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Opposite of endearment terms - does it exist, and/or have a name?

English Language & Usage Asked by Sinus the Tentacular on July 9, 2021

Does the English language have any way to apply the reverse of endearment or diminution to a word – that is, make it sound big, dangerous, ugly, intense? "Pig" turns into "piggy" or "piglet"; "dog" has "doggie" or (recently) "doggo"… Is there (or was there ever) a reverse mechanism?

One Answer

As opposed to -y or -ie, -o is arguably antagonistic or alienating when added as a suffix. Bucko is defined as "a person who is domineering and bullying." Friendo was memorably used by the fearsome hitman Anton Chigurh in the film No Country for Old Men. Hunter Thompson reportedly named the paradigm-breaking "gonzo journalism" after "some Boston word for weird, bizarre." The Wictionary entry contains many negative examples ("uggo, weirdo, wino, cheapo, wacko, psycho, sicko"). When applied to a person, the connotation seems to usually be negative.

On a separate note, -zilla (from Godzilla, connoting aggression and ferocity), -gernaut (from Juggernaut, connoting invincibility and unopposability), -gate (from Watergate, connoting a distasteful scandal), are some more specific suffixes that come to mind (-tacular, etc.), but these are all from existing words, distinct from typical diminutive forms.

Answered by Chemomechanics on July 9, 2021

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