Nice: This word used to mean “silly, foolish, simple.” Far from the compliment it is today!.Here is just a small sampling of words you may not have realized didn’t always mean what they mean today. Words have been changing meaning - sometimes radically - as long as there have been words and speakers to speak them. The good news: History tells us that we’ll be fine. How in the world are we all going to communicate effectively if we allow words to shift in meaning like that? ![]() We sometimes notice words changing meaning under our noses (e.g., unique coming to mean “very unusual” rather than “one of a kind”) - and it can be disconcerting. Words change meaning over time in ways that might surprise you. Language historian Anne Curzan takes a closer look at this phenomenon, and shares some words that used to mean something totally different. Words change meaning all the time - and over time.
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