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Post by mymindseyedpea on Apr 26, 2025 21:34:42 GMT
I’m noticing that many words that use to have one meaning seem to have another one in this day and age.
Some have gotten over rated.
Others have gotten twisted.
Like they have gotten limited from their original definition.
I know a big one is love.
Surrender is another.
And play.
It kind of reminds me of the game telephone.
What words have you noticed?
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pilcas
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,748 
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Post by pilcas on Apr 26, 2025 21:59:55 GMT
What word or words are overrated? Are you referring to the word or the meaning. If it’s the meaning love is one. We use it both to describe a feeling for a person or a movie.
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Post by katlaw on Apr 26, 2025 22:20:41 GMT
Woke. It is not the insult people use it as
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Post by mymindseyedpea on Apr 26, 2025 22:25:47 GMT
What word or words are overrated? Are you referring to the word or the meaning. If it’s the meaning love is one. We use it both to describe a feeling for a person or a movie. The over rated as the meaning, not the word. But it’s the same word used in the over rated meaning when it original had meant so much more, of that makes sense. |
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Post by mymindseyedpea on Apr 26, 2025 22:27:59 GMT
Woke. It is not the insult people use it as Oh I didn’t know that. I even saw it on a meme the other day as like steps. Woke was the first. Awakening was the second. And Awakened as the third. Where did it original come from? |
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Post by padresfan619 on Apr 26, 2025 22:28:28 GMT
Viral.
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Post by gar on Apr 26, 2025 23:19:24 GMT
Gay
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Post by pantsonfire on Apr 26, 2025 23:22:07 GMT
That is what I was thinking as well. |
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Post by ~summer~ on Apr 26, 2025 23:59:49 GMT
Literally
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RedSquirrelUK
Drama Llama
Posts: 7,077
Location: The UK's beautiful West Country
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Post by RedSquirrelUK on Apr 27, 2025 18:10:49 GMT
Awful and Awesome both come from Awe. Awful originally meant full of awe, but has somehow changed to very bad, and awesome has changed to very good rather than awe-inspiring.
Idiot used to be the medical terminology for someone with mental or intellectual disabilities. Now we just use it to mean stupid. So that has been diluted.
I love words and etymology. I find them endlessly fascinating.
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Post by katlady on Apr 27, 2025 18:51:47 GMT
Retarded.
It is a scientific and medical word. But is now used in an offensive manner.
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Post by librarylady on Apr 27, 2025 21:26:51 GMT
I would venture a guess that the majority of our words have changed meaning if we compared the usage in 2025 to previous usage (going back 300-500 years ago).
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Post by pantsonfire on Apr 27, 2025 21:46:46 GMT
Retarded. It is a scientific and medical word. But is now used in an offensive manner. And also no longer used by medical and scientific staff. It has been about 9 years or more since it has been used by any medical person we come into contact with. |
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Post by AussieMeg on Apr 27, 2025 21:51:17 GMT
Retarded. It is a scientific and medical word. But is now used in an offensive manner. And also no longer used by medical and scientific staff. It has been about 9 years or more since it has been used by any medical person we come into contact with. Handicapped is another word that is no longer used here, and hasn’t been for probably 20 years. So it always gives me a little shock when I see American Peas use it on this board. |
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Post by AussieMeg on Apr 27, 2025 22:01:59 GMT
That’s the word I was thinking of too. I read something about the use of that word just yesterday. There are people who use it incorrectly - they say something figuratively but throw in the word literally, such as “My head literally exploded.” Then there are people (like me!) who use it as an intensifier or for emphasis. I know I shouldn’t do it, but I can’t seem to break the habit or find a word that works as well in my mind. An example is “I literally read about that five minutes ago!” I’m trying to convey a level of surprise at the coincidence of someone telling me something that I just read about. It drives one of my colleagues nuts when people do it. |
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Post by voltagain on Apr 27, 2025 22:06:00 GMT
That’s the word I was thinking of too. I read something about the use of that word just yesterday. There are people who use it incorrectly - they say something figuratively but throw in the word literally, such as “My head literally exploded.” Then there are people (like me!) who use it as an intensifier or for emphasis. I know I shouldn’t do it, but I can’t seem to break the habit or find a word that works as well in my mind. An example is “I literally read about that five minutes ago!” I’m trying to convey a level of surprise at the coincidence of someone telling me something that I just read about. It drives one of my colleagues nuts when people do it. To me, your use of literally as an intensifier is exactly what the person with the exploding head was doing. So to me either it is a simple intensifier or it is not. For the record I vote not to use it as an intensifier. |
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Post by pantsonfire on Apr 27, 2025 22:56:37 GMT
And also no longer used by medical and scientific staff. It has been about 9 years or more since it has been used by any medical person we come into contact with. Handicapped is another word that is no longer used here, and hasn’t been for probably 20 years. So it always gives me a little shock when I see American Peas use it on this board. Yeah, disabled is the go to word. Most say disabled placard but some still say handicap spot or placard. There was a push by non disabled persons for handicapable and differently able but the disabled community shut that down real quick. |
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Post by AussieMeg on Apr 27, 2025 23:30:28 GMT
That’s the word I was thinking of too. I read something about the use of that word just yesterday. There are people who use it incorrectly - they say something figuratively but throw in the word literally, such as “My head literally exploded.” Then there are people (like me!) who use it as an intensifier or for emphasis. I know I shouldn’t do it, but I can’t seem to break the habit or find a word that works as well in my mind. An example is “I literally read about that five minutes ago!” I’m trying to convey a level of surprise at the coincidence of someone telling me something that I just read about. It drives one of my colleagues nuts when people do it. To me, your use of literally as an intensifier is exactly what the person with the exploding head was doing. So to me either it is a simple intensifier or it is not. For the record I vote not to use it as an intensifier. I do not see them as exactly the same thing at all. In my first example, the person’s head did NOT actually explode. In my second example, the person DID actually read the story five minutes earlier. I’m not saying either of the examples are correct in their usage of the word literally, but there is a distinction. |
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Post by mymindseyedpea on May 4, 2025 6:42:37 GMT
As I was reading a new book today, the word addiction came up.
And right away I thought of substance abuse. But why do I go straight to that when there can be so many more things. And what’s the difference between an addiction and attachment?
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Post by mymindseyedpea on May 4, 2025 6:44:48 GMT
Sometimes I catch myself before I say it and say popular instead. |
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Post by mymindseyedpea on May 4, 2025 6:52:00 GMT
Awful and Awesome both come from Awe. Awful originally meant full of awe, but has somehow changed to very bad, and awesome has changed to very good rather than awe-inspiring. Idiot used to be the medical terminology for someone with mental or intellectual disabilities. Now we just use it to mean stupid. So that has been diluted. I love words and etymology. I find them endlessly fascinating. That is pretty funny that full of awe and some of awe. We have a restaurant called Awful Annies that is awfully popular. Some of my friends pay attention to the sound of words. Each word has a vibration. Week and weak. Does our unconscious know the difference between meaning and saying? |
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Post by mymindseyedpea on May 4, 2025 7:08:41 GMT
An example is “I literally read about that five minutes ago!” I’m trying to convey a level of surprise at the coincidence of someone telling me something that I just read about. It drives one of my colleagues nuts when people do it. It drives your colleagues nuts when coincidences are shared or when literally is used? ☺️ Some that I use when emphasizing synchronicity: -It just so happens -Amazingly enough -How did you do that? Or I don't use any words. Like, today when a friend messaged a 3 digit number to me. I took a screenshot of when I shared that same 3 digit number in my own personal messenger just days ago because that’s how many minutes it took to put together this jigsaw puzzle. A puzzle I showed my friend the day it was being put together. I sent them the screen shot right after I took it. The time I took it just so happened to be the time they were born. And that wasn’t the only time this week that both of those numbers showed up together. |
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Post by lauralaforest on May 5, 2025 16:15:50 GMT
tea....for some reason it now means gossip.
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Post by zuke on May 13, 2025 10:40:27 GMT
Woke. It is not the insult people use it as That was the first word that I thought of! It has many meanings now and not one is the original meaning. I actually hate this word, and I stop listening to people that use it! |
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Post by zuke on May 13, 2025 10:47:16 GMT
Handicapped is another word that is no longer used here, and hasn’t been for probably 20 years. So it always gives me a little shock when I see American Peas use it on this board. I hear the word 'handicapped' often. Plus, we have Handicap parking spaces, Handicap ramps etc. I have never heard that word referred to as the wrong word to use. And yes, I do hear many saying 'disabled' as well but have never seen signs for 'disabled parking' etc. |
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Post by workingclassdog on May 13, 2025 13:10:29 GMT
That is what I was thinking as well. That was my first thought |
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Post by workingclassdog on May 13, 2025 13:16:16 GMT
Retarded. It is a scientific and medical word. But is now used in an offensive manner. This is another good example. When I was little my aunt was 'retarded'. It was never meant as anything bad, that is just what it was called at the time. That was the medical word. I don't even know what we would scientifically what she would be classified as these days. I don't think it was Down Syndrome but that is as close as I can come up with. She was never schooled or anything. The doctors told my grandma to just put her away in an institution, which she never did. She just lived at home in her own little world. Thankfully my uncle (her brother) lived with her and was able to help with her (she could get mean at times for no apparent reason). Both my uncle and aunt both passed away within a week of each other which was in hindsight a blessing because grandma wouldn't have been able to keep her home with her, she was to old and fragile. anyways, sorry to ramble.. lol |
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garcia5050
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,815
Location: So. Calif.
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Post by garcia5050 on May 13, 2025 14:21:54 GMT
This probably happens more often.
In Spanish, the word mammon is literally *ocksucker. But it’s so overused that it’s no longer really vulgar, and it’s like calling someone a dummy. At least that’s what my mom says when she calls me that.
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Post by katlady on May 13, 2025 15:47:24 GMT
This probably happens more often. In Spanish, the word mammon is literally *ocksucker. But it’s so overused that it’s no longer really vulgar, and it’s like calling someone a dummy. At least that’s what my mom says when she calls me that. OK, I just saw a funny meme that made fun of the fact that the Filipinos named desserts using vulgar Spanish swear words to get back at the Spanish invaders to their country. Mamon in the Philippines is a sponge cake. So they were serving the Spaniards mamon. Of course I doubt this story is true, but it is funny to see you mention it after I just saw the meme. 😂 |
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Post by AussieMeg on May 13, 2025 22:43:39 GMT
Handicapped is another word that is no longer used here, and hasn’t been for probably 20 years. So it always gives me a little shock when I see American Peas use it on this board. I hear the word 'handicapped' often. Plus, we have Handicap parking spaces, Handicap ramps etc. I have never heard that word referred to as the wrong word to use. And yes, I do hear many saying 'disabled' as well but have never seen signs for 'disabled parking' etc. This topic has already been discussed on other threads, so I don't really want to rehash it. But I want to say that that word gives me the same "ick" as using the R or the S word. On previous threads, several Americans confirmed that the parking spots are labelled as "Disabled" and not "Handicapped" in some places. But even "Disabled Parking" is on the way out, and the preferred term is "Accessible Parking". People with disabilitiesUse language that emphasizes the need for accessibility rather than the presence of a disability. UseAccessible parking Don’t UseHandicapped parking National Center on Disability and Journalism"NCDJ Recommendation: Avoid using “handicap” and “handicapped” when describing a person. Instead, refer to the person’s specific condition or use “person with a disability.” The terms are still widely used* and generally acceptable when citing laws, regulations, places or things, such as “handicapped parking,” although many prefer the term “accessible parking.” Avoid “handicapable.” *My comment: It may be "still widely used" in the US, but not in Australia, UK, NZ etc. Disability CreationsIt is no longer okay to call someone handicapped. The term handicapped is considered outdated, disrespectful, and offensive. It implies inherent inability, not being able to function, separation from society. In addition, the word handicapped wasn't chosen by the people it was supposed to describe. People with disabilities preferred "disability" and "disabled." United AccessAmericans with Disabilities Act Introduced In 1990, the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the United States marked a significant milestone in disability rights. The ADA provided legal protection against discrimination and mandated accessibility in public spaces. This legislation solidified the movement towards a more inclusive society and further fueled the urge to adopt language that reflected these evolving values. The gradual replacement of the term "handicapped" with "people with disabilities" or simply "disabled" signifies a profound shift in how we perceive and acknowledge individuals with disabilities. These alternative terms prioritize the person before their disability, reinforcing the importance of recognizing their inherent dignity and worth beyond physical or cognitive attributes. Huh, it looks like I did want to rehash it after all!  |
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