Awesome!
“So impressive or overwhelming as to inspire a strong feeling of admiration or fear”—this is the dictionary definition of awesome. Sometime over the last few years, it came into popular usage to describe everything from a Big Mac to the latest vampire movie.
I hated how awesome was misused. I felt (rather smugly) that awesome had been downgraded to a mere expression of happiness—not at all the way the word was intended to be used. I thought that I was very clever when I advised my students to only use awesome if they were describing God or the Grand Canyon. In addition, if they dared to use awesome in their writing, there would be a stern suggestion of all of the more descriptive and appropriate word that could have been used—in red pen, of course.
I personally never used awesome in everyday speech. I would cringe when others did.
I wanted everyone to respect the word awesome and to use it correctly.
When there was an occasion to use awesome, I used it cheerfully, even gleefully. I would always qualify my use of awesome by saying that I used it “in the best sense of the word.” An event or an object had to be fabulous, wonderful and unique for me to use awesome—like a double rainbow or the full moon rising over the ocean. I only used awesome as an adjective—not as an exclamation. I felt that I was leading by example.
Of course, being human, I slipped from time to time. And I would apologize to whomever I was conversing with, explaining my dismay at the overuse of a perfectly good word.
So what word did I use in casual conversation instead of awesome, you ask? I used amazing. I found myself frequently describing common objects as amazing—sometimes I had amazing food, or saw an amazing concert or movie I even knew amazing people. And many people I knew did amazing things. And there were amazing books and book discussion and meetings and lectures—and even some days were–you guessed it—amazing. Sometimes when I was thrilled or excited, I would exclaim, “Amazing!”
Yes, amazing was my awesome. I went around smugly using awesome correctly and using amazing to describe the most mundane things. And I still felt that I was somehow more correct—in fact it was amazing that I could avoid the word awesome.
Lately, I’ve begun to notice something—amazing has entered everyday language—it’s on TV ads, in popular media and is often heard in conversation—just like awesome was a few years ago.
So, now my word of choice has become the new awesome. And worse, somewhere along the way, I started to hear myself describe everything as amazing. I had co-opted a perfectly good word with a very specific meaning and made it virtually meaningless!
How awesome was that!
How amazing that, I too, was guilty of the crime of imprecise language usage. The same crime I accused everyone else of perpetrating.
What’s that awesome and amazing saying?
“Let those who are without sin cast the first stone?”
I am amazingly guilty, your awesome-ness.
L.O.L.
You are my most loyal follower, Betty. Awesome! LOL
I must confess I am a first time reader, Kathy. I promise you it will not be the last. Your stories are amazing (may I use your word). Thank you for sharing your talent with not only Solivita, but all who read your writings.
Thanks, Sunny for reading the blog! I appreciate your kind comments. I am happy that so many people enjoy what I write–it is really amazing! (-;
Fabulous…just fabulous.
Not just fabulous–but I would also say it’s amazing that you took the time to comment!
You are an awesome writer. I’m blessed to have you as a friend and to see, follow, feel and love all your stories….just an amazing experience. 🙂
Thanks for such an amazing comment! I really appreciate it.
You are without a doubt an amzing writer and friend to have, you are also very AEWSOME in my book.
You are without a doubt an amzing writer and friend to have, you are also very AWESOME in my book.
Thanks for your awesome reply–and for being an amazing friend!
Hi Kathy,
Splendid is my awesome word for the day.
For my fourth and fifth graders we drew gravestones
and put in dead words (words that were so overused that they became trite).
We made games out of substituting better words.
We had slogans for some of the words:Cool belongs in the pool!
Stuff..not a good describing word “stuff it in a bag.”
What are you trying to describe?
After a while even the faculty tried to avoid using “Dead Words” around me.
So thanks for a splendid blog article about awesome (Dead Word).
Regards,
Bobbi
Thanks Bobbi for folllowing the blog. You should write a teacher hints book to help new teachers learn some clever ways to deal with problems–it would be amazing!