This started as a lark between Dayle Dermatis and me. We would give one another props for “using a fantastic word naturally in conversation.” And one day one of us said, “We should keep a list!”

The list went back and forth over email for years, was lost for a while, and then revived. I’ve posted it here to give us a more permanent home for the list. Enjoy.

Fantastic Words Used Naturally in Conversation

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The Official List of Fantastic Words When Used
Naturally in Conversation
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A
allay
amalgam
B
bailiwick (1/14)
beget
behemoth
behoove
bereft
besotted
blasted heath (10/09)
C
coalesce
colluded (7/11)
colossal (9/00)
consternation
copacetic (9/00)
D
E
epiphany
eschew
F
flaccid
G
galvanize (8/10)
gibbous (10/09)
H
I
immolate
incendiary
insidious
J
L
K
M
magnanimous
masticating
maudlin
minutiae
N
O
obfuscate (3/14)
P
panacea
perambulate (8/10)
petulance (10/09) – “Morgana just flung her whipped cream onto the table in a fit of petulance.”
plethora
politik
Q
R
recuse
S
salient
suppurating (12/08)
T
U
unexpurgated (10/11)
V
veritable
verklempt (3/14)
vet (8/06) – def 2a: to subject to usually expert appraisal or correction – vet a manuscript
vilify (1/07)
vitrolic
W
X
Y
Z