While there are more serious lessons to learn from last year, we can all agree on one thing that needs to stay in the past—the annoying business jargon!  

This year we returned to discover the most egregious professional faux pas of 2024.

The Most Annoying Business Jargon of 2024

The “headwinds” of 2024 brought new jargon to the forefront. When the TrustRadius community voted on their most hated buzzwords of 2024, a clear theme emerged. These terms are so generic, and used so broadly, that it’s  impossible to know what they mean.

1. AI

Close your eyes and imagine the most common phrase you hear in 2024. The odds are good that “AI” would top that list! It’s the number one most annoying business buzzword of 2024.

With ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, and others integrating into our everyday lives, it’s easy to imagine “AI” at the top. The word itself is overused and hyped up, saturated in the media, and companies jumping on the bandwagon to make their product or service standout.

This leaves a lot of noise, a lot of inflated promises, and fatigue.

2. Circle Back

Ah, “circling back.” The least-kept promise in the professional world. This is one of the worst business jargon examples on our list. 

To “circle back” to a promise to revisit a particular topic or decision at a later date. This buzzword is particularly popular in Chicago, according to Google Trends.  

For many of us, “let’s circle back” is a death knell to whatever idea, proposal, or project was being discussed. Some responsible meeting leaders may honor their promise to circle back. But all too often people use this phrase to sideline an idea without outright rejecting it.  

In 2024, let’s commit to being more honest with our colleagues. If you say you’ll circle back, be sure you do. And if you need to reject an idea, give your coworkers the courtesy of being upfront about it.

3. Disrupt

Using “disrupt” doesn’t mean you are truly disrupting anything. When every startup or company claims to be “disrupting” an industry, it becomes a cliché rather than a meaningful term. We need receipts!

Not all innovations or changes are genuinely disruptive, yet the word is often applied to minor tweaks or incremental improvements. This overstatement can frustrate people, especially when the changes are not as revolutionary as promised.

There’s no wonder “disrupt” is seen as overblown and tiring by 2024, especially if it continues to be used in every marketing pitch without significant outcomes.

4. Cloud

“Cloud” has been a dominant term in the tech and business worlds for over a decade. By 2024, its widespread, nearly ubiquitous usage could make it feel stale and overdone, especially since almost every digital service now operates in the cloud.

While “cloud” originally referred to remote servers and data storage, it’s now used so broadly that it often lacks specificity. Companies may use it in vague or unclear ways, making it a catch-all term that fails to provide real insight into the technology or value being offered.

It’s no wonder that in 2024, people are tired of hearing about the “cloud” as if it’s something new or special when it’s already the default.

5. Synergy 

“Synergy” has all the hallmarks of a piece of annoying business jargon. It sounds vaguely futuristic and means next to nothing.

“Synergy” once had a contextual meaning about businesses working together. But the word has been so recklessly bandied about that you need a hasty Google search to understand it.  

According to Google Trends, “synergy” has high search interest every year—and almost 8X more interest than “new normal” above. For some reason, people in Nebraska search this term the most. Looking at you, Lincoln metro!   

We’d be better off leaving management buzzwords like “synergy” behind along with the rest of 2024.

6. Take This Offline

As a returning leader among hated business buzzwords, “take this offline” took on new irony since 2021. The vast majority of business professionals went remote due to the pandemic. Now we’re left wondering: What does “offline” look like anymore?

More often than not, “take this offline” simply means that the topic should be discussed outside the current group meeting—which is a fair and reasonable proposal. However, now even private conversations are all conducted over video conference or another collaboration tool. 

Apparently, people in Alaska are most guilty of overusing this buzzword. Fairbanks, Juneau, and Anchorage all come in as top cities with the most searches for this annoying term.

“Taking this offline” is but a cruel reminder of the days when we could follow up a conversation over coffee or swinging by someone’s office. Scheduling another Zoom meeting just doesn’t feel the same….

7. Agile 

Once upon a time, “agile” had a very specific contextual meaning in the business world. 

“Agile” is a work methodology that emphasizes adaptability and continual reevaluation. This contrasts with the traditional waterfall approach, which prioritizes maintaining a consistent vision. Those familiar with project management or software development know these terms well.  

That’s not how “agile” is used in everyday jargon. 

You’ve probably heard someone use the word “agile” to imply some vague amount of flexibility or adaptability. There’s precious little substance behind what people think it means to be “agile” in this context. 

According to Google Trends, this term is ever-present in California. We’re seeing huge interest in the San Francisco bay area (which isn’t surprising at all). 

8. Bandwidth

We usually use the word “bandwidth” as a new way of saying “how much we can get done.” People normally use this annoying business jargon to indicate when there isn’t enough time. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s safe to say that we all ran out of “bandwidth” at some point or another.  

What’s annoying is when people use this word instead of being direct. Some think that “I don’t have the bandwidth” is a less offensive way to say “I don’t have the time to do what you asked.” We’re all obsessed with staying one verbal degree away from saying “no” to someone. 

This might be more comfortable for some, but it also adds another unproductive turn of phrase to the jargon dictionary. Nobody has the “bandwidth” for that!

9. Pivot

During COVID, we saw the pandemic shatter most of our business plans. Since virtually everyone needed to deviate from the plan for the year, “pivoting” became an all-too-familiar phrase.  

As the pandemic dragged on, the need for pivots upon pivots felt like a constant upheaval. Now the term sparks confusion, stress, or eye-rolling for business professionals. 

A “pivot” always signals oncoming change—but the speaker often doesn’t provide clarity on what those changes will be. That’s what makes this a common management buzzword. “Pivot” is an easy way to leave professionals in an ongoing state of ambiguity and uncertainty. 

My advice: rather than using “pivot,” leaders should just walk through what the pivot actually entails!

10. Teams [as a verb]

In 2021, when we ran a version of this survey, Zoom (as a verb) topped the list. I’m sure we can all understand and take a collective eyeroll. Now, as remote work has been the norm for almost 4 years, “Teams” is used interchangeably as a noun and a verb. 

To Microsoft’s credit, it takes a certain amount of market clout for your product’s name to be synonymous with its function. 

Unfortunately, this buzzword constantly forces us to acknowledge our current circumstances. Most of the tech world had to become all day, every day users of web conferencing software. While reviewers speak highly of Microsoft Teams on TrustRadius, it’s a word best left as a noun for 2024.

11. 110%

In the context of workplace culture, asking employees to give “110%” can imply that giving 100% is not enough, which may contribute to feelings of inadequacy, pressure, and burnout. In 2024, as companies focus more on well-being and sustainable productivity, the term is likely being seen as counterproductive and out of touch.

The phrase is often thrown around without much thought or substance. Saying “give 110%” might sound motivational at first, but it offers no clear guidance on how to achieve that extra effort or what specific actions are expected. This lack of tangible direction feels empty and meaningless.

Like many buzzwords and phrases, “110%” lacks originality and needs a refresh.

12. Leverage

Similar to other overused buzzwords, “leverage” often replaces more precise language. Instead of saying “use,” “apply,” or “optimize,” many people say “leverage” to sound more sophisticated, but it adds little actual value or specificity to the conversation. This is annoying when clearer, simpler terms would suffice.

The term “leverage” has become a go-to buzzword in business to describe anything from using resources effectively to taking advantage of relationships or technologies. Its overuse leads to vagueness, where people use it without clearly defining what is being “leveraged” and how.

If you want to know how to create skepticism on your teams, this is one way to make vague, hollow promises sound strategic.

13. Big data

“Big data” has been a buzzword for over a decade, and by 2024, its constant usage may make it feel tired and diluted. Everyone has been talking about big data for so long that it no longer carries the excitement or sense of novelty it once did.

It’s a catch-all term for massive amounts of data, but it’s frequently used without explaining how that data is being analyzed or applied in meaningful ways.

14. Headwinds

Oh, headwinds. What tech company hasn’t heard the constant “headwinds” speech?

It’s become such a popular term in business, especially in earnings calls, reports, and forecasts, to describe challenges or obstacles facing a company. Its frequent use as a default explanation for difficulties, like slow growth or declining performance, can make it feel repetitive and overdone.

15. Innovative

As in “we need to be more innovative.” This one feels very similar to “110%”—the message is unclear with no direction on how you picture a company to be “innovative.”

From the perspective of every company shouting that they are “innovative” from the rooftops, again, we need receipts! Without substance behind the claim, it comes across as empty marketing jargon and an oversaturated buzzword.

Instead of using “innovative,” actually describe what makes what you do different.

16. KPI

KPIs (or Key Performance Indicators) are important to businesses—it’s a way of keeping on track toward bigger goals and connecting employee work to the company’s north star. 

That doesn’t mean that all KPIs are helpful. In some cases, KPIs can become more about tracking numbers than about making meaningful progress toward business goals. When KPIs are seen as arbitrary or detached from real business value, they can be viewed as bureaucratic or pointless, making the term “KPI” feel like corporate jargon that emphasizes metrics over actual impact.

17. Low-Hanging Fruit

“Low-hanging fruit” is a mainstay in the Hall of Hated Buzzwords. The term refers to actions that are easy to do, especially compared to more difficult options. This term never refers to actual produce. It’s just a way to call something “easy but still worth doing.” 

Why does “low-hanging fruit” earn a spot on this list? Because, like other business buzzwords, it adds virtually nothing to a conversation. When someone says “low-hanging fruit,” they could just stop speaking right there. That would provide the same amount of information as if they’d spent the extra breath. We should all leave this buzzword to the farmers in 2024.  

18. Networked

“Networked” is often used broadly to describe connections, whether between people, devices, or systems. Its overuse in a wide range of contexts can make the term feel vague and overblown. When used too frequently without specificity, it loses impact and can sound like empty jargon.

By 2024, “networked” may feel overdone and unoriginal. As more companies use it to describe nearly everything—people, devices, systems, software—its meaning can become so diluted that it no longer conveys anything special or insightful, making it more of an annoying buzzword than a valuable descriptor.

19. New Normal 

The “new normal” refers to the state of the world, and how we expect the world to be, after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the meaning of the “new normal” has become ambiguous in recent years. 

According to Google Trends, people in Peoria-Bloomington metro in Illinois are the most obsessed with this term. “New normal” has almost 3X the amount of search interest there compared to the second-highest metro (New Orleans). 

20. Ping

Originally a technical term from network diagnostics, “ping” has been adopted in business language to mean “check in,” “reach out,” or “send a message.”

“Ping” has a more casual, techie connotation, and sometimes just sounds like someone is trying to sound more sophisticated than necessary.

21. Reach Out

With the biggest jump on this list, “reaching out” hit new highs of hatred in 2024. As the recent economic “headwinds” unfolded, we all received multiple emails per day from companies, vendors, and marketers who were “reaching out” to check in. They might have wanted to see how we were doing. But most importantly, they wanted to make sure the money was still flowing. 

“Reach out” was briefly deemed the most delicate, “empathetic” way of contacting customers to make sure they were still paying. Unfortunately, this phrase became so ubiquitous that we all got wise to its real meaning. 

Anyone trying to “reach out” is most likely trying to get in your budget.

Why Business Buzzwords Matter

We use jargon because it feels convenient, comfortable, and safe. But buzzwords actually make it harder for us to communicate effectively. 

These terms add nothing to a conversation. They obscure the clarity of your sentences. And they alienate others around you who aren’t sure what you mean. 

As we all work to address the pressing challenges of 2024, we must have more integrity with our language. We have to fight the trend toward performative marketing. We need to be comfortable discussing these issues head-on in the business community, without the vagueness of jargon. And we need to come prepared with a clear plan of action.   

Let’s be conscientious of how we communicate with our coworkers, teams, and the rest of our community going into 2025.  Want more Buzzwords? Check out our list of MOST HATED tech buzzwords.