10 Overused Words and Phrases We Should All Stop Saying in 2025

Awkward

Once a perfectly good way to describe secondhand embarrassment,Awkwardhas now become ... well, cringe. This overused word has been applied to everything from dancing dads to tweets from a decade ago. At this point, calling something "so cringe" says more about the speaker's vocabulary than the situation.

Game changer

If everything is agame changer, is anything really changing the game? LSSU voters are calling timeout on this term, arguing that it's used so casually it no longer signals anything truly significant. Itwasa game changer—until marketers started slapping it on everything from salad dressing to software updates. Now it's abuzzwordwithout buzz.

It was

From "my hot girl era" to "her banana bread era," we are officially in our overuse era. Not every phase of life needs its own branding. Unless you're Taylor Swift, it might be time to quietly exit yourwasera.

Dropped

Albumsdrop. MerchdropsPodcasts, videos, hot takes - everythingdrops. And we're all supposed to act like it's dramatic and sudden. But unless it fell from the sky, can we just say it wasreleasedorintroduced? Not everything needs to sound like a sneaker launch.

IYKYK

Originally a sly nod to a shared experience,IYKYK (if you know, you know)now reads more like a gatekeeping eye-roll. It's one of those social media andtext abbreviationsThat feels exclusionary and smug. If we're all supposed to get the reference, then spell it out. And if we don't know? Well, we're starting to be okay with that.

Sorry not sorry

This sass-meets-snark non-apology tries to sound bold but ends up more in the category of passive-aggressive. As one LSSU judge put it: "It is really tiring to hear, and it is giving people another reason to be jerks to one another." Kindness is cool. Try it.

Skibidi

This internet fever dream may have amused the younger crowd, but most people still don’t know what this bizarre and overused word means—and they’re fine keeping it that way. For many, this TikTok-fueledslangis just noise. Time to flushSkibidiback down the algorithm toilet.

100%

What once felt like a strong, confident agreement now sounds like filler. The problem is,100%It is used so often it's practically background noise. Also, as one LSSU judge asked: "Since when should a percentage be used to describe your agreement in a conversation?" We get it - you agree. Just say that.

Use

This is a textbook case of trying too hard.Useis what people say when they thinkuseisn'tfancyEnough. As one LSSU judge noted: "Write like you talk."Useis shorter, clearer, and doesn't sound like you're writing a letter to the board.

Period

Once a punchy mic-drop moment, this is just another overused word that screams "I want this to sound definitive." But if your statement needsperiodTo feel strong, it might not be that strong after all. Let your point stand on its own.

Whether or not the words on this list bother you, they serve as a reminder to be intentional with language. As Travis notes, "Words matter!" So maybe less is more—period.

About the experts Michael Adams, PhD, is a professor of English and linguistics at Indiana University Bloomington, where he served as chair of the department of English for four years. He specializes in the history, theory and practice of lexicography and has contributed to dictionaries and several books, includingSlayer Slang: A Buffy the Vampire Slayer Lexicon. David Travis, PhD, is President of Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.

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Sources:

• Michael Adams, PhD, professor of English and linguistics at Indiana University Bloomington and author ofSlayer Slang: A Buffy the Vampire Slayer Lexicon; phone interview, June 11, 2025
• David Travis, PhD, President of Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
• Lake Superior State University2025 Banished Words List