Language is a fluid and evolving thing, much like a living organism. I’m okay with this in theory. In practice, there are times when it frustrates me. One such example is the current connotation of the word “good.” Good used to imply something deep and full. Being good was significant. Good had weight to it. It was substantive.
Now it seems to convey “meh.” It’s on writing teachers’ bulletin boards of “overused words.” Leaders resist good and strive to be great. Consider the conversation on the way home from school.
“How was your day?”
“Good.” (accompanied by a noncommittal shrug).
Maybe I wouldn’t be so bothered by good’s demotion if there were a suitable replacement. But the offerings in the thesaurus fall short. They overlook the depth and breadth of goodness.
Dinner with my family is not always great, but it is always good. And that’s better, I think.
An awesome man might have been fun to date, but I’m grateful to have married a good man.
Our dog is nothing fancy or fantastic. She is a good dog.
So, this is me being an old stick in the mud. I refuse to say irregardless. I will only use the word literal to refer to meanings without metaphor, and I contend that good is better than great.