Five Words or Phrases to Eliminate from Your Vocabulary NOW

Business has long been a breeding ground for jargon and clichés, so it’s wise to review your vocabulary (both written and oral) every now and then to weed out any words or phrases that have become tired and overused. Here are five such words to start with:

• Synergy/Synergistic: This may have once been a novel word to describe the blending of seemingly disparate concepts, products, or companies, but at this point, it’s just another buzz word. When the word is applied to the relationship between computers and peripherals, it’s time to retire it.

• Outside the box: This phrase used to describe or encourage creative thinking is anything but creative. Time for this cliché to go back in the box—and stay there.

• Wow factor: You may want to add wow factor to your product or service, but this tired phrase adds nothing to your vocabulary. Try wowing listeners by finding a new term.

• My two cents: A cliché by almost any standard, this phrase isn’t worth even one cent anymore.

• At the end of the day: Just a variation on the well-known cliché when all is said and done, it’s time for this phrase to meet its own end.

Three Words to Use More Carefully

Literally, seriously, and interesting were all in contention for the above list, but these words don’t necessarily need to be eliminated—they just need to be used more carefully. Each word has a precise meaning but is often used outside of this meaning as conversation filler. Here’s a reminder of when these words are (and aren’t) appropriate:

• Literally: Literally means actually, not virtually. You may have literally fallen asleep in your boots, but you only virtually died laughing (unless, of course, you’re actually dead).

• Seriously: Meant to indicate gravity or sincerity, seriously is now often used as filler, much like really, or to denote the opposite, such as when someone says honestly before relaying something dubious.

• Interesting: This seems to be the go-to adjective, much like nice was (and, for some people, still is). Something interesting actually piques interest, makes you curious to know more. As with seriously, and honestly before it, interesting now seems to be used when something is, in fact, rather boring or otherwise unremarkable.

Take note of your use of these words and help save them from elimination by using them only when they truly fit the context. Otherwise, they, too, may have to go the way of the dinosaurs. (Okay, you caught us, that’s a cliché, too, but it's not nearly as overdone nowadays.)