Bryson's Dictionary for Writers and Editors - Bill Bryson [64]
indubitable, indubitably.
Induráin, Miguel. (1964–) Spanish cyclist.
Industrial Workers of the World. (Abbr. IWW.) A radical trade union movement from 1905 to 1925, often called Wobblies, particularly by detractors.
inebriate, inebriety.
inedible.
ineffaceable. Indelible (which in most cases is to be preferred).
inefficacious. A longer way of saying ineffective.
ineligible.
ineluctable. Inevitable, unavoidable.
inequable, inequitable. The first means not even or uniform; the second means unfair.
ineradicable.
inevitable.
in excelsis. (Lat.) “To the highest degree.”
inexcusable.
inexplicable.
inexpressible.
in extenso. (Lat.) “At full length.”
inextinguishable.
in extremis. (Lat.) “At the point of death” in dire circumstances.
infallible.
infer, imply. Imply means to suggest: “He implied that I was a fool.” Infer means to deduce: “After three hours of waiting, we inferred that they weren’t coming.” The condition of being able to make an inference is inferable.
infinitesimal.
infinitude.
in flagrante delicto. (Lat.) In the act of commiting an offense.
inflammable, flammable, nonflammable. Although inflammable means “capable of being burned,” it has so often been taken to mean the opposite that most authorities now suggest that it be avoided. It is deemed generally better to use flammable for materials that will burn and nonflammable for those that will not.
inflammation, inflammatory. Not im-.
inflation has become so agreeably quiescent in recent years that the word and its several variant forms are much less troublesome than they were when this book first appeared. However (and just in case), it is worth noting a few definitions. Inflation itself means that the money supply and prices are rising. Hyperinflation means that they are rising rapidly (at an annual rate of at least 20 percent). Deflation means that they are falling, and reflation that they are being pushed up again after a period of deflation. Stagflation means that prices are rising while output is stagnant. Disinflation, a word so vague in sense to most readers that it is almost always better avoided, means that prices are rising but at a rate slower than before. Finally, bear in mind that if the rate of inflation was 4.5 percent last month and 3.5 percent this month, it does not mean that prices are falling; they are still rising, but at a slower rate.
inflexible.
infra dig is the abbreviation of infra dignitatem, which translates to “without (or beneath) dignity.”
ingenious, ingenuous. The first means to be clever or inventive; the second means innocent, unsophisticated, guileless.
ingénue.
Ingushetia (or Ingushetiya). Russian republic.
inimical. Harmful, antagonistic.
iniquitous. Wicked.
Inkatha Freedom Party, South Africa.
in loco parentis. (Lat.) “In place of the parent.”
in media res. (Lat.) “In the middle of things.”
in memoriam. Not -um.
Innes, George. (1825–1894) American landscape painter of the Hudson River school.
innocent. It is pedantic to insist on it too rigorously on all occasions, but it is worth noting that people do not actually plead innocent (since one of the hallmarks of our legal system is that innocence is presumed). Strictly, they plead guilty or not guilty.
innocuous.
innuendoes.
inoculate.
in order to. A wordy locution. In nearly every instance, removing in order tightens the sentence without altering the sense. See also IN, INTO, IN TO.
Inouye, Daniel K. (1924–) U.S. senator from Hawaii.
inscrutable.
insects. It is always worth remembering that the term does not apply to spiders, mites, and ticks, which are arachnids, a different class of creature altogether. Although some dictionaries (American Heritage, for one) allow the looser usage in informal or in nontechnical writing, it is unquestionably incorrect and thus better avoided almost always. If you need a term to describe insects and spiders together, the word is arthropods.
inshallah. (Arab.) “If Allah wills it.”
insidious, invidious. Insidious indicates the stealthy or tardily detected spread of something undesirable (“an insidious