Vocabulary
Ten Words People Regularly Use to Mean the Opposite
Words like nonplussed, peruse and enervate are widely used with the wrong meaning. Here’s what they actually mean.
By Vocabaura Editorial · Published 13 August 2026 · 5 min read
Quick answer
Several common words have drifted in everyday use: peruse means to read carefully (not skim), enervate means to drain energy (not energise), and nonplussed means bewildered (not unbothered).
Some words get used so often in the wrong sense that the wrong sense starts appearing in dictionaries as a secondary meaning. Until it fully settles, using the traditional sense keeps your writing precise, and knowing both keeps you from misreading someone else.
The List
| Word | Commonly used to mean | Actually means |
|---|---|---|
| Peruse | Skim quickly | Read thoroughly and carefully |
| Nonplussed | Unfazed, calm | So surprised you don’t know how to react |
| Enervate | Energise | Drain of energy |
| Bemused | Amused | Confused or lost in thought |
| Ironic | Unlucky or coincidental | The opposite of what you’d expect, often pointedly |
| Disinterested | Uninterested, bored | Impartial, having no stake |
| Fulsome | Generous, abundant | Excessive to the point of insincerity |
| Travesty | Tragedy | A grotesque imitation of something serious |
| Redundant | Repetitive | No longer needed (both senses are now standard) |
| Literally | Emphatically | Exactly, without exaggeration |
Why This Happens
Most of these shifts come from sound and context rather than carelessness. Enervate sounds like energise. Bemused looks like amused. Nonplussed contains “non,” which reads like a negative. English changes through exactly this kind of pressure, and some of these battles are already lost.
What to Do About It
- In formal or professional writing, use the traditional sense, the readers who notice are the ones who matter.
- If a word’s meaning is genuinely contested, choose a clearer word instead. “Impartial” beats “disinterested” every time.
- When reading, consider which sense the writer intended before assuming an error.
- Look words up when they feel slightly off; the surprise is usually informative.