With Absolute Certainty

Absolutely, overused

I got a request a while back to consider the word absolutely and its frequency of use.  I did a little bit of digging and found that many sources – including Jeremy Butterfield, a lexicographer whose book Damp Squid: The English Language Laid Bare is a jewel – cite absolutely as one of the most overused words in the English language.  Butterfield lists it as the sixth most overused word in the language.

Because I’m not sure precisely when the overuse began, I can’t speculate with much precision why it has become so popular.  My guess, however, would be that because there has been so much uncertainty in so many areas of life in recent years, people are reaching out for a word that expresses absolute certainty.  And what better than absolutely? 

Horrifyingly enough, I am one of the absolutely over-users.  I didn’t realize that I used it with such regularity until I got the email about it, and then I started noticing the frequency with which I had used it when I would go back through digital recordings of interviews I have done for Current.  Good grief!

In my case – and I think in the case of some others – when having a conversation where I want to continue to give verbal and physical cues that I am paying attention and understanding the party doing the speaking, absolutely becomes a way to keep from repeatedly saying yes or simply nodding all the time.  And without sounding as if I’m just saying this to keep myself in the right, I think this is a somewhat forgivable use of absolutely.

For others, though, absolutely is just a way to respond positively to questions:

            Did you do your homework?  Absolutely.

            Do you want syrup with your waffles?  Absolutely.

            Are you being tried for murder tomorrow?  Absolutely.

This is where I take issue.  The problem, I think, is that by using absolutely as a replacement for yes, the former becomes a watered-down version of itself.  It doesn’t change the meaning of the response, but it does make a strong word weaker by virtue of overuse.  And continued overuse of absolutely actually makes it sound less sincere than a plain ol’ yes.  Why else would you use it when yes works just as well?

In general, if you can respond with yes, do so.  Use absolutely much less frequently, and only when you truly mean without a doubt or unequivocally.