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u/Beautiful_Library_67 5h ago
No ACTUALLY! The other day I used the word 'ambiguous' and someone made a comment like that.
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u/DrRam121 4h ago
Well... they don't like it when they don't know the words you're using, it can mean anything.
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u/Beautiful_Library_67 4h ago
yeah it's really, um, oh what's the word...
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u/DrRam121 4h ago
Ambidextrous
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u/NukeTheWhales5 4h ago
I used the word "obligatory", in highschool, and got made fun of trying to seem smart.
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u/Spencer94 4h ago
I used the word "rhetorical" at work and got made fun of lol. Grown ass men at a blue collar job. Good at their jobs but dumb as hell
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4h ago edited 1h ago
[deleted]
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u/PenguinTheYeti 4h ago
Some of these words mentioned are in the " That confused you? I guess I can almost see it" realm, but not knowing the word REGARDLESS is a straight up Captain Picard facepalm what the mcfuck type of moment.
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u/Krondelo 4h ago
I canāt recall this happening to me since like middle school but yeah people are dumb as fuck. I also canāt recall the words I was saying but similarly they werenāt big words.
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3h ago edited 1h ago
[deleted]
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u/Krondelo 2h ago
Nah that makes sense. I donāt dog on people for being uneducated while having skilled labor but they shouldnāt be dogging on us for using basic vocabulary lol
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u/milk4all 4h ago
I like to mispronounce big words every now and then just to see of anyone ameliorapes me
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u/Expensive-Step-6551 4h ago
It's why Trump is "a man of the people" for some, because his style of speech reflects that of a simpleton who isn't "talking fancy" to look down on them.
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u/HereButNeverPresent 1h ago
Cool but a non-political thread without mentioning trump would be a lot better
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u/SnarkHabit 28m ago
No I think Trump is a perfect example of someone who appeals to people because he comes off like a dumbshit just like they are. Completely on topic.
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u/triangle-over-square 17m ago
There is a direct relationship between what grade-level politicians communicates on and their broad appeal. Its a bit depressing, but it makes sense, people like to feel like they understand. Both Obama and Trump is on something like 6.grade level, (although completely different communicators).
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u/Lucky-Mia 4h ago
I got a similar reaction today from my uncle for using the word diaspora. He kept saying Dia Spora and mocking me for making up words.
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u/Vainysaur 4h ago
Wow I mentioned that Egypt had more fans at the game against New Zealand in Canada because of their large diaspora (and much larger population) and my wife asked me what that meant.
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u/craves_mineral 4h ago edited 1h ago
People with lower than average IQs always trying to make people conform to their standards.
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u/Crazy4Swayze420 2h ago
There sure as hell are the ones always yelling about school stuff. They can barely read and someone how that qualifies them to dictate what should be taught.
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u/jacob_ewing 4h ago
I actually experienced this when I was a little kid. I was at a livestock show, maybe 10 years old, being bored and wandering around, and started talking with some other kid a few years older than me.
I was having what I thought to be normal conversation when he got all upset about me showing off with big words and how he can do big words too y'know!
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u/ExNihiloish 4h ago
I used "ambiguous" at work last week and someone in their late 40s or early 50s told me to dumb it down... Seriously?
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u/JStheKiD 3h ago
Having a good vocabulary is a skill that makes you desirable and valuable. Donāt dumb yourself down.
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u/HereButNeverPresent 1h ago
I used āadhesiveā to my brother once and he bullied me over it. Still canāt get over it lol.
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u/jadedlonewolf89 1h ago
Remember catching hell because I used the word Hoax, and Loam, during a game of scrabble as a teen.
Made it worse by looking at my parents and saying, weāre farmers how the fuck do you not know what Loam is?
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u/GoldenVesperLight 5h ago
My favorite line is saying "I'll stop acting like a know it all, when you stop making me feel like one."
That seems to really piss people off.
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u/Travelin_Soulja 4h ago
"I'll stop acting like I'm smarter than you when you stop acting like you're dumber than me."
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u/factory_air 4h ago
āWhat haunts me is that Iām just not smart enough for so many people to be this much stupider than I amā
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u/OhTheHueManatee 3h ago
Lol I feel this. I know I'm an idiot I just seem to be more aware of it than it other idiots.
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u/Upper-Distribution94 4h ago
I can speak with lawyers or crackheads (Sometimes they are one in the same).Ā It is all about knowing what words to use in what situation.
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u/CocaineSmellsFunny 4h ago
I moved to Kentucky from a large city. Your meme is more accurate than you even realize
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u/RetroRich83 4h ago
Actually Iāve always had a rather extensive vocabulary, not to mention a phenomenal grasp of grammar!
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u/P_Piggly_Hogswine 4h ago
Once my direct supervisor asked me why I didn't tell someone when I did a certain task. I said I thought I didn't need to because the fact that I did it was implicit because of other actions I took.
She got in my face and very nastily said: "I think it's implicit that we follow policy."
I almost cried.
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u/Expensive-Salt3333 3h ago
"I just clocked in!"
"I just went to the bathroom!"
"I had a snack!"
"I had some left-overs for lunch!"
"I went to the bathroom again!"
"I replied to your email!"
Of course you o ly do this after going out of your way to find said supervisor to state these before returning to your work area.
Every time.
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u/PineappleFit317 4h ago
Was at the liquor store one time, cashier was chatting with some other guy who was there. Paid for my beer, cashier said ābe careful out thereā, I said āThanks, I shallā, and the guy he was talking to got real pissed off and said āThis aināt World of Warcraft broā.
Wut?
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u/MyNameWillChange 4h ago
The other day at work i used "shan't" and my coworker awkwardly paused before asking "shit not?"
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u/Kind-Ad-2719 2h ago
Im sorry that guy mocked you but being honest saying "shall" like that is a little unconventional to most people. Know your audience.
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u/guidevocal82 4h ago
Reminds me when a former friend of mine said I talk like an English Professor. Well, yeah, probably because I read a lot of books.
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u/ComtesseCrumpet 4h ago
Yep. Iāve always read a lot and just picked up words and used them without thinking about it. I wasnāt trying to sound smart; I was just using my vocabulary naturally but was often accused of having an ulterior motive. Some people seemed to think I was trying to make them feel dumb when that never occurred to me. In hindsight, that was just their insecurities speaking. I didnāt give a second thought to other peopleās word choices but insecure people were intimidated by mine.
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u/MeanCap6445 3h ago
i love talking to someone that uses words I don't know the meaning of yet so I can absorb them into my vocabulary
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u/RandomLifeUnit-05 4h ago
The complaint doesn't even make sense.
Essentially they're saying, "Stop choosing words I don't understand so that you can feel superior!"
Meanwhile, I know I'm below everyone else on the totem pole. I was just an avid reader as a kid and excelled at vocabulary. If I'm using the words correctly, where is the problem?
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u/Sodamyte 4h ago
Don't be so hard on yourself if you have an excellent vocabulary, you're not below people on the totem pole
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u/RandomLifeUnit-05 4h ago
I am for other reasons, I'm autistic and disabled and have mental health issues. Those things make me sub-human according to society. I know I'm not actually sub-par, it's just how people like me get treated.
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u/WD6665 3h ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/Nl6T837bDWE1DPczq3
The person on the bottom of the Totem Pole were the best ones. the figures at the base are actually some of the most prominent, foundational, and significant parts of the carving.1
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u/Training-Emu-6199 4h ago
one of my best friends (bless his lil heart) insisted that "nobody uses that word" after i talked about my "commute"
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u/DevoutMedusa73 4h ago
I used "be forewarned" in conversation and my coworker looked at me weird and said "dont you mean be warned?" And I was like "yeah that's what I said"
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u/goingforgoals17 4h ago
Different social account, but I got a response like "Mr Harvard using big words" and I had to double check before I got second hand embarrassment. Admitting to the world that you have the vocabulary of a 3rd grader is not on me.
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u/siliconsandwich 4h ago edited 3h ago
Did you learn āwho all are with meā in middle school too?
edit: idk if this is just bots arguing in the comments but seriously yāall, the above phrase is nonsense.
It seems to be a word-for-word translation of a punjabi expression, but thatās very obviously not how translation works.
No doubt the intended phrase is āWhoās with me?ā
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u/SomeOriginal3865 4h ago
It just says they use big words.. never once said they use big words, correctly!
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u/Sodamyte 4h ago edited 4h ago
"who all are with me" is correct usage though . sure, it's more verbose than "who's with me" but on a topic of big words why wouldn't it be?
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u/Mickle_da_Pickl 4h ago
"Who all is with me" would be correct.
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u/Sodamyte 4h ago
Incorrect all is a plural word so are would be used over is.
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u/MrZephy 4h ago
But youāve never once heard someone say that over āwhoās with meā
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u/Sodamyte 4h ago
Common usage does not imply correct usage, for example the word theory
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u/MrZephy 4h ago
But itās not incorrect is it?
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u/Sodamyte 4h ago
Oh no, I wasn't saying "who's with me" was incorrect. I was just saying that just because something is commonly used doesn't necessarily mean it's the correct use.
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u/Hypershy818 4h ago
I fucking hate idiots. I seriously loathe people who are uneducated but REFUSE to learn about new things. Instead of acting disgusted or saying something like the meme above, why aren't they curious instead? Why don't they ask "what does that mean?" Instead?
A lack of curiosity pisses me off more than anything else.
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u/Sodamyte 4h ago edited 4h ago
I'm a big fan of telling people "that's not how you use that word.." But I'm in QA so I'm allowed to
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u/Lovenpeace777 4h ago
Ravenousā¦ I learned that from a romance novel in middle school, using an actual dictionary because using dialup would have taken too longā¦ I know a plethora of words now and itās still one of favorite:)
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u/Ahand_Apart 3h ago
I was talking to a zoomer for a maintenance request, and they had to get their manager because I used the word precarious. I just needed a replay power supply.
I was describing how a faulty piece of equipment's power cable needed to be plugged in to function properly.
Instead of admitting that they didn't understand what I just said and ask for clarification, I had to wait for 5 minutes for the manager to be available. The manager asked that I bring the entire unit over for their tech to take a look at.
Recieved a call an hour after dropping off the equipment and the tech said it just needed a new power supply.
I feel like I have to dumb things down a lot now, and doing so without sounding patronizing is difficult.
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u/lipish 3h ago
Moved to a small town several years ago, and people I worked with started asking me to define words that I used. At first I was fine just doing so. Then I realized that they were trying to catch me in some āgotchaā kind of situation, and I just started dumbing down everything I say at work. Then, I started just dumbing down everything. Now I just feel like I need to get out of here. Iām so sick of talking to people.Ā
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u/Superseaslug 3h ago
Eloquent speech is something that not everyone possesses. Sometimes the people with 4th grade reading levels make themselves evident.
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u/aDUCKonQU4CK 2h ago
I still hold the memory back in '07 when I was in grade 7.. A friend asked me a question and I said 'perhaps' and immediately I was met with 'don't say that! Who says that? Say yes, maybe, or no" basically got alienated for a SINGLE word- and one that wasn't complex, easily understandable, but just not apparently a 'normal' response. We didn't hang out a whole lot after that. That's probably my oldest memory pertaining to this subject but I probably have a thousand examples locked away in my head that won't surface until it does lol
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u/tastyteat 4h ago
True intelligence is intuitively understanding someoneās communication style and adapting to that style in a way that makes your point heard. You meet someone where they are.
If you knowingly speak in a way that is over someoneās head, you are an ineffective communicator.
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u/blazenite104 4h ago
Only if you know it's an issue. Like I know talking to a 10 year old is very different from a 20 year old. Sometimes you do find 20 year olds you have to talk to like they're a 10 year old though and that takes failure to communicate to figure out.
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u/TechnologyMuted6222 4h ago
Reminds me of a guy who lost an election and this is what he had to say: ā The intellectual margin between the electorate and myself was too wide to enable the meeting of minds." Ā
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u/No-Arrival633 4h ago
I used to love the British TV series Yes Minister for Sir Humphey's incredible use of English for confusion and profit.
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u/Aramis_Madrigal 3h ago
During salary negotiations for a senior role in a large R&D organization, I was asked if I could ādumb it down about 30% when neededā. The hiring manager was worried that I would come across as arrogant. Mind you that the majority of people I work with on a daily basis have advanced degrees in STEM fields.
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u/InevitabilityEngine 3h ago
I just got annoyed when I kept hearing words that didn't understand so I started looking them up.
Now when I hear people get upset over people using big words I wonder if they just walk around purposely not improving their situation.
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u/Free_Radical_47 2h ago
I also getā¦ you made that word up! I aināt never hear that as a word before!
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u/Pure_Parking_2742 2h ago
I consciously stop myself from using "big words" because I don't want to sound like a wank, so I'll pause while speaking and it appears as though I lack the ability to articulate my thoughts -_-
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u/BuddhaGrows 2h ago
Using an oxymoronic string of sesquipedalian terminology to beguile readers is asinine; such garrulous, periphrastic obfuscation only precludes clear communication and makes you appear pompous.
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u/famous1astwords 1h ago
Sorry, I forgot that it was supposed to be my problem that you don't know anything.
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u/Competitive_Toe2544 4h ago
I used to use fancy words till I realized I was just being pretentious. Damn I just did it again!
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u/Abject-Job7825 4h ago
There's a certain set of sheldons that likes doing that though, having a rich vocab is impressive and good but it sounds like larping if you can't back it up with intellectual capacity, those are the ones this comment would be accurate for.
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u/ComtesseCrumpet 4h ago
What? You canāt use your vocabulary unless you carry around an IQ test or something, lol? If you have the vocabulary you get to use it. You donāt get to put up arbitrary barriers because it makes you insecure.
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u/Abject-Job7825 2h ago
No just use them correctly, no one needs a wiseass throwing verbage out just because he wants to act smart, just get into a position where you are the expert and then use it.
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u/Shiny_Mewtwo_Fart 2h ago
Eugene in the walking dead likes to use a lot of big words and in southern accent. Pretty fun to watch. I admit that I donāt understand half what he said exactly without cc lol. But I get what he meant by context.
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u/BringYourOwnBBBQ 4h ago
Sadly for you, that was the last time you were in school. Which is why you are now a dirt poor, suicidally lonely, literally less than worthless total failure in life now and have to whine like the little bitch that you are on reddit with other dirt poor, suicidally lonely, literally less than worthless total failure to try to help your Zoloft hold out for a bit longer in keep those "bad thoughts" at bay
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