Word Two: Gregarious

Gregarious (adjective) – Seeking and enjoying the company of others; sociable

Upon hearing this word, I immediately thought of a guy named Greg. But alas, this word comes from “100 Words to Make You Sound Smart,” so it certainly wouldn’t have anything to do with Greg (not even Greg Focker). Soon, I find out that this adjective refers to those who are sociable. I imagine a guy named Greg, for who doesn’t see the GREG jumping out, dancing to the song Sandstorm with people crowded around him. As I look through my reference book for support, I land on the word untenable. How fitting? I am unable to tolerate and understand this word; it just sits there screaming a person’s name. I realize that I can only resort to building a story around Greg.

So, this man named Greg, who we have already determined as sociable, gregarious that is, has people crowded around him. I imagine that he is prone to cacophony’s (sudden noises), that his thinking is capricious (sudden changes) during these social gatherings, and that he is a narcissist (self-centered). He has been known to ruin weddings, disappoint future father-in-laws, and lose cats. Therefore, he is the quintessential (best) example of a failure.

Now before you turn this fiasco of a blog off, I must say that I am trying to teach you some more words in the process. I assure you that this writing is stream of consciousness; I am writing exactly what comes into my mind (with the help of this book).

Before I sign off, I am happy to inform you all that this is not a boondoggle (unnecessary) post since you are learning many words in an interesting story. So bring out the accolades because you probably just learned a few new words.

My two questions for you are:
1) Do you think Greg would ever malinger?
2) How much do you hate me for using all these sophisticated words in a post? Just because Greg is a narcissist doesn’t mean that I am looking for attention.

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Word One: Malinger

Malinger (verb) – To fake illness in order to avoid work or duty.

Coming from the French word malingre (which means sickly), this word attracted my attention because I have, quiet frankly, never heard of it in my life. Another studious kid I talked to had the same response. Says this kid,

"I don't know what to think."

After much pleading, he continued by saying,

"is it someone who does something bad."

I could tell what was said next but then this kid would lose credibility.

After looking up its meaning, I started to think of those I know who malinger for their own benefit. Many schoolmates miss school to avoid a test. I’m sure we all know who they are. They are not necessarily slackers, but they have let the troubles of work take over their duty to do the work.

Being a Type A person, I can’t imagine doing this. By avoiding the “work or duty,” one essentially makes it harder on themselves later. It seems very conceivable that this work will pile up or at the very least, make it harder on those around you. Sadly, some have no problem with this.

In case you interested in boosting your vocabulary further, the word, malinger, is similar to skulk (which describes people who avoid work or hide out of cowardice).


I have two questions for my readers.
1) Have you ever tried malingering?
2) What do you think about malingering?

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Overview of the blog

Hello everyone. Since an interview earlier this year for a sport - one in which I used a big word - people have been giving me both harsh words and praise. I thought it would only be appropriate that I create a blog that uses big and unknown words. Why? Well, why not? I get to see people's reaction to the words. I get to see whether or not people actually know what the words means; certainly, this will provide some humor. I get to hopefully teach people new words in the process. And finally, I get to see whether or not using these words can work in normal communication, that is, whether it is awkward or fitting, a nice touch or a touch of arrogance.

I decided to consult the "100 Words to Make You Sound Smart" reference guide. It is made by the editors of American Heritage Dictionaries. In it, there are many complex, foreign, and big words. From here, I pulled out seven words to use for analysis. The words are: malinger, gregarious, precocious, ubiquitous, scintillating, ostracize, and fastidious. Each post will talk about one of these. The words are subject to change.


So fasten up your seat belts and get ready for a ride. I hope you, my mass following, are ready for some fun!