Big Words and a VERY Short Story

Big words can make you sound and feel sophisticated, but what happens when those words get too big? Lets look at some examples, shall we?

Ebullient: Adj – overflowing with enthusiasm or excitement
~ Ex ~ The athlete was in an ebullient mood when she won the gold medal.
Equanimity: N – mental or emotional stability or composure; calmness
~ Ex ~ Some people have such equanimity! They can be so calm under pressure.
Gasconade: V – to boast extravagantly
~ Ex ~ She can be so gasconade. She brags about everything!
Gnomon: The raised part of the sundial that casts the shadow
~ Ex ~ The gnomon on the old sundials begin to ware away over time.
Winebibber: N – a person who drinks much wine
~ Ex ~ My cousin is a winebibber! She is a wine taster.
Sesquipedalian: Adj – given to using long words
~ Ex ~ Today, I read such a sesquipedalian sentence. It had five or six words I couldn’t even pronounce!
Perfidious: Adj – disloyal; deceitful
~ Ex ~ He was an extremely perfidious husband. Cheating once is bad, but twice is dreadful!
Nefarious: Adj – infamous by way of being extremely wicked
~ Ex ~ Oprah did not get her infamy by doing nefarious, attention-getting deeds. She worked hard for all she has!
Deride: V – to laugh at in scorn; mock
~ Ex ~ It is rude to deride someone because of an embarrassing moment.
Pugnacious: Adj – inclined to quarrel or fight readily; belligerent
~ Ex ~ Some boys have pugnacious attitudes during their teenage years. They will fight about the silliest things!
Obsequious: Adj – severely compliant or differential; obedient
~ Ex ~ I sit in class with an obsequious manner because I am constantly prepared to do whatever task the teacher requests of me!
Antebellum: Adj – belonging to the period before the war, esp. the Civil War
~ Ex ~ My grandparents were born during an antebellum time period, some of them were even in the wars!
Ziggurat: N – a temple of Sumerian origin in the form of a pyramidal tower
~ Ex ~ There are many temples one can visit while in foreign countries, on would be a ziggurat which has beautiful terraces.
Subjugate: V – to make submissive
~ Ex ~ Subjugating a dog is harder ten it sounds because they can be very stubborn!
Hubris: N - excessive pride of self-confidence; arrogance
~ Ex ~ Many people let their accomplishments go to their heads, causing them to become hubris.
Jejune: Adj – juvenile; immature
~ Ex ~ Boys always seem to have jejune attitudes, even when they say they are grown up.
Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia- the fear of long words
~ Ex ~ Sara would never be able to attend any type of medical conference because she suffers from a bad case of hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia.

A VERY Short Story
Once upon a time, there was a girl named Elaine. Elaine was the perfect little girl! She did not have a jejune attitude; in fact, many would say she was the most mature young woman in her age group. Her mother was an unsuccessful winebibber, and also a hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobic. To her greatest despair, her only daughter spoke in a highly sesquipedalian manner. Elaine’s mother would often try to subjugate her in hopes of making her speak in a way she could understand. Elaine did not have an obsequious outlook on life, so her efforts were rendered useless. Her mother tried everything! The “silent treatment,” therapy, and worst of all she would constantly deride her own daughter. Lucky for Elaine, as the end of her senior year in high school approached she was contacted by a prestigious college. She applied for multiple academic scholarships and ended up getting accepted! Elaine went to her mother to break her the good news in an ebullient mood, but her mothers’ lack of concern forced her to display equanimity. She had a pugnacious feeling about her that she had to suppress in order to prevent doing something uncalled for. Elaine graduated from her college at the top of her class and became a successful dean of that very university. Today, Elaine is rightfully gasconade, but being the mature woman she is she is never hubris. The End!
-Lisa