Tell someone your work is so Dickensian , and your friend will likely understand that you mean the construction is rather begrimed and dilapidated , or somehow below an acceptable standard . That ’s because nineteenth - century English writerCharles Dickensoften incorporated ratty homes and workplaces into his novel . Yet others argue that this condition is being used incorrectly . establish on Dickens ' novel , labeling something " Dickensian " could think anything from sentimental to having large - than - life characters . There is no one definition [ source : Sherrill ] . It ’s hard to employ them in the right context as well since they are not used much in workaday conversation much like thelongest password in English .
While terming a run - down office " Dickensian " may be a partially correct usage of the tidings , there are a surprising phone number of other historic Word that many of us definitely are using erroneously . Likenirvana . Many of us use it as a substitute for heaven or paradise , but the Buddhist give-and-take actually means demote free from the endless cycle of reincarnations — that often entail lives fill with suffering — and reach absolute blessedness . It ’s reach the high state of enlightenment , which frees us from individual desires and sorrow . That may be a celestial accomplishment , but it ’s not the same as heaven . What other countersign are you using incorrectly ? allow ’s take a look .
10: Hedonism
Do a quick on-line hunt of " hedonism , " and one of the first thing you ’ll discover is a nudist resort in Jamaica . To those of us living in the 21st hundred , hedonism means indulging in anything that pleases us , especially of a sexual nature . Indeed , synonyms for hedonism admit debauch , lasciviousness , sensuality and voluptuousness [ root : Merriam - Webster ] . But equating hedonism with orgy is erroneous . And , in fact , philosopher call this definition " family hedonism . "
The terminus " hedonism " is derived from the Greek word for pleasance . At its most introductory , hedonism is the philosophy that the only two things important in sprightliness are pleasure andpain . Pleasure is in and of itself good and valuable , while pain in the neck is per se bad and should be ward off . But pleasure can mean many different affair . Pleasure can be intellectual ; for case , study a good account book . It can bealtruistic , like helping your neighbor . Yes , delight can also be a sensation , including sexual encounters , but it can also be a foot hitch . Some manakin of hedonism also make a point to mention that short - full term pleasure may not be appropriate if it does n’t leave in long - term pleasure over pain in the neck [ source : Weijers ] .
9: Epicurean
Foodies often refer to themselves as gastronome , which imply those with discerning palates who enjoy all right food and drink . The word " gourmet " was derived from the name of the Hellenic philosopher Epicurus ( 341 - 271 B.C.E. ) , who , hoi polloi presume , must have been quite the bon vivant himself [ source : Sedley ] . But while Epicurus is considered one of the earth ’s most significant epicurean thinkers , today ’s use of the word of honor " epicure " and " epicurean " are quite misleading .
The ancient hedonists , as you just read , believed thing are good because they ’re pleasant , or bad because they ’re painful . Epicurus was considered an egoistic pleasure seeker — that is , someone who believes what is good for you is whatever you , yourself , enjoys . Not what your female parent relish , or your unspoilt friend , or the smartest person in you class . Life — while it should be found on moral moral excellence — is really only worthwhile if everyone enjoy their spirit in their own means . self-centred hedonists , interestingly , also believe in contain all desire , whether for nutrient , drink , intimate pleasure or even politics . If a soul mollycoddle in a especial joy too freely , the thought process goes , he launch the risk of becoming a striver to that joy [ source : Sedley ] . So ironically , today ’s epicures are not at all people Epicurus himself would have admire .
8: Stoic
" Stoic " is sometimes contrasted with " Epicure . " If your dear spouse tragically die young , leaving you with four kids to raise solo , you might very well be shout out " stoical " if you assume your fate and soldiered on , rather than blubbering over it . Because that ’s what being stoic means — to consent whatever happens to you without complaining about it , and without showingemotion . Except , that ’s not quite right .
The original Stoic was someone who pursue the teachings of Stoicism , a philosophic movement set up in Greece around 300 B.C.E. Popular during the Roman Empire , Stoicism was based on the concepts of meditation , heedfulness and self - examination , and offered practitioners theoretic precepts and inspirational texts to ponder . In essence , it was a chip like a faith , and has some striking similarity with Christianity [ sources : Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy , Pigliucci ] .
So how did the word become link up with emotionless acceptance ? unemotional person spend a lot of time reckon about dying and dying , often considered the ultimate test of one ’s character . And they did believe that emotions such as awe , envy or passionate love resulted from put on judicial decision , and so a true Stoic would be immune to them . A virtuous life ( and unemotional person believed virtuousness was necessary for felicity ) was a life that was spare from passion [ informant : Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy , Pigliucci ] .
7: Cynic
The Greeks are again behind a word whose meaning has become muddled — " cynic . " Today , the term is used to describe a person who feels everyone is motivated by selfish reasons — someone who is always negative and suspecting of what others say and do . But the original Cynics were the great unwashed who belonged to an ancient sect of Greek philosophers . Cynics endeavour for virtue , and mat the only way to achieve it was through ego - control , asceticism and poverty . joy was not consider as something good .
One famous Cynic wasDiogenesof Sinope . Diogenes went above and beyond most other Cynics , terminate much of the day ’s comfort and social conventions in striving to take the desired virtuous life . For representative , he ’d take the air barefoot through C in an attempt to acclimate his consistence to the common cold . He also apparently felt it his duty to point out his fellow citizens if he found them doing something pleasurable , or indulging in any type of luxury [ source : American Heritage Dictionary ] .
Although " Cynic " was used correctly when it first appeared in English in the 1500s , it speedily morph into " cynic " ( with a pocket-sized " c " ) . Perhaps Diogenes ' fictitious character mold the switch . One write up order people made fun of him at a spread by throwing him bone as if he were a frump . Diogenes responded by urinating on the bones [ source : American Heritage Dictionary ] .
6: Kafkaesque
If you were endeavor to get data at a government office and were transport from one department to the next with no good account , you might identify the situation as " Kafkaesque . " But would you be right ? Franz Kafka was a celebrated 20th - one C writer from Prague , in what ’s now the Czech Republic . His novel , most of which were published posthumously , were take with characters who face some sort of omnipotent great power they had to fight against — a power so strong , it could easily break man . In " The metabolism , " for example , a man inflame up as a big bug . In " The Trial , " Kafka ’s most successful workplace , protagonist Joseph K. must defend himself in court against a nameless crime he has supposedly trust [ generator : Edwards , Biography ] .
In the 1960s , with Eastern Europe squashed under rigid communistic governments , the term " Kafkaesque " abruptly popped into utilisation , and then misuse . masses start chuck out it off to line rather harmless situations , such as racing out the door to catch a bus , then discovering the motorcoach drivers were strike that day . But " Kafkaesque " is a far more daunting and soul - crushing descriptor .
In anarticle published in The New York Times , writer Frederick R. Karl , who penned an exhaustive biography of Kafka , explained it this way : " What ’s Kafkaesque is when you enter a surreal world in which all your control patterns , all your plans , the whole way in which you have configured your own doings , start to fall to pieces , when you find yourself against a force that does not contribute itself to the way you comprehend the world . You do n’t give up , you do n’t lie down and die . What you do is struggle against this with all of your equipment , with whatever you have . But of course you do n’t stand a probability . "
Perhaps , " Kafkasesque " is the right word after all for your government activity office trial by ordeal .
5: Karma
At some full stop , you ’ve likely hear a conversation something like this : " I ’m fagged from help oneself out at the soup kitchen today . " " Yeah , but that variety of work will bestow you a raft of good karma . " Or peradventure seen the guy who cut you off in dealings get rear - ended just a international mile later , and thought , " Karma just contract you . " Karma , we con , is basically getting what we deserve , whether that ’s something positivistic , because we ’ve done something ripe , or something negative , due to our inadequate behaviour . But that ’s not whatkarmareally is , or how it works .
Karma is a Hindu and Buddhist concept that teaches all of your actions , through a wave of successive incarnations , will influence your destiny . In essence , karma is retributive justice ; you ’re punish or rewarded in afuturelife according to your actions in this one . The concept of karma ca n’t be understood , and is n’t valid , out-of-door ofreincarnation . Because karma plays out over a long time , over lifetimes . It ’s not something that is marshal up in the here and now [ sources : American Heritage Dictionary , Goldberg ] .
4: Luddite
Britain ’s Prince Charles was called a " Luddite " for speaking out againstgenetically modify crops . So was novelist Jonathan Franzen , after he panned e - books andTwitter . Long - used to account someone who despise today ’s technological advances for those of the yesteryear , specially when it comes to the workplace , the verbal description is totally inaccurate . The Luddites were a mathematical group of experienced weaver from Nottinghamshire , England who get a act hot under the collar when companies began replacing them with automated looms in the former 19th century , during Britain ’s Industrial Revolution . Gathering together , the weavers dubbed themselves Luddites after General Ludd or King Ludd , a legendary figure from Sherwood Forest supposedly distinguish after Ned Lud , a weaver finch say to have wrecked two stocking frame a few decades earlier [ source : de Castella ] .
With swap unions shun , the Luddites fought back against the corporations the only way they could — by riot . The workers attack the loom , burned the mills and even skirmished with the British army . A sum of 25 Luddites were hang and another 63 were ship to Australia . The Luddites were n’t anti - engineering , they were pro - protecting - their - jobs - and - wages . It was n’t until the 1970s that the term was used to mention to technophobe ; now , this new definition appear here to stay [ source : de Castella ] .
3: Nimrod
" You nimrod ! " This disparaging comment is used to tell someone you conceive they ’re stupid or a jerked meat . Maybe both . But Nimrod was remark in the Bible , which does n’t paint him as a guy who was a few bricks short of a full lading . Nimrod was the great - grandson of none other than Noah , and the grandson of Ham . A mighty warrior and huntsman , he founded Babylon , the first outstanding imperium after thedevastating deluge .
A rebel and a leader , Nimrod is also credited with constructing the Tower of Babel , an immense structure top with a temple . The purpose of the tower was for his follower to contact God to destroy him . According to the Bible and other ancient texts , God thwarted the plan by creatingmultiple languagesso the citizenry could not interpret each other and began to sprinkle [ seed : Livingston , Mystery Babylon ] .
So how did Nimrod ’s name come to mean someone behind - witted ? There ’s no definitive result , but many people take it was thanks to Bugs Bunny of " Looney Tunes " renown sometime in the 1940s . Bugs was purportedly making merriment of pathetic Orion Elmer Fudd by sarcastically address him " Nimrod , " the skilled hunter of yore .
2: Orwellian
The name brings a slight chill . " Orwellian " is used to refer to a situation standardized to that described by author George Orwell in his novel " 1984 . " The book depicted a future totalistic commonwealth feature thought control , governmental surveillanceand the practice of giving something defective a name that get it sound good . The Oxford English Dictionary first mark the use of " Orwellian " in 1950 , just one twelvemonth after " 1984 " was published [ author : Peters ] . Since then , the terminus has total in handy for all sorts of situations , broadly in a negative elbow room . deal for instance , the Clear Skies Act of 2003 , which was knock by environmentalists for actually making iteasierfor power plants to pollute the air ( the act never passed ) [ seed : Curtius and Hamburger ] . Or how about the discovery that the U.S. National Security Agency was secretly pick up phone record of secret citizen in 2013 ?
The problem is that George Orwell wrote more than one novel . He was a writer who compose other al-Qur’an as well as a socialist thinker . He was also , say many , a passably nice guy . " Orwellian " should simply imply someone who admires George Orwell ’s work and melodic theme . The Oxford English Dictionary does say this is one definition [ sources : Nunberg , Peters ] . Unfortunately , though , not the main one . Interestingly , both people on the left and the right have used the idiomatic expression " Orwellian " to describe policies they disagree with . Sorry , George .
1: Pharisee
Those sanctimoniousPharisees ! At least that ’s how many multitude think they ’re depict in the Bible , which is why the terminal figure " pharisee " today is used to signify someone who is self - righteous and hypocritical . But this is n’t really an accurate definition . The Pharisees — the name think " separate ones " or " separatist " — were an ancient Jewish sect that believed in strict adherence toJewish traditionsand religious practice session . They interpret scriptures literally . While some of their contemporaries kick upstairs an eyebrow over their zealousness toward Jewish police force , they were respected by many because they were commoners who require to help people of all classes study Moses ' law . ( Their competitor , the Sadducees , were mainly patrician and priests . ) The Pharisees also did n’t bow down to the hated Roman authorities [ sources : Johnson , American Heritage Dictionary ] .
But were they self - righteous ? In scriptural Book of Luke , the Pharisees were furious with Jesus for heal a man with a paralyzed hand on the Sabbath . Yet looked at another manner , the Pharisees were conform to their truebeliefs , and felt stern adherence to the natural law was what God desired . Also , the scriptural portrayal of Pharisees is more nuanced than might seem at first glance . For case , a respected Pharisee named Gamaliel intervenes to keep two of the apostles during a trial , in the Book of Acts . And the Talmud , the effectual comment on the Torah which was written by the Pharisees , also condemned lip service [ source : Abrami ] . The Pharisees were the only Jewish faction which survived the declivity of Jerusalem in 70 C.E. and so constitute the basis of modern Judaism .
Lots More Information
As a author , I pride myself on my mental lexicon . But I ’m not too majestic to acknowledge I was surprised at the true definitions of some of these words .
