MI College Reveals 10 Words To Bring Back In 2026

DETROIT — A Michigan college is looking to bring back underused and forgotten words.

Wayne State University’s Word Warriors released its annual list of underused words on Monday, as it "continues its mission to rescue overlooked words from the brink of obscurity."

"Seventeen years in, what continues to surprise me is how timeless these words feel once you put them back into use," said Chris Williams, associate director of copy and editorial for Wayne State University Communications and Marketing and head Word Warrior. "They aren’t museum pieces. They’re practical, playful and precise, and they add richness and depth to our conversations and writing."

The group said this year's selections capture everything from the "swullocking weather of late summer" to the "quiet psithurism of leaves stirred by the wind."

• Related — MI College Releases 2026 Banished Words List

Here are the 10 words that Wayne State’s Word Warriors urge users to revive in the coming year.

Abnegate

• Renounce or reject (something desired or valuable)
  • He abnegated the family inheritance to make a name for himself on his own.

Abscond

• Leave hurriedly and secretly, typically to avoid detection of or arrest for an unlawful action such as theft.
  • The burglar absconded with the money before anyone noticed he'd entered the house.

Coterie

• A small group of people with shared interests or tastes, especially one that is exclusive of other people.
  • He retreated to an online chat room, where he could be surrounded by a coterie of fellow enthusiasts.

Fluckadrift

• Excessive speed or urgency of movement or action.
  • The kids spent most of the summer day rotting around the house but moved with a frantic fluckadrift to straighten things up once they knew Mom was on her way home from the office.

Gudgeon

• A person who is easily fooled; a gullible person.
  • The gudgeon believed almost everything he was told, no matter how improbable.

Inchoate

• Just begun and so not fully formed or developed; rudimentary.
  • The inchoate organization was a mess of squabbling and confusion as the members learned how to work with each other.

Psithurism

• A rustling or whispering sound, such as leaves in the wind; susurration.
  • He left his earbuds at home and took a long walk in the woods, the blathering of podcasts replaced by the soothing soundtrack provided by the psithurism in the trees.

Quanked

• Overpowered by fatigue; exhausted, or having one's energy consumed.
  • After spending all of his Thanksgiving weekend managing the demands of customers, he was positively quanked and slept for 12 hours.

Snoutfair

• Having an attractive or pleasing face.
  • His character might leave much to be desired, but his snoutfair appearance made him a hit on TV.

Swullocking

• Overwhelmingly hot, boiling and humid weather.
  • He stepped outside, bracing himself for the swullocking August day.