20 of the Most Beautiful Words in the English Language
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Some words are a pleasure just to say. Here are 20 of the most beautiful words in English — from serendipity to petrichor — with what each one means and why it lingers.
20 of the Most Beautiful Words in the English Language
Some words carry their beauty in their meaning. Others carry it in their sound — the way they feel on the tongue or linger in the ear. The loveliest do both.
Here are 20 of the most beautiful words in English, gathered from the vocabulary our word-lovers return to again and again. Read them slowly. A few might just become yours.
Words for wonder and feeling
1. Serendipity (n.) — the gift of finding something wonderful precisely when you weren't looking for it.
2. Reverie (n.) — a state of pleasant, drifting daydream.
3. Sangfroid (n.) — cool, unshaken composure in the face of danger or stress.
4. Blithe (adj.) — carefree, lighthearted, and cheerful.
5. Riant (adj.) — smiling; cheerful and mirthful.
6. Enrapture (v.) — to fill someone with overwhelming delight.
7. Fervent (adj.) — burning with passion and sincerity.
Words for the senses and the natural world
8. Petrichor (n.) — the earthy scent that rises when rain finally falls on dry ground.
9. Dappled (adj.) — marked with soft, shifting spots of light and shade.
10. Aubade (n.) — a song or poem that greets the dawn.
11. Nemophilist (n.) — one who loves the forest and its quiet beauty.
12. Sobremesa (n.) — the unhurried conversation that lingers at the table long after the meal.
13. Duende (n.) — a mysterious power to move and enchant, especially in art or music.
Words that shimmer
14. Ethereal (adj.) — so delicate and light it seems to belong to another world.
15. Seraphic (adj.) — serenely radiant, like an angel.
16. Refulgent (adj.) — shining with a brilliant, glowing light.
17. Incarnadine (adj.) — a soft crimson; the pink-red of a blush.
18. Vivify (v.) — to bring to life; to fill with energy and color.
19. Je ne sais quoi (n.) — an indefinable quality that makes something alluring.
20. Susurration (n.) — a soft whispering or rustling — of leaves, of voices, of the sea.
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