Can I use "fit" to replace "become"?

[chance22]

I came across a sentence:
Those words do not become a person in your position.
Then can I use fit to replace "become"? If not, what's the differene between the two words?
Can anyone help explain it to me? Thanks.

 

[5jj]

Become is a slightly old-fashioned word in this sense. 'Fit' does nor really work, even though 'fitting' and 'becoming' as adjectives can be used as near-synonyms.

 

[BobK]

Not 'fit'. There is an old word, 'befit' - which would have the right meaning but would sound rather stilted. The word 'become' is rarely used in that sense; it survives in the fossil 'conduct unbecoming an officer'. Today we use something like 'to be suitable/appropriate/fitting' or, if appropriate, 'unworthy'.

b

 

[chance22]

Thank 5jj and BobK very much. It's helpful.

 

[Rover_KE]

Become is a slightly old-fashioned word...

...and has a literary or poetic ring to it, as in the play Mourning Becomes Electra (1931) and the song Moonlight Becomes You (it goes with your hair) (1947).



Inciidentally, chance22, instead of sending your thanks in a separate message, just click the Like button please.The reason is that it is flagged as a new post, so we think you might have a follow-up question or something to add. Those of us with slow connections and/or old computers have to waste valuable time waiting for it to appear.

Rover

 

[SoothingDave]

Become is a slightly old-fashioned word in this sense. 'Fit' does nor really work, even though 'fitting' and 'becoming' as adjectives can be used as near-synonyms.

I would expect to see that something was "unbecoming" of a person's position. That is, the sense of the word survives in the negative (un) form.