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This is my first try at a puzzle, so hopefully it at least lasts a few hours before someone figures it out :)

This is in the spirit of the What is a Word/Phrase™ series started by JLee with a special brand of Phrase™ and Word™ puzzles.

If a word conforms to a special rule, I call it a Spaced Out Word™.

Use the following examples below to find the rule.

enter image description here

And, if you want to analyze, here is a CSV version:

Spaced Out Words™,Not Spaced Out Words™
HUMILIATE,DEGRADE
HEXAGONALLY,OCTAGONALLY
DUNGEON,CATACOMB
NEFARIOUSLY,HEINOUSLY
NONSPHERICAL,NONCUBIC
WOOZINESS,DIZZINESS
PRECOGNITION,CLAIRVOYANCE
EXTENSION,ANNEX

UPDATE:

It occurred to me that, even if a puzzler were to reverse-engineer my criteria from the words above, they may not be able to fully determine the rules. To help, here are some additional words that are Not Spaced Out Words™ to narrow down the criteria:

 CELEBRATION
 WEATHERMEN
 MANIPULATING
 ADORINGLY

It's less of a hint and more of a clarification, but I put them in spoiler text for those who may want to solve the puzzle as it was originally written (and maybe refer back to these after, for verification).

ADDITIONAL WORDS

Below are a few more Spaced Out Words™ and Not Spaced Out Words™:

 Spaced Out Words™,Not Spaced Out Words™
 AROUSING,EXCITING
 ADJOURN,RECESS

And a few more if you need more. I think this just about exhausts the list...

 Spaced Out Words™,Not Spaced Out Words™
 POVERTYSTRICKEN,IMPOVERISHED
 UNCOPYRIGHTED,PUBLICDOMAIN
(yes, that last Not Spaced Out Word™ is technically two words)

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    $\begingroup$ Welcome to Puzzling! c: $\endgroup$
    – Deusovi ♦
    Aug 30, 2016 at 15:44
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    $\begingroup$ In the image it's Noncubic, and in the csv format it's noncubical - does this make odds as to whether this can be solved - if so which should be used? $\endgroup$
    – Alfie Goodacre
    Aug 30, 2016 at 16:57
  • $\begingroup$ Sorry; either works (noncubic and noncubical are both Not Spaced Out Words™), but I just didn't like the sound of "noncubical" while I was prepping the image and decided to change it... but didn't update the CSV >_< $\endgroup$
    – Doktor J
    Aug 30, 2016 at 19:53
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    $\begingroup$ To avoid in others the eye strain I have just suffered: the hint is "science". $\endgroup$
    – ffao
    Sep 1, 2016 at 8:05
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    $\begingroup$ Your comment that the last hint just about exhausts the list is what triggered my answer. The idea that there could only be so many examples was not something that I had considered. $\endgroup$
    – Engineer Toast
    Sep 1, 2016 at 17:19

1 Answer 1

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The solution is that Spaced Out Words™ contain the letters for

Homonuclear gases at room temperature.

Word™ Element
----------------------------
HUMILIATE HELIUM
HEXAGONALLY OXYGEN
DUNGEON NEON
NEFARIOUSLY FLUORINE
NONSPHERICAL CHLORINE
WOOZINESS OZONE.
PRECOGNITION NITROGEN
EXTENSION XENON
AROUSING ARGON
ADJOURN RADON
POVERTYSTRICKEN KRYPTON
UNCOPYRIGHTED HYDROGEN

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  • $\begingroup$ This is soooo close, like, invading its personal space close -- I'm looking for a specific term (one in which "wooziness" fits). Try the three letter word from within your answer on WP and see if you can find the term there that all twelve fit in. I suppose "unaccumulation" could be a Spaced Out Word™, but WP says relativistic effects might disqualify it (hence why it wasn't on my list). $\endgroup$
    – Doktor J
    Sep 1, 2016 at 19:18
  • $\begingroup$ Looking at my puzzle in retrospect, I think I need to choose the term more carefully; "Spaced Out" covers the broad criteria, but does nothing to help nail down the term I had in mind. $\endgroup$
    – Doktor J
    Sep 1, 2016 at 19:20
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    $\begingroup$ @DoktorJ So I think WP means Wikipedia and I checked there and poked in a few different places but nothing bit me. I checked Litscape for all the possible answers and, again, nothing leapt out at me. If my idea of how information is hidden - even if the list of what is hidden is incorrect - it should be in Litscape. Now I am re-frustrated... I have presumed that mechanical engineers have little use for chemistry knowledge. Lies! $\endgroup$
    – Engineer Toast
    Sep 1, 2016 at 19:52
  • $\begingroup$ You have the right words... and even the right Wikipedia page. The term is linked there. $\endgroup$
    – Doktor J
    Sep 1, 2016 at 21:16
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    $\begingroup$ Homonuclear gas molecules. (Personally I think Engineer Toast should have the checkmark already, but I'm guessing those are the words you want to see him write :-).) $\endgroup$
    – Gareth McCaughan ♦
    Sep 1, 2016 at 22:24

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