malapropism

noun

mal·​a·​prop·​ism ˈma-lə-ˌprä-ˌpi-zəm 

1

: the usually unintentionally humorous misuse or distortion of a word or phrase

especially : the use of a word sounding somewhat like the one intended but ludicrously wrong in the context

"Jesus healing those leopards" is an example of malapropism.

2

: malaprop

malapropist

ˈma-lə-ˌprä-pist 

noun

Did you know?

Mrs. Malaprop, a character in Richard Sheridan's 1775 play The Rivals, was known for her verbal blunders. "He is the very pine-apple of politeness," she exclaimed, complimenting a courteous young man. Thinking of the geography of contiguous countries, she spoke of the "geometry" of "contagious countries," and she hoped that her daughter might "reprehend" the true meaning of what she was saying. She regretted that her "affluence" over her niece was small. The word malapropism derives from this blundering character's name, which Sheridan took from the French term mal à propos, meaning "inappropriate."

Examples of malapropism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There is so much of it — aside from the goofy malapropisms Dementus is given to, there isn’t a lot of dialogue. —Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 17 May 2024

One of the play’s best scenes captures the early banter of the two men, full of vulgarities, malapropisms and cultural misunderstandings. —Randy McMullen, The Mercury News, 23 Mar. 2024

Some insist on preserving every malapropism as their own voice. —Boris Kachka, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2023

On The Onion News Network, Riddle gained a legion of fans with his turn as the irascible, wildly opinionated Cressbeckler, whose predictions and political analysis were peppered with malapropisms and nonsequiturs. —Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 June 2023

The book, by Robert Horn (Tootsie), is peppered with puns and malapropisms. —Christian Holub, EW.com, 5 Apr. 2023

So this was a particular set of circumstances, a true perfect storm: Congress, the pandemic, people’s kids, one deeply unfortunate malapropism, and race. —Michael Tomasky, The New Republic, 3 Nov. 2021

Every kid is a virtuoso of language: those monkey-hear toddler approximations, a six-year-old’s idiosyncratic pronunciations, the malapropisms that continue well into adolescence. —Rumaan Alam, The New Yorker, 19 May 2020

The jokes of the post-9/11 moment, at least the ones offered by the mass media, were willful: Late-night hosts were soon back to mocking Britney Spears and the malapropisms of George W. Bush. —Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 2 Apr. 2020

Word History

Etymology

Mrs. Malaprop, character noted for her misuse of words in R. B. Sheridan's comedy The Rivals (1775)

First Known Use

1826, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Video

What is a Malaprop?

We'll tell you all the perpendiculars