10 more made up words
Today is Thesaurus Day.
On this day, we celebrate, note, mark, observe, and commemorate the birth in 1779 of Peter Roget, author of Roget’s Thesaurus; we also honor words.
To mark the occasion, we’re sharing 10 words you won’t find in Roget’s, because they’re made up.
Last week, I shared some of my favorite made-up words, among them: beertastrophe, slacktivist, and voluntold.
I also asked PR Daily readers to offer some favorite coinages. Here’s what you came up with. Use them wisely; these words are too marvelicious to waste.
1. Catastrotunity — something that looks like a catastrophe, but it’s actually an opportunity.
Example: The crash of our server was a catastrotunity that gave us a chance to rewrite the entire website.
2. Gamification — turning old content or tools into online games to be used as marketing tools to interest people in your product.
Example: That app is nothing but gamification for their insurance products.
3. Fraudulaunt — a woman who is not a blood relation, but just a close friend of your mom.
Example: They won’t let my fraudulaunt sign my consent form.
4. Laggership — to act, though not immediately; waiting, watching, or standing by momentarily.
Example: I applaud their CEO’s laggership. She obviously took the time to think before she spoke.
5. Narcitwit — a blogger who keeps demanding that readers “tweet that!”
Example: Don’t be such a narcitwit. Your readers will retweet your content if—and only if—it’s good.
6. Profreshional — when you pull your threads together to look extremely dapper in the workplace.
Example (adj.): “You’re looking extra profreshional today.”
Example (noun): “I’m just a young profreshional.”
Example (informal): “Profresh.”
7. Randomology — the many seemingly unnecessary changes engendered by technology.
Example: Do we really need a coffeemaker that talks or is this just more high-priced randomology?
8. Testosterosis — a spontaneous outbreak of personal irritation that sometimes results in the urge to smash someone in the face.
Example: Our performance evaluation process is so tedious and soul crushing, it causes at least one case of testosterosis every year.
9. Simultext — texting someone at the same time they’re texting you.
Example: We always seem to simultext each other during the town hall meetings.
10. Represemble — to represent and resemble at the same time.
Example: Rachel represembled the board members completely—she was reserved, dowdy, and unimaginative.
This article was first published on Ragan Communication’s PR Daily.
