word choice - Is "sans" a drop-in replacement for "without"?


I keep hearing people use the word sans in place of without which causes me to cringe. Can sans really be used as a drop-in replacement?


Examples:



"I prefer cheeseburgers sans pickles."


"I went to the store sans my brother."


"I typed my essay sans using a sans serif font."




Answer



Well, Merriam-Webster considers sans a word (meaning without). Sans-serif is definitely correct; that is simply what sans-serif fonts are called. Shakespeare used it like this:



My love for thee is sound, sans crack or flaw.



I think it's safe to assume that if Merriam-Webster and Shakespeare use it, it's probably a safe word to use; the words that weren't words when Shakespeare used them became words anyways.


As for how much one should use the word, I would suggest limiting its use, despite the fact that it may be legitimate; using it could make you sound silly (awkward wording sounds silly, IMO) or pretentious.


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