cromulent

American  

[krom-yuh-luhnt] / ˈkrɒm yə lənt /

adjective

Often Facetious.

1. acceptable or legitimate.

   People disagree on using the singular “they,” but it's perfectly cromulent as far as I'm concerned.

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Etymology

Origin of cromulent

First recorded in 1996 in an episode of the TV show The Simpsons; a facetious formation ending with the Latin adjective suffix -ulent ( def. )

Explanation

Anything that's cromulent is fine or adequate. If your meal at a fancy restaurant is cromulent, it probably doesn't quite live up to your expectations — it's good enough, but nothing special. When a song or book or movie is perfectly okay, though maybe not one of your favorites, it's cromulent. Cromulent is one of just a few words that were coined by writers on The Simpsons TV show and ended up in the dictionary. The character Miss Hoover was the first to use cromulent in a 1996 episode. If you want to say "acceptable" or "satisfactory," it's a perfectly cromulent word choice.

Example Sentences

A perfectly cromulent news-talking guy, Baier, who hosts Special Report with Bret Baier and anchors the network’s coverage of marquee political events, is about as even-handed as they come at nights on Fox these days.

From Slate • Dec. 14, 2021

One hundred and twelve years later, it reappeared in "Lisa the Iconoclast" as Springfield's "cromulent" motto: "A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man."

From Salon • Sep. 13, 2021

Are we sure this is a cromulent thing to do, Dictionary.com?

From Fox News • Mar. 11, 2021

With Las Vegas having proven itself a cromulent professional sports town—plus the impeding arrival of the Oakland Raiders and eight visiting NFL teams per year—the Vegas Firesale is about to become the new Miami Flu.

From Golf Digest • Nov. 6, 2019

There’s a perfectly cromulent reason for that Starbucks cup.

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2019