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malapropism

mal·a·prop·ism
M m

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [mal-uh-prop-iz-uh m]
    • /ˈmæl ə prɒpˌɪz əm/
    • /ˈmæ.lə.prɒ.pɪ.zəm/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [mal-uh-prop-iz-uh m]
    • /ˈmæl ə prɒpˌɪz əm/

Definitions of malapropism word

  • noun malapropism an act or habit of misusing words ridiculously, especially by the confusion of words that are similar in sound. 1
  • noun malapropism an instance of this, as in “Lead the way and we'll precede.”. 1
  • noun malapropism (uncountable) The blundering use of an absurdly inappropriate word or expression in place of a similar sounding one. 1
  • noun malapropism incorrect use of a word 1
  • noun malapropism the unintentional misuse of a word by confusion with one of similar sound, esp when creating a ridiculous effect, as in I am not under the affluence of alcohol 0
  • noun malapropism the habit of misusing words in this manner 0

Information block about the term

Origin of malapropism

First appearance:

before 1840
One of the 33% newest English words
First recorded in 1840-50; Malaprop + -ism

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Malapropism

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation

malapropism popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 53% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.
This word is included in each student's vocabulary. Most likely there is at least one movie with this word in the title.

malapropism usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for malapropism

noun malapropism

  • inhumanity — the state or quality of being inhuman or inhumane; cruelty.
  • atrocity — An atrocity is a very cruel, shocking action.
  • brutality — Brutality is cruel and violent treatment or behaviour. A brutality is an instance of cruel and violent treatment or behaviour.
  • cruelty — Cruelty is behaviour that deliberately causes pain or distress to people or animals.
  • barbarity — If you refer to someone's behaviour as barbarity, you strongly disapprove of it because you think that it is extremely cruel.

Antonyms for malapropism

noun malapropism

  • praise — the act of expressing approval or admiration; commendation; laudation.
  • kindness — the state or quality of being kind: kindness to animals.
  • niceness — pleasing; agreeable; delightful: a nice visit.

Top questions with malapropism

  • what is malapropism?
  • what does malapropism mean?
  • what is a malapropism?
  • what is the meaning of malapropism?
  • what is the definition of malapropism?
  • what is malapropism in literature?

See also

Matching words

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