Banished Words for 2023

It’s an inflection point

“As great minds have the faculty of saying a great deal in a few words, so lesser minds have a talent of talking much, and saying nothing.” — Francois de la Rochefoucauld

Hello, fellow word nerd.

If you’ve been paying attention so far this year, you may have seen the 2023 Banished Words List. It’s an annual tradition started by a kindred spirit that Lake Superior State University carries on.

If you’d like some history on how this came to be and who brought it to life, I’ve got an interview with the creator’s son:

The Fascinating Origins of the Banished Word List

Meanwhile, for the rest of us who want to know which of our friends require needling, here’s the 2023 version of the annual List of Words Banished from the Queen’s English for Mis-Use, Over-Use, and General Uselessness.

1. GOAT

2. Inflection point

3. Quiet quitting

4. Gaslighting

5. Moving forward

6. Amazing

7. Does that make sense?

8. Irregardless

9. Absolutely

10. It is what it is

And as usual, I’ll attempt to use these in a couple of sentences:

We’re at an inflection point where quiet quitting is no longer seen as amazing and gaslighting, having just entered the mainstream, is no longer the GOAT, but it is what it is. Irregardless, we’ll absolutely have to eliminate it moving forward. Does that make sense?

If this kind of list fascinates you, then you’ll also be interested in what my friend Ann Handley put together:

Oh, and check out her Total Annarchy newsletter while you’re at it.

Thanks, and I’ll see you on the internet.