The search for meaning
We all have words we use to mean one thing, even though they really mean something else, although often it may be just shades of meaning.
Sanguine is one of those words for me. When used as an adjective to describe a mood (the only use I typically put the word to), it means optimistic, confident. In my head, though, it means unperturbed or unfazed, in a relaxed way. Not sure why I think that, but there it is.
So, as soon as I use it, I’ve most likely been misunderstood, if even only subtly.
With so many words to choose from, so much specificity and beauty in our language, I wonder if we ever really know what someone else is saying to us.