9 Everyday Words That Everybody Is Using Completely Wrong

2. Nonplussed

What People Think It Means: Unfazed, unbothered What It Actually Means: Surprised and confused so much that they are unsure how to react This confusion is an interesting one, because it just sounds like something that might be right. Someone who might be €œplussed€ doesn€™t sound like he or she is having a good time of it, so tacking a €œnon-€œ at the beginning sounds likely to negate this original feeling. Say it out loud: it just sounds like a super chilled-out word. Like so many before it, because it€™s become confused so often, a second, informal sense is being added to dictionary definitions, signifying it as €œunfazed or unbothered.€ Colour me nonplussed (in the first sense) about the whole thing, but again, this is yet another testimony to the often convenient adaptability of the English language.