10 words you're not using correctly

When it comes to vocabulary, it's easy to mix things up. Does disinterested mean the same thing as uninterested? What's the meaning of enormity? Is enormousness actually a word? Check out this video to learn the meanings and differences between these words and others, including simplistic & simple, hung & hanged, bemused & amused, cliche & cliched, and more. Think you already know the meanings of these easily confused words? Try your luck with the quiz at https://www.engvid.com/10-words-youre... ! I guarantee it is anything but simplistic.

Next, watch my lesson on the difference between WHO & WHOM:
   • Improve your English: WHO or WHOM?  

TRANSCRIPT

Hey, everyone. I'm Alex. Thanks for clicking, and welcome to this lesson on ten words you are probably not using correctly. So, just like the title says, I will look at ten words that most people think they know the meanings of, but really you might not. So, this video is intended for people whose first language is English or advanced speakers who are studying the language. Let's not waste any more time. Here we go with number one.

"Bemused". "Bemused" means: Perplexed, puzzled, bewildered. Most people confuse it with the word "amused", so it does not mean amused. Sentence example: "The plot left me feeling bemused." If you watched a confusing movie, the plot was weird, strange, difficult to understand - it puzzled you, it perplexed you, it left you feeling bemused. Now, if you watch a comedy, that leaves you amused. All right. Let's continue to number two.

"Cliché". This one usually comes down to pronunciation. So, "cliché" is actually a noun; it is not an adjective. The adjective version is "clichéd" with the little "d" at the end. So, you can say: "Hollywood blockbusters are full of clichés" - noun. But if you want to use the adjective: "His acceptance speech was so clichéd." All right? So, make sure: If you want to say something is or was clichéd, that you're using that "d" at the end; and if you want to say something is full of clichés, you're using the noun in that case. Let's move on to number three.

"Disinterested". This means unbiased or not influenced by selfish motivation. It does not mean uninterested, as if you're not interested in something. For example: "Professional referees need to be disinterested." So, a hockey referee, a basketball referee, a football referee - they need to be disinterested; unbiased. Also think of a supreme court judge - they cannot have bias. We need a disinterested judge or a disinterested party; a mediator. And the use of "uninterested": "I'm uninterested in sports", if you're not interested in sports, for example. All right, here we go. Number four.

"Enormity". This means extreme evil; not enormousness. Yes, "enormousness" is an actual word in the dictionary. For example: "We cannot accept the enormity of child labour!" The extreme evil of child labour. And here we have "enormousness": "The enormousness of the pyramids must be seen to be believed", not the "enormity". All right? The enormousness - the size. Let's move on to number five.

"Fortuitous" - this means unplanned or coincidental. It does not mean lucky or fortunate. For example: "We ran into a fortuitous obstacle" - an unplanned problem; something you didn't plan for, and that was a coincidence when you were doing your project. And here we have "fortunate": "We were fortunate to qualify for the tax rebate." So, we were lucky or fortunate. Let's move on to number six.

"Noisome". This means smelly. It doesn't mean noisy. For example: "The noisome fish market gave me a headache." So, I'm walking in the fish market, the smells are so strong, so powerful that I start not feeling well and I got a headache. Now, it is possible to say: "The noisy fish market gave me a headache", but here, the cause is the noise; the volume of the people talking, and selling, and buying in the fish market. So, remember: "noisome" - smell; "noisy" - hearing. Let's move on to number seven.

"Nonplussed". This means stunned or bewildered; shocked, if you will. It does not mean unimpressed. It sounds like it would. "I am nonplussed" - not impressed. But it means I am stunned. Okay? So, for example: "The witnesses were nonplussed by the accident." They were stunned, bewildered by the accident. Or: "She was unimpressed by the play." So, if you're... You can be nonplussed by a play as well if it's very shocking, like "12 Angry Men" - excellent. You can feel nonplussed after that; there are some shocking, you know, revelations there. But you can also be unimpressed by a play or a performance. Whew, nonplussed. Let's continue with number eight.

"Refute". This means to prove something to be false. It does not mean to allege or argue that something is false. It means to prove it without the shadow of a doubt. So: "The lawyer refuted the defendant's story." The lawyer proved that the defendant's story was a lie. Proved that it wasn't true. […]