The Highly Selective Dictionary for the Extraordinarily Literate (19 page)

See
jetsam
.

flounder
(flown-d
e
r)
verb

1. move clumsily and with difficulty, as in mud.

2. make mistakes or become confused when trying to do something.

Do not confuse
flounder
with
founder
, which see.

Related word:
flounderingly
adverb
.

flout
(flowt)
verb

1. disobey openly and scornfully.

2. mock; express scorn for.

Careless writers and speakers, encouraged by the siren call of permissive dictionaries, may use
flaunt
, meaning
display ostentatiously
, when
flout
, meaning
express scorn for
, is the meaning intended. While this misuse is often seen, perhaps because the two verbs are close in pronunciation, it should be avoided. Here is a sentence that will help you remember the principal meanings of the two verbs: “People
flaunt
their ignorance when they
flout
established principles of good writing and speech.”

Related words:
flouter
noun
,
floutingly
adverb
.

forceful
(FORS-f
e
l)
adjective

powerful and vigorous; effective; impressive

Do not confuse
forceful
with
forcible
, which see.

Related words:
forcefully
adverb
,
forcefulness
noun
.

forcible
(FOR-s
e
-b
e
l)
adjective

accomplished by force.

Some dictionaries treat
forceful
as one of the meanings of
forcible
, since people more and more use
forcible
in this sense. Notwithstanding, it is worthwhile to maintain the distinction between the two words. Careful writers and speakers use
forceful
in the sense of
powerful and vigorous
,
forcible
in the sense of
accomplished by force
. When inspired, most of us can deliver a
forceful
speech, but only a felon or an authorized person—for example, a police officer or a firefighter—can ever make a
forcible
entry.

Related words:
forcibleness
and
forcibility
(
FOR
-s
e
-BIL-
e
-tee)
both nouns
,
forcibly
adverb
.

forswear
(for-SWAIR)
verb

1. give up.

2. renounce, especially under oath.

3.
forswear oneself
, swear falsely, commit perjury.

Related word:
forswearer
noun
.

forte
(fort)
noun

a person's strong point.

The pronunciation of
forte
as FOR-tay is frequently heard but must be considered incorrect except when
forte
is intended as a term in music, with the meaning of
loud
or
loudly
.

forthcoming
(FORTH-KUM-ing)
adjective

1. about to appear; approaching.

2. made available or produced when needed.

3. willing to give information; responsive.

Related word:
forthcomingness
noun
.

forthwith
(
FORTH
-WI
TH
)
adverb

without delay; immediately.

fortuitous
(for-TOO-i-t
e
s)
adjective

happening by chance; accidental.

Fortuitous
is rapidly losing the meanings given above, with most writers and speakers preferring to use this adjective to mean
lucky
. The adjective they appear to have in mind—if indeed they think about what they are saying—is
fortunate
. So widespread is this rape of
fortuitous
that
lucky
or its equivalent is now given by many dictionaries as a second meaning of this otherwise excellent, unambiguous adjective. Careful writers and speakers resist this misguided use of
fortuitous
, but maybe they are fighting a losing battle. In your own work, fight the good fight to preserve
fortuitous
and keep editors happy.

Related words:
fortuitously
adverb
,
fortuitousness
and
fortuity
(for-TOO-i-tee)
both nouns
.

fortunate
(FOR-ch
e
-nit)
adjective

See
fortuitous
.

founder
(FOWN-d
e
r)
verb

1. of a ship, fill with water and sink.

2. fail completely.

Flounder
, meaning
move clumsily and with difficulty
, is sometimes confused with
founder
, meaning
fail completely
and
fill with water and sink
. Undoubtedly, the similarity in spelling of the two verbs does not make life easy for careless writers and speakers, but the distinction between
founder
and
flounder
should be retained. Remember that you and I can
flounder
helplessly until we get our bearings, and while ships, political parties, organizations, and the like can also
flounder
as they try to make their way through difficult situations, when they are going down for the count, they are
foundering
. And that's as final as things can get.

fractious
(FRAK-sh
e
s)
adjective

irritable, peevish; unruly.

Do not confuse
fractious
with
factious
, which has the meaning
creating tension
. The two words are so nearly identical in spelling that this confusion is understandable. But who ever said good writing is easy? Above all, don't become
fractious
when you must deal with
factious
people.

Related words:
fractiously
adverb
,
fractiousness
noun
.

frangible
(FRAN-j
e
-b
e
l)
adjective

breakable, fragile.

Related words:
frangibility
(
FRAN
-j
e
-BIL-i-tee) and
frangibleness
(FRAN-j
e
-b
e
l-nis)
both nouns
.

fratricide
(FRA-tri-
S
I
D
)
noun

1. the act of killing one's brother or sister.

2. a person who commits this crime.

Related word:
fratricidal
(
FRA
-tri-S
I
D-
e
l)
adjective
.

frenetic
(fr
e
-NET-ik)
adjective

frantic; frenzied.

Related word:
frenetically
adverb
.

friable
(FR
I
-
e
b
e
l)
adjective

easily crumbled, crumbly.

Related words:
friability
(
FR
I
-
e
-BIL-i-tee) and
friableness
(FR
I
-
e
-b
e
l-nis)
both nouns
.

frisson
(free-SAWN)
noun, plural
frissons
(free-SAWNZ)

1. an emotional thrill.

2. a shudder of emotion.

frowzy
(FROW-zee)
adjective
, also given as
frowsy
(FROW-zee)

1. ill-smelling or musty.

2. unkempt; slovenly.

Related words:
frowzily
(FROW-zi-lee)
adverb
,
frowziness
noun
.

fugacious
(fyoo-GAY-sh
e
s)
adjective

1. fleeting, transitory.

2. difficult to capture.

Related words:
fugaciousness
and
fugacity
(fyoo-GAS-i-tee)
both nouns
,
fugaciously
adverb
.

fulsome
(FUUL-s
e
m)
adjective

cloying, excessive, disgusting.

Fulsome
is an example of a word with a well-defined and useful meaning that is in danger of being lost because many writers use the word loosely, and permissive lexicographers write their definitions based on how writers use words rather than how writers should use words. Thus, because many uninformed writers, who may view
fulsome
as a synonym for
full
, use
fulsome
to convey the meaning of
copious
or
abundant
, modern dictionaries often include this sense in writing their definitions. While there is controversy over this use of
fulsome
, there is little doubt today that informed writers and their editors wish to preserve the meaning of
fulsome
as
cloying, excessive
, and
disgusting
. At the same time, because of the need to avoid ambiguity in your writing, you ought to use
fulsome
only to convey the meanings given above, and make it clear you do not mean
copious
or
abundant
.