Are Superlatives Killing Your Credibility?

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What are speech superlatives? How can they possibly affect people’s perceptions of you? We share tips & tricks you can use to improve your speech patterns in the future.

What Is A Superlative?

A superlative is a part of speech, usually an adjective or adverb, that is expressing the utmost or highest in quality. Some examples of superlatives would include bravest, most fiercely, or most nervous like I am right now given that this is one of my first videos for the channel. More generally, a superlative can also refer to an exaggerated expression of praise such as “The best thing ever”; This is the type of superlative we’ll be talking about more in depth today.

These types of superlatives are definitely becoming more common as a sort of conversational crutch. Many people these days, especially Americans and particularly people under the age of 30, are using these kinds of superlatives to describe really any opinion they might have on any subject at this point. For example, something like “I saw this picture on Instagram, it was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen!”.

So you may be asking, why do these superlatives matter? Our answer is that using superlatives this much robs our conversations of three things: variety, specificity, and veracity. Those may be fairly large vocabulary words but we’ll give definitions too.

Superlatives
Superlatives [Image Credit: Thought Co]

Excessive Use Of Superlatives Robs Our Conversations Of Three Things

Variety

As you might well imagine, there are all kinds of other words in the English language that we can use to describe things aside from simply, best, or worst. For example, if you were to use words like sweetest, largest, or coldest, even these things while they’re not necessarily complex, provide much more detail than just best or worst. Of course, you could always default to the old standby: most amazing f**king thing ever! Just kidding.

Specificity

If you use other words aside from just best and worst, not only does it add more variety but you can make your point much more clearly. It’s always helpful for the listener if you can provide a more nuanced position in your speech. That way, things aren’t just as clear as mud. Let’s say for example, instead of saying “That was the best chili I’ve ever had”, you can say “That was the most flavorful, spiciest chili I’ve ever had”. That way, people know that you enjoyed it but they also know specifically why.

Make it a point to improve your vocabulary and conversational skills
Make it a point to improve your vocabulary and conversational skills [Image Credit: The George Washington University]

Veracity

Last of these three points is veracity and this is the one we feel superlatives really hit the hardest. If you overuse superlatives in your speech, it will eventually diminish your trustworthiness among your peers. If you’re using these words all the time, they’re going to lose their impact so people will stop listening to what you’re saying. As you can tell by now, we think that avoidance of superlatives is one of the hallmarks of speaking like a gentleman.

In A Nutshell

We think that being a gentleman is an aspiration that every man can achieve and it’s not tied to wealth or status. On that note, how you speak is something you have direct control over. You can change it.

” It’s not what you say,
It’s how you say it. “

Superlatives Interfere With Your Ability To Make Reasoned Arguments & Have Nuanced Opinions

After all, when someone offers their opinion, their end goal is usually to try to convince their listener of their own point of view.

For example, instead of saying “You have to see this awesome movie I just saw!” go for “I just saw a really tense psychological drama and I think you should check it out!”, the latter provides a little bit more interest. Of course, if you have natural charisma when speaking, this goes a long way but supplementing that with some rhetorical skill can definitely help you in the long run.

Try to demonstrate that your opinion is carefully considered and that it’s coming from a place of experience. That way, your listener will be that much more likely to trust you. After all, it’s definitely more relatable to give people your own experiences rather than just gossiping about what Lisa down the block thought of something.

Too much superlatives makes you sound unreliable
Too many superlatives make you sound unreliable [Image Credit: EdMego]

Superlatives Make Your Reasoning Cheap & Untrustworthy

Another example is saying that something is the “best in the world.” Well, if you haven’t been all around the world to have multiple examples, you really don’t know if it’s the best in the world or not and other people might pick up on the fact that you might not know what you’re talking about.

So make an effort to observe the complexities and things like art or sports and use a nuanced vocabulary to describe just how you feel about them. Put it this way, the more you use superlatives, the less likely people are going to pay attention to what you say.

Extreme use of superlatives
Extreme use of superlatives
Shantung Silk Striped Two Tone Bow Tie Bronze Orange, Green, Cream

Fort Belvedere

Shantung Silk Striped Two Tone Bow Tie Bronze Orange, Green, Cream

Light Blue Veronica Persica Boutonniere Buttonhole Flower

Fort Belvedere

Light Blue Veronica Persica Boutonniere Buttonhole Flower

Monkey Fist Knot Cufflinks - Vermeil Sterling Silver Yellow Gold Plated

Fort Belvedere

Monkey Fist Knot Cufflinks – Vermeil Sterling Silver Yellow Gold Plated

Love & Hate

Here’s an important subset of using superlatives. The words love and hate. Especially in American culture, these two words are used all the time even though if you think about it, they’re pretty extreme. For example, if you say “I love ice cream!”, really? Do you love ice cream? You might love your family, it’s probably more likely that you simply enjoy ice cream very much.

Do you really love a bag of Cheetos that much?
Do you really love a bag of Cheetos that much?

To put that another way, if you truly do love someone or something, maybe it’s best not to put them in the same linguistic category as a simple dessert. If you love everything about which you feel positively, that’s kind of another way of saying you don’t really love anything. There’s no nuance to your emotions.

A letter from grandma
A letter from grandma

Of course, all of these points are the same for the use of hate as well. Think of it this way, do you really love Cheetos as much as you love your grandma? Probably not! Especially because a bag of Cheetos isn’t going to send you $20 on your birthday.

Tips & Tricks To Lessen Use Of Superlatives

  • Take a day to observe how many superlatives you use yourself or how many you hear in daily life. For example, if you turn on the radio and the DJ says, “The best mix of hard rock”, count that as one. If you step outside your car and think to yourself, “This is the hottest day ever”, that’s two.
  • Take a day to observe all the things you say that you love or hate regardless of the context or how you might have meant it in the moment. For example, you might say “I love pizza”, “I love my new smartphone app” or “I love this yoga class I’ve been taking!”, after a while, take some time to examine this list. When were you being truly genuine and when were you needlessly exaggerating? After observing these habits, make an effort to try to construct your sentences differently and with more nuance in the future.
  • Increase your vocabulary. For example, you could pick up a word of the day calendar, try to read more books, listen to more radio, anywhere that people are using words you might not already be familiar with.
  • Come to the Gentleman’s Gazette YouTube channel and watch more of my videos!

Conclusion

To wrap up, our philosophy on this topic is simple. If you want to be a more genuine person, you have to speak genuinely. As we mentioned at the beginning of the video, increasing your vocabulary doesn’t have to come across as pretentious or elitist as long as you’re doing it for the right reasons.

In other words, don’t use complex vocabulary just to seem superficially smarter than those around you. You should look at this as an activity for self-improvement. Think about it this way, your new vocabulary should ultimately make you seem more genuine, not less. Say what you mean and mean what you say.

Outfit Rundown

Preston wearing a Ralph lauren blue-gray sport coat, white shirt and navy trouser combined with Fort Belvedere accessories.
Preston wearing a Ralph Lauren blue-gray sports coat, a striped shirt, and navy trousers combined with Fort Belvedere accessories.
Shantung Silk Striped Two Tone Bow Tie Bronze Orange, Green, Cream

Fort Belvedere

Shantung Silk Striped Two Tone Bow Tie Bronze Orange, Green, Cream

Light Blue Veronica Persica Boutonniere Buttonhole Flower

Fort Belvedere

Light Blue Veronica Persica Boutonniere Buttonhole

Orange, Green, Blue, Yellow, Silk Wool Medallion Pocket Square

Fort Belvedere

Orange, Green, Blue, Yellow, Silk Wool Medallion Pocket Square

Monkey Fist Knot Cufflinks - Vermeil Sterling Silver Yellow Gold Plated

Fort Belvedere

Monkey Fist Knot Cufflinks – Vermeil Sterling Silver Yellow Gold Plated

I’m wearing a blue-grey needlepoint sports coat from Ralph Lauren. The trousers are almost the same color but they’re a little darker so it helps to separate the outfit. The shirt is from Charles Tyrwhitt, it’s got blue and green stripes which help to give an overall teal feel when you’re looking at it from a distance. I often get shirts from Charles Tyrwhitt because you can get them in a multi-buy and they’re often on sale. For someone of my age who’s working on a more limited budget, this is usually a good option. I’m wearing a pair of light blue socks which complement the shirt and my shoes are a pair of dark oxblood penny loafers. My bow tie as well as my accessories including boutonniere, pocket square, and cufflinks are all from Fort Belvedere. It’s a funny thing, after I joined the Gentleman’s Gazette my supply of Fort Belvedere products increased dramatically! Who’d have thought? The bow tie is shantung silk because it’s bright orange and green combination. I tried to pick those colors up in the pocket square but to a slightly more muted degree. The boutonniere is small and in a similarly muted color because I didn’t want something overly loud or ostentatious, especially when paired with the tie and pocket square. The pocket square picks up the orange and green as well as the blue that’s featured in most places elsewhere around the outfit.

Reader Comments

  1. I would not have known this was your first video, or that you were nervous, if you hadn’t told me. Don’t tell everyone what you are feeling!
    You seemed very confident, until you told me you were nervous… At that point I began to watch your every move… you were fine.

    1. I agree. I thought it was well done and very informative. I look forward to more of his videos.

  2. Superlatives are a sign of imaturity. Young people who are still of the habit to overexpress themselves. This fades over time.
    Thank you for guiding the new generation of gentle persons.

  3. Thank you.
    There is nothing so pleasant as a conversation with person with a vocabulary.

  4. Great job on your first video; I look forward to more. My comment is not directed at you; rather, the distraction that the panning effect causes. The plant in the background appears to move mysteriously to and fro; it’s especially distracting when the plant is directly behind you, providing an uncomplimentary effect. I think the impact of your presentation speaks for itself; there is no need to attempt “tasteful” video effects.

  5. Congratulations and well done. The Gentleman’s Gazette continues to be interesting, informative, and dapper because it addresses such a wide variety of topics that contribute to gentlemanliness. Last week I watched Sven prepare steak and this week the topic was speaking effectively, all the while remaining stylish. Keep up the good work.

  6. Yours was the bestest greatest most stupendous video I’ve ever seen! I never learned as much as I did from watching this fantabulous video, and will put the concepts into practice immediately! Thank you ever so much!!!

  7. Splendid! My undergraduate major was English linguistics (think Pygmalion), and I shall have my 14 year-old daughter watch this. I am, she has informed me, The Grammar Nazi. She and I were recently seated across the airliner aisle from 9 school teachers returning from a convention in San Francisco. The grammar was appalling, and one of the young ladies used the word “like” six times in one sentence–which requires some modicum of skill, one supposes. In these times, one can tell far more about someone from their first sentence than from their dress and grooming.

  8. Another interesting video from GG. I really love, I mean I genuinely enjoy the energy and information from all of the messages on clothing, behavior, and speaking like a gentleman. First time out was a winner, keep them coming young man.

  9. Indeed, hyperbole is rampant and commonplace these days. Words and phrases like “awesome”, “amazing”, “fantastic”, “coolest ever”, “legendary”, “fabulous”, “incredible”, “super amazing”…… are so vastly overused those words have almost lost any real meaning.

  10. I enjoyed the video. Couldn’t tell it was your first. Very informative and I am going to encorporate what you discussed.
    Thanks, Kip

  11. I’ve been observing this phenomenon for some time now. A moratorium on the words “awesome” and “amazing” would certainly provide some welcome relief.

  12. You did a great job. i’m new to the GG but am thoroughly enjoying the videos and am learning new ways to improve myself every visit. Thanks!!

  13. I agree with everyone, and hope that I can be allowed the task of telling Sven that his services are no longer required

  14. Welcome to the ‘GG’ Preston. As some of us ‘British Gentlemen’ would say, congratulations on being “broken-in old chap and successfully completing your first performance” (in front of a camera and the millions watching around the World … wink) regarding various imperative aspects of being a gentleman :-)

  15. You did a more than nice job. I would never have known it was your debut if you hadn’t told your audience. Very composed, didn’t speak too quickly nor sluggishly. GREAT JOB (intentional superlative.) Hoping that Sven has you back for more videos; you were refreshing. Good luck.

  16. This is the best Gentleman’s Gazette video ever! Just kidding Preston. Your articulation of the subject matter combined with the Cheeto’s humor and sincerity of this being your first presentation made the clip not only enjoyable to watch but an informative reminder of how to speak with credibility. Thank you.

  17. In my opinion superlatives give speech character. I do not mean overuse, but well chosen adjectives show a mature, thoughful approach to speech and text.

  18. Your video was an excellent one. I would not believe it was your first one; also welcome to Gentleman’s Gazette! I am looking forward to more videos from you. Cheers

  19. I enjoyed your first video. It was most informative and enlightening. Big Smiles CMJ

  20. Funny you should make a video like this when so many of your other videos’ title contain words such as “every” or “never” (i.e.”5 Dress Shoes Every Man Must Have – …” note “every” and “must”)

  21. Where do young people get these superlatives from? Hollywood, Disney channel &c. Trash your tell-lie-vision.

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