Made Up Words Writing Challenge
Neologisms rock!
I love words.
That’s probably one of the reasons why I write.
Last spring, a group of playful writers (The Crew) participated in an ongoing challenge where we made up Words That Should Be In The Dictionary.
I also find challenges inspiring so I’ve decided to combine the two.
Choose a word from our list of made-up words and write a story or poem, or whatever else comes to you.
This 30-day challenge is open, so jump in anytime.
The only thing I ask is that you tag me Tree Langdon so I can enjoy your creation and add the tag #MadeUpWords.
We’re happy to have you submit to WriteUnderTheMoon if you’d like to join us here. (Submission guidelines).
Please use the tag ‘Write Under The Moon’ on your story.
Here are the selected word prompts in no particular order.
1. Autopologiser
How to know if you are an autopologiser: someone bumps into you in the street and you say sorry. You say it again when some arrogant fool pushes you aside in the elevator so that they can get out first. Maybe you even say it to your toast in the morning if you’ve burned it. Whatever the case, you say it so much it has lost all meaning.
2. Perplexium
When you enter a room and forget why you are there, you are in a state of perplexium. It could also be used as a noun to describe the room where confused people go to sit and ponder deep questions.
3. Fridea
A bad idea. The sort you might make late on Friday afternoon when you’re literally counting down the seconds to the weekend. And it goes without saying: fried ear is a fridea.
4. Grumpelstiltskin
A person who is in a bad mood because they can’t work something out. You might be a Grumpelstiltskin if you’re struggling with a crossword, sudoku or guessing the name of the miller’s daughter. Not all Grumpelstiltskins meet a Grimm end.
5. Faffinator
A faffinator is never, ever on time for anything. They’d be late for their own wedding, and possibly even their own funeral as well. You tell them your event is happening half an hour earlier than it actually is, in the hopes that they’ll arrive on time, but somehow they are still late.
6. Dictern
A futuristic personal device that gets buried into the ground at the age of 22 and is only unearthed again at the age of 58. A dictern contains the wishes and ambitions of the individual and serves as a reminder of their youthful ideations and offers a chance to continue to seize life as one gets older.
7. Classifried
Fried foods such as zucchini sticks or fried pickles from a fancy restaurant, preferably with craft beer on the menu. Also a rap video about a man selling his car in the classifieds.
8. Kelepticon
Kelepticons are devices. What kind? Nobody really knows. All we know is that they were discovered on the ocean floor some years ago, and their composition and function are unlike anything we’ve seen on this planet before. Scientists are still conducting research diagnostics and various other forms of screening to help elucidate their functions.
9. Managerie
This is what a menagerie of managers is called, typically a group of people in large corporate houses whose only visible role is shifting work between people. Largely known for not producing anything of value, they are present in all medium and large companies. Also known as the dreaded “middle management”.
10. Merritating
Merritating is when you begin meditating (with the best of intentions), but your mind is focused on making merry instead, and the ensuing battle within begins to get irritating.
11. Confoundium
Confoundium is the state you find yourself in after umpteen Zoom calls when after many distractions and multitasking, you suddenly find your name called out and no clue as to what was said before it.
12. Aweshortsome
This is when you feel awesome, but you sell yourself short just in case the other person does not think so. My last article was aweshortsome.
13. Underseated
Describes a situation where everybody understands the topic being discussed, but you don’t quite get it, so you seat down quietly hoping no one called you out
14. Underconstandable
This is when you are working out what you have just been told.
15. Powgry
This is the perfect word for power-hungry
16. Cigatese
When you are trying to give up smoking, and your mate lights up a cigarette in front of yea, git…
17. Naptitude
Did you have a naptitude today? Naptitude is the feeling of irritation you get after a nap you didn’t want to end. We’ve all been there, wishing time would just stop and allow us a few more minutes! I had a naptitude yesterday, actually, and sulked all the way off my bed, wondering if productivity was a necessity.
18. Avocadhore
Avocados make the world a better place. An avocadhore is someone who eats avocados with everything (including those weird combos like avocados and chocolate). When they aren’t eating them, they are thinking of eating them. I am an avocadhore (sorry, not sorry).
19. Dipnoodle
First off is a word that you need to keep at the ready in case you are driving with extended family, your boss, or young kids. The next time that a**hole cuts you off, you can utter the words, “What a dipnoodle” softly and vent some of your understandable anger in a G-rated fashion.
20. Polate
And finally, as my subtitle suggests, sometimes we are late in our responses when we really don’t want to be. In those cases, we try to be as nice and sweet as possible, so people don’t make as many negative references to our tardiness. In times like this, we are trying to be “Polate”.
21. Adjegasm
- when reading the perfect description in a poem causes you to gasp spontaneously.
22. Hiberluctance
If you live somewhere cold, you’ll know this one. It’s the absolute dread of getting out of bed on a frosty morning. Maybe it happens in the middle of the night when you have to cross the cold bathroom floor to go to the toilet. Most often it occurs when it’s time to get up on a workday.
23. Nempty
If your fridge is nempty, it’s not empty, but it might as well be. You are hungry. But you don’t want to eat anything you actually own. You don’t know how long those scrapings of stew have been clinging to the bowl in there, there are mysterious sauces that you suspect have passed their use-by date and a selection of tired vegetables that you don’t even like and can’t remember buying.
24. Inatores
Inatores are individuals who combine various skills and leverage them to turn profits. They are not limited to one specific occupation and find the best opportunities through serendipity.
25. Bluzy
Bluzy is what you are when you are pretending to be busy but are actually feeling blue.
26. Vebhetting.
To give someone a verbal headbutting.
27. Conshi
Rubbish wifi connection. Ahh, not again, it’s absolutely shite!
28. Aweshortsome:
(adjective) This is when you feel awesome, but you sell yourself short just in case the other person does not think so.
29. Slurt
That one friend that cannot keep secrets is a slurt. She’s always blurting things out… gender reveals before the actual reveal, announcing your ugly breakup to everyone, going about ‘accidentally’ ruining surprises. Do we want to beat her up? Hell yeah, but we love her too much to do anything other than giving her the ‘you-just-fucked-up’ stare.
30. Make up your own word
Yes, this is your chance to tell us the word you think should be in the dictionary and then write about it. You know you want to join The Crew. For this one, make sure you tag me so I can add you and your word to the infamous Word by Word Dictionary.
Words In Motion is taking off. It’s a 3-minute read that contains content that isn’t watered down. Subscribe to move your life in another direction.
I’m tagging editors of Write Under The Moon and The Crew in case you’re interested in playing along.
Dr. Preeti Singh, Claire Kelly, Holly Kellums, Stuart Englander, Holly, Marcus, Noorain Hassan, BMS, Josh Balerite Acol, Stuart Englander, Jupiter Grant, Dennett, Jennifer McDougall, Janny's heart, Daniel G. Clark, Paroma Sen, Eashan Reddy Kotha, Keno Ogbo, James G Brennan, Timothy Key, Uchechi Obasi, Adam Slawson, Rebecca Sealfon, Marne Platt
