Welcome to the Grammar Minute, where we’re saving the English language sixty seconds at a time! I’m Lauren Smyth, and I have a vendetta against the word “meaningful.”
Why? Because it’s largely meaningless. If you have to tell your audience that something is meaningful because it isn’t obvious on the surface, you should probably reconsider whether that thing is actually meaningful or whether it’s just another bit of empty jargon. For example, if you write, as so many corporations do, “We’re committed to making meaningful change”—well, yeah, duh. Why would you make meaningless change? Emphasizing “meaningful” in this context makes it sound like you know your customers are a bit suspicious of you and you want to forestall their suspicion by simply telling them it’s all fine!
Just don’t use this word. There’s almost never a meaningful occasion for it and it usually just cheapens the message.
That’s your Grammar Minute! Visit thegrammarminute.com for more tips and tricks.