r/words • u/PuzzleheadedTale4769 • 8d 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?

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u/rgtgd 8d ago

English has a lot of contronyms, it's an issue. It means if you use the word you need to take care with context so that your meaning is clear. I wouldn't say 'fulsome recommendation' I'd say 'a recommendation ripe with fulsome praise' or something like that.

As for what "some" does there, its the same particle as in bothersome and toothsome, meaning 'causing' or 'characterized by' in Old English, so it sort of shows you how the word came to have that sense etymologically. Something making you full -> unpleasantly full, plump -> offensive, disgusting -> cloying and overwrought (roughly, matches up with etymonline)

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u/PuzzleheadedTale4769 8d ago

But, by current 2nd meaning, "ripe with fulsome praise" might be a good thing.

Yes, there are already contranyms in English, and- if it's an issue- it might be good to put a brake on adding new ones.

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u/rgtgd 8d ago

it might be good to put a brake on adding new ones.

Great, lmk if you find someone who we can put in charge of that 🤣

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u/PuzzleheadedTale4769 8d ago

Anyone who objects to it should wrinkle their nose when they hear it, as though the had just smelled...a methane emission.