Words that surprised you? Words that put everything in a new light?

Question

Can you give an example?

Answer 1

I held a grudge for alot of years about something someone had done to me. I was discussing it with a fairly new friend and she said, "Everytime you think about that person, you're letting him rent space in your head for free". I know she didn't invent the expression but I hadn't heard it before and it really made me realize how much of myself I had given away on someone not even worthy of my time.

Answer 2

I once met someone I had gone to high school with, not a friend, at a family party. She remembered me, but I didn't remember her. She said "You know, you're really a sweet and funny person. And all through H.S. I thought you were a stuck up b*tch." Truth was, I was painfully shy during high school, still am to a certain degree, and I know that I rarely made eye contact with people, held my head up as a facade of confidence, and never started a conversation for fear of seeing rolling eyes and smirks. I try harder these days, and have many more friends than I ever had in HS. Wow, what a wake up call that was! Changed my life.

Answer 3

Global Thermal Nuclear War

Answer 4

This word came to my husband's attention the other day..

Despot..

Even though the word has modern pejorative meaning, it was once a legitimate title of office in the Byzantine Empire. Just as the word "Byzantine" is often used in a pejorative way (for specific reasons by certain Enlightenment authors wishing to express disapproval of that period in history), the word Despot was equally turned around for negative meaning. In fact, a Despot was an Imperial title, first used under Manuel I Komnenos (1143–1180) who created it to his appointed heir Alexius-Béla. According to Gyula Moravcsik this title was a simple translation of Béla's Hungarian title 'úr', but other historians believe it comes from the ancient greek, despotes (literally, 'the master').

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Despotism

Answer 5

The word enlightment always grabs my attention. Couldn't we all use some of that in our everyday lives? Also, I like the word spiritual. It denotes that there is something beyond what we can see/know and denotes a higher authority. Spiritual Enlightment.