a singular antecedent. The word is also used, especially in speech and informal writing, as a non-gender-specific (which makes it inclusive to more genders than male or female), third-person singular pronoun (which modern English otherwise lacks). The "singular they" has been making inroads into formal writing; for example, it was adopted by The Washington Post in 2015 as permissible as a last resort, though it remains substandard according to most style guides. One option is to use dual formulations (which do exclude other genders) such as he or she, he/she, or [s]he. Another option is to rewrite, either using they in a plural construction or avoiding a pronoun altogether. Traditionally, "generic he" was used to represent both male and female, but this usage is increasingly contested. The pronouns you and one can be used in some sentences, but the former is often considered too informal, and the latter stilted, depending on context. Disputed usage: A person is rude if they show no respect for their hosts. Undisputed usage: One is rude if one shows no respect for one's hosts. Undisputed usage: It is rude not to show respect for hosts. thusly – Thusly (AHD4 suggests) was originally coined by educated writers to make fun of uneducated people trying to sound genteel. The word "thusly" appears with no associated usage notes in M-W; COD11 tags it as "informal", with the entry thus tagged as "literary or formal". CHAMBERS does not list the word at all, and it is unknown in British usage. MAU considers it a nonword and laments that it appears in otherwise respectable writing. However, thusly has diffused into popular usage. Some people accept it as an adverb in its own right, while others believe thus should be used in all cases. U unique – Some usage critics and style guides have argued that unique means only "sole" or "without equal". The AP Stylebook says "it means one of a kind. Do not describe something as rather unique, most unique, or very unique" but most dictionaries do give a third meaning: "unusual", which can be qualified by, quite, very, somewhat, as in "The theme of the party was somewhat unique" (see comparison). M-W has a usage note under its entry for "unique", which says in part "Many commentators have objected to the comparison or modification (as by somewhat or very) of unique, often asserting that a thing is either