Most overused/meaningless words/phrases in contemporary language

[Holden]

The meaning is perfectly clear in context.  It means "Search the internet for any nonsense that affirms your prejudices."  And if your research doesn't affirm my prejudices, you obviously did it wrong!

Yes, it should really be "back up your research with meaningful and validated evidence" but nobody does that nowadays.

[Herman]

I could do with a little less of the F word.

[Brahmsian]

The meaning is perfectly clear in context.  It means "Search the internet for any nonsense that affirms your prejudices."  And if your research doesn't affirm my prejudices, you obviously did it wrong!

Exactly! 

[staxomega]

Endemic. It is not synonymous with either pandemic or epidemic.

In the grand scheme of medical terminology abuse this is relatively benign. What does make me want to throw my monitor out the window is when I read people refer to the Covid-19 vaccines as "gene therapy." If only these people knew the true hardships of real gene therapy, and the heartache involved for the families trying it for debilitating enzyme deficiency pathologies. And if I were a lay person I could certainly see how hearing Tucker Carlson or your pastor call the vaccines "gene therapy" to sound pretty bloody terrifying.

Actually, GMG has its share as well. "Pounds the table", "+ 1" (or any other figure), "runs for cover/hiding" and "chortle" are quite overused, although not entirely meaningless. 

I'm a big fan of chortle, never stop using it Karl!

As for +1, I feel like it can encourage some additional discourse, contrast this to other forum software that has a like system, sometimes you'll just leave a like if you agree with someone and the conversation never had a chance to take off beyond that like.

[vandermolen]

Fake News

[Rosalba]

I hate it when TV weather presenters talk about rain 'trundling' towards Wales etc. For me 'trundle' implies that you have wheels.

[Roasted Swan]

"curated" ......... EVERYTHING is bloomin' curated!!!!

[ChamberNut]

Seems I have another one to add to the list that I am hearing a lot lately on social media:

"Rage farming"

[DavidW]

Gaslighting has lost its original meaning by people not only using it too much but also in inappropriate context because they don't understand what the phrase means.

[Luke]

Actually my pet peeve is a musical one: crescendo when used (as it almost always is by journalists/commentators) to mean the climax to which a crescendo grows e.g. the noise of the crowd has reached a crescendo.

[Daverz]

Fake News

Almost always used by people who insist on being fed a constant stream of fantasies rather than anything resembling news.

[foxandpeng]

'since records began'
'... ever'

Constant use of superlatives, in fact. Nothing is good or excellent. It is only ever 'the best'.

[Luke]

...or, as Trump can't help putting it every single time, 'the [something]est [something] the world has ever seen.'

Both pathetic and bathetic.

[Florestan]

the noise of the crowd has reached a crescendo.

This is mere dim innuendo. 

[Roasted Swan]

"journey" as used in the sense of personal development.  Endlessly used with a sense of faux-piety/modesty about how hard and long one has worked to reach the sunlit uplands of their current standing.

"mental health" seems to apply to everyone who has ever felt even a moment of unhappiness about anything.  What frustrates me with this is that somehow it clumps together thousands of people who have real and awful lifelong struggles with profound mental health issues with those who are experiencing the fairly normal highs and lows of hman existance.

[vandermolen]

"journey" as used in the sense of personal development.  Endlessly used with a sense of faux-piety/modesty about how hard and long one has worked to reach the sunlit uplands of their current standing.

"mental health" seems to apply to everyone who has ever felt even a moment of unhappiness about anything.  What frustrates me with this is that somehow it clumps together thousands of people who have real and awful lifelong struggles with profound mental health issues with those who are experiencing the fairly normal highs and lows of hman existance.

Totally agree with this!

[vandermolen]

'No worries' (used instead of yes)

Actually I have loads of worries   

[Florestan]

'No worries' (used instead of yes)

I should have thought that 'No worries' was used as a reply to 'I'm sorry' or, say, 'Let's hurry, we'll be late for dinner'. To use it instead of yes it's quite absurd.

- Hey, Joe, have you watched Charles' Coronation on TV?
- No worries.

 

[Wanderer]

The word (and concept of) "instagram(m)able".
Also, I wish (mostly American?) tourists would stop "doing" sights and monuments and also refrain from "soaking up the atmosphere" of the places they visit.

[Florestan]

The word (and concept of) "instagram(m)able".
Also, I wish (mostly American?) tourists would stop "doing" sights and monuments and also refrain from "soaking up the atmosphere" of the places they visit.

Yesterday we did the Akropolis, tomorrow we're going to do the Delphi. For tonight, some soaking up the Plaka atmosphere. What a delightful country this Greece is!