Verboticism: Motivile

'Honey, you just ran a red light!'

DEFINITION: v. To unintentionally encourage bad behavior by responding to it in a manner that incites even worse behavior. n. A response designed to stop bad behavior, which paradoxically produces more of it.

Create | Read

Voted For: Motivile

Successfully added your vote for "Motivile".

You still have one vote left...

Negatentional

mrskellyscl

Created by: mrskellyscl

Pronunciation: neg-a-ten-shen-al

Sentence: As a teacher, Mary knew that negatentional responses were equal to posintentional ones to the kids who acted up to get her attention, although the results were disastrous for her classroom management. She soon realized that by nagging Kevin the same result would happen, Kevin would do the opposite of what she wanted to get a response from her. She decided to ignore the inappropriate behavior and reward him for proper behavior, just as she would her kindergarten children, in order for him to get posattention from her.

Etymology: negative: unfavorable or disconfirming + intentional: done deliberately + attention: notice or recognition. Teachers and trainers understand that to some children or animals negative attention is just as good as positive attention because it gives them the reward of recognition and response.

----------------------------
COMMENTS:

Do I not lie it? Negatory! Good word. - Nosila, 2009-06-30: 17:31:00

----------------------------

| Comments and Points

Reverbirate

Created by: Mustang

Pronunciation: re - VERB - ihr - ate

Sentence: It seemed that whenever Consuelo would try to motivate her husband, Javier, to behave more civilly, her words would only reverbirate in some dark corner of his psyche and have the opposite effect with him responding in even more outrageous manner.

Etymology: blend of reverberate and irate

| Comments and Points

Miscourage

Created by: jrogan

Pronunciation: mis-cur-rage

Sentence: Every time Sally miscouraged her boyfriend go slower, he went faster. It didn't matter whether they were on the highway, or in the bedroom.

Etymology: miss + courage as opposed to discourage

| Comments and Points

Habetual

Created by: Nosila

Pronunciation: ha bet ual

Sentence: Joanie nagged at Chachi when he drove, which drove him insane. She failed to under stand that her habetual commentary on his poor driving habits made him a worse driver. It would have probably worked better if she had actually had a driving license of her own before passing such critiques on his driving skills...

Etymology: Habitual (commonly used or practiced; usual) & Abet (assist or encourage, usually in wrongdoing)

| Comments and Points

Scaradigm

Created by: mweinmann

Pronunciation: skair - a - dime

Sentence: There was a scaradigm shift in Tony's behavior after Lisa tried to soothe him during the drive through the Catskills. The road was narrow and slippery and an antelope strolled out and started to play around in the headlights.

Etymology: scare (A general state of alarm), paradigm (A set of assumptions, concepts, values, and practices that constitutes a way of viewing reality)

| Comments and Points

Reitirate

Created by: Mustang

Pronunciation: re-IT-eye-rayt

Sentence: While she was well intentioned Muriel would invariably overdo her prodding to get Stan to do things her way and in the end would almost always reitirate, harping on a topic until Stan would just blow his cork.

Etymology: Blend of reiterate and irate.

| Comments and Points

Pissoftomy

Created by: stefaniaus

Pronunciation: Pis soft omy

Sentence: It was clearly a case of pissoftomy with no means of redemption

Etymology:

| Comments and Points

Nagression

Created by: Nosila

Pronunciation: nag resh shun

Sentence: Rhoda Rage always lectured her spouse,Red, about the importance of defensive driving. She also pointed out potential hazards to him along the route...like a person crossing the road, a mile ahead. Or a red light, three blocks away. Although she could not drive herself, she was an expert on what he should be doing. But all her cautions became a form of nagression and irritated the heck out of Red. Her constant comments made him nervous and edgy. He took his frustration out on other motorists. They eventually split up, because he wanted to take another Rhoda and she did not want to see Red anymore.

Etymology: Nag (remind or urge constantly; bother persistently with trivial complaints;worry persistently) & Aggression (violent action that is hostile and usually unprovoked;deliberately unfriendly behavior; the act of initiating hostilities;a disposition to behave aggressively;a feeling of hostility that arouses thoughts of attack)

| Comments and Points

Tranquilose

Created by: Rutilus

Pronunciation: tran-kwi-looz

Sentence: However hard Peggy tried to pacify Ivan's ire she only ever seem to tranquilose him and in the process make him even more uptight. She was getting tired of this relationship and wanted out!

Etymology: tranquilise - to pacify; lose - to be defeated (in purpose)

| Comments and Points

Dissuascalation

petaj

Created by: petaj

Pronunciation: dis-sway-sca-lay-shun

Sentence: Bobby, just ignore your brother. You know that when you tell him not to swear he just tells you to f&*$ #$%&&% )!!@^&$$. I know you mean well, but it's just a dissuascalation.

Etymology: dissuasion (discouragement) + escalation (increase, especially in the case of military escalation where every action is responded to with greater force)

| Comments and Points

Show All or More...