Vote for the best verboticism.

DEFINITION: v. To ignore anything positive and focus your energy on problems, disasters, and whatever bad news you find. n. A person who searches for, and feeds on, other people's weaknesses, failures and mistakes.
Verboticisms
Click on each verboticism to read the sentences created by the Verbotomy writers, and to see your voting options...
You have two votes. Click on the words to read the details, then vote your favorite.
Ghoultures
Created by: silveryaspen
Pronunciation: ghoul churs
Sentence: Named after the devil in him, Sin Nick earned his living, by feeding on, and exploiting other people's weaknesses, failures, and mistakes ... by writing about them in the media, so all the world could see and hear about them, as well ... and feed upon such misfortune, too. People like Sin Nicks, Gloomy Guses, Worry Warts, Pessy Mists, Wet Blankets, Sca Vengers, and old Buzz Ards, and all their fallowers are ghoultures.
Etymology: GHOULISH, VULTURES. GHOULISH - morbidly fascinated and obsessively interested in weakness, failure, disaster, death and anything repulsive. VULTURES - birds or people who prey upon, and feed upon, the weak, the failing, the misfortunate. Culture - groups of people with shared attitudes and beliefs, such as the ghoultures, the cynics (sin nicks) who feed upon the misfortunate. Fall-lowers for followers.
Lugubriate
Created by: Mustang
Pronunciation: loo-GOO-bree-ayt
Sentence: Even on the sunniest days and rosiest occasions Esmerelda could be counted upon to lugubriate, searching through all the days events and news for the downbeat and negative offerings.
Etymology: Blend of 'Lugubrious' (mournful, dismal, or gloomy, esp. in an affected, exaggerated, or unrelieved manner) with suffix '-ate' (As the ending of a verb, it means to make, to cause, to act, etc.; as, to propitiate (to make propitious); to animate (to give life to)
Follyfication
Created by: splendiction
Pronunciation: faw ly fi ca tion
Sentence: Shrugh really looked forward to follyfication of all the silly human errors around him.
Etymology: From FOLLY (human stupidity) and JOLLIFICATION (find joy in or revel).
Misfortunehunter
Created by: Nosila
Pronunciation: mis fort tyoon hun ter
Sentence: Lucky Lucy was not only a fortune hunter, she was also a misfortunehunter. Her specialty was finding old guys who wanted sweet young things. She always made sure they were rich, sickly, put her in the will and were without relatives. Once she got her hooks into them, it was only a matter of time before they keeled and she collected. Her black widow career paid well until the last old guy outlived her...
Etymology: Misfortune (unnecessary and unforeseen trouble resulting from an unfortunate event;an unfortunate state resulting from unfavorable outcomes) & Fortune Hunter (a person who seeks wealth through marriage)
Woewallow
Created by: artr
Pronunciation: wōwälō
Sentence: Willy watches the news with great interest. He loves to woewallow. If there is bad news he wants to share it. Disasters, tragedies, agony? A new study that finds your favorite food as a possible cancer cause. He's there! He firmly believes that every silver lining is wrapped in a big beautiful grey cloud.
Etymology: woe (great sorrow or distress) + wallow ( indulge in an unrestrained way)
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COMMENTS:
You met my dad? - wayoffcenter, 2009-04-21: 07:35:00
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Euphoraptor
Created by: mrskellyscl
Pronunciation: eu-for-rap-tor
Sentence: Janet walked out into the beautiful spring air, taking in the delicate scent of cherry blossoms and feeling the warm sunshine. She stood there smiling, forgetting her winter depression and feeling hopeful for the first time in months. Suddenly Andrew, the euphoraptor, began to shout, "Where's my damn allergy pills?" "Where's my socks?" "Where's my damn chain saw?" "I've decided to cut that cherry tree down so I can put my bacci court there." Janet looked at the picked carcass of her happy mood and sighed, "Your pills are in the cabinet, your socks are in the drawer, and I sold your chain saw last week at the yard sale for 15 bucks."
Etymology: Euphoria: state of well-being and happiness + Raptor: one who seizes by force, rape; a bird of prey
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COMMENTS:
Your verbotomy euphoraptor, and your sentence, especially the words 'leaves behind the picked carcass of her happy mood' is SUPERB descriptive and metaphorical writing! - silveryaspen, 2009-04-21: 09:38:00
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Schadendfraudster
Created by: galwaywegian
Pronunciation: schad en frawd stur
Sentence: She was a total schadenfraudster. the onlt time she use the word "good", was to precede "grief"
Etymology: schadenfreude, fraudster
Negpeck
Created by: DrWebsterIII
Pronunciation: neg - pek
Sentence: Everytime I try to suggest something positive, Elaine always tries to negpeck it down.
Etymology: New Eng. (UWS)
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COMMENTS:
cute, drw. - Nosila, 2009-04-21: 22:26:00
I know an Negpeck Elaine just like this! :)lol! - abrakadeborah, 2009-04-22: 06:27:00
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Snipercritical
Created by: karenanne
Pronunciation: SNY per CRIT ih cul
Sentence: My aunt Prissy is usually looking for mistakes or flaws, real or imagined, so she can complain about how she could have done something so much better, if someone had only asked her. And she somehow manages to blame every problem of her own on someone else. Even though she's been married five times, every one of the divorces was the man's fault. According to her, her adult children don't talk to her because "they are ungrateful and don't appreciate all the sacrifices I've made for them." More likely, her husbands left and most of the people in the family avoid her because she is so snipercitical, always waiting to take potshots from the sidelines.
Etymology: sniper + hypercritical
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COMMENTS:
ah, the relationship assassin... - Nosila, 2010-11-04: 01:35:00
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Pessimisappropriator
Created by: petaj
Pronunciation: pez-i-miss-a-pro-pree-ater
Sentence: Never content with her own minor troubles, Marlene thrived by pessimisappropriating everyone else's catastrophes. She retold their stories as her own so frequently that even the victims started to believe it had happened to Marlene instead of themselves.
Etymology: pessimist (someone who focuses on the negatives) + misappropriate (to wrongly take over something)
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COMMENTS:
Like the aspect and approach you presented and the neat alliteration in your word. Both are another of today's Great Creates! - silveryaspen, 2009-04-21: 09:52:00
pessimisappropos! - Nosila, 2009-04-21: 22:25:00
Props! to your Pessimisappropriator! Very good word! :) - abrakadeborah, 2009-04-22: 05:52:00
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Comments:
Today's definition was inspired by one of my favorite university professors who would respond to complainers with what he said was an old Japanese proverb -- "In among the cherry blossoms, the woodpecker hunts for a dead tree." ~ James
silveryaspen - 2009-04-21: 01:43:00
Like today's definition and cartoon, that Japanese proverb, provides plenty of food for thought .... naughty knotty thoughts ... until I want to thought naught about it any more!
silveryaspen - 2009-04-21: 09:56:00
This thought provoking definition and cartoon certainly inspired every one today! Kudos to the professor and James and all the verbotomists who played today. All are terrific sentences and verbotomies, today.
readerwriter - 2009-04-21: 10:33:00
Do I live in the wrong hemisphere or does my day begin too late???? Either that, or you all are up past midnight EST! Fun word today to play with. How you do it, James, I will never know...you are an artiste!
Thank you silvery and readerwriter. Fortunately, there not a lot of woodpeckers among us, but apparently there are a lot of night owls. ~ James
abrakadeborah - 2009-04-22: 06:03:00
This word and cartoon today was very descriptive! I LOVE the old Japanese proverb you added "In among the cherry blossoms, the woodpecker hunts for a dead tree." :) I have known a FEW toxic people like this in my life~