cromulent

adjective

crom·​u·​lent ˈkrä-myə-lənt How to pronounce cromulent (audio)
informal + humorous
: acceptable, satisfactory
He's a perfectly cromulent quarterback. But … teams don't want cromulent quarterbacks. They want consummate ones.Ben Solak
The audio quality is best described as "perfectly cromulent"—it's unlikely to impress anyone, but it's plenty loud and reasonably listenable …Jim Salter
… the bodywash is actually a cromulent product that works pretty well.The Ipswich (Australia) Advertiser

Word History

Etymology

crom- (apparently an arbitrary formation) + -ulent

Note: The word was introduced in "Lisa the Iconoclast," an episode of the Fox animated television series The Simpsons that first aired on February 18, 1996. Coinage of the word has been attributed to the television writer David X. Cohen by Bill Oakley, one of the series' producers, in a commentary to the DVD release of the series.

First Known Use

1996, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cromulent was in 1996

Dictionary Entries Near cromulent

Cite this Entry

“Cromulent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cromulent. Accessed 11 Oct. 2024.

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