24 Charming Words in the English Language That We Should Use More Often

We love words. We can’t get enough of them. Why say “loud” when you can say “sonorous”? Or why say “dawn” when you can say “aurora”? We love Gen Z slang as much as the next person, but in a bid to protect the complexities of the English language, here are 24 charming words in the English dictionary that we ought to use more often.

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Mellifluous (adjective): a sound that is sweet, smooth, and pleasing to hear.
Used in a sentence: Her voice was mellifluous and soothing.

Epoch (noun): a specific era in history or a person’s life.
Used in a sentence: Spanish colonialism was an impactful epoch of Philippine history.

Nefarious (adjective): wicked or villainous.
Used in a sentence: Malificent was particularly nefarious.

Ineffable (adjective): too great to be expressed in words.
Used in a sentence: The ineffable complexity of the multiverse is worthy of reverence.

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Somnambulist (noun): A person who sleepwalks.
Used in a sentence: Never wake up a somnambulist.

Sonorous (adjective): a deep and full sound.
Used in a sentence: His sonorous voice stood out in the choir.

Serendipity (noun): the fortuitous unfolding of events that benefit you.
Used in a sentence: It’s serendipity that we met like this.

Limerence (noun): the state of being intensely infatuated with another person.
Used in a sentence: Limerence blinded me in the first few months of our relationship.

Bombinate (verb): to emit a humming or buzzing sound.
Used in a sentence: The bees liked to bombinate in the early morning.

Ethereal (adjective): elegant and otherworldly.
Used in a sentence: She stunned everyone with her ethereal beauty.

Iridescent (adjective): producing a display of rainbow-like colors.
Used in a sentence: The sky was an iridescent pink.

Epiphany (noun): a moment of sudden revelation.
Used in a sentence: I had an epiphany the moment I left the office.

Supine (adjective): lying face upwards.
Used in a sentence: For most of the day, I was laying supine in my bed, trying to avoid the world.

Aurora (noun): dawn.
Used in a sentence: The aurora was a stunning sight in the sky.

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Syzygy (noun): an alignment of celestial bodies.
Used in a sentence: The sun and moon were in syzygy.

Phosphenes (noun): the light and colors produced by rubbing one's eyes.
Used in a sentence: I was so tired that when I rubbed my eyes, I could see only phosphenes.

Ephemeral (adjective): lasting for a very short time.
Used in a sentence: Celebrities might be famous now, but icons are ephemeral.

Callipygian (adjective): having shapely buttocks.
Used in a sentence: That ass was callipygian.

Petrichor (noun): the pleasant, earthy smell that comes after rain.
Used in a sentence: The smell of petrichor in the air made me feel nostalgic for my youth.

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Denouement (noun): the outcome of a complex sequence of events.
Used in a sentence: Death is the last denouement.

Ataraxia (noun): pure serenity.

Used in a sentence: Life’s ultimate goal should be to reach the state of ataraxia.

Psithurism (noun): the sound of the wind rustling the leaves.
Used in a sentence: The hills were quiet except for the gentle psithurism.

Ardor (noun): intense passion.
Used in a sentence: My ardor for you has no bounds.

Macabre (adjective): dark or disturbing.
Used in a sentence: He had a macabre sense of humor.