Top 10 Words and Statements We Should Have Fired Years Ago

Top 10 Words and Statements We Should Have Fired Years Ago

1. Narcissist: Once reserved for psychologists, this term has now been used more than your grandma’s casserole dish at Thanksgiving. Now, anyone who takes a selfie is apparently a “narcissist,” diluting the term faster than instant ramen in hot water.

2. Bespoke: Originally meant for fancy custom suits, "bespoke" is now used for everything from artisanal socks to gluten-free dog treats. If everything is bespoke, nothing is. Let’s give it a rest before someone tries to sell us bespoke air.

3. YouTuber: Remember when it meant someone was uploading goofy videos from their bedroom? Now, everyone from life coaches to conspiracy theorists gets lumped under this title. It’s like calling everyone with a spatula a chef.

4. Influencer: This word was supposed to mean someone who inspires people. Instead, it’s become shorthand for “person with questionable life choices and a ring light.” Not everyone with followers is influencing anything—except maybe your decision to scroll faster.

5. Karen: Started as a funny way to describe a particular kind of behavior; now it's used to judge anyone who asks for the manager or has a bob haircut. Let’s retire this one before we accidentally start banning names.

6. Literally: Literally the most misused word on this list. People use it to describe things that are figuratively anything but. “I literally died laughing”—no, you didn’t. If you did, we’d be calling an ambulance, not hearing about it on Twitter.

7. Game-Changer: It was supposed to be reserved for things like penicillin or the invention of the internet. Now, it’s used to describe new flavors of potato chips. If everything is a game-changer, then maybe it’s time to change the game.

8. Cancel Culture: Originally meant to hold people accountable, now it's used to whine when someone’s terrible opinions get, well, canceled. It’s become the “No offense, but…” of modern discourse.

9. Woke: Once a badge of awareness, now it’s tossed around as an insult or a punchline. If "woke" were a person, it’d be that friend who just can’t catch a break no matter what they do. It’s tired, and quite frankly, it needs a nap.

10. Adulting: Because nothing says “I’m handling life” like patting yourself on the back for paying your bills. Doing basic grown-up stuff doesn’t need a hashtag. Spoiler alert: our parents didn’t call it “adulting”—they called it “Tuesday.”

By giving these words a well-deserved early retirement, we can move on to fresher, less cringe-worthy ways of expressing ourselves. Language is about evolving, so let’s do that—without resorting to calling everything “iconic.”