September Topic: What words when used make you cringe? Have you considered your word choices carefully when speaking to others? Examples: Gender pronouns, slang terms, etc.
By Jill Vater with Jianna Studio Designs
The word that makes me cringe is when someone continually uses the word SORRY.
The definition of sorry is:
feeling distress, especially through sympathy with someone else’s
misfortune. For example, “I was sorry to hear about what happened to your
family.”
Or feeling regret or penitence. For example, “He said he was sorry he had
upset me.”
But when someone uses the word as if it were just another word like it, you, us, etc., it loses the meaning of the word and no longer has the value of what the word truly means. In a way, by continuing to use the word sorry over and over again, makes me want to scream. It’s as if the speaker is disrespecting the person they are talking to.
We need to consider what words we are using and use them appropriately.
Saying, “I’m sorry I forgot to take out the trash” or, “I’m sorry I forgot to do the dishes” becomes an excuse rather than a legitimate apology. The person is not really sorry. They forgot or are just being lazy, and they are using the word sorry as a cop-out.
Think before you speak and choose your words wisely, rather than as common slang.
The words we use should reflect what we are trying to convey to someone. Have emotion when you speak and be kind. When you are happy be enthusiastic, when sad… we can tell by your emotions.
Words, when used improperly, can be as sharp as a sword. Be careful you don’t cut someone with yours.
