Meanings
nounskunked term (plural skunked terms)
plural skunked terms
- A word that becomes difficult to use because it is transitioning from one meaning to another. Purists may insist on the old usage, while descriptivists are more open to newer usages.
It isn't a skunked term, but it's gradually becoming something like one.
2000, Bryan A. Garner, “lady”, in The Oxford Dictionary of American Usage and Style, page 2061 more example
When the skunked term has a different meaning, it's given in parentheses.
2013, Ben Yagoda, How to Not Write Bad: The Most Common Writing Problems and the Best Ways to Avoid Them, Penguin, →ISBN
Origin
Coined by American lawyer, lexicographer, and teacher Bryan A. Garner, and since adopted by some other style guides.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
skunked term. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/skunked%20term
MLA
“skunked term.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/skunked%20term. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “skunked term,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/skunked%20term.
Source: skunked term on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.