In between a grocery list and a frantic recount of a dream written at 4:23 AM, is a list of my favourite words. Words that I first read in a book or heard in a song, which instantly sparked something within my English literature and language-loving heart. Words that cause me to immediately clamour onto the Merriam-Webster website to learn how to use grammatically correctly. Words I’ve woven into my daily vocabulary and slipped in essays hundreds of times. Words that you may have already recognized as my favourites, because I’ve used them in every post on this very Substack.
But in case you haven’t, here are some of my favourite words with why I love them & stories of how they found their way onto this list.
clandestine (adj.): undertaken or done so as to escape being observed or known by others
There’s a park near my childhood home with a path, soccer fields, and a steep hill overgrown with weeds and bushes. If you dare venture down, you’ll find a patch of trees. The branches form a natural canopy, creating a secretive space ideal for holding clandestine meetings. Every time I think of this word, I remember the thrill of discovering hidden places, quiet and unseen.
denouement (n.): the final resolution of the intricacies of a plot, as of a drama or novel
After learning about narrative structure in elementary school, I became fascinated by this word. I remember the particular joy I felt when I realized that “exposition” (the beginning) starts with an “e” while “denouement” (the end) starts with a “d.” It felt like a delightful, almost poetic symmetry, a reminder that beginnings and endings are forever linked in the stories we tell.
esoteric (adj.): designed for or understood by the specially initiated alone; requiring or exhibiting knowledge that is restricted to a small group
I love the sound of this word—it’s one of those words that feels almost strange when you say it, yet it rolls off the tongue in a way that captivates me. It sounds like a secret, a hidden meaning only a few can access. It’s a word that makes you want to be in the know.
eulogize (v.): to speak or write in high praise of
I first encountered “eulogize” as a verb (as opposed to a eulogy) in Taylor Swift’s song The Lakes and immediately used it in my first English assignment of the year. The word’s weight and its poetic connotations of remembrance made a lasting impact on me. It carries a solemn, almost romantic sense of reverence for the past.
idyllic (adj.): pleasing or picturesque in natural simplicity
Idyllic conjures serene images of sun-dappled afternoons, peaceful moments by a lake, or birdsong drifting on a warm breeze. It’s a word that speaks to a longing for simplicity and calm, a yearning for a life unhurried and untroubled by complexity.
melancholy (n.): a pensive mood
This might just be my all-time favourite word. It is a stunning word that perfectly describes a quiet, reflective sadness. I find myself drawn to it every time I need a word to describe that certain wistful feeling. It encapsulates the solemn beauty which I find paint the skies of my days, and has invited me to apprciate the introspection.
nostalgia (n.): a wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for return to or of some past period or irrecoverable condition
This word carries a bittersweet beauty, like a memory that refuses to fade, no matter how much time passes. As the years have gone by, I’ve found myself growing more familiar with the tug of nostalgia—the pull of moments and places that no longer exist but continue to shape who I am.
palpable (adj.): capable of being touched or felt; easily perceptible’
There’s something about the idea of something being so tangible that it can be felt in the air. The word itself feels almost physical, as if you could reach out and touch the syllables as they’re spoken aloud. It’s a word that makes abstract concepts feel real and present, as though the intangible can suddenly be grasped.
precocious (adj.): exceptionally early in development or occurrence
It’s probably no secret by now that I love words with a sharp, hard “c” sound. I actually didn’t realize this fact until I began curating this list. This is a word I often heard teachers and mentors using to describe me growing up, so I have a certain fondness for it.
queue (n.): a waiting line especially of persons or vehicles
This is the longest word that sounds like a single letter. I probably first encountered it in a fun facts book as a kid (I was a bit of a know-it-all at seven). “Q” has also always been a particuarly perculiar letter to me.
revere (v): to show devoted deferential honor to; regard as worthy of great honor
The feeling of reverence is powerful whether it’s directed toward a person, an idea, or even a place. It has this grandness to it, like something sacred. It’s a word that carries a weight of admiration, which I find deeply beautiful and solemn.
serendipity (n.): the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for
The sound of this word is as light and beautiful as the concept it describes. Serendipity has a way of embodying a perfect moment of unexpected joy—a reminder that sometimes the best things in life are the ones we don’t plan for. It evokes the peace and magic of life’s spontaneous blessings.
translucent (adj.): permitting the passage of light
As a child, I was mystified by the concept of translucency. How could something be neither completely transparent nor entirely opaque? It’s a beautiful metaphor for those moments in life that aren’t fully clear yet still allow light to shine through, moments where understanding is just beginning to take form.
vignette (n.): a picture (such as an engraving or photograph) that shades off gradually into the surrounding paper; a short descriptive literary sketch'
This is one of those words that paints a picture in itself. I fell in love with it in my last year of high school, using it to describe my life: a collection of fleeting, poignant moments, each one quietly fading into the next. It’s a word that feels like a photograph, capturing a moment and allowing it to linger just a little longer.
wanderlust (n.): strong longing for or impulse toward wandering
Wanderlust encapsulates my restless spirit, a constant yearning for the unknown and the unexplored. It’s a word that captures the feeling of always looking beyond the horizon, never quite content to stay in one place, both physically and mentally. It’s perfectly described the intense yearning that is the heartbeat of humanity.
these are so beautiful definitely using these in the near future
This list feels like my favourite list!