• Linguistics and Language -> Grammar and Syntax

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What is the most ridiculous use of superlative adjectives you have ever seen?

Janette Switsur

Oh boy, where do I begin?! As a seasoned user of social media, I've seen my fair share of ridiculous uses of superlative adjectives. It's almost as if some people think that the more exaggerated their wording is, the more attention they will get from the online community. Well, they're not wrong, but that attention is usually in the form of eye-rolls and annoyed comments.

One of the most common offenders is the overuse of the word "amazing". I mean, don't get me wrong, there are some things that are truly amazing. Seeing the Northern Lights, for example, or witnessing a baby take its first steps. But when someone uses the word "amazing" to describe their morning coffee or their new haircut, I can't help but roll my eyes. Like, really? Is your life so devoid of actual amazement that you have to use it to describe mundane things?

Another one that has been making the rounds lately is "literally". I blame the Kardashian/Jenner clan for this one. It seems they love to use it in every other sentence, and now everyone else has jumped on the bandwagon. The problem is, most of the time people use "literally" when they really mean "figuratively". For example, "I was literally dying of laughter" when in reality they were just chuckling a bit. Come on people, let's reserve the word "literally" for when we actually mean it.

And then there's "ultimate". This one usually comes up in food-related posts. "The ultimate burger", "the ultimate pizza", "the ultimate dessert". Unless you've tasted every single burger, pizza, and dessert in the world, you really can't claim that yours is the ultimate. And even if you had tasted them all, everyone's tastes are subjective, so what you consider the ultimate might not be the same as someone else's. Let's just stick to "really good" or "delicious".

But I think the winner for most ridiculous use of a superlative adjective has to go to "life-changing". Now, I'm not talking about actual life-changing things, like getting married or having a baby. I'm talking about products or experiences that apparently change your life. I've seen "life-changing" used to describe everything from a new skincare regimen to a pair of socks. Let's be real here, those socks might be comfy as hell, but they're not going to fundamentally alter the course of your existence.

In conclusion, let's try to use superlative adjectives sparingly and appropriately. We don't want to dilute their meaning, and we definitely don't want to annoy everyone else on social media. And if something is truly amazing, life-changing, or ultimate, well, then you have my full permission to use those words to your heart's content. Just make sure you mean it.