Merriam-Webster defines literal as something that is completely true and accurate.

The irony of this lies in the way teenagers use the word. Often enough, teens use “literally” as a way to exaggerate something that happened. For example, most social media users have seen a teenage girl talk about “literally dying” of laughter, but news flash, this person did not literally die because they were able to make the post.

Instead of using extremely common and basic words to describe something, let’s all take a lesson from the hard-working English teachers. Instead of saying that someone was literally dying of laughter, say they were chuckling, giggling, snorting with laughter or cachinnating.

The same lesson could be applied to the word “actually.” He was actually scared. She is actually going to tell the secret. They are actually trying to undermine the administration. Get the idea?

Another word that is thrown around aimlessly nowadays is “hipster.” A hipster is someone who follows the latest trends, but much of the teenage population believes that a hipster is someone who is ahead of fashion and the movement of popular culture.

Today, one would refer to someone in leggings and combat boots as hipster. What about that girl who likes indie bands? She’s a hipster. There’s a boy walking down the hallway in oxfords, he must be a hipster.

Unfortunately for the teenage population, those trying to be “hipster” and stand out are doing the exact opposite. The hipster trend is everywhere now, making the word itself a poignant reminder of what once was.

Instead of using “hipster” to describe someone, use something more meaningful. The girl in the crochet top could be described as bohemian. The collar-clad man could be classified as posh, high-class, dashing or even in vogue.

The future of the English language is up to our generation. Sure, it’s not easy to know an unlimited amount of synonyms for everyday words, but pause for a second before speaking. Maybe until we can think of descriptive replacements for the average words, we should carry around a pocket thesaurus.