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Unintentional confusion of one word with another (by someone in a Sheridan play?)
Answer for the clue "Unintentional confusion of one word with another (by someone in a Sheridan play?) ", 11 letters:
malapropism
Alternative clues for the word malapropism
Word definitions for malapropism in dictionaries
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Word definitions in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
noun EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS ▪ In spite of his inane malapropisms, he can talk circles around everyone else in the book. ▪ This is really a kind of malapropism .
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
Word definitions in Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
1826, from Mrs. Malaprop, character in Sheridan's play "The Rivals" (1775), noted for her ridiculous misuse of large words (such as "contagious countries" for "contiguous countries"), her name coined from malapropos .
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Word definitions in The Collaborative International Dictionary
malapropism \mal"a*prop*ism\, n. [From Mrs. Malaprop, a character in Sheridan's drama, `` The Rivals,'' who makes amusing blunders in her use of words. See Malapropos .] A grotesque misuse of a word; a word so used.
Wikipedia
Word definitions in Wikipedia
A malapropism (also called a malaprop or Dogberryism ) is the use of an incorrect word in place of a word with a similar sound, resulting in a nonsensical, often humorous utterance . An example is the statement by baseball player Yogi Berra , " Texas has ...
Wiktionary
Word definitions in Wiktionary
n. 1 (context uncountable English) The blundering use of an absurdly inappropriate word or expression in place of a similar sounding one. 2 (context countable English) An instance of this; malaprop.
Usage examples of malapropism.
She was a woman of a certain reputation and famous for her bluntness, thick skin, memorable malapropisms and amazingly inventive non sequiturs.
There are many jokes turning on malapropisms, illiteracy, dropped aitches and the rough manners of slum-dwellers.