17 Most Overused Words

Language, like fashion, has trends. And like some fashion (we're thinking stirrup pants), there are word trends that need to just go away.

Like "fake news." True, there is actually fake news out there. But just because you don't like something you read doesn't make it fake news. Be shrewd about how you determine what is or isn't false information.

Not trying to be cold-hearted, but can we really love as much as we claim to? You love that show on Netflix? Love caramel macchiatos? Love rose gold? Love your mom? That's a pretty broad love spectrum, and your mom wishes she didn't have to share so much of your heart with waffles and your new ankle boots.

The same goes for hate. It's a strong word that is super weak now that we use it to describe our feelings toward everything from racist demonstrators to days of the week to glittery craft projects.

"Like" has long been a very overused word and now, thanks to Facebook, it is even more so. First, there's the "like" that is interjected between every other word. Like, we, like, hate how much "like" is, like, used. Then there's the social media "like" that has crept into our conversations. We talk about "liking" someone's vacation photos or political opinion or sassy comeback about someone else's political opinion that we didn't, like, like.

We used to attribute habits or actions or feelings to being "on account of" something. Now, it's just "because." Because winter. Because cats. Because doughnuts. Sure, this new phrasing has a way of squishing a lengthy sentiment into a two-word phrase, but it's so overused it's losing its charm. Because life.

Then don't. Don't even, if you can't even. As with "because," "I can't even" telegraphs a lot of thoughts and feelings into a short phrase. It's quite useful. But when your grandpa "can't even," you know it's time to retire a phrase. Because "I can't even" can't even at this point.

"Nope" has been around forever and yet it has recently taken on new life as the only way we express our dislike with someone or something. Maybe nope to all that "nope"?

Literally, all of us know we're using "literally" in exactly the opposite way it is supposed to be used. And yet, we literally can't stop. But let's try.

Lady dogs are barking and they'd like the term "bitch" back, please.

It used to be clever, but now trying to parse the words in a long sentence with no spaces after a hashtag is hurting our eyes. The large blocks of hashtags we'll put up with—because, we get it, you need people to find your post-workout photos.

The go-to phrase now for "no problem" or "that's OK" is "it's all good." Totally overused. You have options, so mix it up.

This word has become a ridiculously common way to turn up the notch on "very." Those homemade Pop-Tarts aren't "very good." They are ridiculously good. Rent isn't "very high"—it's ridiculous in that neighborhood. Her dramatic performance in that film wasn't "very good"—it was ridiculous.

Is it because no one takes anyone seriously anymore that we have to say "seriously" all the time? Or do we prefer to use a multisyllabic word when, you know, a "yes" would do just fine? Seriously?

This crops up in a lot of texts, social media posts and in daily conversations. It's supposed to be followed by a potentially controversial statement (or maybe one that will hurt someone's feelings) but, to be honest, we often see it among strikingly banal ideas.

We survived "bae" and "cray-cray" and "obvi" and "adorbs." But "totes" apparently had more staying power. But it's kind of the one we wanted to see go away the most.

"Whatever" is like a fluffy, soft blanket that you pull over your head in embarrassment if you're not feeling super secure about what you're saying, or whatever. It's also a brutal comeback if you want to shut down a conversation. It's been around forever and probably won't go away anytime soon, but maybe we could collectively cut back?

This is the king of overused words, and there's little evidence it will go away anytime soon. Want to know when something isn't the least bit awesome? It's when someone describes it as awesome. End the misery. Now.