It doesn’t mean that
Most people use these 10 words incorrectly
Published on September 3, 2026
What is the correct word to describe experiencing nausea? What about saying that you have several choices to pick from? If your first choice was to say "nauseous" or "alternative", you are mistaken. Vocabulary is, in great part, learned through copying and imitating others, but this can also lead to incorrect uses of a word becoming widespread. Let us explore some words that you might be using incorrectly!
Nauseous
Many people use "nauseous" to describe feeling sick or experiencing nausea, but this is incorrect. Nauseous primarily means something that causes sickness or nausea, such as spoiled food or foul smells.
The correct term for feeling sick is "nauseated", although some people consider that "feeling nauseous" has become so common that it is acceptable in informal speech.
Enormity
This word definitely has something to do with size, but not in the way that many would think. Nowadays, we hear "enormity" used to describe huge things, but the better word for that would be "enormousness".
The correct use of "enormity" is related to bad things, wickedness, and evil, such as the "enormity of a crime" or "the enormity of a tragedy".
Refute
If you use the word "refute" to mean "opposing an argument", you are not wrong, but you are not necessarily right either. If you are simply opposing or presenting a counter-argument, "deny" or "rebut" would be more appropriate.
To properly refute something, saying it’s incorrect is not enough. You have to prove that the argument or claim is false with logic and supporting evidence.
Fortuitous
Have you ever described an encounter or event as "fortuitous"? Maybe a stranger helped you at the right moment, or you found a $100 bill in your pocket. These are indeed fortuitous events, but not because they are beneficial to you.
The word "fortuitous" means that something happens by pure chance or accident, but does not necessarily involve luck or good fortune.
Disinterested
One would think that by adding the prefix dis- (meaning "opposite" or "apart") to the word "interested", the resulting meaning would be "not interested" or "bored". However, the correct term for not being interested is "uninterested".
What does disinterested mean, then? It does convey a lack of interest, in the sense that one does not have any personal gain in the situation and is able to be fair, neutral, and unbiased.
Skeptic
Many people define themselves as a skeptic about certain topics or beliefs, but are they really skeptics or are they mere deniers? The term "denier" carries a negative connotation, so it’s easy to see why someone wouldn’t use it to define themselves, but "skeptic" has a different meaning.
Skeptics question a statement or claim, but they do it based on evidence. They assess the facts and are open to changing their mind if the evidence proves them wrong. On the other hand, deniers flat-out reject the claim or belief, and close themselves to any fact or evidence.
Nonplussed
It is common to hear "nonplussed" to describe someone being calm or unfazed by things, but did you know that its proper meaning is the opposite? It actually means that you are so surprised or confused that you don’t know what to say or do.
The word comes from the Latin non plus, meaning "no more" or "no further", and it was initially used for a standstill situation where nothing else could be said or done. Eventually, it shifted to describe being in that standstill state, with no idea what to do.
Alternative
Is "alternative" synonymous with "choice"? Yes, but only sometimes. Although it is common to hear about having "multiple alternatives", by definition an alternative is a choice between two things.
The word comes from the Latin alter, "the other", traditionally used for choices with two different options. If the choices are multiple, they are simply choices.
Dilemma
It is common to hear problems described as dilemmas, but while all dilemmas are a problem, not all problems are a dilemma. A problem is a difficult situation that needs to be solved. There might be more than one solution, and some problems might be easier than others.
A dilemma, however, is never easy or clear, because it presents two choices, none of them attractive. No matter the choice, the outcome will be negative.
Inflammable
In many words, the prefix in- means "not", which might make one think that words like "inflammable" mean "not flammable". However, many words use the prefix in- to mean "into" or "to cause to be", and inflammable is one of them.
The English vocabulary adopted the term "flammable", meaning something that easily catches fire, from Latin. But Latin also had the term inflammare, meaning "to set on fire", from which we got inflammable, which means that "flammable" and "inflammable" are synonyms, and their opposite is "non-flammable".
