malapropism

Meaning

Noun

• The blundering use of an absurdly inappropriate word or expression in place of a similar-sounding one.
• An instance of this; malaprop.

Related

Similar words

• malaprop, catachresis

Origin

• From the name of Mrs. Malaprop, a character in the play The Rivals (1775) by Richard Brinsley Sheridan + -ism. As dramatic characters in English comic plays of this time often had allusive names, it is likely that Sheridan fashioned the name from malapropos. Mrs. Malaprop is perhaps the best-known example of a familiar comedic character archetype who unintentionally substitutes inappropriate but like-sounding words that take on a ludicrous meaning when used incorrectly.
• The name Mrs. Malaprop itself comes from French mal à propos which means improperly, amiss, or ill-timed.