counterword

count·er·word

C c

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [koun-ter-wurd]
- /ˈkaʊn tərˌwɜrd/
- /kˈaʊntəwˌɜːd/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [koun-ter-wurd]
- /ˈkaʊn tərˌwɜrd/

Definitions of counterword word

noun counterword a word widely used in a sense much looser than its original meaning, such as tremendous or awful 3
noun counterword a word, often of short-lived popularity, widely used as an almost meaningless, automatic response. 1
noun counterword a word that has come to be used with a meaning much less specific than that which it had originally, as swell, awful, or terrific. 1
noun counterword A word whose new meaning is overused, and not intended for what the original meaning is. 1
noun counterword A word (for example so) that is frequently used in a reflex-like manner in an answer and that has thereby quickly taken on a new, much less specific or much looser meaning or is even almost meaningless and performs a completely new function. 0
noun counterword Such a word (or a word that has gone through a similar change) when not used as a reflex-like answer. 0

See all 6 definitions of counterword

Information block about the term

Origin of counterword

First appearance:

before 1670

One of the 47% oldest English words

First recorded in 1670-80; counter1 + word

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Counterword

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Counterword

counterword popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 43% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.

According to our data about 55% of words is more used. This is a rare but used term. It occurs in the pages of specialized literature and in the speech of educated people.

counterword usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for counterword

noun counterword

adage — An adage is something which people often say and which expresses a general truth about some aspect of life.
banality — the condition or quality of being banal, or devoid of freshness or originality: the banality of everyday life.
bromide — Bromide is a drug which used to be given to people to calm their nerves when they were worried or upset.
buzzword — A buzzword is a word or expression that has become fashionable in a particular field and is being used a lot by the media.
commonplace — If something is commonplace, it happens often or is often found, and is therefore not surprising.

All 23 Synonyms of counterword