Make Your Point > Archived Issues > MISANTHROPE & MISANTHROPIST

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connect today's word to others: The literal opposite of a philanthropist (someone who loves mankind), a misanthropist, or a misanthrope, hates mankind. Here's J. D. Salinger's misanthrope, Holden, who thinks everybody is a phony: "People are always ruining things for you." And here's Dickens's misanthropist, Scrooge, the human equivalent of a door slammed in the face: “If they would rather die [than go to a workhouse or a prison], they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.” Yikes. So, a misanthrope hates everybody. And a ____phobe hates everybody from other nations. And a  L____te just hates new technology. (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "MISANTHROPE" & "MISANTHROPIST" Made from Greek roots meaning "hate" (misein) and "man" (anthropos), the words "misanthrope" and "misanthropist" mean "someone who has NO love for, trust in, or interest in most other people." In other words, misanthropes and misanthropists are haters of their fellow man. They believe most people, if not all of them, are bad and untrustworthy. Pronunciation: Misanthrope: "MISS in thrope" Misanthropist: "miss AN thruh pist" Part of speech: Noun, the countable kind ("she's a misanthrope," "they're all misanthropists"). Other forms: misanthropic ("MISS an THROP ick"), misanthropically ("MISS an THROP ick uh lee"), misanthropy ("miss AN thruh pee") or misanthropism ("miss AN thruh pizz um") Note: Misanthropes and misanthropists hate "men" in the sense that they hate the race of man: all mankind, every male and female. People who hate members of the male gender specifically are misandrists (and people who hate the female gender are misogynists). How to use it: These words have a harsh tone. They're more formal than synonyms like "grouch," "hater," and "recluse." Refer to a real or fictional person as a misanthrope, or a misanthropist, to emphasize how that person almost always dislikes almost everybody. Or, temper the description: "I'm a borderline misanthropist," "He's a bit of a misanthrope," "She's starting to sound like a misanthropist." examples: I swear I'm not a misanthrope; I just hate phone calls. And too much human interaction. "Perhaps a few misanthropists, wrapped up in their little selves and their narrow thoughts, would shut themselves up during the season, in order to escape the pain of witnessing us all in our ungodly career."    — Jenny Wren, Lazy Thoughts of a Lazy Girl, 1891 study it: Explain the meaning of "misanthrope" and "misanthropist" without saying "people-hater" or "lifelong grouch." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "(Someone's) misanthropy prevents (him or her) from enjoying _____." Example: "Scrooge's misanthropy prevents him from enjoying Christmas traditions." before you review, play: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. Our game is "TV Tropes!" This month, we're playing with tropes from TVTropes.org. TV tropes are storytelling devices, which can come from any source of fiction—TV, movies, books, you name it. They're the archetypes, the story patterns, the plot devices, the cheap tricks, the situational clichés that we see over and over throughout fiction.  Examples of TV tropes include "Skyward Scream," "Banister Slide," "Caught on the Jumbotron," "Burp of Finality," "City People Eat Sushi," "Dance Party Ending," "Clean Pretty Childbirth," "Come Back to Bed, Honey," "Even the Subtitler is Stumped," and tens of thousands more. Naming a trope can be a straightforward business, as in the "Skyward Scream." But often it demands precision, inviting the use of humorously sophisticated terms. Enter our Make Your Point words.  In each issue this month, consider the name of a TV trope, and try to define it or even give an example from a TV show or other work of fiction. From the previous issue: In fiction, what is the trope known as the Erudite Stoner? Answer: It's when some character, despite being perpetually high, exhibits wisdom and deep insight. For example, in Dude, Where's My Car?, Nelson spends his time in a drugged stupor yet suddenly becomes a fount of valuable advice. Try this today: In fiction, what is the trope known as Affably Evil? review today's word: 1. The exact opposite of MISANTHROPIC is PHILANTHROPIC. But a close opposite of MISANTHROPIC is A. ALTRUISTIC. B. BUMPTIOUS. C. CEREBRAL. 2. She wanted to call in sick, call in dead, call in misanthropic maybe, dreading _____. A. those prison-like cubicle walls B. those piles of tedious paperwork C. those cranky customers on the phone Answers are below. a final word: Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From Liesl's blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. A 2. C