Words Never used in Good Sense
Words Never used in Good Sense
Certain words and phrases are never used in good sense. To use these words where a good sense is meant will be ridiculous. It would be ridiculous to say ; ‘He is a notorious scientist’, or ‘He concocted a good plan for the welfare of the poor’. Some of such words in common use are given here under. Students should learn these words well and try to understand the difference. Mere Hindi meanings of these words will not suffice to use these words properly.
List of Words Never used in Good Sense
| Accident | They met with an accident. |
| Accomplice | Partner in some crime. He was an accomplice in the theft. |
| Addicted | To some bad habit, drinking, gambling etc. |
| Adversary | An opponent : one who can cause harm. |
| Airs | He should not give himself airs (Conceited = airs). |
| Apprehensive | Of some danger, loss or injury. |
| Artisan | Who practises some art of inferior nature. |
| Blunder | A very serious mistake. |
| Catastrophe | A disastrous happening. |
| Coalition | Of men of divergent or opposite views : It refers a kind of partnership which is not homogeneous. |
| Commit | To do something wrong : as to commit a suicide. |
| Concoct | To make a plan for an evil purpose. He concocted a false story to deceive her. |
| Counterfeit | To imitate for a unlawful purpose. Counterfeit notes. |
| Concubine | A woman having sexual relations with many persons. |
| Cunning | Doing things cleverly but in a deceiving manner. |
| Credulity | A simpleton readiness to believe easily. |
| Dictator | A despot ruler , uses brutal force. |
| Despot | A tyrannical kind of ruler. |
| Demagogue | An unprincipled leader or a ring leader. |
| Effeminate | Womanly (‘Feminine’ and ‘womanly are used in good sense.). |
| Fabricate | To invent with a bad motive. He fabricated a false story. |
| Fancy | Imaginations which are not guided by reason. |
| Fine | figure He cuts a fine figure (disgraceful or ridiculous figure) (The phrase ‘fine figure’ is ironical.) |
| Fulsome | Full or excessive, so as to produce disgust, hatred. |
| Glaring | Conspicuous or something evil, as glaring error. |
List of Words Never used in Good Sense
| Hasty | Quick to fault; rash, easily excited; patience less. |
| Inveterate | Used for something bad, as ‘an inveterate liar,’ ‘an inveterate enemy’. |
| Loiter | To linger at a time when greater haste is required. |
| Lonely | Depressed or sad from being alone. |
| Minion | An unworthy favourite. |
| Notorious | Evil reputation. |
| Perpetrate | Used only for crimes or offences. |
| Plight | A sad or painful condition. “She is in a sad plight.” |
| To put into one’s pocket fraudulently, as “He pocketed the money fraudulently.” Or to submit patiently to an insult, as “He pocketed the insult patiently.’’ |
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| Prone | To some vice or weakness, as “He is prone to fever”. |
| Sheer | Used as ‘ sheer nonsense’, ‘sheer folly’. We never say ‘sheer virtue,’ but perfect or pure virtue.’ |
| Shrewd | Clever, but often in a sense implying some dishonesty or cunningness. |
| To a degree | “He is insolent or dishonest to a degree (That is of high degree). This phrase is usually applied to some bad quality. |
| Totally | Always used for something bad; as ‘totally incompetent,’ ‘totally blind’. |
| Trivial | Things of little importance. A trivial or common place subject. |
| Utter | An utter fool, an utter failure, always used for something bad. |