Linda K Sienkiewicz

  • Home
  • Bio
  • Blog
  • Fiction
  • Children’s
  • Poetry
  • News
  • Etc.
    • Press Kit
    • Events
    • Art
    • Publishing Credits and Awards
  • Social Media
  • Email
You are here: Home / It's Personal / Had enough of These Unprecedented Times?

Had enough of These Unprecedented Times?

January 4, 2021 By Linda K Sienkiewicz

speech bubble banished word

Please stop saying that:

Every year since the mid seventies, Lake Superior State University in Michigan’s UP takes nominations for overused, misused and useless words to dump.

The goal is to “uphold, protect and support excellence in language by encouraging avoidance of words and terms that are overworked, redundant, oxymoronic, cliched, illogical, nonsensical and other wise ineffective, baffling or irritating.”

So, thankfully, after a year of hearing we’re all in this together during these unprecedented times with an abundance of caution, it’s time to banish these overused phrases and words from the English language.

Words to Wipe Out, 2021

banish these words

This year’s list of words/phrases is short at ten:

  • COVID-19 (coronavirus, Rona)
  • I know, right?
  • an abundance of caution
  • in these uncertain times
  • Karen
  • pivot
  • social distancing
  • sus (suspicious)
  • unprecedented
  • we’re all in this together.

If you go to the website and click on each word, an explanation pops up.

I was glad to see Karen, the supposed catch-all name for a perceived overemotional woman, made the list. I know many wonderful and amazing Karens.

COVID-19 is an odd choice. I wish the coronavirus itself would go away, but banishing the word won’t help. On the other hand, it would be more appropriate to banish China virus.

Your nominations?

Anyway, I really want to know what the other 1,450 plus nominations were.

Along with China Virus, I would nominate cancel culture and food insecure.

Food insecure seems intended to create distance or downplay the fact that real people are living their lives hungry on a daily basis. We don’t call the poor cash insecure.

What words do you wish weren’t used so often?


Thank you for visiting Linda’s blog.

Linda K. Sienkiewicz is a writer, poet, and artist.
Learn more about her award winning novel, In the Context of Love.
Learn more about her picture book, Gordy and the Ghost Crab.

Learn more about her poetry chapbook, Security

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • More
  • Click to share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Filed Under: It's Personal Tagged With: banished words, grammar, Language

Comments

  1. Barbara Rebbeck says

    January 4, 2021 at 8:41 am

    Myself, I ‘ve been so isolated I haven’t had the occasion to over utter any words. My cat’s vocab is extremely limited. And I am now limiting my exposure to CNN or MSNBC. Britbox, Acorn & Netflix shows that I watch are pretty much into British accents & vocab. Not a problem. My reading? Mostly mystery/crime novels. Again not a problem. Blissful with my head in the sand until 1/20/21.

    • Linda K Sienkiewicz says

      January 4, 2021 at 10:33 am

      Sounds like a good plan! I have to check out Britbox. Thanks for stopping by, Barbara! Go “Girl from the USO”!!

About Linda

Award- winning writer, poet & artist. Cynical optimist. Super klutz. Corgi fan. Author of two novels, a picture book which she wrote and illustrated, and five poetry chapbooks. More here.

Follow this Blog

Enter your email address to subscribe to Linda's blog...

Categories

  • Agents & Querying (7)
  • Art & Crafting (20)
  • Books (69)
  • Grief and Loss (19)
  • In the Context of Love (14)
  • It's Personal (230)
  • Publicity & Marketing (33)
  • What, Why, How (163)
  • Writing (112)

Let’s Connect!

Subscribe to my newsletter and never miss a giveaway, fun event, or an announcement!

Search this blog

Top Posts

  • Proper use of "I" and "Me" - Grammar Basics
  • Book Art: Crafting Paper Roses
  • Blackout Poetry - as creative as you want to get
  • Gen Z “Chaos Theory” Fashion
  • Quick Bicycle Helmet Visor How-to
  • What's so special about Howard Street?

Blog Tags

Agents anxiety art books children's books childrens books Christmas Clementine corgi crafting creativity Detroit dogs family fantasy Fiction grammar grief Historical Fiction humor idol talk loss love marketing memoir motivation Music mystery nonfiction novel pandemic poet poetry Publishing reading romance sewing sexual assault shame short stories social media storytelling suicide writing writing tips
  • Home
  • Bio
  • Blog
  • Adult Fiction
  • Children’s
  • Recent News
  • Poetry
  • Art

Recent Blog Posts

  • What, Why, How: Poet Karin Hoffecker
  • Dinner with Elmore Leonard (sort of)
  • Beyond the Smile: Elevating Character and Emotions in Writing
  • A (Mostly) Clean Challenge: Writing a Novel with Minimal Profanity
  • The entertaining side of Chat GPT
  • Yous got the last laugh: How my husband’s favorite pronoun was vindicated
  • What, Why, How: author Kate Woodworth
  • Magical Realism: Blurring the Lines Between Reality and Wonder

Blog Tags

Agents anxiety art books children's books childrens books Christmas Clementine corgi crafting creativity Detroit dogs family fantasy Fiction grammar grief Historical Fiction humor idol talk loss love marketing memoir motivation Music mystery nonfiction novel pandemic poet poetry Publishing reading romance sewing sexual assault shame short stories social media storytelling suicide writing writing tips

Search

Let’s Connect!

Subscribe to my newsletter and never miss a giveaway, important event, or publishing announcement!

  • Home
  • Bio
  • Blog
  • Fiction
  • Children’s
  • Poetry
  • News
  • Etc.
  • Social Media
  • Email

Copyright © 2025 · Website design & development by Little Leaf

%d