The 100 Most Beautiful
in English
in English
ere are the 100 most beautiful words in English. How do we know we have the most beautiful? They were chosen by Dr. Goodword (Robert Beard), who has been making dictionaries, creating word lists, and writing poetry for 40 years. For five years he wrote the Word of the Day at yourDictionary.com and since 2004 he has written up 1500 words in the series, So, What's the Good Word? here at alphaDictionary. Below is a select list of his favorite poetical words that he used in his poetry—or wishes he had.
If you want your articles, essays, blogs, term papers, memos, to reflect more positively on you, this is the book for you. The table of contents below will tell you what the book contains; just remember that the definitions below are only abbreviated versions of what is in the book and each essay in the book just begins with the definition. Click any of the first four for a free sample of the book.
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| The 100 Most Beautiful Words in English | |||||||||
| Ailurophile | A cat-lover. | ||||||||
| Assemblage | A gathering. | ||||||||
| Becoming | Attractive. | ||||||||
| Beleaguer | To exhaust with attacks. | ||||||||
| Brood | To think alone. | ||||||||
| Bucolic | In a lovely rural setting. | ||||||||
| Bungalow | A small, cozy cottage. | ||||||||
| Chatoyant | Like a cat's eye. | ||||||||
| Comely | Attractive. | ||||||||
| Conflate | To blend together. | ||||||||
| Cynosure | A focal point of admiration. | ||||||||
| Dalliance | A brief love affair. | ||||||||
| Demesne | Dominion, territory. | ||||||||
| Demure | Shy and reserved. | ||||||||
| Denouement | The resolution of a mystery. | ||||||||
| Desuetude | Disuse. | ||||||||
| Desultory | Slow, sluggish. | ||||||||
| Diaphanous | Filmy. | ||||||||
| Dissemble | Deceive. | ||||||||
| Dulcet | Sweet, sugary. | ||||||||
| Ebullience | Bubbling enthusiasm. | ||||||||
| Effervescent | Bubbly. | ||||||||
| Efflorescence | Flowering, blooming. | ||||||||
| Elision | Dropping a sound or syllable in a word. | ||||||||
| Elixir | A good potion. | ||||||||
| Eloquence | Beauty and persuasion in speech. | ||||||||
| Embrocation | Rubbing on a lotion. | ||||||||
| Emollient | A softener. | ||||||||
| Ephemeral | Short-lived. | ||||||||
| Epiphany | A sudden revelation. | ||||||||
| Erstwhile | At one time, for a time. | ||||||||
| Ethereal | Gaseous, invisible but detectable. | ||||||||
| Evanescent | Vanishing quickly, lasting a very short time. | ||||||||
| Evocative | Suggestive. | ||||||||
| Fetching | Pretty. | ||||||||
| Felicity | Pleasantness. | ||||||||
| Forbearance | Withholding response to provocation. | ||||||||
| Fugacious | Fleeting. | ||||||||
| Furtive | Shifty, sneaky. | ||||||||
| Gambol | To skip or leap about joyfully. | ||||||||
| Glamour | Beauty. | ||||||||
| Gossamer | The finest piece of thread, a spider's silk | ||||||||
| Halcyon | Happy, sunny, care-free. | ||||||||
| Harbinger | Messenger with news of the future. | ||||||||
| Imbrication | Overlapping and forming a regular pattern. | ||||||||
| Imbroglio | An altercation or complicated situation. | ||||||||
| Imbue | To infuse, instill. | ||||||||
| Incipient | Beginning, in an early stage. | ||||||||
| Ineffable | Unutterable, inexpressible. | ||||||||
| Ingénue | A naïve young woman. | ||||||||
| Inglenook | A cozy nook by the hearth. | ||||||||
| Insouciance | Blithe nonchalance. | ||||||||
| Inure | To become jaded. | ||||||||
| Labyrinthine | Twisting and turning. | ||||||||
| Lagniappe | A special kind of gift. | ||||||||
| Lagoon | A small gulf or inlet. | ||||||||
| Languor | Listlessness, inactivity. | ||||||||
| Lassitude | Weariness, listlessness. | ||||||||
| Leisure | Free time. | ||||||||
| Lilt | To move musically or lively. | ||||||||
| Lissome | Slender and graceful. | ||||||||
| Lithe | Slender and flexible. | ||||||||
| Love | Deep affection. | ||||||||
| Mellifluous | Sweet sounding. | ||||||||
| Moiety | One of two equal parts. | ||||||||
| Mondegreen | A slip of the ear. | ||||||||
| Murmurous | Murmuring. | ||||||||
| Nemesis | An unconquerable archenemy. | ||||||||
| Offing | The sea between the horizon and the offshore. | ||||||||
| Onomatopoeia | A word that sounds like its meaning. | ||||||||
| Opulent | Lush, luxuriant. | ||||||||
| Palimpsest | A manuscript written over earlier ones. | ||||||||
| Panacea | A solution for all problems | ||||||||
| Panoply | A complete set. | ||||||||
| Pastiche | An art work combining materials from various sources. | ||||||||
| Penumbra | A half-shadow. | ||||||||
| Petrichor | The smell of earth after rain. | ||||||||
| Plethora | A large quantity. | ||||||||
| Propinquity | An inclination. | ||||||||
| Pyrrhic | Successful with heavy losses. | ||||||||
| Quintessential | Most essential. | ||||||||
| Ratatouille | A spicy French stew. | ||||||||
| Ravel | To knit or unknit. | ||||||||
| Redolent | Fragrant. | ||||||||
| Riparian | By the bank of a stream. | ||||||||
| Ripple | A very small wave. | ||||||||
| Scintilla | A spark or very small thing. | ||||||||
| Sempiternal | Eternal. | ||||||||
| Seraglio | Rich, luxurious oriental palace or harem. | ||||||||
| Serendipity | Finding something nice while looking for something else. | ||||||||
| Summery | Light, delicate or warm and sunny. | ||||||||
| Sumptuous | Lush, luxurious. | ||||||||
| Surreptitious | Secretive, sneaky. | ||||||||
| Susquehanna | A river in Pennsylvania. | ||||||||
| Susurrous | Whispering, hissing. | ||||||||
| Talisman | A good luck charm. | ||||||||
| Tintinnabulation | Tinkling. | ||||||||
| Umbrella | Protection from sun or rain. | ||||||||
| Untoward | Unseemly, inappropriate. | ||||||||
| Vestigial | In trace amounts. | ||||||||
| Wafture | Waving. | ||||||||
| Wherewithal | The means. | ||||||||
| Woebegone | Sorrowful, downcast. | ||||||||
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| The 100 Funniest Words in English >> | |||||||||
