Shelf one
Vocabulary
Words she reaches for that most pop writing does not — plus a few she simply made up. Definitions here are written for the Sanctuary, and no lyrics are reproduced.
A growing selection, not a complete lexicon. Every entry links to a public source, definitions are written for this site, and no lyrics are reproduced.
Showing 146 of 146 entries.
In the songs · 2009
Acquiescent
Going along with something rather than objecting to it.
Used in her writing to look back on having quietly accepted a situation she should have refused.
It's a Wrap · Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel
Mariah's own usage
Source: Official 'It's A Wrap' audio (MariahCareyVEVO)In the songs · 1997
Emblazoned
Marked so boldly that it cannot be overlooked or removed.
A memory word: an image that stays fixed in the mind long after the person has gone.
My All · Butterfly
Mariah's own usage
Source: Official 'My All' lyric videoIn the songs · 1997
Vividly
Recalled in sharp colour and detail, as if it were still happening.
Paired with memory in the same ballad, sharpening how present the past feels.
My All · Butterfly
Mariah's own usage
Source: Official 'My All' lyric videoIn the songs · 1997
Solitude
Being alone, described as a state rather than a complaint.
One of the quiet, formal words she reaches for instead of plainer alternatives.
My All · Butterfly
Mariah's own usage
Source: Official 'My All' lyric videoIn the songs · 1997
Breakdown
The moment composure fails — used by her as a title, sung calmly rather than dramatically.
The title of a Butterfly-era single whose delivery stays deliberately unhurried.
Breakdown · Butterfly
Mariah's own usage
Source: Official 'Breakdown' videoIn the songs · 1997
Nonchalant
Calm and unbothered — showing no anxiety or excitement.
The composure the Butterfly-era single keeps while describing the opposite of composure.
Breakdown · Butterfly
Mariah's own usage
Source: Official 'Breakdown' videoIn the songs · 1999
Incessantly
Continuously or repeatedly, without pause — not necessarily willingly.
Used for something that keeps happening to her without let-up.
Heartbreaker · Rainbow
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker (archived)In the songs · 1997
Abandonedly
Freely, with nothing held back. An unusual adverb in pop writing; we make no claim about who coined it.
Appears in the song that gave her the butterfly as a personal emblem.
Butterfly · Butterfly
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker (archived)Out loud · 2014
Elusive chanteuse
Her own phrase for the hard-to-pin-down singer she plays in public.
Chosen as part of a 2014 album title, tied by her to a childhood self-portrait.
Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse
Mariah's own usage
Source: SongfactsIn the songs · 2005
Emancipation
Release from something that was holding you — here, both personal and professional.
Used as an album title for the 2005 record that turned her career back around.
The Emancipation of Mimi
Mariah's own usage
Source: VultureOut loud · 2005 onward
Mimi
A private nickname she uses for the version of herself that is not on stage.
Moved from private to public in 2005, when it became part of an album title.
The Emancipation of Mimi
Mariah's own usage
Source: The RingerIn the songs · 1997 onward
Butterfly
Her long-running emblem for release and transformation.
Song, album and personal symbol from 1997, revisited by her at the album's 25th anniversary.
Butterfly · Butterfly
Mariah's own usage
Source: Harper's BazaarOut loud · 1994 onward
Festive
Her preferred word for the Christmas mood — warmth, lights, ritual, all of it.
Used by her when talking about her holiday work and the season she has made her own.
Mariah's own usage
Source: Elle interviewOut loud · 2000s onward
Bleak
Her word for the opposite of festive: grey, flat, joyless.
Used as the natural counterweight to 'festive' when she describes moods and seasons.
Mariah's own usage
Source: Elle interviewOut loud · 2008
Bleakocity
A built-from-scratch noun for bleakness at scale — 'bleak' turned into a whole condition.
Recorded in an archived 2008 i-D magazine interview transcript.
Mariah's own usage
Source: i-D, 2008 (archived transcript)Out loud · 1990s onward
Diva
A label she accepts rather than deflects, treating it as a standard to meet.
Used by her about herself in interviews, including in Vogue's Life in Looks conversation.
Mariah's own usage
Source: Vogue, Life in LooksOut loud · 1990s onward
Ensemble
An outfit spoken of as a composed whole, not just clothes.
Her habitual word when walking back through her own looks on camera.
Mariah's own usage
Source: Vogue, Life in LooksOut loud · 2000s onward
Moment
A look or event that deserves to be marked — 'a moment' as a unit of glamour.
Used by her and echoed in fashion writing about her style anniversaries.
Mariah's own usage
Source: VogueIn the songs · 1997
Abruptly
All at once, with no lead-up.
Turns a sudden departure into something she measures out in a single adverb.
Honey · Butterfly
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2002
Abundant
Present in great supply.
Used to describe a life full to the brim rather than merely happy.
Yours · Charmbracelet
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2008
Accentuate
To draw attention to something.
A styling verb: getting dressed described as deciding what to emphasise.
Migrate · E=MC²
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1990
Alienation
The state of feeling cut off from other people.
It appears in her very first single, setting the tone for a career of long words in pop songs.
Vision of Love · Mariah Carey
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2001
Alleviate
To lessen something painful.
Used for a feeling she says she cannot talk herself out of.
Want You · Glitter
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1997
Ambiguous
Not fitting one clear category.
Her word for never quite belonging in any room, a recurring theme of the Butterfly era.
Outside · Butterfly
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1997
Apprehension
Nervous expectation of something.
Used for hesitation that finally lifts, rather than for outright fear.
The Roof · Butterfly
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2005
Atrocities
Acts of great cruelty.
One of her heaviest words, reserved for a gospel-leaning prayer about relief from suffering.
Fly Like a Bird · The Emancipation of Mimi
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2013
Audacity
Nerve; the boldness to do something outrageous.
Delivered as an accusation, the polite word doing the work of a blunt one.
The Art of Letting Go · Standalone single
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1991
Captivates
Holds someone's attention completely.
An early example of her preferring a formal verb where a plain one would scan just as well.
To Be Around You · Emotions
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2002
Cascades
Falls in a stream, like water down a slope.
Used as a noun in a song written for her father, giving a memory a stately image.
Sunflowers for Alfred Roy · Charmbracelet
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2005
Compulsively
Done out of an urge that cannot be resisted.
Describes lying as a habit rather than a choice, which is the sharper insult.
Shake It Off · The Emancipation of Mimi
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2002
Consequently
As a result of what came before.
A connective normally found in essays, dropped into a pop verse with a straight face.
Clown · Charmbracelet
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1999
Delectable
Delicious; delightful to the senses.
A tasting word applied to affection, typical of the Rainbow era's lightness.
Bliss · Rainbow
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2009
Delusional
Holding a belief that is plainly untrue.
The hook of her best-known kiss-off, and the word most often quoted back at her fans' opponents.
Obsessed · Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1999
Desolate
Empty and comfortless.
Marks the before in a before-and-after lyric about being found.
Thank God I Found You · Rainbow
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1999
Despondency
Low spirits that have settled in.
Used for a friendship built on shared unhappiness; the glossary notes she returns to the same root on Fly Like a Bird.
Petals · Rainbow
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1990
Destitution
Extreme poverty.
Appears in a debut-album protest song, listed alongside war and sorrow.
There's Got to Be A Way · Mariah Carey
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2002
Devious
Underhanded; working by indirect means.
Paired in the same line with shadiness, a favourite register of hers.
You Had Your Chance · Charmbracelet
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1993
Diminishing
Getting smaller or weaker.
Applied to someone's spirit rather than to a quantity.
Anytime You Need a Friend · Music Box
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1995
Disenchanted
Having lost one's illusions about something.
Used as a denial, in a song widely read as her most self-portraying.
Looking In · Daydream
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1997
Dissipate
To thin out and disappear.
Chosen for feelings she decides to let scatter instead of voicing.
Close My Eyes · Butterfly
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2008
Dissuade
To talk someone out of something.
Her word for friends staging an intervention about a relationship.
4real4real · E=MC²
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2001
Effervescent
Bubbling; visibly full of life.
Used for a brightness kept up on the surface while something else is going on underneath.
Twister · Glitter
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2002
Elude
To escape one's grasp.
Feelings treated as something slippery she cannot get away from.
You Got Me · Charmbracelet
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1990
Conceive
To form an idea of something.
Used for a future the other person cannot even picture yet.
Someday · Mariah Carey
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2009
Denominator
The shared part underneath a set of things.
Borrowed from arithmetic to explain a pattern of behaviour.
It's a Wrap · Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1991
Despair
Hopelessness that has stopped expecting rescue.
Her formal word for a feeling most pop songs would call heartbreak.
You're So Cold · Emotions
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1993
Disillusion
The loss of a comforting belief.
Named as the thing she is asking to be spared from.
Dreamlover · Music Box
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2001
Displaced
Pushed out of one's proper place.
Belonging, or not belonging, is the recurring subject of this song.
Reflections (Care Enough) · Glitter
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2002
Distraught
Badly shaken; distressed.
Sits inside an endurance narrative rather than a collapse.
Through the Rain · Charmbracelet
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1993
Diversion
A pastime; something that distracts.
A cool word for having been treated as a way to pass the time.
Now That I Know · Music Box
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2013
Dominion
Rule or control over a territory.
Escape from a relationship described in the language of sovereignty.
The Art of Letting Go · Standalone single
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1999
Dutifully
Out of obligation rather than desire.
Applied to family affection performed on schedule.
Petals · Rainbow
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2002
Effortlessly
Without visible strain.
Praise for ease, which is also what her own delivery is often praised for.
Subtle Invitation · Charmbracelet
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1997
Elusive
Hard to catch or pin down.
The adjective she later took for a whole album persona.
Honey · Butterfly
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2008
Empathy
Feeling with another person.
Asked for plainly, in a song about losing composure.
O.O.C. · E=MC²
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1999
Enamored
Taken with someone; smitten.
A courtly word for a very modern uncertainty.
How Much · Rainbow
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1991
Endlessly
Without any stopping point.
Measures how long she waited rather than how much she loved.
You're So Cold · Emotions
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1997
Enfold
To wrap something up in something else.
Physical closeness described in an old, almost liturgical verb.
Babydoll · Butterfly
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2009
Enmity
Deep, settled hostility.
Far heavier than dislike, which is the point of choosing it.
Languishing · Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1990
Enraptured
Carried away with delight.
Debut-album vocabulary already reaching for the grand register.
Vanishing · Mariah Carey
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1997
Entwined
Twisted together so as to be inseparable.
Two people described the way you would describe vines.
Fourth of July · Butterfly
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1999
Euphoric
Intensely, almost giddily happy.
A clinical-sounding word dropped into her lightest single.
Heartbreaker · Rainbow
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1995
Everlasting
Lasting forever.
The promise the song keeps returning to.
Always Be My Baby · Daydream
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2013
Evidently
As is now obvious.
A polite adverb doing the work of an accusation.
The Art of Letting Go · Standalone single
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1990
Fathom
To understand something deep.
Used as a verb for grasping a feeling, not a depth of water.
Sent Up from Above · Mariah Carey
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1997
Fervid
Burning with feeling.
A rare, hot word for a summer memory.
Fourth of July · Butterfly
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1999
Flailing
Thrashing without control.
Describes coping badly rather than fighting back.
Petals · Rainbow
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2002
Flaxen
Pale gold, like flax.
A painter's colour word inside a song written for her father.
Sunflowers for Alfred Roy · Charmbracelet
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1997
Flourish
To grow strongly once conditions allow.
The whole argument of the song in one verb: let go and let it grow.
Butterfly · Butterfly
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2009
Grotto
A small cave, often ornamental.
A storybook setting slipped into a contemporary R&B track.
More Than Just Friends · Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1995
Harbors
Keeps something hidden inside.
Used for feelings kept in shelter, not for ports.
Looking In · Daydream
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1990
Hastily
In a rush, without care.
Marks a decision she thinks was made too quickly.
You Need Me · Mariah Carey
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1995
Hectic
Busy to the point of disorder.
A plain word among grand ones, which is why it lands.
Fantasy · Daydream
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1997
Idolization
Treating someone as an object of worship.
Names the imbalance rather than romanticising it.
Babydoll · Butterfly
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2002
Inadvertently
By accident, without meaning to.
Five syllables where 'by mistake' would do, entirely on purpose.
You Got Me · Charmbracelet
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2001
Incandescent
Glowing white-hot with light.
Light imagery carried right through the Glitter era.
Never Too Far · Glitter
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2005
Incidentally
By the way; as a side matter.
An aside delivered as if the subject were trivial.
So Lonely (One and Only Part II) · The Emancipation of Mimi
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1995
Indefinitely
For an unlimited stretch of time.
Sets no end date, which is the song's whole promise.
Always Be My Baby · Daydream
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1995
Inevitably
Bound to happen whatever anyone does.
Frames a reunion as a law of nature.
Always Be My Baby · Daydream
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2005
Inferiority
The state of being, or feeling, lesser.
Names a feeling most lyrics would only imply.
I Wish You Knew · The Emancipation of Mimi
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1997
Inherently
By one's own nature, not by circumstance.
Belonging nowhere described as a built-in condition.
Outside · Butterfly
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2008
Intertwined
Wound around one another.
A stately word placed inside a deliberately playful single.
Touch My Body · E=MC²
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2002
Intimated
Hinted at rather than said outright.
Precisely the word for a warning given indirectly.
Clown · Charmbracelet
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1991
Intoxicated
Overwhelmed as if by drink.
Joy described with a word usually kept for excess.
Emotions · Emotions
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2002
Intrinsic
Belonging to something's essential nature.
A philosophy-class adjective used for attraction.
Subtle Invitation · Charmbracelet
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2008
Irregularities
Things that do not fit the expected pattern.
Bureaucratic phrasing applied to a partner's story.
For the Record · E=MC²
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2008
Levity
Lightness of mood.
The formal noun for exactly the mood of the track.
I'm That Chick · E=MC²
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2013
Liability
Something that costs you more than it gives.
An accounting term repurposed as a put-down.
The Art of Letting Go · Standalone single
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2010
Majestically
With grandeur and dignity.
Fits the hymn-like setting of the song.
One Child · Merry Christmas II You
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2002
Marionette
A puppet worked by strings.
Control pictured as stagecraft rather than force.
Clown · Charmbracelet
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1993
Masquerade
A disguise or pretence, as at a masked ball.
Deception given a costume-party image.
Now That I Know · Music Box
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2001
Materialize
To take solid form.
Used for something hoped for that never quite arrived.
Reflections (Care Enough) · Glitter
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2013
Merely
Nothing more than.
A small word that shrinks whatever follows it.
The Art of Letting Go · Standalone single
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2009
Misrepresented
Described untruthfully.
Legal-sounding restraint in place of an insult.
It's a Wrap · Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1991
Nothingness
Complete absence; the void.
One of the glossary's headline words, and an early one.
And You Don't Remember · Emotions
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1993
Oblivious
Entirely unaware.
Used for someone who has not noticed being loved.
I've Been Thinking About You · Music Box
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1995
Obscure
To hide from view.
A verb here, not an adjective, softening a memory.
Underneath the Stars · Daydream
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1997
Ominously
In a way that suggests something bad coming.
Sets weather and mood at once.
Fourth of July · Butterfly
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2001
Painstakingly
With great, patient care.
Effort named rather than implied.
Want You · Glitter
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1999
Patriarch
The male head of a family.
Formal distance used to describe a relative.
Petals · Rainbow
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1993
Peculiar
Strange in a particular way.
Gentler and odder than simply calling something weird.
I've Been Thinking About You · Music Box
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2002
Persevere
To keep going despite difficulty.
Endurance language typical of the Charmbracelet era.
Yours · Charmbracelet
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2005
Persuasive
Good at talking someone round.
A compliment and a warning in one word.
So Lonely (One and Only Part II) · The Emancipation of Mimi
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2002
Prevail
To come through and win out.
The whole survival narrative compressed into a verb.
Through the Rain · Charmbracelet
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2008
Proceed
To carry on to the next step.
Formal phrasing in a song about a night out.
Migrate · E=MC²
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2005
Procrastinating
Putting off what should be done.
Delay confessed in the least romantic word available.
Stay the Night · The Emancipation of Mimi
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2008
Pseudo
False; only pretending to be the thing.
A prefix used on its own as a dismissal.
Thanx 4 Nothin' · E=MC²
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2008
Rationalize
To explain something away with reasons.
Self-deception described in a therapist's word.
Last Kiss · E=MC²
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1999
Reassurance
Being told again that things are all right.
What the song asks for, named exactly.
How Much · Rainbow
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1999
Relinquish
To give something up.
Legal weight in a song about letting a person go.
Heartbreaker · Rainbow
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1995
Reluctantly
Unwillingly, while still doing it.
Captures a parting she did not want to make.
Underneath the Stars · Daydream
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1995
Rendered
Made into a particular state.
Used for being left speechless, not for a drawing.
When I Saw You · Daydream
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2013
Reverberating
Echoing on after the sound stops.
Words that keep repeating after the argument ends.
The Art of Letting Go · Standalone single
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1995
Rhapsodize
To speak with unrestrained enthusiasm.
A word about excessive praise, used without irony.
Melt Away · Daydream
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2002
Romanticized
Made to seem better than it was.
Hindsight admitted rather than defended.
I Only Wanted · Charmbracelet
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2009
Serenity
Untroubled calm.
The state the song is missing.
Angels Cry · Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2001
Solace
Comfort in sorrow.
One of her steadiest words for consolation.
Never Too Far · Glitter
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2008
Solidarity
Standing together with someone.
Political vocabulary used for a personal falling-out.
I Wish You Well · E=MC²
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1997
Splendor
Magnificent beauty.
Grandeur applied to a rainy New York rooftop.
The Roof · Butterfly
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2002
Steadfastly
Without wavering.
Constancy as the song's central virtue.
Through the Rain · Charmbracelet
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2002
Stigmatized
Marked out with shame by others.
Names a social process, not a private mood.
My Saving Grace · Charmbracelet
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1997
Subconscious
The part of the mind under conscious thought.
Psychology vocabulary threaded through the Butterfly album.
Babydoll · Butterfly
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1995
Sublime
Beautiful enough to be overwhelming.
Reserved for a memory she is placing above ordinary ones.
Underneath the Stars · Daydream
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1999
Subside
To settle down and fade.
Used for pain easing rather than water falling.
Thank God I Found You · Rainbow
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1997
Succumb
To give way to something stronger.
Surrender framed as release, not defeat.
Butterfly · Butterfly
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1990
Supremacy
Being above everyone else in power.
Protest vocabulary on her debut album.
There's Got To Be A Way · Mariah Carey
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1990
Surpasses
Goes beyond.
Comparison made in a single formal verb.
Sent Up from Above · Mariah Carey
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2008
Surreal
Dreamlike and hard to believe.
A word she also reaches for when speaking, not only writing.
For the Record · E=MC²
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2002
Taunt
To needle someone on purpose.
A short, blunt word among longer ones.
I Only Wanted · Charmbracelet
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1997
Tentatively
Hesitantly, ready to stop.
Describes a first move made carefully.
Fourth of July · Butterfly
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1993
Thee
Archaic form of 'you'.
Old English address used for intimacy, not piety.
Music Box · Music Box
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1995
Transcending
Rising above ordinary limits.
Feeling described as going past its own category.
When I Saw You · Daydream
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1995
Unclouded
Clear; without anything obscuring it.
Freedom pictured as weather clearing.
I Am Free · Daydream
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2013
Undressable
Coined: someone you want to undress.
A word she makes up on the spot, which is its own tradition.
#Beautiful · Standalone single
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1995
Unfailingly
Without ever letting up.
Consistency stated as an absolute.
Forever · Daydream
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2009
Unloosed
Untied and set free.
An old past form chosen over the plain one.
Ribbon · Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1999
Untimely
Coming at the wrong moment.
Formal regret about bad timing.
Crybaby · Rainbow
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1999
Unvarnished
Plain, with nothing smoothed over.
Honesty pictured as bare wood.
Thank God I Found You · Rainbow
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2012
Unwavering
Not shifting or doubting.
Encouragement delivered in a single steady adjective.
Triumphant (Vintage Throwback Remix) · Standalone single
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1993
Uplifting
Raising the spirits.
Plain by her standards, and all the more direct for it.
Dreamlover · Music Box
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2009
Ventilation
Airing something out.
A building-services noun turned into a put-down.
Obsessed · Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1999
Verbalize
To put a feeling into words.
The song's difficulty named in one clinical verb.
How Much · Rainbow
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2009
Vicinity
The area near something.
Distance measured in an almost formal word.
Betcha Gon' Know (The Prologue) · Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2002
Wane
To grow gradually smaller.
Loss described the way you would describe the moon.
Sunflowers for Alfred Roy · Charmbracelet
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 1997
Wayward
Wilful and hard to guide.
Used with affection for a younger self.
Close My Eyes · Butterfly
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)In the songs · 2002
Woeful
Full of sorrow, or plainly inadequate.
Both senses are available, and she leaves it that way.
Clown · Charmbracelet
Mariah's own usage
Source: Gawker, 'A Glossary of Mariah Carey's 10-Cent Words' (2012)
Museum glossary
Plain definitions for the words this museum uses about itself and about the Lambily.
- Lambily
- The collective name for Mariah's fan community. Open the room
- Lamb
- An individual member of the Lambily.
- Chops
- The museum's guide at the front desk, and fan shorthand for vocal ability. Open the room
- dem babies
- Her long-standing public nickname for her twins. No dates or details are published here.
- MC
- The initials used across her own branding and release artwork.
- whistle register
- The highest vocal register, and the feature most associated with her singing. Open the room
- melisma
- Singing several notes across one syllable — a defining part of her phrasing.
- D2C
- Direct-to-consumer: a release sold through an artist's own store, often in variants unavailable at retail.
- Honey B. Fly
- The historical official fan club of the 2000s.
- #1’s
- The 1998 hits compilation, and shorthand for the run of Hot 100 chart-toppers. Open the room
- Christmastime
- The museum's seasonal mode, 1 November to 5 January. Open the room
- Moment
- A visitor's city-level memory, reviewed before it appears. Open the room
- Passport
- A device-local record of what you have visited here. It proves nothing to anyone else. Open the room
- Almanac vs Chronicle
- The Almanac is the recurring calendar date; the Chronicle is the career in order. Open the room
- Watchlist reading vs sale
- A reading is an observed market figure for study. Nothing in this museum is for sale. Open the room
- Registry vs My Collection
- The Registry is the museum's own documented objects; My Collection is your private device-local case. Open the room