Words That You Try to Avoid?

[Sean]

Basically anything racist, sexist, homophobic, etc. Aside from that pretty much anything's on the table.

^

Otherwise I love swearing and I don't refrain from using it, either in situations that call for it such as anger or during casual dialogue like right fucking now.

However if I'm personally chatting with someone and they're not fond of certain words then I'll keep it in mind and refrain from saying it around them. Most of the time.

[JezMM]

I have one or two friends whom I'll use racial/homophobic slurs with ironically, in the same contexts as how the people they're meant to insult will use them to "reclaim" them (terms of endearment for each other, etc).  I'm not quite sure how that happened because I 100% avoid them the rest of the time but yeah.

 

 

Other than that it's mostly just words for bodyparts that I dislike etc that bother me.  For example I think midriffs are totally sexy but the term "belly button" is so incredibly unattractive to me, dunno why.  I always use navel.  Also cunt doesn't offend me at all but the term "gash" is horrific for the vagina lol.

[Crash]

One Word: Ludicrous.

For some reason I just hate saying the word and I don't feel like it fits well when I say things. It's already been said a lot so I hope I don't give the exact same reason but I dislike swearing. I tend to do so when people really tick me off. I don't use swears in a normal conversation but when people pick at me for no apparent reason then I get pretty ticked off. I can tolerate friends sort of. Sometimes they go too far but for the most part I can tolerate when they 'joke' around. Sometimes shock can cause me to let out a curse every once in a while. Also, school is the only place I tend to curse. That's because in my own time I'm not in a hostile environment. I am usually at home or in my local comic shops so I don't need to curse.

[buba]

Epic.

I hate that fucking word, probably because I associate it with 12 years old kids on the internet.

Another word I hate is "Le". For fuck sake I'm tired of those "epic meme XD" comics being everywhere with stuff like "Me badly drawing le dog XD".

Everytime I need to use the word le in French classes it makes me cringe so bad.

This seems more like words that I hate than ones that I try to avoid, but yeah, I only say those when I really need to.

Edited March 26, 2013 by Tmsp

[iDEATH]

I can't stand when people describe themselves as "Random" "Crazy" Insane" "Mental" "quirky" or anything like that so I avoid using them myself.

[Tara]

It depends on the conversation for me.  I don't "avoid" too many words, per se.  I just feel that some situations are more appropriate than others.  That and I feel that certain words give off the wrong air.  Without the intention of sounding arrogant or snobby, I like to think of myself as sophisticated. (*suddenly remembers most recent status about cutting someone's eyes out with a triangular flapjack* Perhaps sophisticated is the wrong word?)  That's not to say that people who pass out vulgarities like candy can't be sophisticated but... different walks of life, I guess.  Granted, I used to be one of those people, too, when I was a teenager and using profanity was considered a form of rebellion.

 

So in casual conversation, such as this, I tend to limit profanities.  That's not to say I won't use them, but it's a lot more minimized.

 

HOWEVER... in a playing mood, most every word in the dictionary is fair game for me as long as all parties know I'm joking.  When playing a game, or more precisely when losing at a game, I develop quite the sailor tongue.

 

That being said, there are still some words I never, ever use.  Usually not even jokingly with few exceptions:

 

-"Autistic" or "Retarded;" I'm a bit lenient on the latter because the connotation seems to have separated from the former over the years, but when you use "autistic" as an insult, even if I've known you for ages, my brain will instantly cycle through several different synonyms for "dick" that I would call you if I ever had the intention on starting a conflict.  First, it shows a direct lack of tact and understanding toward an unwillfully disadvantaged group of people, and second, it doesn't make sense as an insult.  I know it's supposed to mean "impaired" or "cognatively disfunctioned" but there are many, many, many, many, many, many, many different types of autism.  Some have a high effect, some have such an effect that it's barely noticable until the doctor diagnoses them.  When that's the case, I often wonder what's the point in even diagnosing them, but you see my point.  You could argue that the historical definitions of words like "stupid" and "dumb" make using them even worse, but as it suggests, those definitions are historical and have become detached from their current usage.  TL;DR, using the word "autism" to me is like saying "Hey, you silly cancerhead!  I heard you have cancer!"  It's dumb and tactless, imo.

 

-"Gay" or "Faggot;" - These I'm not as uptight over.  It's more about context and frequency.  The former I'm not too bad with because generally nobody means "The ending to that movie was homosexual."  The main reason I hate is not its definition but the way it's a "go-to" insult to mean anyhing.  Didn't like a character in a movie?  Why bother using words which fluidly describe his personality when you have the word "gay" to pretty much sum it up?  That's why it's impossible to have a conversation about Justin Bieber with people.  Yes, his music is awful, but I never hear about him being "tonedeaf" or any other words to describe his musicianship.  Instead, all I hear about is how his music is "so fucking gay."  As for the latter, I can use that one jokingly on occasion. (Again, as long as both parties are perfectly aware of the joke and are okay with it)  When people overstep their bounds and use it on a daily basis, that's when it bothers me.  Of course, when it's actually used to directly insult someone based on their sexual orientation, then yes, that's very offensive.

Edited March 26, 2013 by Akito

[Guest]

Anything homophobic, racist etc like what others are mentioning.

 

Also another one is the use of "sad" as a insult, and the word "pathetic". Another word which I don't use but find annoying is "totes"  (shortened version of "totally")

 

If phrases also count then I really hate the phrase "Just saying!" or "You're just jealous". 

Edited March 30, 2013 by Guest

[C.J]

The words which I avoid using the most are racist and sexist words. As for swear words, I don't use them too much but only on occasion or when I'm really ticked off with something. (Even though I don't use it, I dislike the word "babes")

Edited March 26, 2013 by C.J

[Gabz Girl]

CLUNGE. God I hate that word, thanks Inbetweeners. >_>

 

I also don't like using racist, sexist and homophobic words obviously. Though I do sometimes say n*gga when I joke about a rapper or something. I NEVER use it in a serious, racist way!

 

Any other swearword though is juuust fine. =3 Though I don't swear often anyway, only when I'm really pissed off. 

Edited March 26, 2013 by Gabz Girl

[Tara]

The words which I avoid using the most are racist and sexist words. As for swear words, I don't use them too much but only on occasion or when I'm really ticked off with something. (Even though I don't use it, I dislike the word "babes")

Oh I forgot about that.  I hate words like "babe," "chick," etc.  They're sexist, for one, but also because they sound trashy to me.  No offense, of course, to those that do make use of such words.

 

And before someone asks, yes, it's because I have a vendetta against baby chickens.

Edited March 26, 2013 by Akito

[Celestia]

It's strange, I don't actively try not to swear, yet I rarely do online, and whenever I do try to swear through text it just feels really forced, for some reason? It's really weird. Now, in real life is another story, but even then it's only when I'm really frustrated.

 

I do avoid, without exception, using racist/sexist/homophobic/etc. language. I've never really feel the need to use those words, anyway, so it's not exactly a conscious choice not to use them so much as not even thinking about it.

[Sami]

I think a conversation I had with my cousin a few weeks back sums my stance up well -

 

"Yeah [Dissy], you told me about Waseem before. You said he was a faggot."
"... No I didn't. What're you talking about?"

"Yeah! You were mad at him because he was anti-Semitic."

"Oh. I probably said he was a fucking asshole, but I wouldn't have called him a faggot. I'm not twelve years old."

 

So yeah. Racist/sexist/homophobic terms are bad. Everything else is fair game.

[SkyLlama]

Epic.

I hate that fucking word, probably because I associate it with 12 years old kids on the internet.

Another word I hate is "Le". For fuck sake I'm tired of those "epic meme XD" comics being everywhere with stuff like "Me badly drawing le dog XD".

Everytime I need to use the word le in French classes it makes me cringe so bad.

This seems more like words that I hate than ones that I try to avoid, but yeah, I only say those when I really need to.

 

"Le" has only ever been okay on /r/circlejerk. The people who use it seriously can't be anymore then pre-pubescent boys.

Speaking of epic, if you've never read anything by a guy named Maddox then you should enjoy this, it's a bit vulgar (everything he does is I'm a bit hesitant to link though) thought.

In fact anyone who is annoyed with the over use of epic will enjoy this: http://thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=epic

Edited March 26, 2013 by SkyLlama

[Dr. Crusher]

Oh yeah, count me in with the group that isn't fond of describing women as "babes", "chicks", etc. Words like that aren't my thing.

 

Relating to that, the phrase "my girl" doesn't sit well for me. Whether it's unintentional or not, it usually gives off the sense that your soulmate is your property, and that's no good. Granted, I know this topic's about words you "try" to avoid, and I don't need to try that hard in this case since I'm single, but you get the idea.

Edited March 26, 2013 by Dr. Crusher

[Semi-colon e]

As long as it isn't offensive, any word is fair game. It depends more on who I am around than my avoidance of specific words, per se.

 

I am guilty of abusing the swears a little, though. As well as epic and awesome, but not so much as I used to be.

 

One thing I have noticed though, is that a lot of people REALLY hate the word cunt, so I don't use that around people I know won't appreciate me using it.

Edited March 26, 2013 by Semi-colon e

[Sami]

Oh yeah, count me in with the group that isn't fond of describing women as "babes", "chicks", etc. Words like that aren't my thing.

 

Relating to that, the phrase "my girl" doesn't sit well for me. Whether it's unintentional or not, it usually gives off the sense that your soulmate is your property, and that's no good. Granted, I know this topic's about words you "try" to avoid, and I don't need to try that hard in this case since I'm single, but you get the idea.

 

I don't like the phrase "my girl", but I use the term "chick" pretty often. I don't really see what's derogatory about it. It's like calling a male a "dude" or "guy".

[Meow]

I call everyone dude/dudette, bro, man, and sometimes I'll use chick but its rare. I also use the words gnarly and radical (and on occasion tubular as an in joke among friends) so my vocabulary tends to be rather uncool by many standards haha.

I only really avoid derogatory terms. So yeah, those I avoid.

 

I do swear a lot in real life. Not as every second word because that annoys me on principle of it taking ten years for someone to make their point and thus I pick and choose where I wanna use it. The only time I don't swear is around my younger brother and sister and other peoples kids, and/or if I am in a really professional setting and I don't know how people will take it.

 

I also hate saying the word "nests" and if I can avoid it I will. Its one of those simple words that I trip up over because of the sts at the end. It's just so awkward to say haha. Other than that there isn't a whole lot I'll avoid saying.

[Dr. Crusher]

I don't like the phrase "my girl", but I use the term "chick" pretty often. I don't really see what's derogatory about it. It's like calling a male a "dude" or "guy".

 

I know it's not really derogatory, it just isn't a word I use. It doesn't feel right in my head.

Edited March 27, 2013 by Dr. Crusher

[Sean]

The word "babe" amuses me. It's like "hunk." Babes and hunks !! Thanks to Kate Beaton I laugh at them every time.

[Tornado]

I'm extremely loose with language, both spoken and in text (except at home, when I only swear when I'm truly angry). "God damn" is practically how I ask for someone to pass the salt and pepper. I feel context of words is far more important than the words themselves. I readily admit that I use gay and retard in common speech when they fit, though much less so in text. There are two exceptions to this rule:

 

 

 

I don't use racial slurs at all. Double standard with the above, I know. Don't care. And I'm extremely, extremely uncomfortable even hearing/seeing the word "cunt". I can literally count on one hand the amount of times I've written it anywhere, and I can never remember ever actually saying it.

[D-Metal X]

When I was young (and stupid) I used to say "that's gay" when I was angry at something. It's definitely a thing I've learned to stop saying and avoid.

I avoid racial slurs as well, and get mildly uncomfortable when people use any kind of them, to be honest.

I never say any typical curse words in front of my parents. I got in so much trouble for doing so when I was a kid, plus it's just not polite, as I was raised to believe.

With my friends, I say "fuck" and "shit" like, all of the time. I hate the word "cunt" as well and absolutely avoid saying it.

[novelty]

I don't know about you guys, but I prefer to say the last name of the woman I am speaking to. More preferably Miss X or Mrs Y, feels more respectful.

 

...and about avoiding specific words, there is simply a time and place for everything. Like my signature for example.

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

The word "cunt".

 

Seriously, I was 18 when I first discovered that word, and pronouncing the word just sounded disgusting to me for some reason. And I don't mean what it actually refers to, it just sounds disgusting just by the way it is said...like, I'm not even joking, that is a word that I feel like vomiting if I heard it or actually said it myself. And this was before I heard how it was "anti-female" here in the US. I know it's not derogatory outside the US, but damn if there's one word I wouldn't say for any reason, that would be my #1.

[Semi-colon e]

I know it's not derogatory outside the US, but damn if there's one word I wouldn't say for any reason, that would be my #1.

 

Lol it is, over here in England a lot of people really hate that word too. Probably not as much, but it's definitely one of the top offensive words, even to people who say piss and shit and fuck and bollocks and wanker at everything.

[Dr. Crusher]

Eh up, I've just thought of another certain word that I try to never use (I don't know if I've used it in the past, but I don't think I have). I am referring to the word "Meh."

 

Now, unless you're Komodin and have made that your catchphrase - to which you get a free pass - I absolutely loathe that word. In my eyes, if you can only bring yourself to say "Meh" when discussing something, then what's the point of commenting in the first place if you couldn't be bothered to make a simple sentence? All it does is pointlessly ruin everyone else's fun.

 

On top of that, the mere sound of it annoys me. Every time I hear it in my head when reading from anyone (apart from, as I said, Komodin), it gives off a grand sense of apathetic entitlement. "I could just let them have their enjoyment and share my disinterest to other locations where other folk feel the same and kill two birds with one stone, but they must know I have zero interest in *insert anything*! And to prove once and for all exactly how uncaring I am, not only shall I not even use more than one word, but that word will sound like a barely coherent grunt!"

 

So yeah, it's not a word I like at all. It's like a personification of all the bad parts of the internet condensed into one single, *ahem*, "word".

 

Oh, and relating to that, one phrase I don't really like to use when expressing distress is "losing hope for humanity" or "lost hope in humanity" and so on. Again, it displays massive egocentricity to me. When did you suddenly become the all-powerful judge of the race that can do good and bad?

Edited March 27, 2013 by Dr. Crusher