# Overruse of the word "Like" **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 16, 2020, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overruse-of-the-word-like/846533 "2020-01-16T23:19:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MortSahlFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overruse-of-the-word-like/846533/1 "2020-01-16T23:19:46Z")
This has been bothering me for years. It has become the new “um”. I’ve let it slide for years, but after watching this guy who barely speaks English say it every other word, I must share. And a close second is everyone who will reply trying to use “like” as much as possible. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overruse-of-the-word-like/846533/2 "2020-01-16T23:37:55Z")
What bothers you about it? Do you object to all discourse markers, or just this one? Is “um” more acceptable than “like”? Why? ---
**Author:** ![MortSahlFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overruse-of-the-word-like/846533/3 "2020-01-16T23:40:28Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > What bothers you about it? Do you object to all discourse markers, or just this one? Is “um” more acceptable than “like”? Why? I dislike it more than “um” because it’s trendy, and “um” has fewer letters, and probably less conscious. Slang becomes meaningless after a while, and eventually people will have to research what it means. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overruse-of-the-word-like/846533/4 "2020-01-16T23:41:12Z")
“So,” is the new one that bothers me. Some people start almost every sentence with it. My mother-in-law uses it to start as sentence, to end a sentence, and as a sentence (it’s really quite hard to listen to) ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overruse-of-the-word-like/846533/5 "2020-01-16T23:43:43Z")
Every other word sounds excessive, but I like to occasionally salt my speech with things like that because I like to sound a little less intellectual than I otherwise might seem like. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overruse-of-the-word-like/846533/6 "2020-01-16T23:50:01Z")
So, like, um I’d answer this question! OMG, lol, IKR. (I hate them all, I use them all. Sorry) ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overruse-of-the-word-like/846533/7 "2020-01-16T23:51:07Z")
Um, so I dbl.posted! ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overruse-of-the-word-like/846533/8 "2020-01-16T23:52:32Z")
> **[Like](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Like#As_a_discourse_particle,_filler,_hedge,_or_speech_disfluency)** > > In English, the word like has a very flexible range of uses, ranging from conventional to non-standard. It can be used as a noun, verb, adverb, adjective, preposition, particle, conjunction, hedge, filler, quotative, semi-suffix. > Like is one of the words in the English language that can introduce a simile (a stylistic device comparing two dissimilar ideas). It can be used as a preposition, as in "He runs like a cheetah"; it can also be used as a suffix, as in "She acts very child-like". It can a... ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2020, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overruse-of-the-word-like/846533/9 "2020-01-17T00:00:36Z")
John, while Jim had had ‘like’, had had, like, "like, like’. Like, “like” had had, like, a better effect on the teacher. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2020, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overruse-of-the-word-like/846533/10 "2020-01-17T00:02:10Z")
What’s really bad is when you TRY (consciously and with malice aforethought) to avoid such things and thereby deliberately allow yourself to pause and think of the next word you WOULD have used if you hadn’t made that pause. It can be very disconcerting to catch yourself falling into the trap. And it’s further distressing to get feedback (either directly or from observing how ill at ease the other participant(s) in the conversation appear to be) that make you want to go ahead and use those “crutch words” or their grunts and mumbles counterparts instead of being so obvious in NOT using them. There’s not much worse than having somebody else go into a prolonged “ahhhhhh” just to fill in the verbal space that a real word or sentence might have done. I have wondered (not all that seriously, of course) what the semaphore counterpart should be…(just a bunch of frantic flag-waving?) ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2020, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overruse-of-the-word-like/846533/11 "2020-01-17T00:07:46Z")
> [@Ruken](#): > > [Like - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Like#As_a_discourse_particle,_filler,_hedge,_or_speech_disfluency) Wonderful article! ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2020, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overruse-of-the-word-like/846533/12 "2020-01-17T00:13:12Z")
> [@MortSahlFan](#): > > This has been bothering me for years. It has become the new “um”. I’ve let it slide for years, but after watching this guy who barely speaks English say it every other word, I must share. By “for years” do you mean “since the 80’s”? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2020, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overruse-of-the-word-like/846533/13 "2020-01-17T00:44:01Z")
> [@begbert2](#): > > John, while Jim had had ‘like’, had had, like, "like, like’. Like, “like” had had, like, a better effect on the teacher. Buffalo buffalo like like buffalo Buffalo buffalo like. ---
**Author:** ![fc1114](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/41988e/32.png) [@fc1114](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fc1114)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2020, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overruse-of-the-word-like/846533/14 "2020-01-17T00:53:20Z")
Almost as common as the horribly overused ‘like’ is ‘i mean’. Some people are starting out their sentences with ‘I mean’ and it makes very little sense. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2020, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overruse-of-the-word-like/846533/15 "2020-01-17T00:54:38Z")
> [@MortSahlFan](#): > > I dislike it more than “um” because it’s trendy, and “um” has fewer letters, and probably less conscious. Yeah, it’s right up there with feathered hair and leg warmers. ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2020, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overruse-of-the-word-like/846533/16 "2020-01-17T00:54:43Z")
People who start sentences with um, so, or like, should be permanently silenced. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2020, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overruse-of-the-word-like/846533/17 "2020-01-17T00:55:30Z")
A few years back a story on NPR pointed out that if you watch an older movie, like 1970s or older, the way the characters speak sounds a little bit “square” to modern ears, at least to people in my age group. Even the young teenage characters. The reason for this is because they’re not saying “like”! ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2020, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overruse-of-the-word-like/846533/18 "2020-01-17T01:04:43Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > “So,” is the new one that bothers me. > Some people start almost every sentence with it. My mother-in-law uses it to start as sentence, to end a sentence, and as a sentence (it’s really quite hard to listen to) Elizabeth Warren does this. Makes me a little nuts. But they each have their particular verbal tics and hers is no worse than the others. I’m another who dislikes excessive likes. Most annoying when someone is describing their conversation with another person: “So he goes, like, ‘Do you get what I’m saying?’ And I’m like, ‘Are you trying to tell me like his cat is all bald and stuff?’ And he’s like, ‘Noooo!! Get away with your bad self, dude!’” Ugh!! Close second: “Basically.” ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2020, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overruse-of-the-word-like/846533/19 "2020-01-17T01:12:28Z")
Yeah, I’m not too crazy about the quotative “like”, but language changes. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2020, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overruse-of-the-word-like/846533/20 "2020-01-17T01:21:18Z")
> [@MortSahlFan](#): > > I dislike it more than “um” because it’s trendy, and “um” has fewer letters, and probably less conscious. Slang becomes meaningless after a while, and eventually people will have to research what it means. 1981 called and wants its rant back. (I see Miller beat me to it, but, like, whatever.) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overruse-of-the-word-like/846533.md?page=2)