This could be relatively fun and insightful, and maybe a brain exercise for some. It's not something that's often thought about, but I, for one, love words and how they interact with one another. Because of this I can tell you instantly that my favorite word is "shatter". Second favorite goes to "ravish". Assuming PG-only, the next (fifth) one is "hoopla".

It seems relatively random, and I admit that I just find the word "hoopla" funny, but on the more serious side of this topic, words affect us sometimes. They have denotations and connotations, and certain ones can be used together to paint all sorts of images and give a variety of meanings. I understand myself well enough to understand why I feel so drawn to the words "shatter" and "ravish", and with nothing better to do, I guess I'll blurb on, kind of psychoanalyzing myself.

Firstly: RAVISH. It's not a common word, and it tends to have a somewhat negative connotation, or at least, one of strong "taking", in a way, due to the archaic use as like "abduct". Today it means to enchant or charm, or fill with pleasure or euphoria. Both of the meanings sometimes work together into quite a different meaning. I suppose to be so full of delight that you cease to care about whether or not it's violating is somehow appealing to me. The sound of the word when spoken is quite smooth as well. The interesting history and sound simultaneously explain my attraction to this word. I just find something about it beautiful, but my first favorite far exceeds that beauty.

SHATTER. Essentially it means to violently break into many pieces, or, at an emotional level, it's used similarly to "devastate". Interesting to note that my two favorite words have a slightly negative connotation in common. I suppose simply because it has such a violent meaning that I find the clear, sharp, but chiming sound of this word all the more mesmerizing. The best instance of hearing it comes from that Lindsey Sterling song featuring the vocals of Lzzy Hale, incidentally called "Shatter Me". Hale's vocals nail everything I love about the word, and the entire song is absolutely perfect for expressing it. In case you're wondering, though, "shatter" had been my favorite word long before I had ever heard of either of those women, let alone that song. Perhaps I love this word so much because I associate it with letting go of something emotionally painful, on the sweet, liberating end of bittersweet torment. Then again, the fact that I can say "the sweet, liberating end of bittersweet torment" in an unironic, non-oxymoronic way probably speaks volumes for how I view life, and my experiences, and perhaps what kind of person I am.

This is why I feel like bringing this topic up here. It's superficial on the surface, but it sometimes can portray the depths of a person...or maybe I should just stop staying awake for forty-eight hour periods and entering some sleep-deprived state of romanticism and rose-tinted philosophy. Either way. Take it as you will. I'm interested to hear back from you all, and it's certainly a more interesting "get-to-know-you" topic than favorite song or color.

((For those curious, my actual third and fourth favorite words, for their demeaning nature, are actually censored on this site, sooo.))

Yes, come to think of it, I do remember seeing you somewhere having made a few posts about "whilst" and how it's a dated term. I personally have some difficulty thinking of words that I don't like.

Hmm...eccentric is a nice sounding word, so I'll give you that. _{(Insert miserable attempt at psychoanalyzing here.)}

Now that is a word that I agree is very beautiful. Somehow I see it kind of fitting with you, and I swear I don't mean that weird. You're simply very...tactful, from what I gather. Yeah, no, I don't think I can continue that train of thought without sounding weird; I apologize. The long and short is I can see being "ethereal" as being something like a goal. Then again, it's not like everybody can put much stock into words. Sometimes they just sound pretty. Ah, my penchant for wanting to overanalyze everything...

Shadow of the Colossus was a great game, although I'm slightly more interested as to how they made a compound word out of exclamation, archaic, and humorous.

Very relevant to this conversation: the word LOGOPHILE refers to a lover of words, which would likely be me.

Relevant image:



Also relevant: do you think there's a place in this forum for poetry? I prefer writing it to prose, generally.

Thermidore and pantalons

Enough said

Do people ever use their favorite words daily?