Most impactful word of our generation

[Arrowfoot]

@uck.

It's usage cuts across class, gender, age group and across society in the English speaking World. The "wtf", a derivative is now found on text messages, emails, conversations and perfectly acceptable by many even in the corporate world. It best 3 characters / words to genuinely express the sense of unexpected surprise and shock. "Wtf" falls neatly for the messaging world in particular as text abbreviations have become the norm such btw, tbh, imho, TL DR etc.

I remember a time when it was close to sin to say it.

Are the any other words that you can think of?

 

[Slick]

I'm not sure your right about how it has come to be regarded as acceptable, especially in a work setting. I'm sure that the organisation I work for would most certainly find it wholly unacceptable for that to be included in an email and in fact apparently won't send an email if it recognises unacceptable content within it. Unless its late and I've totally missed your point.

 

[Alex321]

I'm not sure your right about how it has come to be regarded as acceptable, especially in a work setting. I'm sure that the organisation I work for would most certainly find it wholly unacceptable for that to be included in an email and in fact apparently won't send an email if it recognises unacceptable content within it. Unless its late and I've totally missed your point.

I think WTF has become fairly acceptable, even if the full final word wouldn't be. But I'm sure many workplaces still wouldn't accept it, which is why I say "fairly".

 

[Milkfloat]

It’s only a word, I don’t think it has any real impact at all. I would argue something like ‘internet’ or ‘Covid’ has had a far bigger impact, certainly more impact than a 600 year old word.

 

[PaulSB]

I agree use of the word is very widespread and doesn't cause apparent offense too many. Does this make it acceptable? I'm not sure.

I'd find it unacceptable in an form of message. At my workplace for the 22 years before retirement all foul language was forbidden though I'm sure it happened and could result in a warning.

I worked in sales for decades. I only knew one buyer who used this type of language. It was a power play, a way of demonstrating his position to suppliers. No one liked him but the purchasing power he controlled meant there was little choice but to accept it. The fall we all predicted did eventually arrive.

It gets used but I think it's a word one should be very wary of.

 

[steveindenmark]

I think OMG, must be quite high on the list as well as being the most irritating.

 

[PeteXXX]

How long before we get the B word?

 

[Drago]

Wtf annoys me. If you're not man/woman/select gender as appropriate enough to swear properly then don't bother trying.

 

[swansonj]

Didn't "snafu" occupy the same linguistic niche as "wtf" but starting decades earlier?

 

[AndyRM]

Didn't "snafu" occupy the same linguistic niche as "wtf" but starting decades earlier?

FUBAR too.

Very subjective one I think. Personally, I love the irony of "snowflake".

 

[Drago]

Didn't "snafu" occupy the same linguistic niche as "wtf" but starting decades earlier?

Snafu is a military acronym - Situation Normal, All F****d Up.

I never did get the whole snowflake thing. A weakling will always just be a weakling until something stronger eats them. Darwin said so, can't artificially circumvent evolution. Calling them snowflakes just seems odd.

 

[Cycleops]

Surely it must be 'woke'. Nothing else has had more impact in recent history.

 

[Drago]

Surely it must be 'woke'.

Is that not several generations old though?

 

[Chief Broom]

'Wow' irritates me....if something is extraordinary/wonderful/beautiful etc then it deserves some description/articulation. 'Wow' is like a lazy Orwellian 'double plus good'.

 

[Cycleops]

'Woke' according to the Guardian (who should know) say it emerged in the early 2010s. I'd say it's very much of this generation.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/nov/09/woke-word-meaning-definition-progressive