mudita

Is mudita like macarism?

Hmm.... *stroking chin while gently raising palm*

You know, that's hard to do while typing.

Or "mudita it is not." Follow it with "grasshopper" for maximum effect.

Excellent, cydonian! Except I think I'll have to skip the beard-stroking part. :-)

Everyone,

I've just had kensho. I get it: the next time you want to (correctly) use that s-fraud word, just say, "It's not mudita".

More points if you can pull it off with a zen-like serenity; you might want to raise your palm gently while saying it. Or if you have a beard, you could also gently stroke it. (Won't work with moustaches or fake beards though.)

I'm not sure I'll ever take the word back. It's done too much psychic damage. *crossing arms stubbornly*

Yeah, I caught that too, jennarenn. Guess it goes hand in hand with encyclopedia cred. ;-)

Your dictionary cred?

I think it's a dreadfully misused word -- I have heard at least two people misuse it when they wanted zeitgeist, which was funny. and sad. and... sad.

No, I think the latter refers to the act itself. I don't have a problem with the concept of laughing at others' misfortune; I just don't want to be one of populist bandwagon-jumpers in thinking it's the greatest, coolest, smartest word ever. When the frenzy over the word dies down, maybe I'll welcome it back. As for now, it's just annoyingly overrated. :-)

So you vote the latter, I presume.

I freely confess to being an indie word snob. I don't like that word because it's a stupid trend and all the poseurs are saying it like they think it makes them sound intelligent. I've gotta maintain my dictionary cred.

Good question, colleen. I say both. ;-)

Is it the word qua the word you hate, or is it the pretentious wankery it represents?

*innocent face*

Yes, the thing you must understand here, cydonian, is the utter contempt reesetee and I have for the word. :-P

Oh, I can pronounce it, cydonian. I have no trouble with that. I just dislike the word so much that I don't want to say it. Big difference, you see. :-)

Reesetee: I have this weird urge to laugh at your inability at pronouncing a certain word, but that would be plainly ironic, wouldn't it. ;-)

Hear, hear! :-)

I know which one of them is best: none of them.

I can't say it either. This is only because I've heard it pronounced in at least a half dozen different ways, and can't decide which is best.

At long last, an opposite for--I can't say the word! I just can't.

Considered to be the opposite of schadenfreude, or epicaricacy. Buddhist concept; word comes from Pali or Sanskrit.