Laugh Loud and Often

I have chosen to be a communicator in my profession, even though English is not my native language .. a bit ironic if you think about it. Just as Julie Andrews sings of some of her favorite things in the "Sound of Music," I am also fond of some words in the English language.

I like some words because of the way they sound; others, for their denotations; still others, for their connotations; and for some, just because I have a strong memory of learning them (usage, pronunciation, etc.). Listed below, in no particular order and not listing variations (noun, verb, adverb), are some of my favorite words. For some odd reason, I do have a preference for a word function: verb > adjective> noun > adverb > preposition > transitive verb

Test your word power, or navigate to Merriam-Webster's online dictionary and thesaurus if you need to look up a word; I hope to eventually pre-link all these words. New words are added after the marker; current marker: zen

akimbo | chance | play | random | nonchalant | oxymoron | cleave | serendipity | swirl | limbo | information environmentalism | ruckus | catalyst | pandemonium | explore | ambrosia | quintessential | karma | colloquial | ascertain | quasi | spartan | neutron | wormhole | mash | meander | foil | engross | brouhaha | leech | discover | epiphany | plethora | fluffer | kudo | poseur | brevity | continuum | kibosh | stigmatize | inspire| tesla | smorgasboard | swell | mofo | ubiquity | murmur | delicious | juggernaut | transgress | kaleidoscope | guru | phase | twilight | jinx | enigma | luminescence | clandestine | slumber | dandy | assimilate | pseudo | flux | shard | luciferase | affect | nonplus | covet | zen | bliss | nirvana | iconoclast | meloncholy |

What are some of your favorite words? Though all words are linked to Merriam-Websters, another useful dictionary search resource is OneLook.