Most overused/meaningless words/phrases in contemporary language

Started by Brahmsian, January 25, 2022, 06:01:20 AM

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Brahmsian

Have at it, I am sure you will come up with plenty of examples.  :)

Here are a few eye rolling ones for me that have lost all meaning :

Crisis - (it seems like any kind of challenge or problem is referred to as a 'crisis' in today's world.)

Do Your Research - The meaning and significance of this statement has lost any kind of relevance.


Brian

Game Changer for sure.

Canceled has become a one-stop cover-all for all sorts of problems. You can be canceled for saying the wrong thing, or committing criminal offenses, and people lump all of it together in one basket.

Impact (especially as a verb)

also...hot take...sure seems like a whole lot of "commitments" by major entities/organizations are pretty meaningless!


Jo498

I don't know if it has a longer tradition in English but I dislike "absolutely" as a general replacement for any affirmative. It has spread? to German and dislike it even more here.

There is nothing wrong with the word but besides some technical meanings as in absolute monarchy or ablative it should be mostly reserved for strongly held positions or affirmations in accord with the meaning "regardless of anything else". Which is of course not meant when it is just used instead of "yes" or "exactly".

I am probably a bit sensitive here but it seems really an overused word to me in the last years.
Tout le malheur des hommes vient d'une seule chose, qui est de ne savoir pas demeurer en repos, dans une chambre.
- Blaise Pascal

Roasted Swan

"curated" - everything is curated these days.  As though a lot of care and though has gone into my collection of favourite cheese (or whatever.......)

Pohjolas Daughter

Overuse of the word "literally" is a pet peeve of mine.

PD
Pohjolas Daughter

Brian

Quote from: Roasted Swan on January 26, 2022, 05:39:04 AM
"curated" - everything is curated these days.  As though a lot of care and though has gone into my collection of favourite cheese (or whatever.......)
I noticed living in the two countries that everything in the USA is "curated" and everything in the UK is "bespoke." But now it seems that the words are "leaking" from one country to the other. We're seeing "bespoke" pop up more in inappropriate contexts, as you are with "curated."

In the food industry specifically, people are now overusing "allocated" to mean "rare." "This is a highly allocated cheese" is actually a phrase I've heard said in sincerity.

Irons

Ian Dale on his podcast this week said he noticed when interviewing that the phrase "that is a good question" becoming more and more prevalent. He threatens to the next time he hears it to reply "which deserves a good answer".
You must have a very good opinion of yourself to write a symphony - John Ireland.

I opened the door people rushed through and I was left holding the knob - Bo Diddley.

Pohjolas Daughter

Quote from: Irons on January 26, 2022, 06:44:07 AM
Ian Dale on his podcast this week said he noticed when interviewing that the phrase "that is a good question" becoming more and more prevalent. He threatens to the next time he hears it to reply "which deserves a good answer".
:laugh:
Pohjolas Daughter


Brahmsian

Some overused words in the advertising world (relating to food/drink) that just makes me cringe, akin to nails on a chalkboard:

Artisanal
Hand Crafted

Roasted Swan

Off-thread (so soon.... sorry!) but I genuinely worry about the way "elite" has become almost a dirty word - "The Washington Elite"/"The Metropolitan Elite" let alone within the sphere of the Arts or the BBC!

vandermolen

"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Gurn Blanston

There are now so many words being used or pronounced incorrectly in terms of their actual meaning, it becomes difficult to watch the evening news without yelling at the set! Of course, I do that anyway, but more and more it is due to the inadequacy of delivery. Here are just a few;

Endemic. It is not synonymous with either pandemic or epidemic.
Imply: it does NOT mean 'infer'.
Infer: it does NOT mean 'imply'.
Moscow: there is no 'cow' in Moscow.  (Thanks to Sander Vanocur).


The list can be extended at will, all one need do is watch the news this evening and I will wager there is at least one entry to add tomorrow. The reason they qualify here is because they are not only misused, but they are also overused and often meaningless when used inappropriately, so a perfect fit.

8)
Visit my Haydn blog: HaydnSeek

Haydn: that genius of vulgar music who induces an inordinate thirst for beer - Mily Balakirev (1860)

Brahmsian

Quote from: Gurn Blanston on January 26, 2022, 11:46:40 AM

The list can be extended at will, all one need do is watch the news this evening and I will wager there is at least one entry to add tomorrow. The reason they qualify here is because they are not only misused, but they are also overused and often meaningless when used inappropriately, so a perfect fit.

8)

So true, Gurn.

Another irritating item for me is the amount of misspelled words in newspapers and internet news articles these days. Has anyone else noticed this? I know it is slightly off topic.

Jo498

Neither pronunciation of the English name for the Russian capital corresponds to the Russian one (sth. like MuskVU with the last syllable stressed). So the one with "cow" is not wrong, I'd say. The latter option roughly corresponds to the German name, the other option a bit to the French one (Mos-coo).
Tout le malheur des hommes vient d'une seule chose, qui est de ne savoir pas demeurer en repos, dans une chambre.
- Blaise Pascal

david johnson

Favorites to hate on -
at the end of the day
came on board (I first noticed its overuse during the Watergate events)
change agents
vote blue no matter who (or even red or pruple)

Brahmsian

Quote from: david johnson on January 27, 2022, 04:21:54 AM
Favorites to hate on -
at the end of the day
came on board (I first noticed its overuse during the Watergate events)
change agents
vote blue no matter who (or even red or pruple)

Some great ones there, David!

Yes, I have noticed that "At The End of The Day" is used so frequently these days.

ritter

Here in Spain, our current prime minister seems to have recently discovered the word "empathy", and he and his cabinet ministers are now using it in almost every statement or press conference, in whatever context, when part of the population is affected by some event (the pandemic, the eruption in La Palma, etc.). Needless to say, the term sounds hollowly sentimental, and usually just wants to mask a lack of a concrete plan for action.

And our press (written and, particularly, audiovisual) is increasingly applying the adjective 'historic" to any event, insignificant as it may be. The visit of any politician to a small provincial school becomes "historic", when the truth is it doesn't much interest even those who are in attendance, and will not merit a small footnote in any history book. The drop in unemployment in a specific month becomes "historic", because it showed 1000 more people found jobs than during the previous month. Of course, by now "historic" has become meaningless.