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The NYT’s Top 50 Words You Don’t Understand

If you aren’t sure what panegyric, immiscible or Manichaean mean (or if they’re even really English), fear not! Turns out nobody else does either. These literary head-scratchers are among the 50 most obscure words used by the New York Times this year.

Compiled from NYT online articles run between January 1 and July 14, the list ranks the words that readers looked up most often per mention via the Times‘ dictionary function. Panegyric (n. a eulogistic oration or writing) topped the list with 582 look-ups for the single time it was used. [NYTimes Blog]

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(4 Comments)
  • [–]

    Maniacal

    Friday, July 29, 2011 at 10:46 AM

    I actually know quite a fair amount of those. But I was absolutely sure that ‘obfuscate’ would be in there somewhere. NYT seem to enjoy doing it to their general reader base.

    Reply
  • [–]

    Stephen

    Friday, July 29, 2011 at 11:06 AM

    It’s risible blasphemy that these feckless readers don’t demonstrate adequate recognizance of English. I’m here to compose a panegyric in praise of multisyllabic legerdemain. Although such a campaign would be quixotic, given the unambiguous surfeit of these dilettantic readers.

    Reply
    • [–]

      nicky

      Friday, July 29, 2011 at 1:20 PM

      @Stephen ‘sup dawg, high five

      Reply
  • [–]

    villainsoft

    Friday, July 29, 2011 at 11:09 AM

    Nice to see people actually trying to learn new words, nah mean.

    Reply

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