Advertisement

malaprop (n.)

"a ludicrous misuse of a big word," 1823, from the name of the theatrical character Mrs. Malaprop, who was noted for her blunders in the use of words (see malapropism). As an adjective, "out of place, inapt," by 1840. Related: Malapropian.

Others are reading

Advertisement
Definitions of malaprop from WordNet

malaprop (n.)
the unintentional misuse of a word by confusion with one that sounds similar;
Synonyms: malapropism
From wordnet.princeton.edu