Say it better – letters I-M

This page contains words that begin with “I” to words that begin with “M”. The list is part of a project entitled, Say it better.


iconoclasm – n. the action of attacking or assertively rejecting cherished beliefs and institutions or established values and practices; the rejection or destruction of religious images as heretical; the doctrine of iconoclasts

impassioned – adj. filled with or showing great emotion

impede – v. delay or prevent (someone or something) by obstructing them; hinder

inane – adj. silly;insignificant; meaningless

incapacitated – adj. deprived of strength or power; debilitated

inchoate – adj : only partly in existence; imperfectly formed; just begun and so not fully formed or developed; rudimentary

incongruous – adj. not in harmony or keeping with the surroundings or other aspects of something

inconsequential – adj. not important or significant

indignation – n. anger or annoyance provoked by what is perceived as unfair treatment

indisposed – adj. slightly unwell

indolent/indolence – adj. wanting to avoid activity or exertion; lazy | n. avoidance of activity or exertion; laziness

inept/ineptitude – adj. having or showing no skill; clumsy | n. lack of skill, ability, or competence

inexorable – adj. impossible to stop or prevent

infer – v. deduce or conclude (something) from evidence and reasoning rather than from explicit statements

inimical – adj. tending to obstruct or harm; not friendly

innocuous – adj. not harmful or offensive

insidious – adj. harming in a gradual, subtle way

insipid – adj. lacking flavour; weak or tasteless; lacking vigour or interest

insolent – adj. showing a rude and arrogant lack of respect

insufferable – adj. too extreme to bear; intolerable; having or showing unbearable arrogance or conceit

interminable – adj. endless or apparently endless

intermittently – adj. stopping or ceasing for a period of time; alternately ceasing and beginning again

intransigent – adj. unwilling or refusing to change one’s views or to agree about something

invective – n. insulting, abusive, or highly critical language

invidious – adj. likely to arouse or incur resentment or anger in others

iteration – n. the repetition of a process or utterance; new version of computer hardware or software

laconic – adj. (of a person, speech, or style of writing) using very few words

lament – n. a passionate expression of grief or sorrow; complaint | v. to express passionate grief about something; to express regret or disappointment about something

livid – adj. furiously angry

lucid – adj. expressed clearly; easy to understand

lurid – adj. unpleasantly bright in colour, especially so as to create a harsh or unnatural effect; presented in vividly shocking or sensational terms

malevolent/malevolence – adj. having or showing a wish to do evil to others | n. the state or condition of being malevolent; hostility

malfeasance – n. wrongdoing, especially (US) by a public official

maudlin – adj. self-pityingly or tearfully sentimental; (of a book, film, or song) highly sentimental

mawkish – adj. sentimental in an exaggerated or false way

mercurial – adj. subject to sudden or unpredictable changes of mood or mind

misanthrope – n. a person who dislikes humankind and avoids human society

misogyny – n. dislike of, contempt for, or ingrained prejudice against women

myopic – adj. short-sighted; lacking foresight or intellectual insight


A – C »» D – H »» I – M »» N – R »» S – Z

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