Buzz
With thousands of words in the English language, it’s likely that the perfect term exists. However, when it comes to articulating complex emotions, English is often criticized for its limitations. We often borrow from foreign languages to describe specific situations, such as thinking of the perfect retort too late (esprit de l’escalier—courtesy of French), or rely on imaginative but fictional resources like the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows or The Meaning of Liff.
Yet, the English language is so expansive that it includes words for nuanced emotions and human experiences. Instead of using esprit de l’escalier, you can use afterwit, a term that has been part of English since the late 1500s. Below are 15 more rare English words to describe otherwise elusive feelings.
1. Croochie-Proochles
The excellent Scots term croochie-proochles describes the unease or restlessness experienced when sitting in a confined space, such as on an airplane.
2. Nikhedonia
Imagine you’re in a game and suddenly realize victory is assured. Or perhaps your favorite team is on the brink of winning after a tight match. That sense of joy and anticipation is nikhedonia—the feeling of exhilaration that comes from foreseeing success.
3. Alysm
Alysm refers to the feeling of agitation or wearisome boredom caused by illness. It’s that frustration of wanting to be productive but being too unwell to even get out of bed.
4. Shivviness
A shive refers to a small splinter, fragment, or a loose thread on fabric. Shivviness, an old Yorkshire dialect term, stems from this and captures the uneasy sensation of wearing new underwear—a word that deserves broader recognition.
5. Déjà-visité
While not originally English, déjà-visité has been adopted from French, much like déjà-vu, though it’s far less commonly used. It describes the strange feeling of instinctively navigating a place you’ve never visited before.
6. Presque-Vu
Another term borrowed from French is presque-vu, which translates to “almost seen.” It describes the frustrating sensation of being on the verge of recalling something but not quite grasping it.
7. Gwenders
The tingling sensation in your fingers when they’re cold is known as gwenders.
8. Misslieness
The Scots term misslieness captures the feeling of loneliness that arises when you long for someone or something dear to you.
9. and 10. Euneirophrenia and Malneirophrenia
Derived from the Greek word oneiros, meaning dream, English has embraced several rare terms like oneirocriticism (dream interpretation), oneirodynia (a night troubled by bad dreams), and these two. Euneirophrenia describes the peace felt after waking from a good dream, while malneirophrenia refers to the distress or discomfort following a nightmare.
11. Lonesome-Fret
The feeling of restlessness or discomfort from prolonged solitude is called lonesome-fret, an 18th- or 19th-century dialect term defined as “ennui from loneliness” in the English Dialect Dictionary.
12. Fat-Sorrow
“Sorrow eased by wealth”—or, in simpler terms, sadness softened by material possessions—is known as fat-sorrow. This term is famously tied to the old saying, “fat sorrow is better than lean sorrow.”
13. Horror Vacui
The aversion some people have to leaving empty spaces, whether on walls or in room decor, is called horror vacui. This Latin phrase entered English in the mid-1800s, describing artists’ tendency to fill every part of their work with intricate details.
14. Crapulence
When hangover doesn’t quite capture the feeling, there’s crapulence. According to the OED, it refers to the discomfort or illness caused by overindulgence in food or drink.
15. Huckmuck
According to the English Dialect Dictionary, the disarray caused by items being out of place—such as when tidying up your home—is referred to as huckmuck.
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