Please, Tim Askew, Tell Us What You Really Think of "Awesome"

See How Awesome Is "Awesome"? Not Very. in which we quote from Tim Askew's Why You Need to Stop Saying 'Awesome'.

"I just got back from Inc.'s GrowCo convention in Nashville. Lots of useful, enjoyable, wonderful stuff there, as always, but I was stunned by how almost every speech by every presenter and almost every overheard or casual conversation was peppered with the word awesome. It was inescapable, like verbal kudzu choking out the variegated richness of the English language--so omnipresent it seemed like an acceptable substitute for just about any word....a lingua franca of evanescent mush, a meme of meaninglessness masquerading as communication and cool."
14 words 45 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. ersatz
    an artificial or inferior substitute or imitation
    It is mindless, shallow, slothful, ersatz, and, ultimately, disrespectful of anyone you are speaking to.
  2. grandiloquent
    lofty in style
    They are grandiloquent, magnificent, magical, stupendous, fabulous, unbelievable, and extraordinary.
  3. slothful
    disinclined to work or exertion
    It is mindless, shallow, slothful, ersatz, and, ultimately, disrespectful of anyone you are speaking to.
  4. disrespectful
    exhibiting lack of regard; rude and discourteous
    It is mindless, shallow, slothful, ersatz, and, ultimately, disrespectful of anyone you are speaking to.
  5. unbelievable
    beyond understanding
    They are grandiloquent, magnificent, magical, stupendous, fabulous, unbelievable, and extraordinary.
  6. stupendous
    so great in size, force, or extent as to elicit awe
    They are grandiloquent, magnificent, magical, stupendous, fabulous, unbelievable, and extraordinary.
  7. irrelevant
    having no bearing on or connection with the subject at issue
    Words are not irrelevant in a post-Jetsons world.
  8. fabulous
    extremely pleasing
    They are grandiloquent, magnificent, magical, stupendous, fabulous, unbelievable, and extraordinary.
  9. inaccuracy
    the quality of having errors
    It bespeaks imprecision, inaccuracy, comfort with noncommunication, and impoverishment of imagination.
  10. default
    an option that is selected automatically
    The use of awesome as a default word for just about everything is a killer of business accuracy and clarity.
  11. shallow
    lacking physical depth
    It is mindless, shallow, slothful, ersatz, and, ultimately, disrespectful of anyone you are speaking to.
  12. illuminate
    make lighter or brighter
    They are ever illuminating.
  13. magnificent
    characterized by grandeur
    They are grandiloquent, magnificent, magical, stupendous, fabulous, unbelievable, and extraordinary.
  14. extraordinary
    highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable
    They are grandiloquent, magnificent, magical, stupendous, fabulous, unbelievable, and extraordinary.
Created on Wed Apr 29 14:03:16 EDT 2015 (updated Sun May 03 00:16:06 EDT 2015)

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