Ask a large enough group of English speakers what their least-favourite English word is, and the most common answer you’ll probably receive is moist.
I’ve never quite understood the hatred for that word. I mean, I do understand why people don’t like it. It makes people think of their genital area, but it’s a word we also associate with food, especially desserts, or meat, and those aren’t things people always want to think of at the same time. And there’s something about the letter m: it’s too soft, too, vague, too, well, moist.
Despite all those solid reasons for disliking moist, I can’t really get behind the hatred of the word. I think that’s because the meaning of the word isn’t negative. I find it hard to separate a word from its meaning, so I can’t really get mad at moist. If I had to choose a word I hate most, I’d probably choose specific, simply because I find it hard to pronounce the sp. What words do you hate, and why?
Iconic is the word I dislike most, probably because I’ve seen it overused (abused?) in business/marketing speak
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Yeah, it’s basically lost all meaning. I think it should be only possible to use for something at least fifty-years old, give it time to earn that status.
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Ooh, may I tell you my favorite word?! Laborious or laboratory!
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Oh, they’re nice actually! They’ve got a great rhythm due to the alternating stressed and unstressed syllables, very iambic!
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“Utilize” is a perfectly innocent word that I’ve heard misused so often that it now makes my teeth grind.
I also get illogically annoyed by the word “Caucasian” when used about someone who’s from nowhere near the Caucasus. Just say “white” if you really need to use that distinguisher.
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Yeah, “Caucasian” always stands out for me. Whenever I hear it I have to stop and think “What?” for a second before the word registers with me.
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Epic. It too, is being used too much to describe common things.
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Exactly, it’s so common now that it barely means anything anymore, which is a pity, as it was such a powerful word. Strictly it should apply to very few things, making it special.
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Moist, Moist, Moist! (imagine me hopping up and down shouting this)
Lol.. I don’t have a problem with this word. I can’t think of a particular (every day) word that bothers me. I am, however, quick the queue in on people who use a certain word way too much, at which point it begins to bother me.
Ending on a positive note, my FAVORITE word is: Hooliganism!! (Followed by chicanery, and shenanigan)
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Fantastic words all, and could probably all be used in the same sentence to refer to the same person! “Hooliganism” is a great word, it really sounds exactly as it should!
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Awesome is my most hated word, I associate it with “jocks” in American “stupid” movies with young people who get a script that make them sound really stupid, on purpose. Although, I paradoxically love the word “douche bag” that they use just as much! Ha ha. 🙂 👍
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I hate “awesome” too, particularly because it’s so overused. You should only come across something truly awesome, giving you a sense of awe, a few times in your life! Recently while on a bus tour in Northern Ireland, I was sitting in front of a guy who loudly declared everything said by the tour guide as “awesome!” It was a long journey…
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Haha! I love, and agree with, your description! 🙂
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[…] Moist: I think half of the people who viewed this were a little disappointed as they were looking for […]
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