A skunked term is a word or phrase that becomes difficult to use because it is evolving from one meaning to another, perhaps inconsistent or even opposite, usage,[1] or that becomes difficult to use due to other controversy surrounding the term.
Readers may not know which sense is meant especially when prescriptivists insist on a meaning that accords with interests that often conflict.
[citation needed] The term was coined by the lexicographer Bryan A. Garner in Garner's Modern American Usage and has since been adopted by some other style guides.
[2] Garner recommends avoiding such terms if their use may distract readers from the intended meaning of a text.
[3] Some terms, such as "fulsome", may become skunked, and then eventually revert to their original meaning over time.