Some words are well known but still completely pompous. A number of readers have sent examples and they don't deserve to be neglected, so I put them here. Enjoy!
Aaron McHugh:
The use of epithet for swear or slur; examples can be found in "literature" by searching for [spat epithet] on Google (w/o the brackets). Examples in journalism can be found by searching for [racial epithet].
I think monetize, leverage, take ownership, touch base, value proposition and core competency are all pompous in their own way, but I'm not sure if their is a one word plug in syllable for each of them.
If you've never seen the Adventures of Action Item at http://www.fatalexception.org/action_item.html this is a good time to do so. I'm considering a "pompous business jargon" page for precisely this reason.
Tim Magee
sent it.
Synonymous with: too
Example: Unduly (har!) many to
mention.
John Duff:
Word: Exacerbate
Synonymous with: Worsen, Aggravate
Example: Travis Fox @
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2006/07/21/VI2006072100763.html
and every network newsreader.
Why do [pompous ass] newsreaders try to twist their tongue around "Exacerbate?"
"Exacerbate" worsens the readability of their copy and aggravates their
pea-brains to pronounce it.
David Smith:
Although I may disagree with a couple of your choices ("Seppuku", for instance,
should only be on the list if there is a suitable synonym for ritualistic
suicide by disembowelment - and I am not aware of any), I applaud your efforts,
and wish to contribute:
Utilize: syn. "Use" - the result of people thinking that a three-syllable word
must be better, more accurate, and more impressive than its one-syllable
synonym. In most cases, "use" is appropriate. See
http://www.cjr.org/tools/lc/utilize.asp Heard in the CBS commentary on [the]
Super Bowl: "Chicago failed to utilize their defense effectively..." (sorry, no
citation available).
Joe Clifford Faust:
This word is prevalent in classified ads ("You will utilize your people
skills...") and any piece of written communication that comes out of a corporate
office ("We utilize our leveraged assets to realize a maximized paradigm").
Here's just one example I pulled by Googling the NY Times web site specifically
for the word:
High Court Will Let Deaf Lawyer Utilize Video Display Tube (Headline)
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9A0CE4DE133BF930A15751C0A964948260
David Smith:
Impact (as a transitive verb): syn. "Affect" or "Influence" - unfortunately all
too common. "The President's foreign policy will impact the economy." At one
time, this use of "impact" was reserved for problematic wisdom teeth, and I
would dearly love to see it returned to that status. Yes, yes, the OED and other
sources say it CAN be used as a verb, and an occasional "impact" can perhaps be
tolerated, but the current trend to using it in this manner is overdone. Perhaps
the users of "impact as a verb" are trying to avoid the problem of
distinguishing between "affect" and "effect" and, rather than learning the
difference, have seized upon "impact" as a solution?
Sent anonymously:
Please don't quote me on this, as the marketing Nazis at my company are prime culprits! Confluence means the meeting of two bodies of water, but it is starting to get used to represent "convergence". Pompous.