[Peace-discuss] buzzword, condescension, disingenuous

[Szoke, Ron]

Buzzwords  040520
A review of some terms sometimes useful in political analysis & polemics

buzzword, condescension, disingenuous  

BUZZWORD  (bŭz′wûrd′)  n.
A stylish or trendy word or phrase, especially when occurring in a specialized field.
— American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language
>  a word or phrase, often sounding authoritative or technical, that has come into vogue in popular culture or a particular profession.  [1965–70]
— Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary 
>   A word used in a particular jargon that gains a wider, fashionable, currency.
—  Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group 

[  Once or recently or currently buzzy:  synergy, serendipity, condescending, disingenuous, vulnerable, resilient   — RSz. ]   

CONDESENSION  (kŏn′dĭ-sĕn′shən)  n.
1. The act of condescending or an instance of it.
2. Patronizingly superior behavior or attitude.
[Late Latin condēscēnsiō, condēscēnsiōn-, from condēscēnsus, past participle of condēscendere, to condescend; see condescend.]
--  American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language 
>  the act or an instance of behaving in a patronizing way
  —  Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © 
>  1. an act or instance of condescending.
2. behavior that is patronizing or condescending.
3. voluntary assumption of equality with a person regarded as inferior.
[1635–45; < Late Latin condēscēnsiō. See con-, descension]
— Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary 

DISINGENUOUS   (dĭs′ĭn-jĕn′yo͞o-əs)  adj.
1. Not straightforward or candid; insincere or calculating: "Increasingly, the question of immigration has become a disingenuous stalking-horse for race and racial hostility" (Tyler Stovall).
2. Pretending to be unaware or unsophisticated; faux-naïf.
3. Usage Problem Unaware or uninformed; naive.
  Usage Note: Disingenuous means "not ingenuous," that is, not innocent, naive, or guileless. As such it can refer to someone who is insincere or calculating, as in It is both insensitive and disingenuous for the White House to describe its aid package and the proposal to eliminate the federal payment as "tough love," or to someone who is pretending to be unsophisticated, as in "I don't have a clue about late Beethoven!" he said. The remark seemed disingenuous, coming from one of the world's foremost concert pianists. Both of these examples were accepted by 90 percent of the Usage Panel in our 2016 survey. As with many words containing prefixes that negate (dis-) or seem to negate (in-), speakers sometimes lose track of exactly what is being negated, and sometimes use disingenuous when ingenuous would be more appropriate, namely as a synonym for naive. This usage is considered an error by careful writers: in our 2016 survey, 87 percent of the Usage Panel disapproved of the phrase the disingenuous tourist who falls prey to stereotypical con artists.  — American Heritage® Dictionary
   #	#	#