Re: antonym of photogenic
macropod
ugly, unlovely, unhandsome, hideous, foul, shocking, monstrous, repulsive,
repellent, odious, loathsome, unsightly, etc, etc
Take your pick.
Cheers
--
macropod
[MVP - Microsoft Word]
"sanjay" <san...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:EFCE49E1-4491-41EA...@microsoft.com...
> what is antonym of photogetic? unphotogenic is not a word.
Doug Robbins - Word MVP
--
Hope this helps.
Please reply to the newsgroup unless you wish to avail yourself of my
services on a paid consulting basis.
Doug Robbins - Word MVP
Opinicus
> what is antonym of photogetic? unphotogenic is not a word.
Just because it isn't in a dictionary doesn't mean it's not a "word". There
are lots of words in English, especially those formed from prefixes and
suffixes, that you won't find in a dictionary. If "unphotogenic" works for
you, go with it. The meaning is perfectly clear.
--
Bob
http://www.kanyak.com
Sarah R
>> Just because it isn't in a dictionary doesn't mean it's not a "word". There
>> are lots of words in English, especially those formed from prefixes and
>> suffixes, that you won't find in a dictionary. If "unphotogenic" works for
>> you, go with it. The meaning is perfectly clear.
Yes, but words are like coins: Just because you mint your own doesn't mean
everyone else has to accept them. Currency is based on the generally
accepted standard. In the case of money, that standard is a government or
similar authority; for words, it's the community of speakers/readers/signers.
For example, I might (tongue-in-cheek) call the opposite of photogenic
"photoclastic." It makes sense etymologically (as long as one sees the
"light" with respect to the modern reference of photo-) but logic alone won't
"break" through for others to adapt my invention. Others must also adapt the
word -- pass the buck, so to speak.
A thesaurus is useful in showing which words have gained currency (though
many on the list are probably outdated). The very strength of a copious
listing is also a weakness in that it provides little or no context. For
example, "merry" means something like "cheerful, joyous" and therefore
qualifies as a synonym of "happy." But try greeting Americans with "Happy
Christmas" and you'll see that it fails as a synonym in that context
(collocation). (To return to the coin metaphor: It's like trying to use
pennies in a vending machine; though 50 pennies nominally = 2 quarters, only
one of those combinations will actually work to get your soft drink.)
So, use Word's thesaurus. (Highlight the word you want to look up then
presss [Shift+F7] or go to Tools > Thesaurus.) Review the list of synonyms
... but don't stop there. Use your native-speaker judgment of the word, both
how it sounds in the intended sentence and especially how it sounds together
with the other key word(s) in its phrase. If you're not a native speaker,
consult someone who is ("Does this sound right to you?").
In this example, the intended lookup word, "unphotogenic," isn't on the
list. That may indicate there's no commonly used word for the concept.
Others' judgment on whatever you decide to use is therefore especially
important.
-- Sarah R
[Ph.D., Linguistics]
"Opinicus" wrote:
> "sanjay" <san...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote
>
>
> --
> Bob
> http://www.kanyak.com
>
>
>
Tom Willett
"Sarah R" <Sar...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:94E95E49-B65D-4044...@microsoft.com...
Wade
writing style guides that if the word you want to combine the prefix with has
not yet been formally accepted by the "community of speakers/readers/signers"
with the prefix on it (i.e. it is not yet in the dictionary), you can still
use the prefix with the word, but hyphenate it to indicate that you have done
just that.
So the short answer is just write "un-photogenic."
--Wade
[no Ph.D. in Linguistics]