Top 10 Words and Phrases That Need to Go: A Part 2

These words were once fresh and meaningful, but now they’re like that old meme your aunt still thinks is funny. Let’s all agree to retire these terms and let them live in peace—far, far away from our daily vocab.

1. Epic: Remember when "epic" was used for grand battles and legendary heroes? Now, it's used to describe a sandwich or finding five bucks in your pocket. Unless your lunch involves dragons, it’s just a sandwich, not a saga.

2. Hack: This used to mean a clever workaround, but now it’s any random tip like “Hack your morning by waking up earlier!” That’s not a hack; that’s just an alarm clock. Call us when you’ve got a hack that involves lasers or time travel.

3. Toxic: Originally for describing dangerous chemicals or genuinely harmful people, now it’s for anything you don’t like, including that coworker who eats loudly. Not every annoyance is toxic—some things are just mildly annoying.

4. Cringe: Sure, some things are awkward, but the internet now uses “cringe” like it’s punctuation. It’s the verbal equivalent of a middle school eye-roll. Can we cringe at the overuse of cringe?

5. Epic Fail: What started as a way to describe colossal screw-ups is now applied to spilling coffee or tripping over your shoelaces. Unless your fail involves fireworks and a flaming dumpster, it’s just regular failure.

6. Triggered: Once a serious term for emotional trauma, now it’s used whenever someone’s mildly annoyed. If your reaction to slow Wi-Fi is “triggered,” then maybe you just need to go outside for a bit.

7. Pivot: This was the go-to term for tech companies reinventing themselves. Now, it’s used for any tiny change in plans, like switching from coffee to tea. Real pivots involve new strategies, not breakfast decisions.

8. Genius: “Genius” used to be reserved for people like Einstein. These days, it’s thrown around for anyone who remembers their Netflix password without looking. If everyone’s a genius, then no one is.

9. Literally: We’ve gone over this one, but seriously, it's everywhere. When you say, “I literally died,” and you’re still breathing, it’s time to reconsider your vocabulary. Until you’re a ghost texting, you’re just exaggerating.

10. Mic Drop: Used to be cool—like, once. Now, every mildly strong opinion gets a “mic drop” moment. Unless you’re ending a speech at the Oscars, you’re just putting down a metaphorical microphone nobody asked you to pick up.

By kicking these words to the curb, we can make room for some new, less tired expressions. And who knows? Maybe the next buzzword won’t make us cringe so hard.