Overused Words
OK so this has been a post I’ve been milling around in my head for a while now. If you watch TV enough (especially reality TV) you will notice that people use and reuse and over use the same adjectives. High on that list of over used words is AMAZING. I am beginning to hate that word. Another is AWESOME. Is everything really AWESOME? No of course not.
Now before you all start calling me a hypocrite I will admit to using these words and many others. That is why from this day forward I am going to widen my vocabulary. Only things that are truly AMAZING and truly AWESOME will be given such adjectives. Seriously, my point of this is not to be a grammar Nazi but to point out that words in American culture start to lose their true meaning due to overuse. Love is one of the biggest victims. People LOVE their husband or wife but they also LOVE their car or their shirt or a cup of coffee. I know someone has posted on this before and if I could remember who it was I would give mad props. Nevertheless I urge you all to think about your words. There are so many that we can use and they’re all free and anything free is worth savin’ up for!
So post in the comments what word you think is over used lets fight this thing together! I’ll start off with a little list of my own.
• Amazing
• Awesome
• Sweet
• Cool
• Nice
The Man Of Steel 
April 19, 2007 at 7:52 pm
i use
sweet
rockin’
freakin
wicked
awesome
nice
jeeze
OH MAN CHANGE MY VOICE AND IM FREAKIN’ SWEET NAPOLEAN DYNOMITE
April 19, 2007 at 11:03 pm
bling & pimp
If I never hear those words again it’ll be way, way too soon.
April 20, 2007 at 6:05 pm
That post was amazingly sweet dude! HAHAHA.
And I totally agree with you 100%. That’s one of the things I have about expletives, they’re just lazy. Instead of actually describing things people use f’n this or f’n that. We do the same as you say with Awesome and Amazing and degrade the meaning of those words because it’s easy.
My worst is SWEET and AWESOME probably.
I’m a little self-conscious now, I’ll have to go through my old posts and examine what language I use! HAHAHA that should be a good indication.
November 5, 2013 at 8:46 pm
@worshipcity
Agreed. I’ve always said—people who drop F-Bombs left and right (and other foul words), are lazy drones who have no imagination.
July 9, 2007 at 8:21 pm
The phrase “Not so much” is annoying the crap out of me almost as much as the over use of the word “Amazing” Especially the long drawn out “Amaaaazzzzzing” that young actresses seem to use all the time….
October 30, 2007 at 5:51 pm
Excuse me but “awesome” and “amazing” are adjectives not verbs. Now that we’ve straightened that out I completely agree these words are overused. Celebs love to use the word “amazing” and this is actually very revealing. Just imagine stars of the past, i.e. Cary Grant, Bette Davis, Jimmy Stewart, using the word ad nauseum like the current crop of stars do.
October 30, 2007 at 6:20 pm
5th Born
Thanks for the grammar lesson. the error has been corrected. Not really sure of the point you are trying to make? What is so revealing about current celebs using them?
January 11, 2008 at 3:44 am
totally
definitely
there really isn’t that much certainty in what i’m typically saying.
thanks for the post.
January 11, 2008 at 4:42 am
A word I use way too often is coincidentally, “word.”
It’s a nasty habit I picked up from my old roommate, just about any time I respond to anything with an affirmative I’ll say, “word” or, more embarrassingly, “word up.”
“Hey, wanna go eat?”
“Word.”
“Wanna go get Taco Bell?”
“Oh, word that the hell up.”
I need to break that before I actually turn into Cameo.
January 11, 2008 at 5:08 am
First.
LOL!
Dude
Pwnd
January 12, 2008 at 1:56 am
LIKE! MY GOD! If you, like, talk to a teenager for, like anything longer than like a minute, you have to like…rethink everything she just said because there were so many like, like’s.
BUT WAIT, THERE”S MORE:
BASICALLY. You’re basically an idiot if you can’t make a statement without using this.
KIND OF. The NPR phrase for pseudo-intellectuals. “I’ve been working on a kind of existential piece. It’s basically a kind of expression of the post-9/11 consciousness.”
May 18, 2009 at 8:00 am
Agree with you 100%.
The word ‘basically’ can be used as often as six times in one sentence!!!!
I think for those in certain places … when they enter primary school they are taught :-
‘now children – the first word that we are going to learn is BASICALLY’. You will use it a lot in your lifetime!!!
BIG PET HATE!!!
August 23, 2010 at 8:20 pm
I’m with you 200%. I almost hit a guy the other day for saying the Damm word “Basicially” nine times in 5 minutes. It’s on tv media especially, and also always in public. I HATE IT TREMENDOUSLY! I cannot seem to get away from it. I had to use Closed Caption on my tv.I Never say it.
January 30, 2012 at 4:43 pm
I HATE THE WORD BASICIALLY! IT ENRAGES ME!
December 6, 2010 at 12:04 am
I’m With you all the way! I CANNOT seem to get away from hearing the word “basicially” used at least 30 times a day, everyday from Television and in society. I get so DAMM pissed off whenever i have to hear that word over and over everyday! Why do’t these people use the word “In Fact”, instead. I have turned off the sound on my tv and just read the Closed Caption text. Of course, it is used there also. “Basicially” means i’m really not sure if it is for sure or not for sure.I have Never said that word even once speaking.Another abused phrase is ,”If you will”.
September 26, 2012 at 10:36 pm
Basically is the most overused word in the world…it even has the “F” word beat…I’m right there with you…people are so set on sounding intelligent that they throw it in there every chance they get…unfortunately, they sound moronic by not using an alternate word or phrase..some folks have driven the word into the ground so far, that it means nothing if you take it out of the sentence they just barely were able to put together…others have replaced it with ‘essentially’ and ‘for the most part’…I can’t wait to win the lottery, I’ll buy up billboards, letting people know how important it is to put the word to rest…..until then, I’m keeping the mute on, too!
February 4, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Personally, I think awesome needs to be used more! It’s one of my favorite words, and not only is it an adjective, but now a noun & verb!!
Okay, I sound like a moron but I do have a preoccupation with the word awesome for some reason. I also like the word Rad, but it doesen’t come to mind as often as awesomeness does.
I do agree that many words are overused though. I almost said “I Love the word Awesome”, but then I thought, I love my wife. I like the word. Haha, neat post.
Garry
February 4, 2008 at 4:41 pm
Hey Gary,
Welcome to the blog. I don’t believe I’ve seen you around here. Thanks for stopping by and for the comments.
You have a nice site as well by the way.
February 5, 2008 at 3:09 pm
Thanks for the welcome. I don’t usually frequent blogs too much, but a friend at work said I use the word “Awesome” too much, so I figured I’d do a bit of scientific research to see if the word is not only overused by me, but by others, and I’m assuming that it is.
In my defense, I’ve been using the word “Awesome” since I was a kid, there’s just something special about the word, it’s hard to describe. It’s almost like an institution all onto itself. Although, after realizing recently that it is indeed such an overused word, I am making an effort to only use it “recreationally” from now on.
We’ll see how it goes!
Garry
February 7, 2008 at 11:20 pm
Thank you so much for this posting.
My pet peeve for the past few years has been the overuse of “amazing” – mostly blurted out by red carpet “commentators” and many a celebrity.
Sometimes I’d like to buy the world a thesaurus. 😉
November 11, 2009 at 2:02 am
I looked up overused words just to see if anyone else in the world was as sick as I am of “Amaaaaazing.” This has plagued me for way over a year-I have just had enough!
February 13, 2008 at 1:50 pm
Your very right,how about the most overused word..”need”I have seen
it while reading used about 8 times in the same page…” the plane landed
because it needed fuel”,the grass needs to be cut..Come on!!!!
December 6, 2010 at 1:44 pm
“need, need, need”! everyone “needs”something, or “i need you to do this,” or you “need” to do this. it’s all so selfish. i don’t “need” to do anything, except perhaps breathe and take in sustenance. how bout ‘could you” or “maybe you should”…….. i think it’s a reaction to our shrinking individualtiy in our culture and a desperate attempt to be heard above the din, to be known, to make our needs (oops)…desires known. i think it’s pathetic, but all too human.
November 17, 2012 at 10:29 am
I am glad to see that someone out there agrees with me. “Need”, in most cases, “needs” to go. I often find myself asking people why their survival hinges on such trivial things. When I am told what I “need” to do, unless I’m receiving medical advice, I interpret it as a threat (it is) and react accordingly. It’s on par with “you had better…” and “…or else!”
February 25, 2008 at 1:41 am
I have been comlaining about the word ‘amazing’ and its overuse to the point where my family walks out the room when I start. Tongiht I am watching the Oscars, beginning with the 8 pm red carpet pre-show hosted by the ridiculous Regis Philbin and I’m keeping track of how many times I hear the word – even in the the commercials.
As of 8:41, my count is 4.
March 2, 2008 at 12:17 am
I am so glad I found all of you guys! This has become an issue for me as when I hear the word “amazing”, it makes my skin crawl because I hear it so often. I was beginning to think I was nuts but this is like therapy to see other people are driven nuts by the overuse of this word!
My advice is to pull out a bottle of your favorite hard liquor upon waking up and throughout the day, everytime you hear the word “amazing” you take a shot.
If the word disturbs you like it does me, you hate it a little less as the day goes on! Kidding of course.
November 11, 2009 at 2:11 am
I posted above to the first “amazing” hater I saw! Wow, I should have read further! I actually Googled this to find this group! I am so sick of the word “amazing” that I would not miss it if I never heard it again. As a previous post suggested, the overuse of a word just lessens it to have absolutely NO MEANING!!! Wake up, Hollywood! On a side note, I have to laugh at the word “folks” being added to the news media these days, due to Pres. Obama’s brilliant speech delivery. I am a big Obama fan, I am just amused to watch the media ride his coattails…what’s up, objective? (Another overused phrase-but I still like! 🙂
March 6, 2008 at 2:52 pm
Thank you!! These words have been irritating the hell out of me for a long time, and you’re the first person I’ve seen who has pointed out their overuse.
March 27, 2008 at 2:17 pm
Dont forget “definitely.” And my favorite phrase of all time- “pretty much”.
This mindless, lockstep language goes hand in hand with all you flip flop wearing, cell phone caressing clones I see every day!
March 28, 2008 at 7:10 pm
Like….whatever!
May 22, 2008 at 10:02 am
Add to the list:
actually
kind of – We “kind of” started an investigaiion. Did you or didn’t you?
sort of – It “sort of” caused the fire.
I mean -has this replaced “you know”
AARGH = and winner is: Amazing!
June 10, 2008 at 2:36 pm
I agree that the word ‘need’ is well overused. “I need new shoes”, “i need ice”, I need this i need that. Most the time we don’t NEED it, we would like it, there is a big difference.
June 15, 2008 at 12:37 am
I’m soooo sickof the word Awesome. I’ve heard it every single day at least 50 times a day since the 80’s. ENOUGH ALREADY! If I don’t say I hate it I hear it, if I say I really can’t stand it, people say it more. aggh
July 22, 2008 at 4:44 am
so……………….
sup?
gangsta
ohmygosh
-overuse of …’s
DRIVES ME UP THE WALL! (and I’m a teenager!)
came across this site because I’m doing my speech on how we overuse the word love. and the rest…!
August 22, 2008 at 1:19 pm
If I hear one more interview of a vacuous Hollywood celebrity in which they repeatedly use the word AMAZING I’m going to….like, kind of, you know, ………….Three words for you my friend: Geysers of vomit.
September 3, 2008 at 4:02 pm
Actually
Basically
Literally
I actually cannot go an hour without someone literally overusing one of these words, basically.
September 12, 2008 at 8:11 am
“Basically” drives me insane. It started driving me insane around five years ago and if five years ago the word “basically” was like a sliding board on a preschool playground, then today the word “basically” is like the entire Disney conglomeration.
And in the written word, using apostrophe s for plurals drives me wonky. I have found that the less common the word, the more likely people are to use an apostrophe s instead of just an s (or es) to pluralize the word.
Examples, seen from a chat room I am in right now: We were in San Diego and we saw giraffe’s at the wild animal park. — I was teasing the horse and the horse kicked me and I had to get stitch’s and now I am taking antibiotic’s. ARRRRRRRRRRGHHHHHH
May 18, 2009 at 8:02 am
Agree 100%
The word ‘basically’ can be used as often as six times in one sentence!!!!
I think for those in certain places … when they enter primary school they are taught :-
‘now children – the first word that we are going to learn is BASICALLY’. You will use it a lot in your lifetime!!!
BIG PET HATE!!!
October 22, 2008 at 3:14 pm
“FAIL”. It was fun for a while, but, enough already. See also “EPIC FAIL”.
December 18, 2008 at 11:51 am
I’ve had it up to here with”Awesome” as well! For whatever reason, it’s the preferred adjective in my office for everything, even if it’s not awe-inspiring (i.e., “that would be AWESOME if you could get those reports over to me by the end of the day”).
I cannot fathom why anyone over 30 would want to use it ad nauseum. The first time I remember it coming into vogue was c. 1982, when Sean Penn (playing Jeff Spicoli, the stoned surfer) in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” commented on the foiled robbery attempt at the My-T-Mart. (“Awesome! Totally awesome!”) Granted, I used to use ‘awesome’, but hearing all my coworkers, including my 50-something boss, use it to the exclusion of nothing else, really chaps my butt.
Additionally, I had a former coworker years back who used it as her favorite adjective of choice (this particular coworker irritated me, so perhaps that what turned me off using “awesome” as a favored adjective.) Now if I were to see an eclipse — that, in my opinion, would be an awe-inspiring event.
Just my .02…
December 29, 2008 at 11:29 pm
The only good thing about “amazing” is that it replaced “incredible” as America’s all-purpose word. It’s not only overused, it’s misused. On TV makeover shows, women are always saying, “I feel amazing!” – as if they’re capable of walking around and amazing people, like magicians.
We’ll know it’s on it’s way out when people start pronouncing each syllable with dramatic emphasis, in order to wring some meaning out of a word made meaningless by overuse. “Incredible” was on its way out when people began needing 45 seconds to deem something “in-CRED-dah-bull.”
The newest television talking head word is “either,” pronounced, “EYE-ther.” When you hear the most idiotic skulls full of mush saying “EYE-ther,” you know it’s a trend, like “amazing.” “EYE-ther” is right up there with “um-peer,” for “empire,” as in “empire waistline.” “Um-peer,” my ass.
As for “awesome,” I’ve heard people use it as an affirmative, and it strikes me as odd.
“Do you want to come over for dinner?”
“Awesome.”
Finally, young men who say “absolutely” instead of “yes” annoy the hell out of me.
“Ab-sah-LOOT-lee.”
Kee-rist. Yes or no, junior.
December 31, 2008 at 11:06 am
IM NOT THE ONLY ONE!!!! I have been saying to people for quite awhile now that the word “amazing” is way WAY overused. It almost makes me disgusted when I hear it used for some of the most mundane things. “Wow, that wall color you used is amazing.” NO ITS NOT!!!! Its so wonderful to know that im not crazy and there are other people out there that feel the same way.
One more thing…when did “absolutley” become the new “yes”? Just say yes for crying out loud. Ugh.
January 8, 2009 at 12:39 pm
Finally – someone has posted how they feel (as well as myself) about the word “amazing”. Good Lord, people – there are other adjectives out there to describe the way you feel about something. I love the Ellen DeGeneres show, but that’s the only word she uses to describe something positive. Just watch and listen next time – you’ll see what I mean.
A few years ago, there was another word that was beaten into the ground, however, I don’t think you hear it as much. The word is “surreal”.
Thanks, again for the posting.
January 11, 2009 at 3:32 pm
Hey everybody,
I’m from Austria and yes, of course – there are also some overused words.
While reading some postings, I noticed that we have hardly any words in German which express that you are thinking about the next words to say: “like, sort of, you know, kind of,…”. We just say “uhmm, ähhh,…”.
Anyway,
HEY ! Instead of listing the words you hate, write the ones which replace them! It drives ME up the wall when I read those postings fulfilled with anger and hate.
And if you have to be that pessimistic, then think at least whenever people say these words “I’m so glad my vocabulary is full of elegance and high-quality words”
PS If these young celebs would say intellectual things, would they then have millions of fans?
January 17, 2009 at 1:10 am
You’ve overlooked the question posed, Liz. We were asked to write about overused words, not about the words with which we would like to replace overused words.
January 20, 2009 at 6:16 pm
Amazing has been utterly used to death. Typically used by chunky built people who watch too much television.
February 14, 2009 at 1:08 pm
“Absolutely” seems to be the latest victim of wordmisuage-itis. Just take a look at the latest Taco Bell commercial:
February 22, 2009 at 11:19 pm
Amazing. If I hear one more person described as “Amazing” I’ll throw up.
From such and such, to such and such. (Usually with no comprehensible link.)
March 4, 2009 at 12:28 am
did you forget the word “basicially”. I hear it soooo much that i actually
despise it! 30 years ago you never heard it used.
May 18, 2009 at 8:04 am
It’s awful … my pet hate!
You can hear it sometimes as much as 6 times in 1 sentence … especially in certain parts of the world!!!
I avoid using it in the correct context because of it’s over use!!!
March 17, 2009 at 7:50 pm
My complaint is people who respond “no problem” when I say “thank you”. What ever happened to “you’re welcome”?
May 18, 2009 at 8:30 am
How about “mad”-ANYTHING, as in your statement from above?:
“…if I could remember who it was I would give mad props.”
Or, “my bad.” That one really makes me cringe.
And back to “amazing”: That word is bad enough, but so often people make it even worse by pronouncing it “uh-may-zeen.” In fact, that’s one of my oldest and most cringeworthy peeves: when people pronounce the “…ing” at the end of a word as “…een.” Get me an Uzi…
May 18, 2009 at 2:16 pm
Apologies for diverting slightly from the subject of over used words.
I think our English language is changing …
how often do we hear such ‘questions’ as:-
‘how cool is that’ or ‘how great is this’
(instead of saying) ‘This is really nice’
(or whatever sentiment you wish to express)
Just one example of how ‘questions’ are being used to replace comments.
I find them very irritating.
Just makes me want to ask in return ‘well, how cool is it – tell me?’
June 13, 2009 at 11:19 am
Amazing job! ; )
I wish more people would take the opportunity to slow down and think about what they say, rather than spouting out crap. Life isn’t an instant message and you don’t get extra points for finishing early.
July 28, 2009 at 12:39 pm
Folks – I have discovered the code word for “We Love Obama”. When I reveal this word you will immediately realize that By God ms. helga is right. After watching the TV and listening to the radio these many years it finally struck me like a bolt of lightening. After I reveal this word start listening and watching and I guarantee you will agree with me in no time. The only danger is that it may cause a syndrome.
I will reveal the syndrome and word on the next post.
#
me. helga // July 27, 2009 at 3:02 pm
Part 2
THE CODE WORD IS “ABSOLUTELY”
IF YOU OVERUSE THE WORD “ABSOLUTELY” YOU SUFFER FROM THE FOLLOWING:
1. YOU HAVE A LIMITED VOCABULARY
2. YOU HAVE AN INFERIORITY COMPLEX
3. YOU ARE LYING THRU YOUR TEETH
4. YOU ARE AN INCURABLE VODKA LOVER
5. YOU ARE SUFFERING FROM EXCESSIVE WORD SYNDROME
6. YOU ARE A PHONY A$$HOLE
7. YOU HAVE AN EXTREME LOVE FOR THE USURPER
August 31, 2009 at 5:15 pm
I absolutely CANNOT stand the word AMAZING. When the Kardashians draaaag it out (are they all on Xanax or what???) it makes me nuts.
PEOPLE: stop using the word AMAZING!
November 2, 2009 at 1:27 pm
Switch your TV on and I guarantee that within a minute you will hear the word FANTASTIC.
This is not only the currently most overused word in the media/outside world, it’s usage rarely represents any one of its true meanings.
BAN IT
GFW
January 7, 2010 at 10:39 pm
Thanks for the topic; this word is truly overused. My college instructor uses it frequently and this makes me look forward to my demise. Or the instructors.
January 28, 2010 at 11:30 pm
OMG OMG OMG people REALLY need to stop overusing “amazing”! It literally hurts me when people I otherwise respect pepper their speech with this, not even realizing how vacuous it makes them sound. It’s not even a compliment anymore to call someone “amazing” – it means nothing, or worse yet, that the person saying it really wasn’t impressed enough to bother coming up with a more descriptive term.
I’ve joined groups, I’ve posted on blogs like this, I’ve casually dropped hints in conversations and emails – so WHY are people still mimicking this airhead-teenager vocabulary? 🙂 If I stick a pen in my neck will they stop?
March 17, 2018 at 9:39 pm
The phrase “OH MY GOD” makes my head hurt also!
February 8, 2010 at 10:05 pm
Join us! We’re the world’s first group dedicated to people who believe that AMAZING is the most overused word in the English language:
April 6, 2010 at 1:27 am
I sometimes bring up in conversation how overused ‘amazing is” and I’m always surprised that other people are not at all aware of it. I always call this word the only adjective left in the English language. It ‘s the word that describes EVERYTHING!! What a lazy, robotic society we have become. It has become so annoying to me, that I switch channels the minute I hear it spoken. It’s so good to know I’m not alone with ‘absolutely’ burning my ears too. Has anyone heard Raquel Welch being interviewed lately? She is nauseating with “you know” at the end of every sentence!!
February 15, 2010 at 6:52 am
The most overused adjective these days is GREAT. Start listening. You will find that this is true. My complaint is that we are being lazy by relying on the word “great” whenever we need an adjective.
March 29, 2010 at 2:13 pm
Well, I noticed no one mentioned the newly overused phrase “as well” (used in place of “also” or “too”.) In my humble opinion, and some observation, I’m thinking it must be an lame American imitation of the British language; or Americans using it to sound more intellegent. It’s not working, at least for me, because it sticks out like a sore thumb. Another word that is overused, especially in the media and in interviews, after a disaster or tragedy, usually, is the word “closure.” I’m getting really good at predicting when someone is going to use it at the end of their sentence to explain their feelings about justice prevailing.
June 26, 2010 at 1:17 pm
I couldn’t agree more with your observations about the overuse of “as well.” It has become an epidemic now, and I wonder if the media bosses pay extra for eash use of “as well.” Even now, some of the simpleton, ignorant anchors have started using “also” and “as well” in the same sentence. Now that really makes my skin crawl. I have tried sending a gentle reminder to these people, but so far, no improvement has been observed by me or my friends. I even recently heard one begin a sentence with “as well,’ instead of “also, “
March 29, 2010 at 5:46 pm
I’ve recently become awar of “GREAT” to quickly describe anything better than just good. Listen to Radio ads. It’s driving me buggy.
May 13, 2010 at 9:08 am
I thought members of my baby boomer generation, who are forever guilty of introducing and nurturing the most overused bit of speech static ever, “like”, would have outgrown it by now. No way, Jose! On my daily Metro commutes to and from my Washington, DC workplace, it is not unusual to hear age 60-ish “conversationalists” dropping no less than three “likes” into each sentence.
The only speech habit I find as annoying is the employment of the adjective “amazing.” As pretty as she may be, I am tempted to throttle the very next 20-something blonde airhead who describes anyone or anything as “amazing.”
Thank you, Hollywood!!
August 1, 2010 at 8:46 pm
I agree with everything you said but you lost credibility when you used “mad props”.
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October 20, 2010 at 3:01 pm
How about “Thank You so much”? Every time I hear it it is The thanks phrase I hear. It’s getting to be the only way people are saying thank You. Just like issue instead of problem. Trends are trends I gusess
April 1, 2014 at 8:13 am
Then this routine utterance from James Brown should drive you crazy (he’s the former host of the Fox Sports NFL Sunday pre-game show who now does the same job at CBS).
“Thank you, so very much!”
And sometimes even:
“Thank you, oh so very much!”
Usually said in response to some banal comment from the former coaches and jocks sitting next to him on the set.
The one annoying habit from an otherwise competent and very watchable broadcaster.
November 9, 2010 at 7:25 pm
For a quarter million dollars for each of my children’s college education I should get more and better adjectives and adverbs that “awesome” and “sweet.”
December 7, 2010 at 8:08 pm
Wonderful.
December 7, 2010 at 8:09 pm
Yeah no.
December 10, 2010 at 5:00 pm
exactly.
February 13, 2011 at 11:19 pm
I hate hearing actually, awesome, ya know, I mean, and exactly.
April 3, 2011 at 3:35 am
Rhank you…I thought it was just me who thought the word basically was over-used. Thank you
April 25, 2011 at 8:00 am
While I agree with the writer, it is extremely humorous to note that he begins his post with perhaps THE most overused and completely unnecessary words being used today by young people and “teeny boppers”…………………”OK SO”.
Where did these “ok so’ers” learn to begin a sentence this way? Why would they do it? Caught “ya”:
August 23, 2011 at 3:10 am
the scariest thing about people who say basically all the time is they think what there saying gains gravitas when they add basically to the sentence
August 23, 2011 at 3:24 am
the funniest thing is when you pull someone up for saying basically over and over again they look confused. a word that adds nothing to a sentence and immediatley switches me of to what the person is saying.
November 7, 2011 at 5:53 pm
I think we can pin at least some of the blame for the overuse of the word “amazing” (ugh- I cringe just typing it out!). For many years, during the opening monologue on the Conan O’Brien show, Conan would habitualy say “folks, we have an amazing show for you tonight…” followed, of course, by the announcment of that nights two bit comedian, D-list actor and crappy “alternative” band. This from a guy who holds two degrees from Harvard. Thanks Conan!!
November 7, 2011 at 7:59 pm
Amen to that Greg! Well said. I often am distracted from Conan’s talents and wit when watching his show now because he uses “amazing” like a 15-year old girl. Noticeably so. It’s incongruous with who he supposedly is on the comedic landscape, and it’s a bummer.
November 7, 2011 at 8:37 pm
Thanks Jacq- I actually garbled my own wording in that last post- still not very good at posting on the run with my android, although I HAVE learned to spell ‘habitually’ without spellcheck!
November 18, 2011 at 7:13 pm
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January 29, 2012 at 7:19 am
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[…]Overused Words « The Man Of Steel[…]…
February 4, 2012 at 5:57 am
thanks to the devil i do not use that word “a≈#$@∑3” and i ask my friends and family not to use that word around me, if it is possible… ever!.
that word to me it is at the same level of using the “N” word.
February 4, 2012 at 6:19 am
“Amazing”
A once perfectly good and useful word that is now the verbal equivalent of nails on a chalkboard.
March 24, 2013 at 3:27 pm
“Networking”?
February 4, 2012 at 9:59 am
While I agree with the writer, it is extremely humorous to note that he begins this post with perhaps THE most overused and completely unnecessary words being used today by young people and “teeny boppers”…………………”OK SO”.
Where did these “ok so’ers” learn to begin a sentence this way?
February 16, 2012 at 11:35 pm
I’m in agreement with most everyone on this forum but I thought that I would take a different tack and DEFEND a word. Or in this case, a phrase.
“Pie hole”
As in the phrase “Shut yer pie hole!”.
It’s like a car hitting those old metal garbage cans, it never fails to amuse me.
Same with “Cake hole”. Cake hole is a close second.
February 18, 2012 at 7:57 am
OK so this has been a post I’ve been milling around in my head for a while now. If you watch TV enough (especially reality TV) you will notice that people use and reuse and over use the same adjectives. High on that list of over used words is AMAZING. I am beginning to hate […]
Why would an otherwise intelligent (sounding) person begin a comment with “OK so” ?
February 17, 2012 at 3:33 pm
basically basically basically basically basically basically water on the brain for me .for most people in business and everyday life an okay word to use basically basically basically basically basically . basically will never be stamped out as a word or highlighted as a terrible word because most people have already being brainwashed .most people highlight other words as irritating because they have the word basically entrenched into their system. more water on the brain please.
February 17, 2012 at 7:37 pm
The birth of a baby is amazing. The Grand Canyon is awsome. Those are my general guidelines.
As much as Americans love to project a rugged, rebellious image, they are anything but. Fifty or sixty years ago, yes- we were everything (and more) that the manufactured Ralph Lauren image projected us to be.
Now political correctness and celebrity worship corral The Herd into an almost high school-like mindset of vanity and self concious groupthink.
Hardly rugged individulism.
Often I hear forty and fifty-something hipster-types speaking like their teenagers.
This does not bode well for our country and culture.
In a country where critical and independent thinkers are having an increasingly tough time of it, publicly pronouncing ones belief in Christ (for example) is one of the most rugged acts of rebellion that a person can make these days- not riding your Harley down to the local Starbucks on the weekend.
Sorry- got a bit off topic there, but I think what really fosters this silliness with language is simple peer pressure.
The Baby Boomers never quite grew up.
February 18, 2012 at 7:55 am
Why would you begin a comment with “OK”?
August 27, 2012 at 10:15 pm
Surreal is an overused word! It’s like nails on a chalk board to me. Seriously, it was that dreamy?
December 13, 2012 at 2:57 am
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December 13, 2012 at 8:36 am
While I agree with the writer, it is extremely humorous to note that he begins his post with perhaps THE most overused and completely unnecessary words being used today by young people and “teeny boppers”…………………”OK SO”.
Where did these “ok so’ers” learn to begin a sentence this way?
March 25, 2013 at 6:09 am
Why would anyone begin a comment with the most overused word of all?………OK
December 17, 2012 at 9:23 pm
If I hear Howie Mandel say the word AMAZING one more time I’m going to reach right through the TV set and kick his ass! Every time he opens his mouth on America’s Got Talent he says things like “You’re amazing!” “Your voice is amazing!” “What you’re wearing is amazing!” “You’re an amazing talent!” and on and on and on and on and ON!!! The only thing that is NOT amazing is Howie Mandel himself. What an idiot! Go on Wheel of Fortune and buy a new adjective!!!
January 6, 2013 at 7:38 pm
I would say the the MOST overused word in the world is the word “Basicially”. I know i hear it at least 20 times a day from the media and to people themselves.
January 30, 2013 at 11:40 pm
These posts started over 5 years ago.. and the word “amazing” isn’t dead yet???? What is it going to take?
April 1, 2014 at 5:06 am
Haha! When I first saw this thread in 07 or 08, I assumed the “amazing” abuse would have been over in a few years at most. 7 years and counting… ugh.
March 24, 2013 at 2:05 pm
Sick of soulmate and epic.
March 25, 2013 at 6:11 am
Why would someone begin a comment with the most overused word of all? ….. “OK”
March 31, 2013 at 11:39 am
“Awesome” awesome, awesome, awesome, awesome, awsome…. is the new PC word used by all of the wannabes. Isn’t it an awesome word?…….Just awesome…..
March 30, 2013 at 4:19 am
Hi there, just wanted to mention, I liked this article.
It was practical. Keep on posting!
November 5, 2013 at 6:59 pm
“Closure” and “epic”……….Victims of crime never really get closure, and Ortiz hitting a ball with a bat is not epic. Unless you happen to have wood shavings for brains. Millions do. Sigh………..
December 6, 2014 at 6:40 pm
yes, closure can be heard or read at least 5 times a day
December 7, 2014 at 6:10 am
I submit that the constant use of “closure” is not so much akin to sloppy abuse of adjectives like “amazing” and “epic”, but because it’s almost always prefaced with “lack of” or “no”, its more indicative of psychosocial behaviour in our online society. If we’re talking a lot about not getting closure in our social interactions, why is that? Maybe because we’re hiding behind our devices in a way no previous generation has, so its become acceptable to just e-“walk away” in silence when we feel we’re done with someone… we don’t feel the obligation to explain ourselves to the person… hence the epidemic lack of closure.
March 18, 2014 at 1:28 pm
I fear that the next overused expression in the American idiom will be “wait for it”. This seems to be used when something really special is about to be announced or revealed. Has anyone else noticed this phrase being used more frequently lately?….
March 31, 2014 at 4:14 pm
America, please do us all a favor and refrain from using the word “awesome” for just one day. Its simply not possible for everything to be “awesome”. Does everything actually inspire fear and reverence? Because that is what the word means. These days, people use the word (or more appropriately overuse the word) to describe something or someone as really great and that is not the way the word was meant to be used……
April 1, 2014 at 5:49 am
I think greg (Feb 2012) and DaMomb (Jan 2010) are onto the root issue with “amazing” and other nauseatingly abused and eviscerated teenager/hipster terms.
Baby-boomers and Gen-Xers seem to feel they must let youth culture dictate our entire popular culture. I don’t know if that’s about parents afraid to use (and teach) a more rich vocabulary because they’re so deathly afraid of appearing old and crusty, or trying too hard to be pals with their kids, or what. (This is certainly not my original idea – see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKUZ42T9diU – an astute summary.)
But I DO know I am ever sicker of hearing “grownups” insipidly blathering on like 12-year-old girls or 20-something dudes in a band. It’s all I can do not to snap at someone, however well-meaning, who makes the mistake of calling me “amazing” for some minor thing I did or said. Particularly when it falls out of the mouth of an otherwise intelligent person. It actually feels like an insult now; a crappy little piece of filler tossed at me in place of an actual compliment that was given some thought. Don’t bother!
Haha… like Susan (Feb 2008) I have been openly complaining about ‘amazing’ abuse for so long now, I know it has become a conversational cul-de-sac (or worse) more than a few times. But I don’t care any more – I want it to stop before I physically pop a gasket.
Thank the LAWD for you people and this thread as a place to vent! 🙂
April 1, 2014 at 7:18 am
Ok so, I just want to basically say like how awesome this site basically is. ok so
September 10, 2014 at 2:53 am
I am annoyed at how often people overuse and misuse the word “actually”. I made a call and asked to speak to a woman, and the receptionist replied, “She’s actually at lunch right now.” I laughed to myself and thought, is she actually or theoretically at lunch?
Other words I believe people use too often are “someday”, “sometime”, and “maybe”: “Someday maybe we’ll get together.” “Let’s do lunch sometime.”… Someday is NOT a day of the week! I would rather hear a “yes” or “no”, then at least I know whether or not I should get out my day planner!
December 6, 2014 at 6:38 pm
closure – please everybody stop using this
December 7, 2014 at 5:51 am
Gail begins her post with………”ok so…….”
Why in the world would Gail complain about an overused word with two of the most overused and incorrectly used words there are….? “Ok So”
December 21, 2014 at 12:28 pm
Supporting data. Look at this graphical vindication! (If the link doesn’t work right, just enter search term “amazing”.) Don’t you love not being wrong? http://chronicle.nytlabs.com/?keyword=amazing
May 19, 2015 at 1:29 am
Restart Adobe Photoshop to pack the script.
October 18, 2015 at 2:26 am
i cant stand it when actors describe their fellow actors as “generous”.What the hell?!?!?
October 18, 2015 at 2:31 am
While i’m at it… I had a friend whose husband was British and she began employing the phase “as well” shortly after they started dating. Wanted to wring her pretentious neck! Out of him, it sounded English and appropriately uppity. Out of her, just sounded like a south side of Chicago girl attempting to appear more intelligent. YUCH. Doesn’t and didn’t surprise me though, as I suspect she married the goof (and he is!) just because he “sounds like a Beatle!” Double YUCH!
March 1, 2016 at 2:26 am
I regretted recording the Oscars this year. Not because I felt manipulated into focusing on one single social issue whether I thought it a just cause or not. But because all I could do was auto-mentally count off how many “amazing”s were dropped – not per hour, but PER MINUTE.
I’d go on, but all I can do right now is sputter about American adults (famous, presumably educated, very well-paid adults!) talking like archetypal Valley Girls – with no hint of irony.
I’m pretty sure us folks on this blog made it clear back in ’07 or ’08 that poor old “amazing” had, by then, already died a sad, beaten-horse death. We did our job here! 😉 So WHY are we still subjected to this??
My synapses would be healthier from absorbing pure static than the way people speak English today.
~ Still >:/ After All These Years
June 4, 2016 at 7:38 pm
[…] Overused Words | The Man Of Steel – Apr 19, 2007 · The word ‘basically’ can be used as often as six … I looked up overused words just to see if anyone else in the … Amazing has been utterly used to … […]
July 21, 2016 at 9:44 pm
I’d pay people NOT to use the words ‘amazing’, ‘awesome’, and ‘seriously’ if I could afford to. Makes me want to hold out a “gofundme” jar to everyone who feels it necessary to continually use those words- kind of a swear jar. Also annoying are ‘not so much’ which should be not AS much. And also ‘no problem’ which shows just how ignorant they sayer is. My best friend is 69 years old and has developed the bad habits of saying ‘amazing’ and talking in that stupid uptalk where every statement sounds like a question. Watch some of the house flipping shows and you’ll get so many “Oh, wows” and “amazings you’ll want to murder your t.v. There, now I feel much better.
July 24, 2016 at 4:17 pm
INDEED. Can we crowdfund a campaign that favours actual use of the full wealth of English vocabulary vs this blank use of “amazing” and repetitive three-sentence belief systems? Thanks Sam Harris for having the audacity to think through his opinions and map them to existing three- or (gasp) four-syllable words. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Az1JyDJ_iKU
February 2, 2017 at 7:44 pm
here’s one that is being used a lot by the trump administration unbelievable
February 10, 2017 at 12:25 am
I am as tired of “amazing” as I was of “AWESOME”. How can a sunset and a piece if chocolate be amazing. Or a sunset and a new pair of shoes. It’s beyond the time to expand one’s choice of words to describe something that you think is wonderful or exceptional. I’s amazing to me that I found this blog with like minded people who express their adnauseum with this overused expression which I refuse to use again in this rant,
February 12, 2017 at 6:46 pm
Another of my peeves is 110 Percent or even 200 percent to describe one’s enthusiasm. On the other hand I think I will have a 110 percent beer. Or what if someone asked ‘ do you want a piece of cake” I could say “oh I ‘m 150% in on that”. And then I get weight gain.
March 17, 2018 at 9:44 pm
I cringe when people start a conversation or reply with “To be honest…”
March 17, 2018 at 11:11 pm
Ten years ago I found this comforting blog and assumed my most annoying linguistic nightmare (overuse of “amazing”) would have passed into history by, maybe, 2015. Not only is that one still goin’ strong, but Trump has now completely devalued American English altogether. Oh for the simpler days, when only one or two overused/misused words used to bug me. Apologies to John McWhorter, but I give up. Let humans revert to grunting and shrieking at each other, I have no energy left to care anymore.
March 19, 2020 at 8:56 pm
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