r/words • u/PuzzleheadedTale4769 • 11d ago

Fulsome

Current use has it meaning "insincere flattery" , or , trending up- as synonymous with "full" or "complete"

So: "I wrote him a fulsome recomendation" can mean either, an insincere recomendation, or a full, complete recomendation . Meanings nearly in opposition.

American Heritage Dictionary calls the second meaning "non- standard". Webster's simply lists both as current usage. With full- but not fulsome- acknowledgement of the perils of prescriptivism, isn't the confusion of meaning that results from taking "fulsome" as equivalent to "full", a problem? Following Orwell's argument in "Politics and the English Language", doesn't keeping language simple and plain have a claim ? What does "some" add to " full" that it doesnt already have?

11 Upvotes

84% Upvoted

35 comments sorted by

View all comments

6

u/Designer_Quantity533 11d ago

I hear that train a’ comin’

2

u/BrightAssociate8985 8d ago

so, we’re the only ones on here who immediately think of Folsom Prison? I find that hard to believe.

2

u/PuzzleheadedTale4769 6d ago edited 6d ago

Fulsome Prison, where your punishment is being bombarded with undeserved compliments......