Why is that we feel compelled to take words that mean one thing and twist them to mean something completely different? In my youth, somehow the word “bad” came to mean “good.” Today, I hear kids using the word “sick” to mean “great” or “awesome.” This isn’t simply a practice reserved for the young. I recently came across a word that connotes something radically different from the definitions we find in the dictionary. The word is “visionary.”

Random House’s Dictionary defines visionary as:

1. given to or characterized by fanciful, not presently workable, or unpractical ideas, views, or schemes: a visionary enthusiast.
2. given to or concerned with seeing visions.
3. belonging to or seen in a vision.
4. unreal; imaginary: visionary evils.
5. purely idealistic or speculative; impractical; unrealizable: a visionary scheme.
6. of, pertaining to, or proper to a vision.
7. a person of unusually keen foresight.
8. a person who sees visions.
9. a person who is given to audacious, highly speculative, or impractical ideas or schemes; dreamer.

For most leaders, being called visionary is high praise. It means we have great ideas and a vision for how to move forward in a new and innovative way, yet most of these definitions describe someone who is out of touch with reality or even delusional. In fact, eight of the nine definitions cited have nothing to do with how we use today. The same is true for Webster’s Dictionary where only one of seven definitions align with our common usage.

So why does it matter that our common usage does not agree with the definition? In many cases, it probably doesn’t matter, and this is just a curious twist in a language that is constantly evolving. However, there are times when the precision of the words we choose does matter. Our workplace is becoming increasingly multilingual and cross-cultural. What happens if I call a non-English speaking colleague or client a visionary? If they simply look it up in the dictionary, they may take my intended compliment as an insult.

The problem of meaning being lost in translation is already large, but when words take on meanings that actually contradict or conflict with their definitions, we compound this problem. This became very real for me recently. The publisher for my forthcoming book, If You Will Lead, has plans to release it in Asia. I will need to ensure that words like “visionary” are translated as I intended them, not necessarily as the dictionary defines them. How well do people understand the words we use? Are they understanding them in the way we intended? The best way to know for sure is to simply ask, especially when we see a questioning look or get an unexpected response. Don’t be surprised if you find out that what you intended is not what someone heard.