Word.ws English Dictionary

skunked terms

skunked terms is the plural of skunked term.

Meaning of skunked term

Noun

skunked term (plural skunked terms)

  1. A word that becomes difficult to use because it is transitioning from one meaning to another. Purists may insist on the old usage, while descriptivists are more open to newer usages.
    • It isn't a skunked term, but it's gradually becoming something like one.2000, Bryan A. Garner, “lady”, in The Oxford Dictionary of American Usage and Style, page 206

Questions about skunked terms

What is skunked terms the plural of?
Skunked terms is the plural of skunked term.

Words near skunked terms in the dictionary

  1. skunkbush
  2. skunkbush sumac
  3. skunkbushes
  4. skunked
  5. skunked term
  6. skunked terms
  7. skunked up
  8. skunker
  9. skunkeries
  10. skunkers
  11. skunkery

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: skunked terms (page history and authors); skunked term (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Cite this entry: “skunked terms.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/skunked_terms. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.