I don’t know about you, but the time when I first took notice of the word “horrific” was September 11, 2001. As is often the case in modern TV journalism, a word or phrase was used once and then spread quickly to every single account of those events–and well beyond. In the case of “horrific”, it was used for so many different events over the years that it began to get diluted, almost to the point of irrelevance.
Ladies and gentlemen, that threshold has just been crossed. I give you WENN News from IMDB, which featured this item:
Paris Hilton’s Halloween celebrations were reportedly marred by a horrific row with boyfriend Doug Reinhardt after the reality TV star tossed his girlfriend’s cellphone out of their limousine.
Yes, it’s time to officially retire “horrific”. Terrorist attacks that send several thousand civilians to violent, fiery deaths is horrific. Paris Hilton having an argument is not. The fact that it’s even being reported is questionable! But to call it horrific completely dilutes it meaning. Therefore, it needs to be retired. Now.
