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Ranked statements of situational fury

Words to describe bad things

This is inspired by B Cordelia Yu's desire for "a ranked diagram of non-ablest statements of situational fury."

If you have feedback, it is very welcome. Submit an issue on this project's Github repository or tweet your feedback to Ben Keith.

What is non-ableist?

Ableism is systematic, institutional devaluing of bodies and minds deemed deviant, abnormal, defective, subhuman, less than.

Lydia Brown's post about ableist language goes into depth about things to avoid, but the overarching theme is to use words that describe the situation's actions or the the beholder's reaction to the situation, instead of using anthropomorphic terms to describe the situation.

What is situational fury?

anger at the circumstances and context of a thing or idea, expressed through rage, anger, outrage, wrath, temper, or spleen, and accompanied by fierceness, ferocity, turbulence, tempestuousness.

This is an amalgam How this definition was obtained. of the definitions for "fury" and "situational".

Furious words

Use these words to describe how you feel about a situation.

In roughly Approximate sort order:
Schadenfreude,
mildly concerning,
genuinely concerning,
physically harmful,
Cthulhu awakens from the depths. increasing order of rage:

  1. ludicrous: laughable in a pleasant way, funny
  2. a circus: complex, laughable, smelling vaguely of animals
  3. absurd: irrational, foolish, in defiance of truth and common sense
  4. incredible: not worthy of belief — too extraordinary and improbable
  5. careless: negligent, unconcerned, inattentive, unmindful
  6. farcical: low-quality humor, pageantry, parade without meaning
  7. ridiculous: deserving of laughter because of its absurdity
  8. preposterous: maladapted to its purposes, foolish, unreasonably absurd
  9. bleak: cold, colorless, cheerless
  10. unbelievable: simply not credible
  11. reckless: rash and negligent, inattentive
  12. terrible: exciting terror and dread, formidable
  13. squicky: causing repulsion when you encounter it
  14. abhorrent: causing horror when you encounter it
  15. abominable: similar to abhorrent, but evil as well
  16. reprehensible: worthy of blame and disapproval
  17. atrocious: heinous and wicked
  18. baleful: full of deadly and pernicious influence, portending evil
  19. ruinous: causing or tending to cause destruction
  20. baneful: poisonous and likely to cause death
  21. deadly: going to cause someone(s) to die
  22. pernicious: deadly, destructive, and mischevious
  23. a calamity: an event or disaster which produces extensive evil
  24. incomprehensible: beyond human understanding, literally

If you find yourself using these words, "You Feel Like Shit: An Interactive Self Care Guide" may be helpful.

If you have words you wish to contribute, please create a Github ticket or tweet at the maintainer. Suggestions are very welcome.

Furious definitions

Sorted alphabetically.

abhorrent
From A Dictionary of English Synonymes and Synonymous or Parallel Expressions. Abhorrent, a. Odious, offensive, shocking, repugnant, hateful, loathsome.
From The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary. Ab*hor"rent, Abhorring; detesting; having or showing abhorrence; loathing; hence, strongly opposed to; as, abhorrent thoughts.
From The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary. Ab*hor", To shrink back with horror, disgust, or dislike; to be contrary or averse; -- with from. "To abhor from those vices."
abominable
From The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary. A*bom"i*na*ble, Worthy of, or causing, abhorrence, as a thing of evil omen; odious in the utmost degree; very hateful; detestable; loathsome; execrable.
From A Dictionary of English Synonymes and Synonymous or Parallel Expressions. Abominable, a. 1. Hateful, odious, detestable, horrid, horrible, execrable, nefarious, damnable, cursed, accursed, hellish. 2. Loathsome, offensive, obnoxious, foul, nauseous, nauseating, disgusting, sickening, repulsive, revolting, shocking. 3. Vile, wretched, sorry, scurvy, shabby, bad.
absurd
From The Devil's Dictionary. ABSURDITY, n. A statement or belief manifestly inconsistent with one's own opinion.
From A Dictionary of English Synonymes and Synonymous or Parallel Expressions. Absurd, a. Unreasonable, irrational, foolish, nonsensical, ridiculous, incongruous, senseless, unwise, silly, stupid, preposterous, paradoxical, ill-judged, ill-advised, contrary to reason, contrary to the dictates of common sense.
From The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary. Contrary to reason or propriety; obviously and fiatly opposed to manifest truth; inconsistent with the plain dictates of common sense; logically contradictory; nonsensical; ridiculous; as, an absurd person, an absurd opinion, an absurd dream.
atrocious
From A Dictionary of English Synonymes and Synonymous or Parallel Expressions. Atrocious, a. Infamous, villanous, flagitious, heinous, felonious, flagrant, outrageous, enormous, grievous, diabolical, monstrous, infernal, hellish, horrible, black, very wicked.
From The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary. Extremely heinous; full of enormous wickedness;
baleful
From The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary. Full of deadly or pernicious influence; destructive.
From The American heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition. adj. 1. Portending evil; ominous. See 'sinister'. 2. Harmful or malignant in intent or effect.
baneful
From The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary. Having poisonous qualities; deadly; destructive; injurious; noxious; pernicious.
bleak
From The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary. 1. Without color; pale; pallid.
2. Desolate and exposed; swept by cold winds.
3. Cold and cutting; cheerless;
careless
From The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary. Having no care; not taking ordinary or proper care; negligent; unconcerned; heedless; inattentive; unmindful; regardless.
a circus
From The Devil's Dictionary. CIRCUS, n. A place where horses, ponies and elephants are permitted to see men, women and children acting the fool.
calamity
From The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary. Noun. Any great misfortune or cause of misery; -- generally applied to events or disasters which produce extensive evil, either to communities or individuals.
From The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wind trailer. "The history of the royal family of Hyrule is also the history of the Calamity Gannon, a primal evil that has endured over the ages."
deadly
From The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary. 1. Capable of causing death; mortal; fatal; destructive; certain or likely to cause death
2. Aiming or willing to destroy; implacable; desperately hostile; flagitious
farcical
From A Dictionary of English Synonymes and Synonymous or Parallel Expressions. Farcical, a. Droll, ludicrous, ridiculous.
From A Dictionary of English Synonymes and Synonymous or Parallel Expressions. Farce, n. 1. Burlesque, caricature, travesty, parody, after-piece, low comedy, ludicrous representation. 2. Mere show, ridiculous pageantry, empty parade.
From The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary. Pertaining to farce; appropriated to farce; ludicrous; unnatural; unreal.
incomprehensible
From The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary. Not capable of being contained within limits. Not capable of being comprehended or understood; beyond the reach of the human intellect; inconceivable.
incredible
From A Dictionary of English Synonymes and Synonymous or Parallel Expressions. Incredible, a. Not to be credited, not to be believed, not trustworthy, not to be believed, not worthy of belief, improbable.
From The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary. Not credible; surpassing belief; too extraordinary and improbable to admit of belief; unlikely; marvelous; fabulous.
ludicrous
From A Dictionary of English Synonymes and Synonymous or Parallel Expressions. Ludicrous, a. Laughable, comical, odd, ridiculous, droll, funny, farcical, absurd.
From The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary. Risible differs from ludicrous as species from genus; ludicrous expressing that which is playful and sportive; risible, that which may excite laughter. Risible differs from ridiculous, as the latter implies something contemptuous, and risible does not.
paradoxical
From The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary. Of the nature of a paradox: A tenet or proposition contrary to received opinion; an assertion or sentiment seemingly contradictory, or opposed to common sense; that which in appearance or terms is absurd, but yet may be true in fact.
pernicious
From The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary. Per*ni"cious, a. [L. perniciosus, from pernicies destruction, from pernecare to kill or slay outright; per + necare to kill, slay: cf. F. pernicieux. Cf. Nuisance, Necromancy.] Having the quality of injuring or killing; destructive; very mischievous; baleful; malicious; wicked.
preposterous
From A Dictionary of English Synonymes and Synonymous or Parallel Expressions. Preposterous, a. 1. Perverted, having the cart before the horse, reversed. 2. Absurd, unreasonable, ridiculous, irrational, foolish, monstrous.
From The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary. Contrary to nature or reason; not adapted to the end; utterly and glaringly foolish; unreasonably absurd; perverted. "Most preposterous conclusions."
reckless
From The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary. Rashly negligent; utterly careless or heedless. Synynonyms: Heedless; careless; mindless; thoughtless; negligent; indifferent; regardless; unconcerned; inattentive; remiss; rash.
reprehensible
From The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary. a. Worthy of [reproof, censure, blame, disapproval]; culpable, censurable, blamable.
ridiculous
From A Dictionary of English Synonymes and Synonymous or Parallel Expressions. Ridiculous, a. Ludicrous, laughable, droll, funny, preposterous, farcical, comical, absurd.
From The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary. Fitted to excite ridicule; absurd and laughable; unworthy of serious consideration.
ruinous
From The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary. Ru"in*ous a. Causing, or tending to cause, ruin; destructive; baneful; pernicious; as, a ruinous project.
From "Ten Duel Commandments" in Hamilton, by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Hang on, how many men died because Lee was inexperienced and ruinous?
squicky
From Urban Dictionary. Adjective. Causing a physical sense of repusion upon one's encountering a concept or situation that one finds disgusting.
The concept of the "squick" differs from the concept of "disgust" in that "squick" refers purely to the physical sensation of repulsion, and does not imply a moral component.
Stating that something is "disgusting" implies a judgement that it is bad or wrong. Stating that something "squicks you" is merely an observation of your reaction to it, but does not imply a judgement that such a thing is universally wrong.
terrible
From A Dictionary of English Synonymes and Synonymous or Parallel Expressions. Terrible, a. Frightful, horrible, dreadful, formidable, redoubtable, fearful, grewsome, terrific, awful, dread, dire, tremendous.
From The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary. Adapted or likely to excite terror, awe, or dread; dreadful; formidable.
unbelievable
From The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary. Un*be*liev"a*ble, a. Not capable of being believed; not credible.

Credits

Many of the original list of words were taken from the replies to this tweet by B Cordelia Yu, who is an inspiring person. Thanks to @johannespunkt, @zaranosaur, and @sargoth.

The definition of ableism here is quoted from Lydia Brown's post Ableism/Language.

The CSS styles are based on Tufte CSS.

A list of resources consulted in the preparation of this list includes:

Things learned

Ludicrous has humorous intent, but not malicious.

Paradoxes are apparent contradictions — not necessarily actual contradictions.

Asinine means stupid and obstinate. Removed it from the list.

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