The mysterious case of the lost positive @RobWords
The mysterious case of the lost positive  @RobWords
Uploaded November 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Welcome to the world of the LOST POSITIVE. Lost positives are the extinct words that only remain in our language in their negative form. Could you ever be ruthful, feckful or gormful, just as you can be ruthless, feckless and gormless today? Is "chalant" the opposite of nonchalant? If you're not disgruntled are you "gruntled"? Find out as I explore a wide range of lost positives (and a handful of imposters).

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Edited with Gling AI: bit.ly/46bGeYv
#english #etymology #language
==CHAPTERS==
0:00 What are lost positives?
0:59 INNOCENT / NOCENT
1:30 Susie Dent!!
2:58 RUTHLESS / RUTHFUL
3:38 FECKFUL / FECKLESS
4:46 GORMLESS / GORMFUL
5:49 WHELMED
6:38 INFLAMMABLE / FLAMMABLE
7:11 DISGRUNTLED / GRUNTLED
8:50 NONCHALANT / CHALANT
10:30 UNKEMPT / KEMPT
11:44 UNCOUTH / COUTH
12:58 UNRULY / RULY
13:20 INEPT / EPT
14:36 INCESSANT / CESSANT
14:53 INEVITABLE / EVITABLE
15:12 UNWIELDY / WIELDY
15:32 INDEFATIGABLE / DEFATIGABLE
The mysterious case of the lost positiveANGLISH: English without the foreign bitsThe surprising truth about Ye Olde...British country names explainedThe origin of tailor/TaylorWhy doesnt English have genders? Well... it did!The worlds silliest place namesThe weird ways the elements got their namesThe hidden logic behind #, @, & and §Why is there a G in SIGN? The (kind of annoying) reasons some words end with gn.COLOUR WORDS: The astounding origins of blue, black, orange, red & other colorsThis ruined English spelling
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The mysterious case of the "lost positive"

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