Countless, Regardless of Other Words That “smart” People Get Wrong

Language is a living being. There’s a reason why “you, you and yours” aren’t your pronouns, or why you probably never complimented them by telling them they were “the knees of a bee” at any point in the last century. The way we use words is evolving, and if common usage has changed, then it’s time to adapt and evolve with it.

However, the self-proclaimed verbal police are persistently determined to let everyone know about their intellectual superiority. Often these verbal cops can tolerate new slang like “hungry” or “selfie”; their stumbling block seems to be changes in the rules governing words they already know. That’s why you see people aggressively dictating “the right way” to use certain words and phrases. (Or finding “they/them” pronouns is too confusing even for their big brains. But I digress.)

Linguists understand that it is not worth following the grammar of other people. Time and time again, Merriam-Webster has defended the fact that your pet peeves of using words (of which there are certainly… countless ) are not based on hard and fast rules. A TED Talk by language historian Anne Curzan – quite iconic among word lovers – argues that if a community of speakers uses a word and knows what it means, then it’s a real word. Terrible used to mean “worthy of awe.” “Fizzle” used to refer to a quiet fart (a meaning I’d like to return). The meaning of words changes over time. Your resistance is useless. Thus, the following words and phrases are developing before our eyes – do not fall for the pretentious side of the story. ( Note: The following definitions are from Google Oxford Languages ​​results.)

Myriad

Noun : An uncountable or extremely large number.

Adjective : An uncountable or very large number.

Earlier we explained why you can say “many”. Opponents believe that “myriads” is only an adjective, and that “many” is always wrong. According to Merriam-Webster , it is this belief that is wrong. There seem to be many ways to outsmart the word “police”.

regardless

adverb : no matter what.

Keep up with the times: the word “independent” is now relevant.

Otherwise, you consider yourself more authoritative than Merriam-Webster. The dictionary not only recognizes indifference, but also respectfully defends its inclusion criteria . Look at their arguments and pay attention to all the other words below:

“The fact that it is not necessary, since there is already a word in English with the same meaning ( regardless ), is not so important; it is not the task of the dictionary to evaluate the necessity of a word before defining it. The fact that the word is usually seen as non-standard or illustrating bad education is also irrelevant; dictionaries define breadth of language, not just elegant tops.”

Even if you don’t like it, you can’t pretend you don’t know what the speaker means.

ironic

Adjective : using or characterized by irony; happens in the opposite way than expected, and usually causes wry amusement because of it.

To give a single definition of irony is a futile exercise; irony can mean different things depending on whether it is verbal, situational, dramatic, or somewhere in between. Unless you’re in a strictly academic environment, “ironic” is also often used when someone wants to use “sarcastic” or “casual”. Destroying the meaning of irony is so ironic, right? Not? You get the idea.

Criteria

Noun (plural) : A principle or standard by which something can be judged or decided.

Although “criteria” is officially used in the singular and “criteria” in the plural, there is probably no need to correct someone’s use of “criteria” instead of “criteria”. Unless you’re determined to meet the nerd’s criteria.

nauseous

Adjective : nauseated; prone to vomiting.

A popular argument for grammar obsessions is that “nausea” describes something that makes you feel sick, and that “nausea” is the word you want to describe when you yourself feel sick. Personally, I’m too busy spelling the word correctly to care about your technical usage.

Literally

Adverb : literally or in the sense; (informal) is used to emphasize or express a strong feeling, although it is not true.

This is where I really open up to the attack. I will die on the hill, which “literally” has always been used and will always be used figuratively . Dictionary.com defends the modern use of “literally”, arguing that outrage over the correct use of “literally” only gives the word more power, as in an amplifier. It’s literally so out of date to worry about “literally”.

May care less

I don’t care if you use the phrase “I don’t care”.

Honorable Mentions: Instant, exuberant, factual, suspenseful and clichéd.

Real word geeks love to record the evolution of language and are not pedants obsessed with reinforcing so-called rules. Because the rules are changing. Keep up with the times.