Writing

I Use These Words Too Damn Much

And I’m not going to stop, either.

Photo by Wonderlane on Unsplash

Every writer has their favourite words. Words like a jumper you’ve had for 20 years or that comfy old armchair with the stuffing poking out: we’ve probably worn them out with overuse, but still we reach for them time and again. These are mine. What are yours?

Déclassé

“Reduced or degraded from one’s social class; having come down in the world.”

I first read this word when I was a teenager and I’ve been calling everyone and everything déclassé ever since, regardless of whether or not it’s true. Top insult; the French language truly is a gift to us all.

Egregious

“Conspicuously bad or wrong; blatant, flagrant, offensive.”

I reach for this word without even thinking about it — it lives on the tip of my tongue. Perhaps it speaks to my pessimistic nature: the situation is never simply bad, it is egregiously so.

Esoteric

“Designed for, or appropriate to, an inner circle of advanced or privileged disciples; communicated to, or…