100 Beautiful and Ugly Words

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193 Responses to “100 Beautiful and Ugly Words”

• DWon February 08, 2011 2:43 am

  Personally I think “crepuscular” is a repulsive word. I think a lot of it is personal taste. I’ve known a few people who can’t abide the word “moist”.

• mark wayson February 08, 2011 3:38 am

  The “ugly words” seem to be able to carry a lot more emotion or it is easier to link an image to them e.g. connecting a picture to disgust, cynical or slaughter. Personally, I like the word crystalline, but also ocean and motion. Thanks for this list, mark.

• Jakeon February 08, 2011 6:02 am

  “Cascade” is more accurately defined as “a series of small waterfalls”. To me, the word has almost onomatopoetic qualities, the two syllables reminiscent of a two-stage waterfall…

• opsimathon February 08, 2011 7:03 am

  I have always thought ‘noisome’ a quite ugly word. As DW says, it is all very subjective.

  The word ‘gusset’ always makes me cringe, too.

• Pegg Thomason February 08, 2011 9:59 am

  The ugliest of words – vulgar: coarse and rude

• Becky the Floridianon February 08, 2011 10:20 am

  I have a special fondness for the word mediocre. I’m not sure why, strange as it may sound.

  Also, have you noticed foods (especially fruits and vegetables) have similar associations?

  Yum: peaches, apples, lettuce, melon, rice, pudding, kiwi, chocolate
  Yuck: brussel sprouts, spinach, cabbage, spam, hash

• Rebeccaon February 08, 2011 10:28 am

  I didn’t realize there were so many beautiful and ugly words. Thanks for the list!

• Kiranon February 08, 2011 10:30 am

  I like word Cacophony….bit comedy…I would use it in next meeting…….Ha ha.!

• Miguel Reznicekon February 08, 2011 10:53 am

  I like Basal Ganglia

• Cathyon February 08, 2011 10:59 am

  I love this list. I will definitely use this as a resource.

• Kathyon February 08, 2011 11:07 am

  Elysian
  1579, from Gk. Elysion pedion “Elysian field,” where heroes and the virtuous live after death, from a pre-Gk. word of unknown origin.
  I have always thought this was a beautiful-sounding word, meaning “paradise.” Evidently the ancient Greeks did too; Hades is not nearly so pleasant.

  And in reply to Becky, I have always thought the word “melancholy” sounded beautiful, even though the meaning is somewhat sad.

• Carolon February 08, 2011 11:20 am

  How about contemptible? Or lugubrious? I used to work with a gentleman who would sign his letters…Lugubriously yours.

• Deborah Hon February 08, 2011 11:32 am

  These are great listings, Mark. I looked for one word in particular: pulchritude. I never use it; I had to look it up just to spell it correctly. It’s an ugly word, and yet it means beautiful. And if you’ve ever heard a screech owl, you know that the word screech barely describes the horror of the sound.

  But “opulent” is a favorite word. It’s how I describe my figure—lavish to the point of excess (instead of obese).

  I love the names of southern race courses: Charlotte, Darlington, Daytona, Talladega. It makes you sound southern just saying them. Also magnolia, hush puppies, and Amarillo.

• Nikkion February 08, 2011 11:38 am

  I thought I would add a few of favorites I noted were missing from the list. I was somewhat concerned to find that I have an indordinate fondness for so many ugly words. I am choosing to believe it results from your more thorough coverage of the beautiful.

  Abominable: causing digust or hatred
  Odious: arrousing or deserving hatred
  Heinous: shockingly evil or hateful
  Barbarous: harsh, merciless or cruel
  Noxious: morally corrupting
  Odoriferous: morally offensive
  Detest:

• Stephanieon February 08, 2011 11:53 am

  I agree with DW on “crepuscular.”

  According to some experts (Tolkien the philologist in particular), “cellar door” is phonetically the most beautiful phrase in the English language.

  Great post!

• ilinapon February 08, 2011 12:29 pm

  I love this post! Serendipity is my favorite word. It’s just so lovely to say and to experience.

• Bishon February 08, 2011 1:07 pm

  Great list. Pustule is good and nasty.

• Kenon February 08, 2011 1:49 pm

  Beautiful Words

  rutilant: having a reddish glow
  beatific: having a blissful appearance

  Ugly Words
  amphigory: a nonsense verse or composition

  natter: to chat causally – not sure if beautiful or ugly?

• Bradon February 08, 2011 2:17 pm

  When wikileaks published those cables a few weeks ago, there was one in which (Italian Prime Minister) Sylvio Berlusconi was described as “feckless.” Not really an ugly word, but such a perfectly wonderful descriptive word, and you just don’t see it used enough. I wanted to thank the State Department employee who wrote that, not only for the laugh, but also for a job well done, just for the use of that word.

• MarkIon February 08, 2011 2:28 pm

  Oh I quite like cacophony. And “charivari” which I believe has a similar meaning. And I agree that “crepuscular” is quite ugly.

  My favourite at the moment is “moue”, which always conjures up the image of a young french woman with a sullen, sexy look.

• Rodon February 08, 2011 2:43 pm

  I think “oblivion” is a beautiful word despite the meaning.

• AmaTon February 08, 2011 3:04 pm

  Thanks for reminding me of the many words available to us ~ for use in our language and our writing.

• Jojackon February 08, 2011 3:27 pm

  I’ll go with recalcitrant (not compliant) for my fifty cent word. Obtuse (slow of wit) for my everyday word. Jojack

  A police officer asked me “Do you know why I stopped you?”
  I said “You know, I have the same problem. I rush into a room, and then realize I have no idea why I went in there.

• rike weisson February 08, 2011 5:00 pm

  I want to add ululate–to howl or wail in grief (or joy); from the sound of it, I’d add it to beautiful words; by definition, it may not be. Rike

• Rob Hoeyon February 08, 2011 6:30 pm

  I think you should include (in the beautiful list) tintinnabulation–the ringing of bells.
  I mean, how can you go wrong?

• Bettyon February 08, 2011 7:33 pm

  Ugly word: “fash,” as in “Don’t fash yourself.” From he Scottish for “worry.” My grandmother used it often in the sense of, “Don’t get all worked up about things” or “Don’t beat yourself up over it” or “Don’t blame yourself.”

• Rogeron February 08, 2011 7:58 pm

  I always look forward to DWT. This one was particularly enjoyable. I was surprised, however, that you didn’t have the word gossamer. I love this word.

  Gotta agree with Bish on pustule; a REAL nasty word!

  Thanks for something to think about every day.

• margyon February 08, 2011 10:27 pm

  I love the word withersoever. Something to do with Don Quixote. I know it is a mouthful, but it evokes the past, something dreamy, wistful, and daily life seeming to pass more slowly than today’s pace.

• Brennaon February 08, 2011 11:13 pm

  I think pus is a really ugly word. I can’t separate it at all from its meaning, I guess.

• LDHWon February 09, 2011 6:12 am

  An ugly word i think is missing: FICKLE

• Cassandraon February 10, 2011 7:04 am

  Please make more lists like this, please, I’ve been trying so hard to find lists like this to help expand my vocabulary.

  As for words to add, “everlong” is quickly becoming one of my favourite words, for a beautiful word. One word that I have always found ugly, though it’s meaning is not, is the word “glowed.” I just despise the sound of it, though it’s most likely because my instinct is to make the past-tense of similar-sounding words ending in -ow to -ew, so that instead of glowed it should be glew.. like blow/blew, know/knew..

  but please, oh please, make more lists like this!

• Ronsteron February 10, 2011 5:47 pm

  Luscious is another beautiful world.

  What about “nostalgic” as another beautiful word?

  And perhaps euphoria.

• Lorettaon February 10, 2011 9:30 pm

  I love this post and will keep it. It includes most of the words that seem the most beautiful to me. I can’t access the list right now, but I like: mellow, lovely, cherubim. Yes, I see how the meanings influenced my choices.

  I can hardly say the words, roach and cockroach. They bring back the extreme disgust I felt as a child when I turned on a light in a garage and a number of the large winged variety flew at me. Apart from the insects themselves, I can’t stand those two words. I call the large ones by the other name we use in Florida, palmetto bugs, and I call the smaller ones cucarachas. Somehow, in Spanish it doesn’t sound so bad. I’m actually embarrassed for anyone whose surname is Roach, though I’m sure it has nothing to do with the bugs. Incidentally, I’m an retired elementary teacher and love wildlife, including most of the smallest kind. I’ve picked up many different kinds of insects, and don’t kill them unless it’s absolutely necessary. I’ve loved spiders since before Charlotte’s Web was written.

• Tengku Shahrizanon February 12, 2011 2:24 am

  Doesn’t “Visceral” also mean “Instinctive”?

• Mark Nicholon February 12, 2011 3:26 pm

  Tengku:

  Yes, and “deep” and “earthy.” A visceral feeling is a gut feeling, because visceral literally means “guts,” from viscera, a word for the internal organs. I listed only the ugly connotations.

• Sarikaon February 14, 2011 4:16 am

  Beautiful listing! I think ‘eternal’ is a beautiful word too.

• Carolynon March 01, 2011 4:04 pm

  Cool list! Thanks for compiling it!

• Johnny Owenson March 09, 2011 2:37 pm

  I have forgotten the name of the author who published several collections of English language oddities, puzzles, and the like, but he had two favorites which I remember from his own list of “most beautiful words”–zephyr (with which I quite concur) and hemorrhoid (with which I pointedly disagree). As I remember, the “o-r-r-h” orthography seemed to have been a favorite of his, for some reason; I also seem to remember him having said nice things about the word “gonorrhea.” Beauty, apparently, was indeed more in the eye of that particular beholder than in his other organs.

• Lizon March 21, 2011 9:45 am

  Great words! How about ‘happenstance’?
  I used it in an essay once and got a bonus tick on top, nice to see the lecturer was a word lover too!

• Vendettaon March 29, 2011 12:37 pm

  I’m a fan of the word ‘aleatory’ (relying on luck or chance).

• FGon March 30, 2011 12:56 am

  Agreed with Jojack on recalcitrant! So many harsh sounds in the word makes it really hard on the ears.

  A beautiful word that I think should be added is ‘pendulum’, such lovely nasal ‘n’ and ‘m’ sounds that make it so pleasant to hear.

• Arvind Von April 01, 2011 11:53 am

  I thought “iridescent” was an ADJECTIVE that meant ” shining” or “lustrous”? The abstract noun form of the word is “iridescence” which means “lustre” ….have I got it wrong?

  I haven’t heard “susurration” being used except in printed text. But have really seen excessive use of “plethora”….

• Neilon April 01, 2011 5:32 pm

  My family refers to a certain ugly condition as having the beautiful word. the condition is diarrhea

• GSon April 02, 2011 3:55 am

  I know these words aren’t meant to be ugly, but I detest the words ‘chuckle’ and ‘chortle’.
  They’re just disgusting words.

• Carol Morganon April 02, 2011 7:07 pm

  ‘Ugliness’ does seem to be related to a word’s meaning. Voracious is ugly and so is its meaning. Gossamer sounds beautifully light like butterfly wings or fine lace.

  And, as The Economist magazine’s well-known rules for writers compels us to use the easy word rather than a little-known synonym, we are left without ‘crepuscular’ and should use ‘dim’, or ‘chance’ instead of ‘serendipitous’. Sad!

  We left out funny words from these excellent lists, those that make us laugh. I love some Yiddish expressions I grew up with because they sound and feel just right, and often mean exactly what we are trying to say. They are also short: klutz (clumsy person); fe (expression of disgust); kvetch (complain); or nu (so?) or no? (in English), or ne? (in Afrikaans). And how about meh (so what? which is hardly spoken at all except with a twitch of the shoulders)?

• Little miss squarepantson April 03, 2011 10:40 pm

  beautiful – bubble, humble, awesome, honey. ugly- gash, crank, cot, thrush.

• Lesley Hollowellon April 09, 2011 7:31 pm

  I teach creative writing to high school seniors, and one of the first things I have them do is to keep a running list of favorite and least favorite words in the last pages of their journals. (Turn to the last page and flip the journal upside down so that you don’t have a sense of writing backwards through the pages.)

  I used to keep a list of only favorite words, but I quickly found that my students were interested in those I mentioned as my least favorites, including phlegm, crusty, urinal, impressive, and prestigious. I find that whatever description I read that employs those last two is sure to turn me away. Did you ever enjoy a conversation with someone who talks about her prestigious law firm or his impressive credentials? And bunion is a loathesome word, made even worse by earning them from running.

  As for favorites, many of mine have to do with affectionate memories and longings, to include Gallatin Valley, Nova Scotia, swamp, periwinkle (color, flower, snail), river, hydrangea, hymn, hosanna, Wabash, Edinburgh.

  Once in a while I ask my students to take a word from their list of favorites and start writing. Invariably I find that the associations with the word are so powerful that they need no further direction.

• Stellaon April 11, 2011 7:53 pm

  i believe that the word rendezvous is quite beautifull. Also beautiful is Vanilla, bouquet, and twilight….

• Andyon April 14, 2011 6:34 pm

  I’ve always liked Crapulence (intoxication), mainly because so many people I have known use it to mean the first four letters.

  Makes me wonder if people use it that way the word’s definition may change over time, much like Aggravate/Irritatate.

• jojo patatoon April 23, 2011 8:50 pm

  Vibrant is awesome

• Dr. Airborneon April 25, 2011 5:57 pm

  I agree that crepuscular is ugly. I would suggest that its synonym, vespertine, falls into the beautiful category.

  Consider: “She was a vespertine beauty, the evening star of the social scene; but her twin brother was a crepuscular curmudgeon, a sunken, sulking sociopath.”

  Since when did The Economist espouse parsimony in word choice? It was there that I learned the lovely word fissiparous.

• DuncanMon April 27, 2011 7:47 am

  I hate the word ‘pamper’ – for its modern hotel-market-speak connotations of hedonism. I also dislike wordsmith; what’s wrong with ‘writer’?

• Ruminanton April 27, 2011 7:19 pm

  I’m probably in the minority, but the words “smoothie” and “yummy” make me cringe. They’re too gooey or babyish or something.

• LizzieWon May 01, 2011 5:50 pm

  My favourite word and mantra which always calms me down is ‘silver’.

• Kairon May 06, 2011 5:43 am

  Subaqueous is a nice word….

• Heleneon May 08, 2011 5:21 pm

  All words have their own beauty and wonder for me. Even ‘ugly’ words like “slaughter”, “placenta”, “visceral”, and “despondent” make me shiver with joy when I hear them, just because they have such strong meaning. I guess everything is beautiful that way. We just have to change our perspective.

• Maryon May 11, 2011 9:48 pm

  I think the most beautiful word is “lily.” (Many other flower words are quite beautiful: daffodil, azalea, verbena, chamomile, wisteria, myrtle, to name a few.)

• Philon May 13, 2011 2:55 pm

  Crepuscular rays are the “fingers of God.” Rays of light seeming to come from one source. As such – I like “fingers of God” better…

  I was talking to my wife the other day & used the word “amelioration” (properly) in a sentence. We stopped and looked at each other and agreed, “…wow, that’s a cool word!”

  I like the word …ellipsis…

• Elenaon May 15, 2011 10:55 am

  A word that makes me cringe is “snack.” I especially abhor “a tasty little snack.” Sends shivers down my spine.

  In addition to “cellar door” purportedly being a beautiful combination of words there is “summer afternoon,” which, not only sounds lovely, but conjures up an image of peaceful perfection in spite of the possibility that it could instead be something straight from hell.

• valeenon May 17, 2011 12:52 am

  thanks for this post, will help us a lot

• Tonion June 14, 2011 10:30 am

  I think the words I dislike most are due to the spelling and the overall appearance of them, though they also sound wrong to me:
  Worst
  Among
  Amongst
  conundrum
  slept

  My favorites:
  lackadaisical
  crinkle
  squiggle
  labrador
  philanthropy

• Audreyon June 18, 2011 12:54 am

  I actually like the word cynical. It just sort of flows of my tongue.
  Cataclysm also has a nice ring to it. It just sounds like a powerful word. Maybe I just enjoy hearing bords that begin with “C.”

• Joon June 19, 2011 4:43 am

  I think flaccid is an ugly word, but it makes me laugh!

• Lizzieon July 01, 2011 4:21 am

  Words and their affect (effect?) on us are strange indeed. Two lovely words stay with me from reading Gail Godwin’s book ‘Father Melancholy’s Daughter’ – ‘rinse’ and ‘jug’. I guess it is just the mood I was in at the time.
  A horrible word that fascinates me is ‘Bucolic’. When I heard it first, I thought it was some sort of animal disease. Twenty years later, I am still battling to come to terms with it as a description of rural utopia…

• Jay