To be truly fabulous… you must constantly expand your mind… Intelligence is a critical component to becoming a remarkable woman. On that note, here are a few words that should be in your personal repertoire {add them to some of the words that should already be in your dictionary… which you can review here}.
in·ef·fa·ble /inˈefəbəl/ {adjective}:
1. Too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words.
2. Too sacred to be uttered.
In a Sentence: After purchasing the new spiked leopard print Christian Louboutins, I experienced ineffable joy.
In Your Life: The word ineffable should only be used in the grandest and most sincere of compliments or to express an emotion or experience that is truly, wildly off the charts and nearly inexplicable in its magnitude. Imagine things like love, beauty, mystery, grandeur, or anything and everything exquisite {if you are living your life correctly, as I assume that you are, you should have many moments in which this word would be apropos} as being deserving of this descriptive term. I was unbelievably flattered when a young man used this word in reference to yours truly… I was momentarily weak-kneed from his intellectually fueled compliment. And, if that young man is perhaps reading this… I tip my hat to you, sir.
rav·ish·ing /ˈraviSHiNG/ {adjective}: delightful; entrancing.
In a Sentence: When she entered the parlor, the men simultaneously drew in a deep breath; perhaps it was the way she looked confidently about the room with her sweeping gaze or, perhaps, it was simply her ravishing beauty.
In Your Life: Ah, to be described as ravishing. You already are… and, if you aren’t, you certainly have the capability to be so. Any woman can be entrancing due to her intellect, humor, mystery, impeccable style, wit, flirtatious charm, or the way in which she carries herself. The way in which you live your life and conduct yourself should strike others as ravishing at every possible moment. When you are truly living… bravely, confidently, and with your head held high… you will be nothing short of captivatingly ravishing.
er·u·dite /ˈer(y)əˌdīt/ {adjective}: having or showing great knowledge or learning.
In a Sentence: The two friends chatted rapidly over their glasses of sauvignon blanc, each zealous with the relief of finding someone with whom they could have an erudite and engaging discussion in this town full of vapid individuals.
In Your Life: Educate yourself. It is the most rewarding, invigorating, and important thing that you can do. Never stop learning, being curious, or challenging yourself intellectually. In this way, you will become an increasingly erudite individual. Surround yourself with like-minded people. You will find that the more you learn, the more you can contribute. You will naturally begin to gravitate towards those who are erudite, which means that you will never be bored {or boring} and you will constantly be engaged. The next time someone is talking about something that goes over your head at a ritzy party, instead of taking your glass of champagne and floating across the room… stay. Listen. Ask questions. You have something to learn. And, before you know it, that also means that you have something to teach. You’re one smart minx, you are.
“Ineffable” is a rare word that deserves more use.
“Ravishing” is an excellent word that I use carefully because it connotes violence. It is rooted in the Latin word rapere which means to seize and until recently (etymologically speaking) the verb “ravish” primarily denoted rape. Appearing in the 1300s, “ravish” meant “to seize (someone) by violence, carry (a person, esp. a woman) away” and by the mid-1400s was used to specifically describe the act of rape. (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ravish#wordorgtop) “He ravished her” literally meant “he violently raped her.” By extension, the adjective as used in “she was ravishing” connoted a woman whose mere beauty incited men to rape her.
Contemporary usage of “ravish” has apparently allowed the archaic reference to physical violence to fade in favor of metaphorical violence and perhaps has flipped the “ravisher” and “ravished.” Like a “bombshell” floors others, a woman who is ravishing has become an active, empowered ravisher seizing the hearts and minds of those around her. She is no longer the passive subject of another’s ravishing passions.
Stephanie,
Your beautiful comment demonstrates that you are, indeed, one erudite individual {and I am one lucky woman to know you}. Thank you so much for the historical background on the origin and modern reworking of the word “ravishing.” I have heard it used in the negative context {which is highly violent and horrible} before and have read it used that way in many books {as I have a tendency to gravitate towards historical fiction set in the 1400s… and, truly, that is what the word meant in those days}.
I think the wonderful part about language is that the definitions can be molded and reworked as time goes by. I love the fact that you see the possibility that being ravishing can now be something used as a powerful tool by the woman {which is exactly the way in which I view the term}. I think a ravishing woman is one who is aware and strong… so she should have some form of control over her “bombshell” powers 😉
Keep writing… I love it!
xoxo
Kiki E