malapropism
Americannoun
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an act or habit of misusing words ridiculously, especially by the confusion of words that are similar in sound.
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an instance of this, as in “Lead the way and we'll precede.”
noun
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the unintentional misuse of a word by confusion with one of similar sound, esp when creating a ridiculous effect, as in I am not under the affluence of alcohol
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the habit of misusing words in this manner
Discover More
Mrs. Malaprop, a character in an eighteenth-century British comedy, The Rivals, by Richard Brinsley Sheridan, constantly confuses words. Malapropisms are named after her.
Other Word Forms
- malaprop adjective
- malapropistic adjective
Etymology
Origin of malapropism
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He may invite passionate opposition from his foes, but his fans simply shrug at his misstatements, malapropisms and mendacity.
From Los Angeles Times
But Whitney’s malapropism cuts to the heart of it.
From New York Times
He mixes metaphors, sprinkles them with malapropisms and knows nobody will call him on any of it . . . because if they did, he’d accuse them of small thinking.
From Salon
The title is a classic “Ringoism,” as John Lennon used to refer to his malapropisms, an unusual phrase ripped from the same mind that came up with “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Tomorrow Never Knows.”
From Seattle Times
But the laughable malapropisms provided by artificial intelligence became more serious matters when I saw several dozen words forming badly mangled phrases — all attributed to me — inside quotation marks.
From Salon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
