Worse Than They Sound

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Mostly sadists, I'd imagine.

Bloody hell, who THINKS of this stuff?! *is mad that anyone ever did this to another person*

EDIT: I should have put this comment on the word page, not the list page. Whoops! *moves it there*

Most definitely added. *shudders*

scaphism might be a candidate for this list. Like in that T.S. Eliot play.

not so clear that apoptosis, sometimes referred to as 'programmed cell death', though this definition bothers some researchers, belongs on this list. Because one consequence of apoptosis shutting down is uncontrolled cell proliferation, or by its more familiar name, cancer. So, maybe apoptosis is a good thing, in the general scheme of things.

Good one, trivet. Thanks!

rubella?

Yes. Yes it does.

Oh, reesetee? Sionnach mentioned a merkin on the other list... maybe it goes here too?

Oops... should not have assumed anyone's gender. Sorry about that...

Thanks, you guys! All added. Funny, I was sure I'd added bastinado earlier, but no. As for auto-da-fe, it always puts me in mind of a funny little European sports car....

This is a great list. Sionnach is the Irish word for a fox (as opposed to, say, a vixen); a close relation to strappado would be bastinado, also less pleasant than the name might imply.

Sionnach has some great words on her list that should go on this one: strappado and auto-da-fe. Sound great, don't they? UH-UH.

Actually, I always thought that sounded like a fruity dessert. ;-)

Beriberi! Doesn't sound bad at all, does it?

Thanks, palooka--I agree with you on all, but I just can't bring myself to put klismaphilia on the list. Forgive me. ;-)

I wish coprolalia & comedogenic had different meanings - really beautiful words. stercoraceous is a good one as is klismaphilia. Personally, I suffer from idioglossia.

Oooh, nice. Added.

You know, ebola is a very nice-sounding word, if you don't know what it means.

Oh, I don't know. You think hernia sounds nicer than it is? Hmmm....I'll have to think on this one. Er, I mean, stand up and think about it.

Anyway, you're free to start any list you want! Doesn't feel like a competition to me. :-)

I came across another one you might like. Hernia. But don't feel you have to add any more. I just didn't want to start a competing list.

Added!

Salmonella! What a pretty word for such a disgusting thing...

Noted. I do so like the word thrip.

You know, it isn't as sexy as the words already on this list, but thrips suck when they infest your favorite plants.

Oh, catheter. Excellent. Ouch.

I am making a pain in the tochus of myself, I realize, but I keep finding words that would seem to fit well on this list. And I wouldn't presume to make a copycat list, so I'll just keep suggesting instead...

Requiem? It sure is a purty-sounding word, till you find out what it means.

And I agree, catheter hurts just to hear it. I'd venture it's creatively onomotopoetic, even.

Well, I now believe that gleet is my new most painful word, surpassing catheter.

Eeew. It's on!

I found one you might like.
gleet: Slimy matter; sticky or greasy filth. Or, A morbid discharge of thin liquid from a wound, ulcer, etc., specifically from the urethra.

Night-soil? Wait... maybe that does sound as bad as it is.

Smallpox! It sounds like a joke, and it really isn't.

How about pulpatoon?

You've been working too hard. You're gonna have a prolapse!

You know what's funny, I was telling people at work, "there's this site called Wordie? And someone made this list called "Worse than they sound," and another one that's something like "Not as bad as they sound," and they're so great, you should go read them!"

Then I realized--uh... the person who invited me to this site is the one who made them. DUH.