Make Your Point > Archived Issues > NAMELESS
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pronounce
NAMELESS:
Say it "NAME less."
To hear it, click here.
connect this word to others:
Here's something I love about language. Even when you can't put an idea or a feeling into words, even when there are no words to express it, we have words for that.
Like ne____us ("fuzzy and shapeless, like a cloud of dust in outer space").
And in___able ("too intense or too baffling to be expressed properly in words").
And in_narr____ ("unable to be narrated: unable to be described accurately in words").
And the clear, simple, graceful word that's well worth a moment or two of study: nameless.
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
definition:
Something nameless is either
unnamed;
or, hard to remember the name for;
or, hard to describe in words;
or, not famous.
grammatical bits:
Part of speech: adjective: "this nameless fear;" "the setting of the novel is nameless."
Other forms: namelessly, namelessness.
how to use it:
When you need to be clear and simple, "nameless" is a great alternative to clunkier words like "anonymous" and "inexpressible."
It can sound poetic, too. Here's Cormac McCarthy: "the gray and nameless day." And here's John Steinbeck: "He covered his eyes with his crossed arms and lay there a long time, and he was full of a nameless sorrow."
You might talk about nameless fears and anxieties, nameless sins and nightmares, nameless workers and voters, nameless soldiers and heroes, nameless characters and narrators, etc.
examples:
The setting of the novel Trash is not India, and not Mexico, but a nameless country in deep poverty.
"When I drew nigh the nameless city I knew it was accursed."
— H. P. Lovecraft, "The Nameless City," 1921
"Losing his nights to cheap beer and the nameless heavy metal band setting up in the corner."
— Bryan Bliss, We'll Fly Away, 2018
"There was a time when it was legal to own people—and illegal for them to run away. Sometimes, society gets it wrong. And it’s not just nameless bureaucrats; it’s men like Thomas Jefferson."
— Alvaro M. Bedoya, Slate, 7 November 2014
has this page helped you understand "nameless"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "nameless" without saying "obscure" or "hard to label."
try it out:
In his first inaugural address, Franklin D. Roosevelt said:
"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance."
Talk about what he meant. How would a nameless fear stop us from taking action? And how would a named fear help us take action? Can you give any examples of either situation in your life, or from your reading?
before you review, play:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
This month, our game is "Caption These!"
In each issue this month, caption the images below (A, B, and C) by matching them to the vocabulary words they illustrate (1, 2, and 3). Need a closer look? Give the images a click. And, if you can, explain the exact meaning of each word. I'll share the answers in the following issue. Good luck!
From the previous issue:
Answers:
A: rivet, B: pigeonhole, C: pillory.
(To review a word, give it a click.)
Try these today:
(Remember, you can get a closer look by clicking on the images.)
1: citadel
2: claque
3: rictus
review this word:
1. Obviously, the exact opposite of NAMELESS is NAMED.
But a pretty close opposite of NAMELESS is
A. TREASURED.
B. RECOGNIZED.
C. WELL-CONNECTED.
2. A nameless narrator is always a bit of a paradox, since ____
A. we just call him "the narrator."
B. he's part witness, part participant.
C. he's present all throughout the story.
a final word:
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.
I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From my 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.
Here's something I love about language. Even when you can't put an idea or a feeling into words, even when there are no words to express it, we have words for that.
Something nameless is either
Part of speech: adjective: "this nameless fear;" "the setting of the novel is nameless."
When you need to be clear and simple, "nameless" is a great alternative to clunkier words like "anonymous" and "inexpressible."
The setting of the novel Trash is not India, and not Mexico, but a nameless country in deep poverty.
Explain the meaning of "nameless" without saying "obscure" or "hard to label."
In his first inaugural address, Franklin D. Roosevelt said:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
1. Obviously, the exact opposite of NAMELESS is NAMED.
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