Wayne State group revives old words in new year
The annual Word Warriors list features rarely used terms and offers a fun counterpoint to another school’s banished words list.
If you resolved to beef up your vocabulary in 2025, Wayne State University’s Word Warriors are here to help.
Each year, the group invites people to submit words that have fallen out of use over time. The Word Warriors sift through the entries and choose the ones they believe deserve to be revived.
Chris Williams works with words daily. He’s the assistant director of editorial services in WSU’s Marketing and Communications Office. He also curates the Word Warriors list.
Williams says people submit words every week.
“We’ll look them over and we’ll see if we think they cut the mustard,” he says.
The group adds new words to its Facebook page. Williams says the more users like certain words, the more likely they’ll make the annual top ten list.
“Some of these words are just really fun, and we want to encourage people to use this in their writing or conversation,” he said.
This year’s words (and definitions) include:
- ensorcelled (enchanted, bewitched)
- honeyfuggle (to ingratiate oneself by deceit)
- hurkle-durkle (to lounge in bed long after it’s time to get up)
- inure (to accustom someone to something, especially something unpleasant)
- scaramouch (a cowardly buffoon)
- shackbaggerly (in a loose or disorderly manner)
- sonsy (having an attractive and healthy appearance)
- syzygy (the nearly straight-line configuration of at least three celestial bodies in a gravitational system, such as an eclipse)
- tiffin (a light meal, often lunch)
- vesper (evening)
Williams says the Word Warriors list makes a good counterpoint to Lake Superior State University’s annual list of “banished” words and phrases.
Related: Lake Superior State University shares Banished Words list for 2025
“They want to take some words out of the English language, we want to bring some back, and maybe that provides some balance,” Williams said.
He invites people to submit for next year’s list at the Word Warriors website.
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