"Literally" has competition

In the world of words that have been beaten into insensibility, none can stand up to "literally" in today's language. This word has been raped and beaten and stripped of all meaning. It's damn near the new "um..." of verbal pauses, and that is an incredible feat.

Has the world come to a point where nothing that a person says can be taken at face value without the exaggeration and emphasis that overuse of "literally" carries with it? Does the word even mean anything anymore, having been used to the point that it has easily outstripped "like" and is approaching the unconsious level of coversation? I digress.

"Literally" has new competition. This word is still a significant distance behind "literally" but it is gaining quickly, especially among women, thanks to reality tv's influence (particularly fashion-based shows), along with Tyra Banks and others like her and is becoming the new word of descriptive phrases everywhere.

This word is "fierce." The world may slowly, and I do emphasize that it is slowly, losing taste for "literally," especially as "fierce" comes into the picture, but given the words differing contexts it will be some time before "fierce" can completely take over as the new victim of modern parlance.

I can agree that it's likely a fad, given the largely youth-oriented nature of it, but it's amazing what corporate America can take over once the youth is done with something. "Literally" is rampant in my office of 40-something's, and corporate culture likes to fashion itself as something more glamourous, so they adopt phrases like "action item," "mission critical," and "good to go." "Firce" may make at least a passing appearance and on that day I will weep. Nothing like "literally" of course.

I was winning the battle against "literally" here in my office for awhile by openly mocking it's use, but it's coming back and I can't seem to stop it this time. It's a fungus that you can wipe clean only to see it come creeping back.

I know that language has to change and adapt and words can alter in meaning to keep up, but crap it's annoying sometimes.

Thank you for your time. This concludes Reifidom's parlance update.

I've literally been thinking about this a lot lately; however I despise this fierce thread.

I say fierce from time to time, in the context of "my dman foot hurts something fierce" or in things of that nature. I only use litterally every once and a while.

"Clutch"

Are you serious.... wow...

Snake6. wrote: "Clutch" Are you serious.... wow...

Sadly, yes I am. I had the same reaction. Her response was something along the lines of "Just wait."

DeTrevni wrote: Yer words are purdy.Anyway, my mom is a marketer for Toyota, and she said the higher-ups there predicted the new "in-word" would be "clutch." If something was cool, it will be clutch.Ex. "Dude, did you see that car?" "Yeah, man. It was pretty clutch."NEVER let higher-ups in a corporation predict the youths' "in-words." Clutch is dumb.

I cringe at the idea. I also find it amusing that that would be their word of choice seeing how few companies make manuals anymore.

My boss loves to say 'irregardless'. It always makes me twitch with agony.

This years overused word was already dubbed "organic" So true. If you can buy organic pancake batter in a spray can, it's lost all meaning.

Shub wrote: brihard wrote: My boss loves to say 'irregardless'. It always makes me twitch with agony. My dad will pull out 'irregardless' from time to time. I feel your pain.

My roommate does too, and he constantly defends that it's an acceptable word because it's in the online dictionary as a non-standard word...like "ain't"

"Ain't" is grammatically incorrect.  "Irregardless" is just moranic.