Lecture 10: Words for the Everyday and the Elite
z To remember vapid, highlight vap and think of the related word
vapor; in fact, vapid comes from the Latin vapidus, meaning “that
has exhaled its vapor.” Vapid was originally used in English in a
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vapor. Over time, however, vapidDGGHGDEURDGHUPRUH¿JXUDWLYH
connotation to describe anything that is lacking in zest and spirit.z Vapid and insipid are closely related synonyms that both mean
lacking interesting or exciting qualities, but there is a slight
difference in connotation. InsipidHPSKDVL]HVDODFNRIVXI¿FLHQW
taste or savor to please or interest, whereas vapid stresses a lack of
vitality, life, liveliness, force, or spirit.
ż If you want to emphasize dullness due to a lack of taste or
interest, insipid might be the right choice. If, however, you
want to emphasize dullness due to lack of zest, spirit, and life,
vapid might work better.ż For example, a meal can be insipid but not vapid. A
conversation can be either, depending on what aspect of its
supreme dullness you want to call attention to.Prosaic (adjective)- Dull, lacking in imagination, matter-of-fact.
- Commonplace, everyday, ordinary.
z Like insipid and vapid, prosaic can mean “dull,” but it emphasizes
dullness as a result of lack of imagination. For example: “Often,
science writing can be prosaic, simply delivering information in a
lifeless, unimaginative, ‘just the facts, ma’am’ style.”z The “commonplace, everyday, ordinary” meaning of prosaic
appears in the following sentence: “The seemingly prosaic lives of
our immigrant ancestors, who worked tirelessly in the steel mills,
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