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One-Sided Words

The other day I was playing around on Twitter and sent out some "one-sided" words. Among the many other peculiarities of our language, one-sided words are those we use in one form, but never in the other.  As you read through these, see if you can think up some more and add them to the comment section below.

1. We say "outrageous" but never "rageous"

2. We say "uncanny" but never "canny"

3. We say "indescribable" but never "describable"

4. We say "redundant" but never "dundant" (thanks to Peter Merante for that one)

5.  We say "rejuvenated" but never "juvenated" (thanks to Mitchell Boersma)

6. We say "nonchalant" but never "chalant" (thanks to LouisianaBrown)

Others?

Also: to follow me on Twitter go to http://twitter.com/#!/RascalTweets

Enjoy!

Chris Brady

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24 responses to “One-Sided Words”

  1. Dan Krebs Avatar
    Dan Krebs

    We say Absolutely. Never Solutely.

    Like

    Reply
  2. Hind Avatar
    Hind

    We say “respected” but never “spected”

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    Reply
  3. Edwyn Houser Avatar
    Edwyn Houser

    We say “outlandish” but never “landish”

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    Reply
  4. Shawn Daly Avatar
    Shawn Daly

    We feel “disgruntled” but never feel “gruntled”
    We feel “distraught” but never feel “traught”
    We look at our “reflections” but never our “flections”
    Our comments may be “insightful” but not “outsightful” or even “sightful”
    We can feel “upset” but never “downset” or even “set”

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  5. Lila Avatar
    Lila

    “Overwhelmed” and “underwhelmed,” but rarely “whelmed.”
    “Redux,” never “dux.”
    “Hungover,” but not “hungunder.”
    “Indubitably,” but never just “dubitably.”
    And how is the opposite of “under” not just “der”?
    I always enjoy your blogs. Thanks for yet another good one!
    -Lila

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  6. john Avatar
    john

    Rehabilitation; never habilitation.

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  7. Christy Torres Avatar
    Christy Torres

    Provocative but never vocative.
    Intrigued but never trigued.
    This topic has really had us all thinking hard! Lots of fun though! Thanks Chris.
    ~Christy~

    Like

    Reply
  8. Zenon Berg Avatar
    Zenon Berg

    Adhesive is to stick, dehesive us to unstick, so what is a hesive?
    Thinking of the ‘re’ words, we can be religious, but if we were truly original, we’s be simply ligious….

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    Reply
  9. Michael L Dunavant Avatar
    Michael L Dunavant

    Not to get off the subject, but this reminds me of the kid’s book “Inside, Outside, Upside Down”.

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  10. Melody Falchetti Avatar
    Melody Falchetti

    When my daughter was 2, I told her to behave & she responded “what is have?”

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  11. david cowan Avatar
    david cowan

    Lets look at it another way, you can bully but not unbully, or rebully. You give but dont ungive, but we may regive, or regift!? Some words are only one way, like some streets, and some people. The opposite is not the opposite but the antithesis?! The opposite of good is not ungood, and if you do the same good twice its not regood. Its just more GOOD!

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  12. John Hatchell Avatar
    John Hatchell

    Forward – Backward – award -Woodward,,,,,How about Godward..Awesome to be a ward of His !!

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  13. Charlotte Feldman Avatar
    Charlotte Feldman

    We say someone is uncouth but never couth; someone is despicable but no one is picable.
    And while we’re at it, why is the plural of mouse mice and louse is lice but the plural of house is not hice and the plural of blouse is not blice?

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    Reply
  14. Max Gebhart Avatar
    Max Gebhart

    How do you destroy if you didn’t stroy first?

    Like

    Reply
  15. Moira Fitzgerald Avatar
    Moira Fitzgerald

    I work with many foreign veterinarians (Japanese, Ugandan, Chinese, Brazilian, etc). Just try to explain the logic behind pair, pare and pear. Ewe, you and yew. By, buy and bye. Sew, so and sow. Or wound as in injury and wound as in wrap. Refuse to do something versus place the refuse in the trash can. Farmers produce produce. The plural of goose is geese but the plural of moose is not meese. Oy vey! Any wonder communication is a challenge?

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  16. Doug Clarje Avatar
    Doug Clarje

    How do postal workers become disgruntled without first being gruntled?
    Doug Clarke :0)

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  17. Sarah Jones Avatar
    Sarah Jones

    If something is small it’s diminutive but if it’s big we don’t say minutive. We say deplorable but not plorable. People perform deforestation but not forestation.

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  18. Natalie Avatar
    Natalie

    We repeat, but we never peat.

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  19. John Locke Avatar
    John Locke

    Just what is a “gruntle”?

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    Reply
  20. Charles Gopez Avatar
    Charles Gopez

    Is it better to be “over-the-top” or “under-the-bottom”?

    Like

    Reply
  21. Bryan Vashus Avatar
    Bryan Vashus

    Is disdain the opposite of dain? Or if I have a reaction to medication, is the opposite action to medication?

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    Reply
  22. Debbie Glenn Miller Avatar
    Debbie Glenn Miller

    Wow, this post has opened a can of worms! hahaha My son said you can be demoted by not moted!

    Like

    Reply
  23. David Olsen Avatar
    David Olsen

    Hi http://davidolsenmarketing.com/ here. Great blog you have here. I will keep on visiting your site and will wait for your new post.

    Like

    Reply
  24. Ramon Palacios Avatar
    Ramon Palacios

    “Impervious”, never “pervious”
    “Insightful”, never “sightful”
    “Insidious”, never “sidious”

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