Language evolves, and sometimes the buzzwords that were once fresh, empowering, and progressive can end up feeling overused, performative, or just plain annoying. While the original intentions behind “woke” expressions might have been to spark important conversations, over time, they’ve been co-opted, diluted, or thrown around in ways that make people roll their eyes. It’s not that the ideas behind them aren’t valid—it’s the delivery that can feel like a bad parody of itself.
From boardrooms to social media, these phrases can feel like verbal virtue signaling—meant to impress, not connect. And let’s be honest: when someone leans too hard into the “woke” lexicon, it can feel more like a performance than genuine advocacy. Here are 13 expressions that have been driving people crazy—and why they’re not always helping the conversation.
1. “Let’s Unpack That.”
This phrase started as a way to encourage deeper conversations—but now, it feels like a condescending buzzword for overanalyzing every little thing. It’s the go-to line when someone wants to sound thoughtful but often ends up dragging the conversation into unnecessary territory. Sometimes things just *are*, and not everything needs to be “unpacked.”
What makes it so annoying is how often it’s used to signal intellectual superiority. It’s less about clarity and more about sounding deep. And when you hear it five times in one meeting, it starts to lose all meaning.
2. “I’m Just Holding Space.”
This phrase is meant to signal empathy, according to Psychology Today, but it often comes across as performative. It’s like someone is playing therapist instead of actually engaging with your feelings. And let’s be honest, sometimes you don’t need anyone to “hold space”—you just need them to *listen*.
It can feel patronizing, like they’re doing you a favor by tolerating your feelings. Real support doesn’t need a fancy phrase; it needs presence. And “holding space” can start sounding like an empty script.
3. “Centering Marginalized Voices.”
The intention here is good—but the phrase often gets dropped into conversations like a badge of honor, without real follow-through. It’s become a way for people to signal their allyship without doing the hard, messy work of actually making space for others. It’s less about action and more about sounding progressive.
The issue is that it can feel like a performance, not a practice. If you’re really centering someone, you shouldn’t have to announce it. The phrase has been overused to the point where it can feel hollow.
4. “Do The Work.”
This phrase started as a call to personal accountability, but it’s now thrown around so casually that it’s lost all weight. It often feels like a vague, scolding mantra—“Do the work!”—without any guidance on what that actually means. It’s a command without context that, according to The New York Times, has seen an uptick with the rise of “therapy speak.”
When people say “Do the work,” it can feel like a self-righteous flex, not an invitation to learn. It’s become a conversation ender, not a conversation starter. And for many, it just leaves them feeling shut down, not enlightened.
5. “Check Your Privilege.”
This one’s tricky—because acknowledging privilege is important. But, according to The Guardian, the phrase is often dropped like a mic in a conversation, weaponized to shut people down instead of opening up dialogue. It’s a necessary concept, but the delivery? It can come off as smug and dismissive.
The phrase tends to oversimplify complex issues, reducing people to labels. It shuts down curiosity and invites defensiveness. And when it’s overused, it stops sparking awareness and starts sparking resentment.
6. “I See You.”
This phrase was meant to signal empathy and recognition, but it’s been co-opted into a cliché that often feels hollow. It can sound more like a performance than a genuine moment of connection. And when it’s delivered with a side of Instagram-worthy vibes, it starts to feel fake.
Real recognition doesn’t need a script. It’s in the small, everyday ways you show up for someone—not the trendy phrases you drop in. “I see you” can feel like a verbal pat on the head more than anything else.
7. “Lived Experience.”
Yes, personal experience matters. But “lived experience” has become the go-to phrase for people who want to shut down opposing viewpoints—like only certain experiences are valid. It’s a term that can flatten complex conversations into an identity checklist.
It started as a meaningful concept, but now it’s often used to avoid tough dialogue. It’s become a buzzword that can make people feel excluded rather than heard. And that’s the opposite of its original intent.
8. “Allyship.”
Allyship *should* be about meaningful action, but the word often feels more like a PR move than a real commitment. It’s been commodified into a hashtag, a merch line, and a way to gain social capital. And when someone calls themselves an “ally,” it can feel like they’re more interested in the label than the work.
True allyship isn’t about announcing it—it’s about living it. The phrase has been overused to the point of dilution. And it’s making people skeptical of those who throw it around too easily.
9. “Safe Space.”
Creating environments where people feel safe is critical—but the term “safe space” has been overused to the point where it feels like a bubble wrap fantasy. It’s often invoked to shut down any conversation that feels remotely challenging, instead of fostering real dialogue. The concept gets twisted into a way to avoid discomfort, not promote safety.
True growth happens when we feel safe enough to be uncomfortable, not when we avoid discomfort entirely. The phrase can unintentionally infantilize people instead of empowering them. And that’s why it grates.
10. “Decenter Yourself.”
This one sounds good on paper, but in practice, it’s often used to silence people rather than invite self-reflection. It can feel like a conversation shutdown—“decenter yourself”—without any real explanation of what that looks like. It ends the dialogue instead of opening it up.
It’s also vague enough to be misused. People can weaponize it to deflect from their own issues. And it can create a dynamic where no one feels safe to speak.
11. “Normalize [Insert Behavior Here].”
The phrase “Let’s normalize…” has been applied to everything from crying in public to eating breakfast for dinner. At this point, it’s become so overused that it feels like a tired social media script. Not everything needs a campaign or a movement—some things just *are*.
When everything is “normalized,” the phrase loses its punch. It starts to feel like a lazy call to action instead of a meaningful statement. And it makes people roll their eyes instead of joining in.
12. “Trauma-Informed.”
The concept is important, but “trauma-informed” has been co-opted into a buzzword that often feels like a marketing pitch. It’s used in workshops, coaching sessions, and Instagram bios as a signal of care—but it can feel vague and performative when not backed by actual expertise. The phrase has become so trendy that it risks losing its real meaning.
True trauma-informed work requires depth, nuance, and training—not just a label. When people throw it around too casually, it diminishes the gravity of what it really means. And that can feel disrespectful to those it’s supposed to support.
13. “Languaging.”
This is a phrase that tries *way* too hard. Instead of just saying “language” or “the words we use,” some people insist on “languaging” to sound academic or enlightened. It feels unnecessary, clunky, and frankly a little pretentious.
When you hear it, it’s like a red flag for a conversation that’s about to get overly theoretical and divorced from real-world meaning. It’s a word that turns off listeners instead of drawing them in. And that’s the exact opposite of what good communication should do.
