[John Tyler Connoley,
Friday February 1, 2008 at 4:11pm]
Be a User
Now that I'm back in school, I'm spending a lot more time around utilizers. You know, those people who use "utilize" when they really mean "use."
Theological and philosophical authors are terrible utilizers, but so are most of my classmates. I'm afraid our colleges and universities — not to mention our seminaries and graduate schools — are training a generation of utilizers.
Although a case can be made for using utilize in certain situations*, it's really just a ten cent word that makes people feel smart.
You're already smart enough. Be a user.
*According to The Oxford American Dictionary of Current English, utilize should be used when one is speaking of practical or effective use.