Which Words Are The Most Overworked In The English Language?
 

There are a few of them out there, words that we the ignorant populous have never heard of until they are pushed into the foreground and end up being used at every opportunity by people that feel a need to be 'groundbreaking' (Hmm? Is that one of them) and on the 'cutting edge' (another?) of intellectual language.

My main example is innovative, it is now used almost everywhere to mean 'Groundbreaking' which itself seems to have been brought into popularity a few years ago to replace such words as creative, experimental and imaginative.

In themselves nothing wrong with these words but when overused they can become mildly irritating when dropped into a conversation or narration.

There are other over used words which ones can you think of?

Re: Which Words Are The Most Overworked In The English Language?
 

A while back if a newsreader over here was talking about a number of the same things or happenings they would say words like 'many', 'numerous', and so on, then one said 'multiple' - and from then on they all use this word instead. As you say, Less, nothing wrong with the word in itself but in my opinion it is definitely over-used and in fact I've heard it used multiple times.

Re: Which Words Are The Most Overworked In The English Language?
 

Two very over used words are ‘like’....’so’ and ‘basically’.
When did it become the ‘thing’ to start a sentence answering a question, with ‘So....’
Young people seem to use the word ‘like’.....not as a camparative or to show a fondness for, but as a filler word.

I am sure there are more, but these are my pet hates.

Re: Which Words Are The Most Overworked In The English Language?
 

I know what you mean like.
Perhaps though a salesperson could be forgiven for a sentence describing a machines operation, similar to this:-

'Like so, basically'.

Re: Which Words Are The Most Overworked In The English Language?
 

That might just make me walk out without buying....it would grind my gears.

Oh yes, before anyone tells me that I said TWO words, but mentioned three....’basically’ was an afterthought.

Re: Which Words Are The Most Overworked In The English Language?
 

Not so much a word, but the phrase "let me be clear", just how many lying toerags in particular politicoes let this roll off their tongue far to glibly & with no actual substance to their "clear statement" Aaarrrgghhh!

Re: Which Words Are The Most Overworked In The English Language?
 

It's partner that they use is:-

'To be perfectly honest'

What other kind of honesty is there?

Re: Which Words Are The Most Overworked In The English Language?
 

Theirs & ours. :)

Re: Which Words Are The Most Overworked In The English Language?
 

absolutley

Re: Which Words Are The Most Overworked In The English Language?
 

absolutley

Re: Which Words Are The Most Overworked In The English Language?
 

absolutley

Re: Which Words Are The Most Overworked In The English Language?
 

absolutley

Re: Which Words Are The Most Overworked In The English Language?
 

Woops ABSOLUTELY

Re: Which Words Are The Most Overworked In The English Language?
 

When asked for their opinion, or in answer to a question, it is surprising (and annoying) the number of people in interviews who start off their answer with 'look'. Sometimes they continue to do this when answering the questions that follow.. These are people who should know better.

Re: Which Words Are The Most Overworked In The English Language?
 

"Iconic" is a really overused word.
Another word that gets on my wick is the word "well" as in well iconic

Re: Which Words Are The Most Overworked In The English Language?
 

Um

Re: Which Words Are The Most Overworked In The English Language?
 

In a similar vein, and I'm not sure if this is just an Australian thing, but I find it annoying when having to give my name (for instance at a reception desk) and the person taking details asks ‘now, what was your name?’ I feel like giving my maiden name and saying ‘that WAS my name, would you like the one that IS my name now?’

For a while ‘going forward’ seemed to come into so many conversations, especially when politicians were being interviewed – didn’t they know you can’t go back? This isn’t said as often now.

Re: Which Words Are The Most Overworked In The English Language?
 

Bespoke.

Re: Which Words Are The Most Overworked In The English Language?
 

Perhaps as an aside we should also include overworked phrases and examples?

Was watching a science programme about the moon and lo and behold one of the clever presenters revealed that the moon is moving further and further from the Earth, at what rate I hear those of you that might just give a damn asking?

Well hold on to your hats, it's moving away at:-

'The rate our finger nails grow'.

The number of things in nature move, retract, grow, spread apart and erode at this rate proves to me there must be a God but he is lazy, whenever one of his helpers said 'what speed shall we give such and such?' his laid back reply was always, 'well, roughly I'd say, the speed your finger nails grow'.

Re: Which Words Are The Most Overworked In The English Language?
 

There is an over-used sentence that accompanies just about every speech a politician over here (usually the PM) makes regarding a new project or scheme, and that is ‘this will create (insert here any number that comes to mind, it’s usually 30,000) jobs’. They never fail to say this and it has become very boring, part of the rhetoric used, just bulldust. How they work out the number of jobs is anyone’s business. When I listen to such an announcement I know these words will follow. It’s a sort of a carrot before the donkey to make it sound good - and if anyone believes it then they really are a donkey.

Re: Which Words Are The Most Overworked In The English Language?
 

On a bit of a different tack - what about some of the inane questions reporters and interviewers ask, for example when an awful thing has happened to a person and the reporter asks 'and how are you feeling?' - how the heck do they expect the person to be feeling...like having a party or something. There are lots of examples of these sort of insensitive questions. I cringe when I hear them.

Re: Which Words Are The Most Overworked In The English Language?
 

celebrity...a very over used word.

Re: Which Words Are The Most Overworked In The English Language?
 

Hero. This is a word that is given out too freely. For example, just because someone is extra good at sport does not make them a hero.