Unusual words to describe the people in your life
English is full of words that capture the depth and breadth of the people in our lives. Take a look at these words to see if they describe anyone you know.
Autodidact — a person who is self taught
As an autodidact, I relied heavily on my neighborhood public library.
Braggadocio — someone who engages in empty or false boasting; one who brags
Our coach was nothing more than a braggadocio who bored everyone with stories of his glory days.
Clerisy — a group of educated people; intellectuals; a person who reads for pleasure
I always ask the clerisy from the English Department for book recommendations.
Deipnosophist — a person skilled at making small talk during a meal
I hope you’ve invited Anna — the family deipnosophist — to eat with us at Thanksgiving this year.
Librocubicularist — someone who reads in bed
Amy is a real librocubicularist and often falls asleep with her glasses on, book open, and lights burning.
Logophile — a person who loves words
I prefer to play scrabble with logophiles because they care more about putting clever words on the board than scoring points.
Minikin — a small or dainty person
People often underestimate Allison because of her minikin appearance.
Mountebank — a person who sells quack medicine; an imposter
It seems our former CEO was known as the “mountebank in chief” by FDA investigators.
Neoteric — one who loves new things and new ideas
Neoterics will soon learn that though this company asks for new ideas, leadership has no intention of pursuing them.
Omnist — one who believes in and respects all religions
Many early scholars considered themselves to be omnists.
Polyonymous — someone who is known to have many names or go by many names
After 20 years as a polynymous agent in the intelligence services, I had trouble remembering my real name.
Princox — a conceited person
Jordan can be something of a princox when it comes to art history.
Protean — a person who displays different forms; versatile; adaptable
A protean in every possible way, Brian survived university politics and retired with his full pension.
Quisling — a traitor or backstabber
I always suspected that Reese was the quisling, but now her betrayal is out in the open for everyone to see.
Retrophile — someone who loves the past
A true retrophile, Charles attends every estate sale in town.
Turophile — a person who loves cheese
For a turophile, a tour of Italy is unequaled.
Thesmothete — one who lays down the law; an enforcer
Because she worked in HR, Adrian thought of herself as the thesmothete of the company dress code.
Votary — a devout follower; an advocate
I am a votary of novelist Patrick O’Brian and collect first editions of every book he ever published.
Readers . . . who did I leave out?
