Overused words.

[wrist cutter]

Lately I've noticed a few words that are commonly spewed forth from the mouths of those who don't really understand them. It's mostly dumbasses who use these words in order to appear intelligent, when usually it has just the opposite effect. Here they are.

[b]close-minded[/b]
Boy does this get tossed around like a cheap whore during debates. You have to wonder if people even realize what it means anymore. Any disagreement on the internet is undoubtedly due to one person being "close-minded". Liberals are particularly fond of this word, since we all know every conservative is close-minded.

[b]mature[/b]
This one is used mostly amongst high/middle schoolers. Because in this time, these people actually are in the process of maturation. However some of them are in absolute denial, and believe they matured sometime around the age of 5, so they must be like a 40 year old now that they're 12. As shown by several threads around here, most people believe they act like 18 year olds, who, contrary to popular belief, usually act like 10 year olds. Let's face reality here: we're all acting our age.

[b]insecure[/b]
Every bully in the world is insecure. If you've been paying attention, you know this is most likely due to their "immaturity". Anyone who has ever made fun of anyone else is simply insecure.

That's all that come to mind currently, there are plenty more I haven't thought of.

[James]

[color=#707875]I agree with you, pretty much. Sometimes it's easy to get into the cycle of using the same words often, too.

Close-minded is definitely a term that gets used a lot. I don't think that being close-minded relates to what people believe in general though. Instead, I liken the term as relating to one of two things (either accepting change, or being willing to [i]discuss [/i]change).

Even if you disagree with certain issues, you can still be willing to entertain the other side's thoughts. People who aggressively attack others in a debate are probably more close-minded, because they aren't even accepting that there are other viewpoints out there. Whether or not these specific viewpoints are close-minded or not really depends on the subject I think.

Mature is definitely a word that people use wrongly much of the time. It's funny to see younger kids behaving like prophets or teachers, when they themselves still have a lot of growing up to do. Being unclear about your own experience and knowledge is probably a sign of immaturity as well...but who knows. I agree that we generally act our age, but everyone's different I guess.

Insecurity...I don't know. It depends how this word is used. In terms of a bully...I think it's probably often true that bullies are insecure. But of course, it's still a sweeping statement. People throw these things around without trying to really analyze what they mean.

I think another overused word is probably "otaku", even though Adam and I are probably guilty of perpetuating the use of that word to some extent. But still, it's amazing how people can get into these enormous debates about how "hardcore" they are in terms of being an anime fan. Who cares? I've never understood the whole "I'm nerdier than you" competition.

Other than that, nothing else really comes to mind at the moment. But I'm pretty sure that I've noticed this type of thing now and then, especially in people's signatures and such.[/color]

[lea]

Hmm...would leet count as overused, even though it is more a way of speaking than just words?

[Godelsensei]

[COLOR=Gray][SIZE=2][FONT=Courier New]Words that I hear too often...hmmm...I guess the one word I hate the most is "supposed". Not as in, "I suppose...", but as in, "You're supposed to be..." Gah.

[B]Conformist[/B] Playing by the rules makes you a conformist, enjoying anything that isn't rediculously obscure and irrelevent makes you a conformist, *voting* makes you a conformist...Aiya. I have heard this word far too much in the recent year. It has made me extrordinarily bitter. "You acted in your best intrest: you're a bloody conformist!" Please...just shut up.

[B]Racist[/B] This word is *way* too overused. Even if it's usually a joke, people screaming "Racist!" at you for saying something that has nothing to do with ethnicity really gets to you after a while. It seems that if you say something rude to some one who isn't of the same race as you (and, interestingly enough, is not white), you are, in fact, a racist. For instance: If I were to say to one of the 500--that's about 80% of the students--Asian people at my school, "You piss me off." I would never hear the end of it. Once again: please shut up.

Well, those are two that are constantly used out of place, and too lightly. Racism is evil, plain and simple. Extreme and unbending conformity is also a negetive thing, unless it cums too speelingg etc... It seems that alot of people don't know what these words mean any more, though. :nope:

Edit:

On "insecurity". [I]Well[/I], I don't care if a bully is insecure or not, there's still no excuse for hurting some one. Alleged emotional issues are too often used as excuses for treating people badly, or doing stupid things. I have experienced this first hand quite recently (and frequently), and, to be frank, I don't care. Gah!
So this bully's insecure? Good--well, bad--for them. [/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Lord Rannos]

Like. I'm in middle school, and I hear that word ALL THE TIME. "He is like so like....." whatever. Girls do it, guys do it, even teachers do it! I try to suppress aying it too often. Of course, I could get every teacher in Iowa to sign a petition to ban it from the english language. That might help.....

[Guest FlashCube]

One word I hear way to often is fu*k. I hate it. I'm walking down the street and I over hear a bunch of kids talking and every other word the use is fu*k. Even people my age and older use it in excess.....

[Subversive]

[QUOTE=wrist cutter]
...Liberals are particularly fond of this word, since we all know every conservative is close-minded...
[/QUOTE]

so true....I've missed your views while I've been away cutter...

Home, Sweet Home.

[Guest INUYASHA9007]

Um I Think That It Doesnt Really Matter Who Cares If People Use Certain Words Commonly Does It Really Effect Us?

[wrist cutter]

I guess I should've made this a bit clearer in my original post...

This thread wasn't about just words that are overused, because there are plenty of those. I was thinking more along the lines of "buzzwords", you know? "Conformist" was a good one I didn't think of. Basically, just words that lots of people are using lately because they're "in" or something.

Like with the example of "insecure". This gets tossed around between people who think they're psychology majors. So you know, without really knowing what peoples' problems are, they're quick to slap this "insecure" label on them because it makes them look smart and they've been hearing it lately.

Does that make more sense? You can apply similar examples to my other words and some of the others already suggested here.

[Guest INUYASHA9007]

[QUOTE=Subversive]so true....I've missed your views while I've been away cutter...

Home, Sweet Home.[/QUOTE]
DOES IT REALLY MATTER IF PEOPLE USE COMMON WORDS DOES IT EVEN EFFECT US?

[wrist cutter]

[quote name='INUYASHA9007']DOES IT REALLY MATTER IF PEOPLE USE COMMON WORDS DOES IT EVEN EFFECT US?[/quote]

Well if you're not going to shut up, YES, it "effects" me because it pisses me off when I hear them and people don't even understand what they're saying. Therefore I am affected.

[Subversive]

I think we've missed one of the most overused words in all of the internet and present day adolescence- "gay". The word is taken completely out of meaning and used in a ignorant, derogatory manner. I personally am against homosexuallity, but blatant use of this word as an insult in an ignorant context is something heard too often in my opinon.

[Guest INUYASHA9007]

I Agree With You It Is Used To Much ... Who Even Invented Cuu Words Any Way ... Who Ever It Was Obviously Had Alot Of Free Time On Their Hands

[Baron Samedi]

[COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=1]I agree completely with your points. There are always 'in' terms and things going around. And people, of course want to make as much use of these as possible, because they'll appear 'cooler' and 'smarter'.

I think the terms are overused a lot. Too much, in fact. In some cases they seem justified, but in most... they have no grounding.

People labelling themselves mature.... hhhmmm.

As people we can not compare ourselves to another person, because our thought processes work differently and we have been raised differently. So, we can't really know if people are only saying they're mature, or just think they are, or indeed are mature.

I am only 14. I am by no means 'grown-up' nor a psychologist. I see what I see, and say it when I deem. I think I am mature for my age. Sure, I'll change a lot before I become fully mature, but I would like to think I have a level head on my shoulders.

I'm not sure what there is to say. People will always think they're mature, until they look back a year on and think 'How young was I ?!'

I don't know what I am trying to say here. Anyway, people will be people. I suppose the only thing is to let them be, though I do see your points and agree whole-heartedly with them.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Godelsensei]

[COLOR=Gray][SIZE=2][FONT=Courier New]That whole bit about psychology majors--gah. That drives me insane.

"No, you see...they just have to kill people..." Oh for whatever-diety-you-serve/follow's sake!

I don't really have too much against curse words, myself. *whistles innocently*

More words I hear *way* too often...

[B]Negative[/B] Telling some one that they're too negative about something is like saying, "This sucks, but you should like it anyway, because you have every argument on your side." I can't stand it when people tell you to be optimistic about every single thing in life.
I probably just sound bitchy, but you know what I mean, right? You can't look on the positive side of everything, and those who try to just end up being annoying._ _U

[B]Cynical[/B] The ability to make accurate observations is often reffered to as cynicism by those who do not have it. Enough said.[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Kent]

Excellent.

I would say that when you "grow up" the term immature is replaced by dumb. (sorry to say it so bluntly but there is a population of people that just aren't smart on even an average level.)

The closed minded point is also awesome. Fact is, too often in debates people use closed minded as a way to defend their own view. By defending I mean, trying to invalidate your opinion by suggest you are not capable of understanding the "more intelligent" ideas that they are trying to argue in favor of.

Great points made wrist cutter.

[DeathBug]

[color=indigo][size=1][font=comic sans ms]I'm so sick of "the"! I hear it everywhere! All those immature, lose-minded conformists use "the"! It must be because they're insecure, or gay.

Well...seriously, the word that I'm hearing too much, that's not really a buzzwaord, is "irregardless".

"Regardless" means to take no heed of something. "Irreardless" means the exact same thing. It's not realky a word! It's a made-up word created by someone trying to sound smarter than they are!

Wha'ts sad is that it's entering common dialect. Sigh.[/color][/size][/font]

[Guest Midnight Rush]

I get greatly annoyed by people who use immature/mature as a statement either of arrogance or demeaning someone else. Those who used the term mature to describe themselves are usually, although not always, "insecure" (hahaha!) or lacking in the quality in which they themselves have subscribed (there I didn't say immature! huh? dam!).
But anyways I though of a few others:

retard(ed)- the real meaning of this word is impaired or hindered. People of all shapes and sizes use this word like it means the same thing as idiot. Retardation doesn't even need to be used in conjunction with the pitiable folks who have Down Syndrome (I can't spell worth anything so sue me), it could be correctly used by saying "the wreck on the roadside and the ensuing emergancy response retarded our travels." It cannot be correctly used to describe someone as an idiot unless the method of describing is that of showing mental impairedness (lol..), and from my own personal experience that is not the illustration most people emply "retard" for. Next time you strike a valley girl pose and are about to say retard, say idiot instead, please?

LOL (laugh out loud....)- For any of us who use AIM or frequent a message board, LOL is a constant peeve. LOL this and LOL that, and OMG LOL! Its repetitive over use is insanely bothersome and pathetic. If someone wished to express laughter do it in a variety of ways! LOL is becoming so commonplace that when someone tells a joke at my school, some kids will say LOL instead of laughing!!!! WHAT IS UP WITH THAT!!!???? That is freakier than Aqua Teen Hunger Force!

annoying- This one isn't as bad, but a lot of the people I know use it constantly (myself included! ::cries:: ). Its just the repetition is all, annoying that he's so f ing annoying... her? oh that annoying loser... ect. Especially this "retarded annoying" girl who attends my church ("LOL"...), she strikes a valley gal (she's not good enough for a valley girl, you see she is second tier), and says, "You are like, so like, annoying! Loser, duh!". That is soo bothersome....

[Semjaza]

Something I've always hated was "quote, unquote". Mostly TV personalities use this on news shows, but I have met kids who used it in everyday situations. Mostly in an attempt to look more intelligent.

It's even worse when they use hand expressions to make "air quotes".

[Transtic Nerve]

Stupid close-minded, immature and insecure people. I hate them!

[quote name='DeathBug][color=indigo][size=1][font=comic sans ms]"Regardless" means to take no heed of something. "Irreardless" means the exact same thing. It's not realky a word! It's a made-up word created by someone trying to sound smarter than they are![/color][/size'][/font][/quote]

Oh and yeah, "irreardless" isn't a word.

Some history on the word Irregardless: It's an American word, go figure. Used in casual writing and non-standard speech, meaning it's not a "formal" word. It IS a word, just it's more of a slang word. Technically it is a blend of the words irrespective and regardless.

Who cares if it's a different word with the same meaning, other languages do it all the time. In many languages there's a different word if you mean it in a formal or informal sense. So why is it such a big deal here?

The "words" I hate... U, UR, Y, anything related to l33t, or any other type of internet slang only used for idiots who are too lazy to type out the actual word. It'd probably take less time to type out the real word then to find the letter you need to substitute for it.... is it really that big of a deal to type S instead of Z in the word WAS. Jimmy and I have coined that type of talk as "Stupid Talk."

[future girl]

One term that actually gets a bit on my nerves is [b]sexual frustration[/b] and only because half the people using it don't even know what it means. It's an actual condition kids, you can get convulsions, fainting spells, it's not as simple as some of you make it seem. You're not sexually frustrated people, you're just horny. ::nods::

Also, lately people are throwing around [b]therefore[/b] a lot more freely than I'd like them to. They use the word in the most inappropriate places. It's a really vain attempt to look smarter than you are and it's not working, no no no.

[Solo Tremaine]

[quote name='Transtic Nerve']Some history on the word Irregardless: It's an American word, go figure. Used in casual writing and non-standard speech, meaning it's not a "formal" word. It IS a word, just it's more of a slang word. Technically it is a blend of the words irrespective and regardless.[/quote][COLOR=#503F86]Like 'thunk', as in "I thunk as much." I groan whenever I hear it on programmes I watch- I'm a bit of a grammar freak like that. "Thought" is the 'proper' term, by my standards.

When it comes to overused words, 'procrastination' is one I've heard a heck of a lot recently. It's not got to the point that it annoys me; a lot of people dither about doing things (myself included), so I guess it's more a word that's come to light as everyone realises the name for what they're doing. It's not a bad thing as such, just something that caught my eye. Maybe there's a procrastination wave washing over everyone.

Someone I know uses 'literally' in almost every other sentance. I never say anything about it, but it's getting more tempting to make a joke every time I hear it. I just can't understand why it's there. It's probably a verbal nervous twitch or something *shrugs* Like when people say 'like', like, every other, like, word? I have the urge to shoot people who do that too much.[/COLOR]

[Subversive]

[QUOTE=Godelsensei][B]Negative[/B] Telling some one that they're too negative about something is like saying, "This sucks, but you should like it anyway, because you have every argument on your side." I can't stand it when people tell you to be optimistic about every single thing in life.
I probably just sound bitchy, but you know what I mean, right? You can't look on the positive side of everything, and those who try to just end up being annoying._[/quote]

So True....So True.

Then again I'm one of those "negative" people. It seems that negative=realistic now.

[QUOTE=Kent]The closed minded point is also awesome. Fact is, too often in debates people use closed minded as a way to defend their own view. By defending I mean, trying to invalidate your opinion by suggest you are not capable of understanding the "more intelligent" ideas that they are trying to argue in favor of.
[/QUOTE]

You sir, are awsome.

[quote name='anatema]Also, lately people are throwing around [b]therefore[/b'] a lot more freely than I'd like them to. They use the word in the most inappropriate places. It's a really vain attempt to look smarter than you are and it's not working, no no no.[/quote]

Exactly....how about you "intelligent" cats get out your overused cover-up manual I like to call the Thesaurus. Use "hence".... (I actually use those 2 words- but I am intelligent)

[Sara]

[quote name='Semjaza Azazel']It's even worse when they use hand expressions to make "air quotes".[/quote]
[SIZE=1]Do people do that in earnest? I "quote" (And...cue appropriate gesture!) things, but it's grossly exaggerated. I wasn't aware people actually did it seriously. (Unless you're miffed at folks like me, which is quite possible.)


If you're interested in buzzwords, you can peek around [b][url=http://www.buzzwhack.com/index.html]here[/url][/b]. [/SIZE]

[densuke]

[quote name='Subversive']I think we've missed one of the most overused words in all of the internet and present day adolescence- "gay". The word is taken completely out of meaning and used in a ignorant, derogatory manner...[/quote]
Agreed.

Another word I dislike seeing in forums is "great." "Great" is used so much as be meaningless. It is used to replace any actual discussion of particular qualities, or to praise something that is ten minutes old.