I've been doing a lot of reading lately and noticing that most successful authors have vocabularies that beat mine in every dimension. I try to write down the words I see that I'm not familiar with, but it's beyond that: not only do they use unfamiliar words, they use words that I know but don't think to use when I'm writing.
To combat the problem, I'm making a list of words and definitions to try to incorporate into my writing; many of them may be familiar to you, some are even familiar to me. What matters is that the word packs a punch, holds power over the imagination. I'll try to post as often as I can, and anyone can feel free to add their own words to the list.
Here goes for the first entry:
epiphytic -- relying on something else for structural, but not nutritional support
suppurations -- pockets of pus
agglutinate -- to cause to adhere, as with glue; to cause blood to clot
execration -- a curse
flue -- a conduit to carry off smoke
hirsute -- hairy
irascible -- prone to outbursts of anger
argent -- silvery
aspersion -- damaging remark
abnegate -- to deny oneself
efficacious -- capable of producing a desired effect
trenchant -- forceful, cutting
solipsist -- one who believes they alone are real
corpulent -- excessively fat
perspicacious -- mentally discerning
excoriate -- to tear or wear off skin; to abrade
angiosperm -- a flowering plant
inculcate -- to teach by repetition
sepulchral -- reminiscent of funerals
contrail -- the streak of condensed water vapor or ice crystals that follows an aircraft
avocation -- a hobby
attenuate -- to shrink
coruscate -- to glitter or sparkle
I'll have more later, and I encourage other people to provide words of their own. All of these were found in books I have read in the past year, many of which have been bestsellers of award winners.
To combat the problem, I'm making a list of words and definitions to try to incorporate into my writing; many of them may be familiar to you, some are even familiar to me. What matters is that the word packs a punch, holds power over the imagination. I'll try to post as often as I can, and anyone can feel free to add their own words to the list.
Here goes for the first entry:
epiphytic -- relying on something else for structural, but not nutritional support
suppurations -- pockets of pus
agglutinate -- to cause to adhere, as with glue; to cause blood to clot
execration -- a curse
flue -- a conduit to carry off smoke
hirsute -- hairy
irascible -- prone to outbursts of anger
argent -- silvery
aspersion -- damaging remark
abnegate -- to deny oneself
efficacious -- capable of producing a desired effect
trenchant -- forceful, cutting
solipsist -- one who believes they alone are real
corpulent -- excessively fat
perspicacious -- mentally discerning
excoriate -- to tear or wear off skin; to abrade
angiosperm -- a flowering plant
inculcate -- to teach by repetition
sepulchral -- reminiscent of funerals
contrail -- the streak of condensed water vapor or ice crystals that follows an aircraft
avocation -- a hobby
attenuate -- to shrink
coruscate -- to glitter or sparkle
I'll have more later, and I encourage other people to provide words of their own. All of these were found in books I have read in the past year, many of which have been bestsellers of award winners.