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You are here: Home / Vocabulary / 100 Forgotten English Words We Should Bring Back

100 Forgotten English Words We Should Bring Back

February 18, 2026

100 Forgotten English Words We Should Bring Back

No. Term Definition
1. Akimbo With hands on hips; elbows out.
2. Apricity Warmth of winter sun.
3. Astir Up and moving; active.
4. Ataraxy Calmness; freedom from worry.
5. Aweather Exposed to the open air.
6. Bedizen Dress gaudily; over-adorn.
7. Behoof Benefit; advantage.
8. Bemuse Confuse; puzzle.
9. Beshrew Curse; express displeasure.
10. Besmirch Damage someone’s reputation.
11. Betwixt Between.
12. Bide Wait; remain.
13. Borborygmus Rumbling sound of stomach.
14. Brumous Foggy; misty.
15. Caitiff A cowardly, despicable person.
16. Callipygian Having well-shaped buttocks.
17. Canoodle Cuddle and kiss amorously.
18. Catawampus Askew; out of alignment.
19. Cattywampus Awry; not straight.
20. Chagrin Distress from failure or humiliation.
21. Claptrap Nonsense; insincere talk.
22. Cockalorum A self-important little man.
23. Collywobbles Stomach pain; nervous jitters.
24. Comeuppance Just punishment; deserved rebuke.
25. Crapulous Sick from excessive eating or drinking.
26. Crepuscular Active at twilight; dim.
27. Dapper Neat and stylish.
28. Dastard A coward.
29. Defenestrate Throw out of a window.
30. Demesne An estate’s lands; domain.
31. Desuetude Disuse; state of no longer used.
32. Diaphanous Light, delicate, translucent.
33. Dissemble Conceal motives; act deceitfully.
34. Dithyramb Wildly enthusiastic speech or writing.
35. Dudgeon Resentful anger.
36. Eftsoons Soon afterward.
37. Egregious Outstandingly bad; shocking.
38. Eke Increase; add to.
39. Eldritch Weird and eerie.
40. Embowed Arched; bent like a bow.
41. Ennui Boredom; listlessness.
42. Erstwhile Former; previous.
43. Excoriate Criticize harshly; denounce.
44. Fain Gladly; willingly.
45. Fard Face paint; cosmetics.
46. Farrago A confused mixture.
47. Fatuous Silly; smugly foolish.
48. Feckless Lacking initiative; ineffective.
49. Fidge Fidget; be restless.
50. Flibbertigibbet A flighty, talkative person.
51. Flummox Baffle; confuse.
52. Forsooth Indeed; in truth.
53. Frippery Showy, unnecessary ornament.
54. Froward Stubbornly contrary; difficult.
55. Fulsome Excessive; overdone.
56. Gadzooks An exclamation of surprise.
57. Gallimaufry A jumbled mixture.
58. Gambol Skip about playfully.
59. Gloaming Twilight; dusk.
60. Gormless Dull; lacking sense.
61. Gossamer Very light, delicate.
62. Hapless Unlucky; unfortunate.
63. Higgledy-piggledy In confused disorder.
64. Hobbledehoy Awkward adolescent boy.
65. Hoodwink Deceive; trick.
66. Horripilation Goosebumps; hair standing up.
67. Hugger-mugger Secretive; in confusion.
68. Hullabaloo Loud commotion; uproar.
69. Ill-starred Unlucky; ill-fated.
70. Imbroglio A complicated, messy situation.
71. Impugn Challenge as false; attack.
72. Ineluctable Unavoidable; inescapable.
73. Ingle A fireside; fireplace nook.
74. Inveterate Long-established; habitual.
75. Jactitation Restless tossing; boastful talk.
76. Jerkwater Small, insignificant town.
77. Jocund Cheerful; lighthearted.
78. Jollification Noisy celebration.
79. Jouissance Great pleasure; delight.
80. Knavery Dishonesty; roguish behavior.
81. Lackadaisical Lacking enthusiasm; listless.
82. Lagniappe A small bonus gift.
83. Lambent Softly glowing; flickering.
84. Lethologica Forgetting a word; tip-of-tongue.
85. Lollygag Dawdle; waste time.
86. Lugubrious Mournful; gloomy.
87. Mumpsimus Stubborn adherence to an error.
88. Nares Nostrils.
89. Nescience Lack of knowledge; ignorance.
90. Nimiety Excess; too much.
91. Nincompoop A foolish person.
92. Nudiustertian Of the day before yesterday.
93. Obfuscate Make unclear; confuse.
94. Obstreperous Noisy and difficult to control.
95. Onerous Burdensome; oppressive.
96. Overmorrow The day after tomorrow.
97. Palimpsest Reused manuscript with traces of earlier.
98. Panoply A splendid display; full array.
99. Pelf Money, especially ill-gotten.
100. Peregrinate Travel or wander.
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