The Story: Today, in the course of a conversation with my sophomore-in-college younger brother, I used the word 'indignant.' He proceeded to become indignant with me, because he didn't know what the word meant.
I have, in the past, used a lot of words that people didn't understand, but 'indignant' was never one of them.
I told him that he should know a word like indignant, and to go look it up. He said to me that if I was going to use a word he didn't know, then I had to explain to him what it meant.
My Conclusions: Um, hello? Even a high school student should know the word 'indignant,' maybe even someone at the intermediate level. And this has nothing to do with knowing how to spell it or the exact definition and such. I'm just talking about understanding the gist of what someone is saying, and possibly even knowing how to use it. It's a fairly common word.
Admittedly, my vocabulary has taken a severe beating since my moving to Florida, so I can understand if the same has happened to him (not that he's moved to Florida. But he did move). That is to say, my once rather extensive use of English words has deteriorated to merely ordinary, perhaps slightly above. This is due to many things, such as a decrease in reading and new friends who have different interests than the old ones did. But, oh my goodness, it surely hasn't sunk so low as to forget 'indignant!' I feel so alone, as if no one else in Florida is interested in the expanded use of words.
Is there any one word that can say 'indignant' quite so well as 'indignant' can? Words are the magnifying glass of meaning--the more precise the word choice, the clearer the meaning. I may not always have much to say, but gosh darn, when I do I take great care to get my point across!
I know the entire thing is a little silly, but lately education (or lack of?) is just so frustrating! Argh! (Hey, here's a question: Does 'argh' qualify as an onomatopoeia? I personally think it does).
Okay, I feel better now that I've let off steam.
In conclusion, I give you:
in⋅dig⋅nant
–adjective
| feeling, characterized by, or expressing strong displeasure at something considered unjust, offensive, insulting, or base: indignant remarks; an indignant expression on his face. |
1580–90; < class="ital-inline">indignant- (s. of indignāns, prp. of indignārī to deem unworthy, take offense), equiv. to in- in- 3 + dign-, s. of dignus worthy + -ant- -ant 
Related forms:
in⋅dig⋅nant⋅ly, adverb
Synonyms:
angry, resentful, infuriated, mad.
(from dictionary.com)
And just for fun:
su⋅per⋅flu⋅ous
[soo-pur-floo-uhs] 
Show IPA –adjective
| 1. | being more than is sufficient or required; excessive. |
| 2. | unnecessary or needless. |
| 3. | Obsolete. possessing or spending more than enough or necessary; extravagant. |
Related forms:
su⋅per⋅flu⋅ous⋅ly, adverb
su⋅per⋅flu⋅ous⋅ness, noun
Synonyms:
1. extra; redundant.
The question is: for his next gift, should I give him a dictionary, or a thesaurus?
Posts
Both! Love your post. You should slip a $20 between one of the pages so you'll know if he ever opens them.
ReplyDeleteI would buy both! I have the same problem with my younger brother not recognising words that I use as well. We are now in our thirties and he can still count the number of books he has read on one hand, whereas I can read two books per day on holiday given the chance! I love both indignant and superfluous as words!
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