losel means worthless; wasteful. It carries an Arena rating of 1614, earned across 15 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, losel ranks #8 of 13,223 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #1,107 of 13,223 for Most Incisive Words, #1,542 of 13,223 for Most Elegant Words, #1,738 of 13,223 for Words That Escaped Their Books.
losel is pronounced /ˈləʊzəl/.
Why “losel” is a great word
LOSEL — [Adjective / Noun] As an adjective: worthless or wasteful; as a noun: a worthless or despicable person, a scoundrel. From Middle English *losel*, from *losen* or *loren*, the past participle of *lesen* ("to lose"), equivalent to *lose* + the suffix *-le*. Unlike "profligate," which implies reckless extravagance, or "rascal," which can suggest mischievous charm, "losel" carries the colder weight of inherent, contemptible waste. It is the permanent slump in a tavern chair, the sour smell of unwashed linen in a sunless room, the coin gambled away on a certainty that was never there—the human shape given to entropy’s quiet victory.
Etymology
From Middle English losel (also lorel), from *losen, loren, past participle of lesen (“to lose”), equivalent to lose + -le.
noun
- A worthless or despicable person, scoundrel.“Dowtles such losels
Make the churche to be
In smale auctoryte; […]”
Words closest in meaning
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