Phrase guide

nonce word

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A word invented for the occasion, especially to create alliteration or a rhyme.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: human-sciences, lexicography, linguistics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: nonce, occasionalism, contrivance, logatome, pseudoword

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: protologism

2

noun

Meaning 2

a word with a special meaning used for a special occasion

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: hapax legomenon

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: word

History

Etymology

From for the nonce and word. Coined by James Murray, the influential first editor of the Oxford English Dictionary.

Across languages

Translations

31 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: لَفْظُ مُنَاسَبَة (lafẓu munāsaba) — word invented for the occasion
  • Czech: okazionalizmus — word invented for the occasion
  • Czech: hapax — word invented for the occasion
  • Dutch: hapax — word invented for the occasion
  • Estonian: juhusõna — word invented for the occasion
  • Estonian: okasionaalsõna — word invented for the occasion
  • Finnish: tilapäismuodoste — word invented for the occasion
  • Finnish: keksitty sana — word invented for the occasion
  • French: mot ad hoc — word invented for the occasion
  • French: hapax — word invented for the occasion
  • German: Ad-hoc-Bildung — word invented for the occasion
  • German: Ad-hoc-Wortbildung f Augenblicksbildung — word invented for the occasion
  • German: Gelegenheitsbildung — word invented for the occasion
  • German: okkasionelle Bildung — word invented for the occasion
  • German: Okkasionalismus — word invented for the occasion
  • Greek: λεξιπλασία (lexiplasía) — word invented for the occasion
  • Hungarian: alkalmi/egyedi szó/szóalkotás — word invented for the occasion
  • Hungarian: alkalmilag alkotott szó — word invented for the occasion
  • Italian: occasionalismo — word invented for the occasion
  • Korean: 임시어 (imsieo) — word invented for the occasion
  • Latvian: okazionālisms — word invented for the occasion
  • Norwegian: engangsord — word invented for the occasion
  • Polish: okazjonalizm — word invented for the occasion
  • Portuguese: palavra ad hoc — word invented for the occasion
  • Russian: окказионали́зм (okkazionalízm) — word invented for the occasion
  • Russian: га́пакс (gápaks) — word invented for the occasion
  • Spanish: expresión ad hoc — word invented for the occasion
  • Spanish: palabro — word invented for the occasion
  • Swedish: tillfällig ordbildning — word invented for the occasion
  • Swedish: tillfällighetsbildning — word invented for the occasion
  • Turkish: özel sözcük — word invented for the occasion