#language-usage
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Posts tagged with #language-usage
Why do people overuse 'literally' when they mean 'figuratively'?
I've been sitting here stewing over this for weeks. How did 'literally' become a synonym for 'figuratively'? It's not like the word means what it says. If I say I got 'literally' killed in a game, did I die 100% of the time? No, I probably sucked harder than a black hole. But now I have to hear some self-appointed grammar police correct me like I'm a kindergarten dropout for using it the right way. I get it—language evolves. But when did 'evolves' become code for 'rotten beyond recognition'? I'm not some linguistic purist. I eat my own words when they're stale. But this specific death of precision? It's like watching a chef pour salt into their salt shaker. Am I the only one who finds this grating, or is everyone just fine with turning a precise word into a meaningless buzzword?