Have you ever encountered a word that has become lost in time? Plenty of words are begging to regain popularity. Some are silly, others are practical, and a few will leave you tongue-tied.
Whether you’ve heard of them or not, here are the old-fashioned words we should bring back.
Bedward
There’s nothing better than going to bed after a long day. You’re sending a psychic message to your mattress and sheets to get ready for you. Bedward is a bygone adverb that describes the feeling of heading to bed. We all love sleeping, so this word would do well to return.
Example: “I’m tired, so it’s bedward for me.”
Brouhaha
Commotion isn’t the only befitting word for a loud or unpleasant situation. Brouhaha, broo-ha-ha, is an antiquated noun of the same meaning. It’s for overdramatic disturbances.
Example: “There was a lot of brouhaha in my apartment complex last night.”
Trumpery
Have you ever seen something that seems good on first impression but turns out useless after deep inspection? Trumpery is the old-fashioned word for something showy but worthless nonsense or junk.
Example: “The election is full of trumpery.”
Bumfuzzle
Have you ever found yourself at the end of a confusing statement or situation? You experienced bumfuzzlement, the old-fashioned verb for a confounding state of mind. Think of the initial syllable of bamboozle and the obsolete verb fuzzle combined to get this unique word.
Example: “I couldn’t think straight. I was so bumfuzzled.”
Deliciate
We all love the feeling of Friday at 5 pm, especially when we have weekend plans. When your sights are set on having the best weekend ever, that’s the feeling of being deliciate, de-li-she-ate. It’s an outmoded verb meaning self-indulgence or enjoying oneself.
Example: “I’m ready to deliciate in a four-course meal.”
Deosculate
You know that warm feeling you get from your first kiss? Or when you watch a show where the characters kiss for the first time? The bygone word for giving an affectionate kiss is deosculate, dee-os-cue-late. We all relate to this feeling, meaning this word is due for a return.
Example: “William leaned in and gave his girlfriend a deosculating kiss.”
Elflock
We’ve all woken up with hair that looks like it’s been fighting with our pillows, sheets, and elves. The antiquated noun for hair that appears ruffled by elves is elflock. At least the word sounds nicer than how our hair looks in the morning.
Example: “She brushed the elflocks out of her hair.”
Fiddle-faddle
Have you ever had to listen to someone talk about a lot of nothing? To amuse yourself during such nonsense, think of the noun fiddle-faddle, which means foolish talk.
Example: “I didn’t like listening to their pointless fiddle-faddle.”
Fop
We live in the age of social media, and we all succumb to anxiety over our looks. A fop is an old-fashioned noun for a man excessively devoted to his appearance. The word can also function as a compliment.
Example: “I knew he was a fop based on his Instagram feed.”
Fudgel
We’ve all pretended to be working when we’re not. Sometimes, you need a brain time-out while you’re on the clock. Fudgel, fu-jel, is the dated verb for acting like you’re working when you aren’t.
Example: “He has two windows open on his computer; of course, he’s fudgelling.”
Gigglemug
We all know someone who always has a smile on their face. That person is a gigglemug. It’s an outmoded word for someone who’s always beaming.
Example: “They are a pair of gigglemugs in each other’s company.”
Groke
Have you ever ordered something with a friend, but their food looks and tastes better than yours? Such envious gawking is a groke. It’s the bygone word for staring at someone because you hope they’ll share with you.
Example: “The dog groked at me with puppy-dog eyes during the entire meal.”
Hotsy-totsy
Are you looking for an old-fashioned slang word for something perfect or excellent? Hotsy-totsy is a fun way to express that all is well or secure; for example, “the show went hotsy-totsy.” It can also mean attractive, for example, “a hotsy-totsy girl”.
Quagswag
Quagswag, pronounced swag-swag, is a fun but dated verb for motion of shaking to and fro. We can see it making a humorous comeback.
Example: “I quagswagged all the way home.”
Rawgabbit
Some people love spreading gossip. But it’s uncomfortable when someone chit-chats about things they know nothing about. The antiquated word for a person who talks without much knowledge about a subject is a rawgabbit, raw-gab-bit.
Example: “I’d stay away from that rawgabbit, he’ll give you all the wrong advice!”
Scofflaw
A scofflaw, scaa-flaa, is a person who repeatedly disregards the law. It’s one thing to commit a minor first offense, but ignorance can quickly turn into more problems if a person isn’t careful.
Example: “He’s going to get me arrested because he’s a scofflaw.”
Snollygoster
Villains in movies and TV shows tend to be intelligent characters. Their lack of principles often leads to their villainy. A snollygoster, snaa-lee-gaa-str, describes someone who’s very smart but without moral or ethical judgment.
Example: “The snollygoster was willing to do whatever it took to win the election, even if it meant lying and cheating.”
Widdershins
We all know that clockwise means to follow the movement of the clock. Try the dated adverb widdershins, wid-der-shins, instead of using anticlockwise or counter-clockwise.
Example: “Like magic, the fairy danced widdershins around the boy.”
Zib
There are many words for a foolish or silly person. Add zib to your modern vocabulary. You can’t have too many ways to describe absurd behavior.
Example: “He’s always making silly jokes and acting like a zib. No wonder people don’t take him seriously.”
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Caitriona Maria is an education writer and founder of TPR Teaching, crafting inspiring pieces that promote the importance of developing new skills. For 7 years, she has been committed to providing students with the best learning opportunities possible, both domestically and abroad. Dedicated to unlocking students' potential, Caitriona has taught English in several countries and continues to explore new cultures through her travels.