Words to Cringe By
Guest post by Nathan Arizona
I’ve been putting together a list of fashionable (or recently fashionable) words and phrases that make me cringe. In fact “cringe” is one them. Fine as a verb, but I’ll never forgive Gen Z for deciding something can BE cringe.
Maybe some people think saying these words makes them seem with-it. Is “with-it” obsolete? Maybe I have my own word problem. Actually, I’d usually say “cool.” But didn’t that start to go out with the beatniks? Though I could be saying it ironically.
Anyway, it could also be that some people have heard a new word so often that it’s the first and only thing that comes to mind.
Here’s the list of words and phrases I don’t want to hear again. Some might find it to be the cat’s pajamas. Others might not think it’s all that.
Abundance of caution Regular caution is not enough
Gifted When used as a verb – I gifted her a pair of gloves
Joy Happiness that’s better than other happiness, almost a religious experience
Fan base Even players talk about their fan base, not their fans
To feel seen People see you every day
Generational Overused, often incorrectly
Leverage Often heard in sports – I’ll use that relief pitcher in high-leverage situations
Self-care Like brushing your teeth and combing your hair?
Snowflake MAGA’s trying to bore us to death
Influencer Assumes they’ll have some influence
Maker Instead of artist
Woke Except for literally not being asleep
Journey Exalting the experience of having lived a while
Adulting Anyone who says this is a long way from adulthood
Fur baby Your dog would hate you if he knew you were calling him that
Hold my beer Actually I think this is still funny
Libtards Right-wing cliches aren’t even clever to begin with
Queen Exaggerated term for a woman you admire
GOAT Overused acronym for “greatest of all time,” but the image of a bleating animal first comes to mind
Lean in You mean try harder?
Privilege I get the idea but I’m tired of hearing the word
Cosplay Silly word for a silly thing
Team Euphemism for people who have to work under you on a project
Sample size Often used in sports, where it’s usually too small
Cancel culture Cancel this phrase
Granular Overly detailed
I see what you did there Got old quick
I can’t even You can’t even think of another word
No words A good idea if these are the words they’re using
Hey, I use ‘I can’t even…’.
To me, it’s just more succinct than ‘I can’t even fathom the insanity of all this’.
Thank you, Mr Arizona, for penning the most Boomer post ever posted on the internet.
Thank you, Mr. Jason. Maybe you’re clinging to words you think are currently hip (proud boomer word) but younger folks are getting tired of. Words can become cliches before some people realize it. Or maybe they are tired of these words but don’t want to admit it. But people are free to talk how they want to.
El Som – Yes, definitely more succinct and therefore a much better choice.
I don’t have a problem with the latest Gen Z phrase I’ve noticed recently. When I thank someone of that generation for something they’ve done for me, I often get the response ” Of course” rather than “You’re welcome”. Like I said, this does not annoy me but it seems to be unique to Gen Z.
I have a problem with using nouns as verbs. Advertisers do it all the time. As “let’s summer”. Not clever. Just lazy.
To be fair, that one goes way back. People have been summering in the Hamptons for generations.
Sketch as a substitute for Sketchy.
Sus for suspect (as an adjective). Language always condenses over time.
Thank you for this. I’ve had to listen my millennials drone on about journaling instead of writing and their boundaries instead of dislikes for decades now. I can barely understand modern English and I can bet you most English speakers can’t either. Companies tout “solutions” instead of products and their workers are resources or capital, not humans. I’m barely bilingual and I feel like I don’t understand any language competently anymore.i was listening to a tv show called Couples Therapy recently and I couldn’t comprehend either the problems of the patients or the shrinks’s analysis. Her new age psycho babble was incomprehensible. The couple’s “space” was too crowded and geographically complex…bizarre.
My favorite “solutions” is in Avondale: Target Shooting Solutions. I worry because it obviously caters to people with target shooting problems, and I don’t want to catch a stray bullet from someone whose problem is they can’t shoot straight.
I’m also fed up with “boundaries.” Everybody’s got ’em, nobody seems to care about anyone’s but their own and I much prefer “limits.” It’s shorter and much more direct. Like if you push me to the limit, I’m gonna…well, you can just guess. Boundary is just way to soft. No wonder nobody pays any attention to them.
Ima drop these three here for your learnings.