MEPX
Chapter 3 of 10All chapters
  1. 1Sound alike
  2. 2Look alike
  3. 3Meanings people get wrong
  4. 4Who is doing what
  5. 5Grammar-driven pairs
  6. 6Words misused at work
  7. 7Phrases people mangle
  8. 8British and American differences
  9. 9Checking yourself
  10. 10Why it matters

Chapter 3 of 10

Meanings people get wrong

Not spelling, sense.

Frequently misused

Ironic is not merely coincidental. Literally means without exaggeration. Nonplussed means bewildered. Enormity means great wickedness. Refute means to disprove, not merely to deny.

  • Usage shifts, and dictionaries record the shift once it is widespread.
  • In formal writing, the traditional sense is the safer choice.

Comprise and compose

The whole comprises the parts; the parts compose the whole. Is comprised of is widely used and widely objected to, so it is worth avoiding in careful writing.