Before diving in, transparency is key. I believe in practicing what I preach, though I sometimes fall short. I value open communication, distrust hidden agendas, and generally believe in the inherent goodness of people. This belief necessitates taking risks to foster mutual respect. Therefore, I’m about to share a personal ambition, trusting it will be respected and not undermined.
My goal is to coin a new word and see it officially added to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). The OED has specific entry criteria. My strategy and word choice are already in place. I’m trusting that this sharing will not result in someone else usurping my long-held dream.
A critical OED requirement is the absence of a word with a similar definition. In other words, a genuine need must exist. This is challenging, but I think I’ve found it. The English language lacks a single word for “a person or thing that is one’s least preferred, most hated.” It’s the opposite of “favorite.” We can express the concept, but lack the concise impact of “favorite” for “most preferred or loved.” The word I propose to fill this gap is “malrite.”
It’s surprising that such a word doesn’t exist, as languages typically evolve to meet expressive needs. Historically, English-speaking cultures have experienced ample aggression, apathy, jealousy, and malice to warrant such a term. Initially, I doubted the necessity, until I investigated online advertising techniques.
Beyond my own admittedly strong feelings about online advertising, I sought to understand public sentiment and industry awareness. I encountered an article titled “The Most Hated Advertising Techniques.” This reignited my pursuit of “malrite.” The article explored a study on people’s most disliked aspects of online advertising. The discussion felt awkward, hampered by the lack of a concise word to describe the disgust, disdain, and hatred expressed by participants. This highlighted the reality that we all have favorite and malrite things, and we need the language to articulate both.