I take it for granted that most literate people abhor the dross that’s churned out these days in industry - by self-help gurus and the like. (I know just where I want to move their cheese, and it will certainly taste riper after it’s been there.)
No, I want nominations for words that have a visceral kind of reaction on you - words that cause irrational anger. Suggested alternatives are welcome.
My three are egregious (“very bad”), feckless (“worthless”), and excoriate (“criticise strongly/publicly” - whatever you actually mean).
Will anyone choose “visceral”, I wonder?
utilize
Please just say “use”. Thank you.
“conversate”
aggh! It’s not a real word! I know it sounds like one, but it’s not! We’re CONVERSING, not CONVERSATING!
“conservative/liberal”
A two-fer. These don’t mean anything to me anymore, just like Republican/Democrat don’t. Most people’s views are more nuanced than this.
And finally:
Most words for genitalia. They just make me grind my teeth. They sound so stupid. But the one word that gets my goat more than anything is “pussy.” It does not have teeth or a tail, does not catch mice, and won’t suddenly bite your leg in the middle of the night because it’s hungry.
Speaking of genitalia, am I the only one who hates the word “pee”, especially when spoken by a woman? For God’s sake, you only do it eight or so times a day. No need to prove your bra-burning credentials by mentioning the damn word in every other sentence.
“dungarees”
To me, it sounds like “pants someone took a shit in”
“basically”
Meaning, “I’m about to abbreviate the story I’m going to tell you, but try to appear clever in the telling by reducing the essence into a sound bite”. As soon as that word appears, I know I’m going to feel my eyeballs roll.
And “clearly” is getting old, too. It’s a good word, but wa-a-a-ay overused, and almost always for effect.
I hate the pseudo-abbreviations I hear these days:
“I’ve got some VAYCAY time coming up.”
“I had a long CONVO with my boss about it.”
These might qualify as management-speak, but they’ve crept into everyday conversation and I can’t stand 'em: “Impactful” (or impact as a verb - ARRRRRGH!!)
and “proactive.”
Moderator interveneth:
This is probably one of those grey fuzzy areas, as one might argue that the topic is “literature”… however, I don’t see it as that directly related to arts or entertainment, so I’m going to (arbitrarily) rule that this is IMHO material rather than Cafe Society.
The most misused word in English is discipline. The Latin root means learning or study. Just about every other usage has lost meaning and become a buzzword and a mindgame. It’s used to mean punishment, restraint, regimentation, self-control – almost always used to associate those things (usually falsely) with learning. As a result, “disciplining your kids” can mean anything from tender teaching about right and wrong to burning them with cigarettes and locking them in closets.
I really wish the culture would get past the fetish for “the d word” and save it for its most needed meanings: a) a field of study [the ~ of semantics], and b) military-style regimentation [good order and ~]. Anything else, there’s a better word.
Okay I suppose the best word for the locking in closets and burning with cigarettes would be “child abuse,” but what do you think the best word for the teaching about right and wrong are?
Guidance…character-building…counseling…maybe just parenting.
I’ve always had issues with the word “attutide.” To me, it’s always had negative connotations. Yes, I know it’s possible to have a good attitude; a positive attitude… But what do you think when someone tells you, “You have an attitude?”
Adam
‘Gumption’, for no better reason than that a grandmother who I disliked intensely use to accuse me of not having any when I was younger.
‘Liberal’, when spoken with that tone that suggests the word is a synomym for ‘traitor’.
‘Cunt’. Ugliest word in the language, IMO.
Complected. I know it’s a valid word, but gah it just drives me up a wall. It sounds so… wrong.
Orientate. Same as above.
Supposably. Again, a valid word (basically, “conceivably”), but NOT a synonym for “supposedly” which is the usage I hear the most frequently.
Veggies - The word you want is vegetables
Analogous - I can’t pronounce this word, either out loud or in my head, it makes me feel stupid.
Shit - I hate the way it sounds, I hate when people use it, unless you are actually shovelling it don’t use it.
Actually.
The idiot I used to work for abused this poor word. Once, during a meeting, he said it 10 times in less than three minutes!
