What is a word you feel that too many people use?
If there’s one word that’s been doing overtime in conversations, social media captions, and motivational posters, it’s literally. Poor thing—it has been so overused and misused that I sometimes imagine it sitting in a tiny break room, sipping coffee, muttering, “I never signed up for this drama.”
Once upon a time, literally meant exactly what it was supposed to mean: something that actually happened without exaggeration. “I literally tripped over my own shoelaces” was fine. But now, literally has become a drama queen’s best friend. “I was literally dying of laughter” — really? Did a medical team rush in with a defibrillator? No. You just snorted once and clapped your hands.
“Words are free. It’s how you use them that may cost you.” – KushandWizdom
It’s not literally the only victim, though. There’s basically, actually, and literally’s glamorous cousin, literallyyy, who only exists on Instagram stories. Somewhere in the dictionary, the other words are sulking, waiting for their chance to shine. Imagine if we used meticulously or decidedly more often — sentences would sound sharper, like they had a fresh haircut.
Of course, language evolves, and sometimes, it’s charming how flexible a word can be. But when a single word becomes the one-size-fits-all seasoning for every sentence, it loses its flavor.
“Language is the dress of thought.” – Samuel Johnson
Maybe we need to give some words a vacation. Let literally go to the Maldives for a while, sipping coconut water and watching figuratively finally get its big break.
Thought to ponder: If your vocabulary were a garden, would you water every plant equally, or keep pouring all the love on one poor overworked tulip until it wilted?
Sharon's Read And Reflect 
Great post, I liked this quote particularly “Imagine if we used meticulously or decidedly more often — sentences would sound sharper, like they had a fresh haircut.”
I’ve been rereading some Jane Austen novels recently and I love how precise her phrasing is. Some of it is rather old fashioned now, of course (poor Fanny, “knocked up” after a walk in the park) but it’s made me reconsider how I phrase my own writing. No “literally”, “basically” or “like” cluttering up the page.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much for appreciating 💕💕 Yes, it’s true — some words sneak into our speech and writing more often than we realize. I’ve started paying attention to this and try to mix things up so my language feels fresh and lively. It’s a fun little challenge that makes communication more colorful!
LikeLiked by 1 person