Skeptimistic: a stupid word
Just noticed another Google search for "skeptimistic" has led to this site. Listen up, people. Skeptimistic is stupid. It adds nothing to our language that is not already conveyed by the real words that it illegitimately spawned from. I want to go on record as saying that I firmly disapprove of this bastard word. I am dumber for ever having heard it.
10 comments:
Like "guesstimate"? I hate that word.
>^..^<
Hmm. I sort of like this "skeptimistic." And I'm even a skeptimistic kind of person.
The more you mention the word, the more people will find you through googling it...
Do you have an opinion on "supposably"? ;)
Apart from Joey on "Friends," (and, thereafter, my wife and I) I have never heard anyone use that word. Therefore, it's still funny. If it comes into common use, it will be another source of grammatical outrage.
There are two definitions of the word. It seems you are assuming the one combining skeptical and pessimistic, which would make it just a grammatical foible that "adds nothing to our language that is not already conveyed by the real words that it illegitimately spawned from".
But the other definition (that makes more sense) is the combination of skeptical and optimistic, which does convey a new conflicted meaning. It is a bit like the word "coopetition" coined in business for competitors who sometimes partner for mutual benefit.
I used it last night, drunk as hell on St. Patty's day, wasn't even sure if it was really a word till I got here, thanks for hosting this page, you made my hangover feel more managable... ;p
Pvillepoet
I disagree with you calling any word a "bastard" word. You should take it back. It's just oxydoxical. All words are derived from the combination of other words, so are many other words. And it's also just plain anti-redundant.
I made it up today for this - http://projects.nytimes.com/flashmob/word/tense - and then found it was already "made up" :-(
i came across skeptimistic by my own accord and i hearby declare myself mickey pierce the official coiner off the word. I reject the given definition as stated as 'optimistic yet skeptical outlook' this is an oxymoronic perversion of its true meaning which is 'skeptimistic; to be actively skeptical, ie. i am entirely skeptimistic about the youth of today and their ability to comprehend satire.
copyright.mickey pierce.earth.2014.
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