Dread Quote by Ambrose Bierce
“OBSOLETE, adj. No longer used by the timid. Said chiefly of words. A word which some lexicographer has marked obsolete is ever thereafter an object of dread and loathing to the fool writer . . .”
About This Quote
Source Dictionary Entry: Obsolete, 1911
Obsolete words are abandoned by the timid, feared by foolish writers, implying language evolves and clinging to old terms can be limiting.
In simple terms: Obsolete words are feared by timid writers.
Key Takeaway
Embrace linguistic evolution.
Themes
language
change
fear
Mood
thoughtful
scholarly
Type
lexicographic
literary
When to use this quote
- writing workshops
- linguistic studies
Key Concepts
lexicography
cultural evolution
Questions to Reflect On
- What drives language change?
- How can writers balance tradition and innovation?
A Different Perspective
May resist useful tradition.
![“ABNORMAL, adj. Not conforming to standard. In matters of thought and conduct, to be independent is to be abnormal, to be abnormal is to be detested. Wherefore the lexicographer adviseth a striving toward the straiter [sic] resemblance of the Average Man than he hath to himself. Whoso attaineth…” quote by Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/029/ambrose-bierce-140_abnormal_abnormal-adj-not-conforming-to-standard_793483.jpg)
