Adopt a Word
Do you despair that doublespeak, political gobbledegook and corporate gibberish rule the world?
Are you concerned about the degradation of public language? Would you like a way to show your love and support for the Wheeler Centre, but just can’t find the right words?
Supported by Milligram.
Help preserve, protect and nurture the building blocks of our books, writing and ideas. For a modest $85 donation, bring a word under your wing and protect it from the ravages of modern life. Adoptions are for 12 months and are tax-deductible.
FOR $85,
Receive the following:
- An adoption certificate;
- eBadge with your word to spread the news of your adoption;
- Quarterly updates on the progress of our adopt-a-word campaign, and other news from the Wheeler Centre; and
- The satisfaction of supporting our work with the vibrant literary sector.
Our Milligram gift packs were hugely popular, and have already gone to 50 lucky adoptees. Look out for the next Milligram offer with our tax appeal, launching in May.
Recently adopted words
- Mellivorous
- Loquacious
- Pteronophobia
- Abecedarian
- Festoon
- Bedight
- Radix
- Struthious
Adopt your word
Click a word to reveal its definition. Found a word you'd be proud to call your own? Take it under your wing and save it from life in a dusty, disused dictionary. Adopt!
(If your chosen word has already been adopted, check again later – we'll bring you more words to adopt soon.)
- Antediluvian(adj.) of or belonging to the period before the Biblical flood; very old; antiquatedAdopt this word close
- Cadge(v.) to scrounge or beg; to obtain something to which one is not really entitledAdopt this word close
- Eleemosynary(adj.) pertaining to charity; provided or derived from charitable sourcesAdopt this word close
- Exonerate(v.) release someone from a duty or obligation; free from guilt of blameAdopt this word close
- Tergiversate(v.) to change loyalties repeatedly; to vacillate with respect to causes or alliancesAdopt this word close
How the money is used
Your donation will support the Wheeler Centre's contribution to, and amplification of, the literary sector in Australia – nurturing the role of literature, storytelling and storymaking in Australian culture and identity.
All the writers we engage – for public events, commissioned writing, or in any other capacity – are paid at professional rates.
Word adoptions are fully tax-deductible.