Although I have paid attention to the Banished Words List for more than a decade, last year was the first time I actually wrote about it. A lively discussion among co-workers about the words was my inflection point for doing so. The list, complied by Lake Superior State University, aims to retire “overworked, redundant, oxymoronic, cliched, illogical, and nonsensical” words and terms.

In following the lead of last year’s post and in homage to Lake Superior State University’s own paragraph it uses to introduce the annual words, here is a little sample from me…

I am by no means the GOAT of getting young children dressed in the morning. Irregardless, I do try to accomplish the amazing by getting Sloan and Beau in their school clothes by 7:30 a.m. every weekday. Sloan tries to gaslight me by saying I am too rough pulling on her clothes but it is what it is. You see, the inflection point is always getting Sloan ready first so Beau follows her example. Does that make sense? Sidney might think my effort is akin to quiet quitting but moving forward I hope she can see that I always give 100%. Am I the corniest dude alive? Absolutely!

The Banished Words List of 2023 might contain some of your own go-tos.

To be honest, the words in the 2023 list didn’t resonate with me as much as the 2022 version. Maybe that is a good thing? However, the one word in this most recent list that I completely abused over the past 12 months was absolutely. Just like LSSU framed it, I used “absolutely” in a way that I hoped would convey enthusiasm and cooperation. But sometimes over eagerness can be a bit much.

I thought it was interesting that it is what it is made a re-appearance on the list (it was banished in 2008). I do remember when that phrase was all the rage and I can distinctly remember an NFL Films reel in which it showed coaches and players exclaiming it in a whole bunch of different contexts. I abused the phrase myself but eventually moved on. Little did I know that it made a comeback this past year.

The one term that I definitely agree deserves banishment is gaslighting. Completely overused in 2022, I consider it the ultimate buzzword that pretty much was erroneously used to encompass anything said by one person that another person did not like.

Moving forward, I think we should probably check ourselves against overusing the recently banished words/phrases in 2023. Here’s hoping for another year in which Don’t Blink makes the list. Don’t Blink.