look at it, until it begins to shine.

—Emily Dickinson

Words: So innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them.

—Nathaniel Hawthorne

Above: Tracking down the right words for this piece.

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Charlie Munger once described reading as “God’s gift if you’re into self-education.”

To say that I’m into self-education is an understatement.

My blessing (and my curse) is that I’m insatiably curious. As I wrote in The Rule of 3 Books:

I read, therefore I write; I write, therefore I think; I think, therefore I live more fully.

Books are the hinges on which that door swings. They’re my antidote to underthinking and overthinking—often on the very same day.

Each time I encounter an unfamiliar word while reading, it’s like plucking a diamond from the rough: a small treasure to hoard, cherish, and wield with delight.

In that spirit of discovery, here are a few gems—words deserving of more frequent use and appreciation—that you can use to bedazzle sentences both written and spoken alike.

1. Svelte

2. Bravura

3. Verve

4. Elan

5. Lest

6. Persnickity

7. Sprezzatura

8. Feckless

9. Hullabaloo

10. Cantankerous

11. Oeuvre

12. Churl

13. Skulk

14. Cowlick

15. Cornucopia

16. Lagniappe

17. Lollygag

18. Gobsmacked

19. Haberdashery

20. Rapscallion

21. Whippersnapper

22. Rigmarole

23. Phenomenal

24. Balderdash

25. Serendipity

26. Hodgepodge

27. Moxie

28. Lithe

29. Nincompoop

30. Tomfoolery

31. Kerplunk

32. Kerfuffle

33. Flummoxed

34. Brouhaha

35. Histrionic

36. Quotidian

37. Mellifluous

38. Ephemeral

39. Guffaw

40. Gallivant

41. Panache

42. Scintillating

43. Cacophony

44. Gesticulate

45. Accoutrement

46. Salubrious

47. Incorrigible

48. Quibble

49. Doofus

50. Asinine

What would you add?

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Per my about page, White Noise is a work of experimentation. I view it as a sort of thinking aloud, a stress testing of my nascent ideas. Through it, I hope to sharpen my opinions against the whetstone of other people’s feedback, commentary, and input.

If you want to discuss any of the ideas or musings mentioned above or have any books, papers, or links that you think would be interesting to share on a future edition of White Noise, please reach out to me by replying to this email or following me on Twitter X.

With sincere gratitude,

Tom