Modern fiction is a gift.
It’s emotional, lyrical, cinematic…
And occasionally, it punches you in the face with a word like “susurrus” just to remind you you’re not as literate as you thought.
If you’ve ever paused mid-chapter thinking,
“Wait, am I the problem?”
Congratulations, you read real books.
Let’s decode some of modern fiction’s most beautifully infuriating vocabulary — and learn how to make them yours.
A soft murmuring or rustling sound
Used in books when: a forest, ocean, or mysterious mystical thing is trying to sound poetic.
Example vibe:
The leaves whispered their ancient secrets in a delicate susurrus.
Pro-tip: Most people first learn it, forget it, then relearn it pretending it’s new.
Meet it once in WordFlow → impress at dinner.
Impossible to avoid or escape
AKA “inescapable,” but said by someone who definitely owned a fountain pen in college.
Example:
Fate was ineluctable, as were the taxes and the group chat you can never leave.
Excessively mournful or gloomy
A mood you get 30% into any literary fiction about family trauma.
Usage:
His voice carried a lugubrious weight — as if someone had just canceled brunch.
Something reused, with traces of the past still visible
A word authors deploy when they want to flex their MFA.
Also: life, trauma, and your Notes app drafts.
A feeling of listlessness and boredom
Used when “bored” would do… but we are cultured, darling.
Example:
She stared at the ceiling fan, drowning in urban ennui and unused throw pillows.
Modern writers play with language.
We love them for it. But let’s be honest — sometimes they hand us a dictionary and whisper:
“Earn it.”
These words aren’t random: they unlock nuance.
You don’t “hear a soft sound”: you hear a susurrus.
You don’t feel “bored”: you drown in ennui.
Language isn’t just meaning, it's texture.
You don’t need flashcards or shame spirals.
Use the three-touch rule:
Your brain locks it in through pattern recognition, not effort.
That’s literally what WordFlow does.
It finds the words you’ll meet in your books and feeds them to you in the right moments.
So when an author throws ineluctable at you, your mind goes:
“Oh yes, hello old friend.”
And the chapter continues. No googling. No derailment. No dignity lost.
Comment the last word in a book that made you go:
“Okay, relax.”
Then go learn it — like the smug, literate legend you are.
And if you want those “ugh-fine-I’ll-look-it-up” words to feel effortless?
Try WordFlow — where vocab meets reading flow.
Realted content:
Learn Words from Books: The Smart Reader's Guide to Leveling up Vocabulary