Quit Using These Words Incorrectly (You Sound Ridiculous)

Even if it's your native language, the English language, just like any language, can be rather confusing. Many words look and sound alike, and seem to fit with what we might be trying to say. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, there are currently 170,000 words that comprise the English language, drawing from Germanic, Latin, Greek, and over 350 other linguistic origins. With such a large selection of words to choose from, knowing which one is the right one can sometimes be daunting.

Like most languages, English evolves and its words can change meaning over time. Adding to the confusion is the constant adaption of new words and phrases as a result of technological and social media influences. What used to mean one thing, now means something completely different. For example, "nice" used to mean foolish, and "awful" meant awe-inspiring. To help you make sure you get it right, we've compiled a list of commonly misunderstood words and their real definitions. (These are 36 old words we use today but with new meanings.)

Here are commonly misunderstood words and their real definitions:

• Origin: Latin

There's no such thing as "a contingency of experts," "of French chefs," "of Chinese ministers," or the like. A contingency is something that might happen ("We must prepare for every contingency"). A group of people is a contingent.

• Origin:Old French

If you're not interested in something, you're uninterested. "Disinterested" means that you have no direct stake in something, financially or in some other sense. A judge in a courtroom should always be disinterested in the proceedings, though they may interest him very much.

• Origin:Latin

If you go to the museum to see a Monet exhibit, you're just seeing one painting or print or whatever. An exhibit is a single item. Think "Exhibit A." An exhibition is a whole collection of exhibits, which is probably what drew you to the museum.

• Origin:Latin

People use "flagrant" to mean obvious, as in "a flagrant error" or "a flagrant invitation." It means something stronger than that, though — not just obvious but particularly offensive or objectionable. The aforementioned error and invitation are more correctly "blatant."

• Origin:Germanic/Old English

Los Angeles isn't further from New York than Boston is and you didn't run further than you should — it's "farther" in both cases. "Farther" refers to physical distance, "further" to non-physical or metaphorical ones ("Let's not take this argument any further," "It is further stipulated.")

• Origin:Latin

This adjective gets applied to all kinds of things these days — "The restaurant's infamous apple pie," "The team's infamous victory over their rivals," and so on — when what people mean is "famous" or "celebrated." "Infamous" isn't a compliment: It means disgraceful or having a bad reputation.

• Origin:Old French/Middle English

You can't insure that something bad won't happen. You can insure yourself — that is, buy insurance — so that you'll be compensated if something bad does, but what you want to try to do is ensure that something bad won't happen. "Ensure" means to guarantee or make certain; "insure" means to buy insurance or otherwise indemnify.

• Origin:Latin/Middle English

See "infamous," above. "Notorious" sometimes gets used in the same way ("The restaurant's notorious chocolate cake.") But it doesn't just mean famous — it means famous in a bad way, or known unfavorably.

• Origin:Latin

This is the penultimate word in this list. And, no, it's not the last one. The last word is the ultimate one; "pen-" is a Latin prefix meaning "almost," and "penultimate" means second-to-last.