What's the word for...?
What's the word that means touting something a bit more than it deserves, but is no exaggeration? What's the more technical term for taking in food and liquids into the body, rather than simple "eat?" It's on the tip of my tongue, but I can't quite remember the word for someone who tends to see life through rose-colored glasses.
Does this happen to you, too? I've had a decent vocabulary all my life, but I am finding that the words I've not used with regularity are now hidden in my memory banks. My goal is not to sound like a professor, but sometimes I prefer to use a single word rather than a phrase or even a sentence to explain what I'm trying to say.
I went to Google first, thinking that surely this search engine would find exactly what I'm looking for. I can't be the only human being who is searching for that correct word now and then. Other than a sub-reddit (on Reddit.com) for writers who can ask the community, "What's the word for...?" there is a reverse dictionary. However, said reverse dictionary explains that it has hacked something -- and hacking is a very bad thing, so I'm not interested in using that.
Do you have any references for this type of issue? I'd be most grateful to find a one-stop shop to help jiggle my memory with the least amount of fuss on my part. Do you search for just the right word to use at times, too?
FOPP - WhatsTheWord - ReverseDictionary
Image Credit » https://pixabay.com/en/font-lead-set-book-printing-705667/ by wilhei
Comments
Feisty56 wrote on August 10, 2015, 7:18 PM
I agree that a thesaurus is an invaluable tool to use. My problem is more that I understand the definition of the word I want, but there is no one single word to enter into the thesaurus for guidance.
VinceSummers wrote on August 10, 2015, 7:23 PM
I just sporadically try a synonym search. I like to simplify a sentence by finding a replacement word or very short phrase for a longer, clumsy phrase.
1msiduri wrote on August 10, 2015, 7:27 PM
&VisionofHope stole my thunder. It doesn't always work, but it also provides variety in longer passages, jogs memory and suggests others road I might go down.
1Feisty56 wrote on August 10, 2015, 8:02 PM
Yes, it's those clumsy phrases I am trying to eradicate, too. I guess the thesaurus it will be.
Feisty56 wrote on August 10, 2015, 8:04 PM
Thesaurus seems to be the resource. Perhaps what I had in mind was something more like a mind-reading app. lol
1Feisty56 wrote on August 10, 2015, 8:05 PM
In some instances, that surely fits the bill. : )
LeaPea2417 wrote on August 10, 2015, 8:36 PM
It does happen to me at times, the word I had used , when I now want to use it, does slip my mind.
1Ellis wrote on August 10, 2015, 8:53 PM
To save time finding that exact word
Ellis wrote on August 10, 2015, 8:55 PM
To save time finding the exact word I need when talking to people...I find it's easier to just ignore them...lol
1Feisty56 wrote on August 10, 2015, 10:33 PM
I didn't have this problem when I was younger. I prefer not to think it has anything to do with age. I like to think of it as just too much stuff cluttering up the memory banks. : )
Feisty56 wrote on August 10, 2015, 10:40 PM
Hmmm, that would work for conversation, but don't you get a bit lonesome?
cheri wrote on August 10, 2015, 11:45 PM
Since English is not my first language, I tend to look for a dictionary for every unfamiliar words I encounter.
1bestwriter wrote on August 10, 2015, 11:50 PM
What's life without a thesaurus and what's life without that software that keeps following us every time we type something. Sometimes simplicity does it and 'eat' it is
1LoudMan wrote on August 11, 2015, 1:02 AM
Don' t worry. You'll remember it the next time you're having in unrelated conversation and you're miles away from any computer. Just remember to write it down and do not lose the note.
1Paulie wrote on August 11, 2015, 3:01 AM
Have you ever tried using a thesaurus which has a number of synonyms and antonyms for words?
1MegL wrote on August 11, 2015, 3:29 AM
I have a physical reverse dictionary that I bought many years ago. It's certainly fun to read through it and it has helped me occasionally. The thesaurus as &VisionofHope suggested is useful too because it gives several suggestions for alternatives. We do the crossword each day and the thesaurus, dictionary and reverse dictionary all come into use. I agree that as I get older, the word I want doesn't always come as quickly as it should, which is a bit worrying, with a viva coming up. I am trying to keep my mind busy, in order to keep it working as well as I can. I have found that including more (good) fats in the diet has been helpful. Ingest? Pollyanna? Can't think of the first one though.
2Shellyann36 wrote on August 11, 2015, 3:51 AM
I have had this problem for ages. Sometimes I forget simple words and it drives me crazy. I was trying to think of the word "addict" a few weeks ago and I could not come up with the word to save my life. These severe brain farts make me wonder if I am going to get early on-set dementia.
1CoralLevang wrote on August 11, 2015, 3:35 PM
Welcome to the aging process.
I have that happen much of the time nowadays.
1Unfortunately, or fortunately (as the case might be), those who are replacing us do not seems to have the same vocabulary we oldsters seem to have, as most schools don't seem to value vocabulary, word power, spelling, grammar, and other classes/subjects designed to help us communicate more effectively with a broader audience.
The downside to that is when we look at them and say, "Yo! Homeboy! Whaddup? Holla at me!" they think we're stupid.
Feisty56 wrote on August 11, 2015, 10:14 PM
I would need to do the same if I were trying to write in another language. I think you do a good job as someone for whom English is a second language. : )
Feisty56 wrote on August 11, 2015, 10:17 PM
Those are helpful tools and yes, sometimes "eat" is just that. It depends on what I am writing as to whether I need more formal terms.
1Feisty56 wrote on August 12, 2015, 10:14 AM
Isn't that the truth? lol My significant other and I would find ourselves doing that with names of sports figures or celebrities. Hours after the conversation, one or the other of us would be texting the other with the correct name. Funny how the mind works, isn't it?
Feisty56 wrote on August 12, 2015, 10:16 AM
I have used a thesaurus and many times it has been helpful. Sometimes, though, I can't think of a similar word to what I am seeking, only a phrase or definition. Appreciate the suggestion, though.
Feisty56 wrote on August 12, 2015, 10:23 AM
The crossword puzzles are great challenges. I haven't done an in years, but enjoyed the process back then. I may have to consider doing those again. I try to keep my mind busy, too, to try and ward off significant loss. That's helpful information about including more good fats in the diet. I don't think we should underestimate the importance of nutrition to any of the functions of our bodies.
So those of us in and approaching our "seasoned" years need to stick together and figure this stuff out. : )
Feisty56 wrote on August 12, 2015, 10:27 AM
I don't think we'd be human if we didn't have some concerns about dementia-type issues. A simplistic rule of thumb is that if a person is aware that there may be an issue, there generally isn't. I think we have to keep active, body and mind, eat healthfully and put one foot in front of the other to take each day as it comes.
Feisty56 wrote on August 12, 2015, 11:13 AM
You know, I so don't want to attribute my inability to find the correct word to growing older. Lol I don't deny I am, in fact, getting older, but I'm not convinced it is age alone that's the cause of the issue.
I am trying to imagine you saying those things and can't help but giggle. When I use a word or phrase from my grand kids slang vernacular, all I get is laughs and the kids telling anyone who will listen, "You won't believe it! Grandma said ....!" and more laughter.
LoudMan wrote on August 12, 2015, 2:07 PM
I've been taught, sometimes, the best way to find a solution to a problem is to forget it consciously and go on to do something other than the problem and the brain continues working on it without our mind being in the way.
1AliCanary wrote on August 13, 2015, 5:34 PM
Not sure about the first one ("hype" would be an exaggeration), but the second one is definitely "ingestion". Of course, someone has probably already helped you; I'm notorious for not reading the comments before I leave one. Cheers!
1Feisty56 wrote on August 13, 2015, 6:21 PM
I sure wish that had been the case in my trigonometry/algebra class!
Feisty56 wrote on August 13, 2015, 6:23 PM
Thanks, AliCanary . I actually knew the words to the questions, but used them for examples to illustrate how phrases come to mind, which makes a thesaurus not very helpful at times.
lexiconlover wrote on September 30, 2015, 2:01 PM
I find myself picking up words without really knowing it, usually from books that I happen to be reading.
In middle school I had a teacher who every week gave us "lexicon" cards that we had to find ten words that we didn't know and write the meanings, and use them in a sentence so that we could further expand our vocab.