Definite: clearly defined or determined; not vague or general; fixed; precise; exact
Defiant: characterized by defiance; boldly resistant or challenging
As an avid fan fiction reader, I’ve noticed one of the most commonly misused adjectives is the word “defiantly.” Many people use it in place of the correct word: “definitely,” such as when they say, “Sure, I’ll defiantly do that.” What they mean to say is “Sure, I’ll definitely do that.”
My question is: why? I got a pretty standard, public school education and I know they taught us the difference between the two. If they were synonymous or even spelled almost identically, I could understand, but these are two words with two very different meanings.
Definite has a positive connotation. If something is definite, then it is going to happen. It is fixed in our minds as a fact of life or a natural course of events.
Defiant has a more negative connotation. James Dean looked at the world defiantly. If something is defiant, it goes against things that are definite; it disputes reality and challenges the wills of others.
Sorry, that is a rant that has been needing to come out for years. I am definitely defiantly against the misuse of the word defiantly.
P.S. FINALLY! A new John Mayer album comes out November 17th!!!!
I agree with you! In 97% of the fanfictions I have read, the authors use 'defiantly' instead of 'definitely'! It irks me to no end!
ReplyDelete