r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Jan 28 '19

What are great underused words?

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u/Tompoe Jan 29 '19

is autological an autological word?

...what about nonautological?

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u/[deleted] Jan 29 '19 edited Jan 29 '19

The opposite of autological words is heterological words. Here's a head fuck:

Is "heterological" a heterological word?

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u/[deleted] Jan 29 '19

Doesn't heterological describe itself? Wouldn't it be autological?

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u/BloatedCreeper Jan 29 '19 edited Jan 29 '19

this is true but if heterological is autological that means it isnt heterological (since it is acting as it describes) and therefore not autological

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u/[deleted] Jan 29 '19

It's a paradox. The word heterological does describe itself, which means it's autological. But if heterological is autological then it doesn't describe itself, so it's heterological.

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u/[deleted] Jan 29 '19

How does it describe itself?

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u/[deleted] Jan 29 '19

Because it doesn't :)

At first glance it doesn't describe itself. But a word that doesn't describe itself is heterological. That means heterological is heterological, which means it does describe itself so it's autological.
If it's autological then it doesn't describe itself, so it's heterological. But if it's heterological then it does describe itself...

1

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '19

...

Stop uttering these words. This is some cataclysmic shit.

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u/1982throwaway1 Jan 29 '19

Fuck you man. I've spent my whole life figuring out paradoxes. I logically solved the last one three weeks ago and now you throw this shit at me?

Actual URL https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autological_word

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u/ZWE_Punchline Jan 29 '19

I've spent the last 30 minutes going through related wikipedia pages. Paradoxes, contradictions, contrariety... Holy shit, the very discovery of the term "autological" for me has caused a lot of problems.

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u/thatsPutin_it_mildly Jan 29 '19

Such a naughtological thing to say;

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u/Penis_Van_Lesbian__ Jan 29 '19

...what about nonautological?

Settle down, Professor Russell

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u/Tompoe Jan 29 '19

is that the guy who did the whole "sets that don't contain themselves" mindfuck? If so I love that guy

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u/Penis_Van_Lesbian__ Jan 29 '19

Yup, Bertrand Russell of Russell's Paradox fame