What does malapropism mean?
A malapropism is the substitution of one word for another of similar sound, often producing a statement that is funny, confusing, or unintentionally revealing. A familiar example is calling an intelligent person an "intellectionate" person. The substitution generally involves a real word being remembered incorrectly, rather than a word being invented or a spelling being mangled. Malapropisms are especially effective in comedy because the mistaken word can be perfectly ordinary while the resulting meaning is absurd. The term may also describe deliberate verbal play, although it most often refers to an unintended error. Its name comes from Mrs Malaprop, the comic character in Sheridan's The Rivals whose misuse of language became the model for this kind of mistake. The word is useful when discussing humorous speech, character-based comedy, errors in word choice, and the accidental comic consequences of imperfect recall.
nounThe use of a word in place of one with a similar sound but a different meaning, usually with a comic or nonsensical effect. The error may occur through a misremembered word, confused word, or deliberate verbal play.
- A word or expression that is mistaken for another of similar sound, especially when the substitution creates an amusing or nonsensical meaning.
"Her malapropism—calling the equator an "equator of the mind"—left the whole audience laughing."
"Calling a hospital ward a "watch ward" was an obvious malapropism."
"The politician's apparent malapropism turned out to be a deliberate joke about the treaty."
The plural is grammatically standard but uncommon in ordinary discussion, which usually refers to a single malapropism or to malapropism as a general phenomenon.
"The sketch collected familiar malapropisms from old advertisements and political speeches."
The word takes its name from Mrs Malaprop, the hilariously muddled-speaking character in Richard Brinsley Sheridan's 1775 play The Rivals.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of malapropism
The word comes from French malapropisme, formed from mal à propos, literally “ill to the purpose.” It was coined in connection with the character Mrs Malaprop in Richard Brinsley Sheridan's 1775 play The Rivals. The character's comic misuse of words gave rise to the English noun and to the related forms malaprop and malapropian. Its French source also preserves the phrase à propos, meaning “to the point” or “relevant.”
How malapropism is actually used
The term is chiefly used for errors that are conspicuous because of their comic effect. It usually implies misapplication of a familiar word rather than an invented word, a grammatical mistake, or a simple misspelling.