87 ways to describe 2020

Since nothing else has worked to make 2020 pass more quickly or be any less horrifying, I thought I would try some writing therapy. Below are a few alternatives to the worn-out words and phrases used to describe the events of 2020. Do these fit the feeling of 2020?

Alternatives to “unprecedented”

In 2020, any time a politician or a news anchor describes one event as “unprecedented” another “unprecedented” event occurs, making the first event no longer “unprecedented.” If you’re confused by all of this . . . try using one of these when something unheard-of occurs.

  • atypical
  • anomalous
  • beyond compare
  • distinctive
  • exceptional
  • freakish
  • incomparable
  • inconceivable
  • mind-boggling
  • novel
  • out of the ordinary
  • peculiar
  • singular
  • uncharacteristic
  • unconventional
  • uncustomary
  • unfamiliar
  • unorthodox
  • unparalleled
  • unrivaled
  • unmatched
  • unusual
  • unsurpassed
  • unheard-of

 

Alternatives to “anxious”

When “anxious” doesn’t quite describe that sinking feeling of dread you wake up to every morning, try one of these.

  • aghast
  • alarmist
  • apprehensive
  • beleaguered
  • bewildered
  • crestfallen
  • discomposed
  • disheartened
  • dispirited
  • distraught
  • edgy
  • flustered
  • forlorn
  • frazzled
  • fretful
  • guarded
  • haggard
  • heavy-hearted
  • inconsolable
  • overwrought
  • perplexed
  • preoccupied
  • restless
  • troubled
  • uneasy
  • unglued
  • unsettled
  • wired

 

“Frustrated” . . . and then some

We’re all a little short-tempered these days. And angry, and disappointed, and disgruntled, and fed up.

  • appalled
  • at my wit’s end
  • at the end of my rope
  • beside myself
  • combustible
  • come apart at the seams
  • exasperated
  • dismayed
  • fly off the handle
  • frustrated
  • go off the deep end
  • go through the roof
  • hackles are up
  • in a tailspin
  • incensed
  • inflamed
  • infuriated
  • irascible
  • ireful
  • livid
  • makes my blood boil
  • nonplussed
  • on the warpath
  • outraged
  • piqued
  • rabid
  • resentful
  • riled
  • set my teeth on edge
  • short-fused
  • stirred up
  • tear my hair out
  • vexed
  • volatile
  • wound up

 

Do you have any words or phrases to add to the list?

 

 

 

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