It annoys me when people use the word literally incorrectly

85% Normal

It's so incredibly annoying. Literally is a word to state that something happened exactly as it was specified. So if you said "ahh dude he literally beat the shit out of him," then someone actually punched the poo out of someone else. I understand that language changes, but people now use it for figurative emphasis. It's such a directly opposite word to its intent. How damn retarded would you have to be to point at water and say it's dry? Well that's effectively the modern use of the word literally for some people.

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85% Normal

Based on 40 votes (34 yes)

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Comments ( 27 )

[Old Memory]

5 years ago

I litterally don’t get why you’re butthurt over a word.

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- kupokupo
  
  5 years ago
  
  It should literally be like water under a bridge to OP.
  
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  - [Old Memory]
    
    5 years ago
    
    😂 true
    
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- bigbudchonga
  
  5 years ago
  
  Ye I know it's a bit irrational dude. I just think to fuck up this much over language is so stupid. They might as well call the grass blue and the sky green.
  
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  - [Old Memory]
    
    5 years ago
    
    Wouldn’t surprise me if anything I say doesn’t make sense. As for other people I usually get what they’re trying to say so it’s not a bother to me. I’m not some walking auto correct I’m never correct myself. I probably don’t even say it right and that’s probably because so many people use it not right but I litterally don’t wanna take a time to figure out if everything perfectly correct. That’s the least of my worries. If I feel like adding it in I just do it. Idk about other people.
    
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RoseIsabella

5 years ago

Many people today talk like morons.

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Boojum

5 years ago

For what it's worth, my dictionary says that 'literally' can be used as an intensifier before a figurative expression to mean 'without exaggeration'.

I think it's a word that people toss into their flow of conversation out of habit (a mannerism), because they hear others doing it (mimicry), and because it allows them time to think of what they're going to say next.

Sorta like, you know, a kinda whatchamacallit, you know, filler thingie, you know?

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HeTalksInMaths

5 years ago

people kinda did that with the word random awhile back. they use it for "spontaneous", "various", "unusual", "nonsensical" etc. still kind of annoying to hear people say like "that's so random!" about everything unexpected, in the same way it's annoying to hear everything is "literally". but that's just how people are!

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- bigbudchonga
  
  5 years ago
  
  Oh ye I remember that. I think in the case with how literaly is used, it would be like someone using the word random to mean pre-planned or certain.
  
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  - HeTalksInMaths
    
    5 years ago
    
    Yeah it's also annoying when they use literally for things that don't even have any other meaning. like "i literally agree with you" lol. it basically just means "seriously" or "i shit you not" these days
    
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JellyBeanBandit

5 years ago

I completely agree. There are so many words you can use figuratively like completely, totally, honestly, etc. But there's only one word you can use for literally. And if people just use 'literally' for anything, then it'll lose its meaning and we'll have no word for 'literally'. Everytime you want to say that something happened literally, you'll have to explain that "No, I mean it literally actually happened". That'd suck!

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- bigbudchonga
  
  5 years ago
  
  100% Right!!!! I would super up vote this if I could.
  
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- Boojum
  
  5 years ago
  
  Simple solution:
  
  "Trump lied today," rather than, "Trump literally lied today." (I don't know what it was, but the odds make it almost certain that he did.)
  
  Literally, completely, totally, honestly and so on are almost always excessive verbiage. Although "honestly" is useful, since it's very often a flag indicating that the speaker has just lied or is about to.
  
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CozmoWank

5 years ago

It's just another example of the overall dumbing down of society.

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antarctican

5 years ago

Most people use the word literally ironically, but I guess you don’t understand that.

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- bigbudchonga
  
  5 years ago
  
  No, no they don't. That's just straight bullshit.
  
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  - paramore93
    
    5 years ago
    
    Figurative bullshit.
    
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  - Boojum
    
    5 years ago
    
    Not sure I've ever seen straight bullshit. Isn't it usually delivered in rounded pellets or a semi-liquid gush?
    
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  - antarctican
    
    5 years ago
    
    K lemme explain this:
    
    I could say, “I’m figuratively dying right now” or I could say, “I’m literally dying right now.” One is technically correct but mundane, and one is not technically correct but would be pretty serious if it was. If one wants to convey a stronger emotion, they may want to use the one that is incorrect but extreme. This is called exaggeration, a form of verbal irony.
    
    It would be pretty funny if you are the type to judge people for using “literally” wrong if you don’t even know what irony is. Hint: irony is not synonymous with coincidence.
    
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    - bigbudchonga
      
      5 years ago
      
      One is using a word in the complete opposite of what it's meant to mean to explain something. If it was just after it was raining I could say "the grass is wet" or I could say "the grass is dry," one is accurate and one is horrendously wrong and directly contradictory.
      
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IrishPotato

5 years ago

I literally can't even

Dude suck it up. It's just how people talk.

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factcheck

5 years ago

People use words ironically or sarcastically all the time. If you’re playing basketball with someone and you throw a brick or an air ball and they say “nice shot!” do you sit them down and tell them they’re retarded for not knowing what nice means?

The really annoying trend recently is people saying of instead of have. Would of, could of, should of.

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factcheck

5 years ago

Improper use of the word literally isn’t nearly as annoying as the idiots who use retarded as an insult.

Like, how stupid do you have to be to not realize that retard and retarded have specific meanings and going around accusing anybody you don’t like of being one just makes you sound like a complete moron?

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- bigbudchonga
  
  5 years ago
  
  Ye dude as if people would use the word retarded as an insult. How on earth is being a retard seen as a negative thing... Also the fact you would use moron in the same breadth of telling me it's bad to use retarded is probably the most retarded and hypocritical thing I've ever seen on this site. They literally, (and you know I don't use that word lightly,) are both defining words for someone with a low IQ.
  
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[Old Memory]

5 years ago

Literally

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- bigbudchonga
  
  5 years ago
  
  Reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
  
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Insane_madh

5 years ago

I only use the word when I am not being literal... I like being sarcastic...

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Are You Normal?

It annoys me when people use the word literally incorrectly