11 Annoying Phrases That Immediately Make Anyone With Common Sense Roll Their Eyes
They don't tolerate ignorance or laziness.
Ekateryna Zubal | Shutterstock How you speak and what you say greatly impacts the way other people see you and the way you present yourself to the world. From the phrases you use, to the accent you carry, and the slang you adopt in everyday life, speech has a far more profound impact on your life and how you navigate it than you may believe, like psychologist Katherine D. Kinzler explained. Many people with common sense are intentional about their language — they understand how influential their words can be — while others' nonchalance attitude disrupts and sabotages interactions.
Many of the annoying phrases that immediately make anyone with common sense roll their eyes simply lack the kind of effort, intention, basic respect, and empathy that anyone else would offer in a conversation or social interaction. They're a clear sign of someone who doesn't have the social or self-awareness to truly thrive in social environments, whether it's making someone else feel heard or making a first impression.
Here are 11 annoying phrases that immediately make anyone with common sense roll their eyes
1. 'I manifested it'
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Manifestations, speaking your truth into existence, and adopting a willful attitude are all profoundly impactful aspects of living your best life. But for some people, overusing terms like "manifesting" are partially misguided. That's why this is one of the annoying phrases that immediately make anyone with common sense roll their eyes.
They know that, in many cases, people who constantly plead for change and manifest a better life aren't granted their wishes. Even people with incredibly strong work ethics and attitudes are dealt the worst hands in life.
If manifestations work for you, that's wonderful and empowering, but using phrases like "just manifest it" can be reductive and dismissing to the people truly seeking support, advice, and help.
2. 'Sorry, not sorry'
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People who struggle with taking accountability and offering genuine apologies to others may use phrases like "sorry not sorry" more often than people with self-assuredness and emotional intelligence. They rely on passivity, blissful ignorance, misguided superiority, and condescending language to avoid vulnerability, even at the expense of the people around them.
It's one of the annoying phrases that immediately make anyone with common sense roll their eyes, as they'd prefer to have deeper conversations, take accountability, and lean on the discomfort of growth to bolster their connections, while less secure people simply brush all of that off with a three-word phrase.
3. 'It is what it is'
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Letting go of overthinking tendencies, anxiety, and control of your life and leaning into the present moment can be incredibly helpful for personal well-being — not just mental and physical health, but also social skills and meaningful relationships. When you're less worried about how everything will turn out and comfortable with letting things pan out on their own, you harbor less chronic stress and anxiety.
However, when a phrase like "it is what it is" is used to justify misbehavior, disrespect, or laziness, it's much less productive. That's why it's one of the annoying phrases that immediately make anyone with common sense roll their eyes.
4. 'Everything happens for a reason'
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"Everything happens for a reason" is just another example of toxic positivity that encourages people to overlook their own complex emotions and craft a misguided narrative about the world around them. When someone is looking for emotional support, advice, or a conversation with depth, the last thing they want to hear are reductive and dismissive phrases like this.
Of course, for people who struggle with overthinking tendencies, rumination, and anxiety, phrases like this can be helpful from time-to-time, reminding them that they can't control anything but their own responses and actions in life.
However, for others — especially those with common sense — it's less productive for addressing personal issues and truly healing from unresolved trauma and struggles.
5. 'You're overreacting'
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People who regularly use phrases like "calm down" or "you're overreacting" are often gaslighters to their core, even if they don't realize it. Emotional manipulation can look subtle, but it manifests like this in conversations — people trying to spark self-doubt and insecurity in others, while discreetly trying to cope with their own.
According to psychology experts like therapist Amelia Kelley, they attempt to ruin your self-esteem, making you feel insecure or unworthy for expressing your concerns and emotions. Of course, these are also some of the annoying phrases that immediately make anyone with common sense roll their eyes.
They can spot gaslighting behaviors a mile away, because they have the internal security and self-assuredness to feel confident speaking their mind and expressing their emotions wherever they are.
6. 'Age is just a number'
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Phrases like "age is just a number" and "you're only as old as you feel" are not only misguided — overlooking foundational elements of people's life experiences, identities, and physical struggles — they're annoying to people with basic levels of common sense.
Of course, these can sometimes feel empowering to certain people, even if they can recognize their faults. However, they often justify judgment of aging individuals if they're not directly in line with unrealistic societal expectations of perpetual youthfulness.
7. 'Don't be so negative'
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Considering our culture generally associates negative emotions with personal faults — if you're unhappy, you're probably doing something or engaging in behaviors that spark negative emotions — it's not surprising that phrases like "don't be so negative" or "change your attitude" are so common.
While it may be partially true — that we can shift our own emotions and even influence the emotions of others subconsciously — completely suppressing negative emotions and never experiencing or living with them is not a healthy coping mechanism.
It's okay to grovel every once in a while and sit with your negativity, which is why this is one of the annoying phrases that immediately make anyone with common sense roll their eyes. Yes, it may be uncomfortable for other people every once in a while to be around someone with a negative attitude, but sometimes it's exactly what they need to overcome it and move forward.
8. 'It's just a joke'
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In the hands of someone with social awareness, emotional intelligence, or a baseline level of common sense, appropriate jokes and humor can be used to diffuse stressful interactions and emotional conversations with others. However, when phrases like "it's just a joke" are used by people who lack those skills, chances are they're avoiding accountability for hurtful language and behaviors.
It's a defense mechanism for people lacking common sense to use when they've overstepped a boundary or knowingly hurt someone's feelings, protecting them from having to own up to their mistakes and take responsibility. For people who are comfortable with apologies and intentional about their language — rather than impulsive, trying to make people laugh at the expense of others — it's one of the phrases that makes them roll their eyes instantly.
9. 'You only live once'
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People who live impulsive lives tend to make more high risk decisions, according to a study from Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, which is why they overuse phrases like "you only live once" to justify their lifestyles.
They lack the common sense and deeper emotional intelligence to regulate their emotions in a healthy way and even heal from unresolved trauma with thoughtful approaches, and instead rely on the thrill of an adrenaline rush or the instant gratification of an impulsive decision to comfort themselves.
Whether it's poor money decisions or engaging in risky relationships, justifications like this are some of the annoying phrases that immediately make anyone with common sense roll their eyes. Yes, it's important to live in the present moment and make the most of your life, but that doesn't mean throwing it all away for instant comfort, validation, or gratification.
10. 'I'm just brutally honest'
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According to licensed psychologist Jonice Webb, being honest with compassion and leading with empathy in relationships to express concerns is one of the keys to a healthy relationship, but often requires a baseline level of common sense and emotional intelligence to practice.
People without common sense will likely still express their concerns and pick apart other people's behaviors, but without the foundation of mutual respect and empathy that the former uses. They use phrases like "I'm just being honest" or "I'm a brutally honest person" to disguise their cruelty and lack of healthy communication skills.
So, the next time a partner or a toxic friend tries to gaslight you into taking their unnecessary criticisms and name-calling under the guise of "honesty," make an effort to set a boundary, walk away, or call them out — it's not only disrespectful, it's harmful to personal and social well-being.
11. 'I had no other choice'
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Even when things seem impossible and challenges are difficult to navigate in life, you always have choices. You may not have the freedom of time or money to make the choices that you desperately want, but you have choices nonetheless. So, when someone uses a phrase like "I had no other choice" or "What do you want me to do?" it's really just a disguise for their discomfort with taking true accountability.
People with common sense understand the profound importance of genuine apologies and taking responsibility for personal actions and choices, which is why this is one of the phrases that annoys them instantly. They don't appreciate having to dig for an apology or adopt a perpetrator narrative to support someone else's victim mentality.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
