For the ninth year in a row, "whatever" ranks as the most annoying word or phrase used in everyday conversations.
"Whatever" was given the nod for a ninth straight year for the most annoying word based on 1,074 adults who were polled by telephone from Nov. 6 to Nov. 9., according to Marist College's research. Coming in second on the list, with 23 percent of the vote, was "fake news." Other words or phrases include "No offense, but," which received 20 percent of the vote; "literally" came in with 11 percent; and "You know what I mean” had 10 percent. In 2016, Marist College's poll results had "whatever" at the top with 38 percent, while "No offense, but," came in second place with 20 percent.“Since 2015, we have seen a narrowing between ‘whatever’ and the rest of the list,” said Dr. Lee M. Miringoff, Director of The Marist College Institute for Public Opinion. “While the word irks older Americans, those who are younger might not find ‘whatever’ to be so annoying.”
Research does show that the age of the adults polled does indeed make a difference in which words they find the most annoying.
Also interesting to note, two different “Trumpisms” have made it into Marist College’s most annoying list: “Fake news” in 2017, and “huge” in 2016. But the most important question concerning annoying words or phrase used in casual conversation is this: Will President Trump’s next meme, buzz word, or catch phrase make into the 2018 list? Either way, it could be “huge"! We'll just have to wait and see.
What do you think about Marist College's Most Annoying Word List for 2017 list? Do you find yourself using these words on a daily basis? If so, which ones are you more inclined to use? Feel free to let us know by leaving a comment below.
