A dictionary of distortions
Distorted language surrounds us.
Sometimes it’s on purpose, to manipulate you into thinking and acting a certain way.
Sometimes it’s by accident, because communication is complicated. And this complexity can hide the fact that our mental models and our language habits are creating distortions.
But whether on purpose or by accident, language distortions are never good.
Instead of clarity, they can bring confusion.
Instead of building trust, they can amplify doubt and uncertainty.
And instead of good decisions, they can lead to mistakes.
In this Dictionary of Distortions, I’m sharing the most common types of distorted language I find creating problems in the workplace.
You can use this dictionary to diagnose distortions and correct them before they do real damage.
Note: All of the examples in this dictionary are in English. However, the distortions can be found in other languages as well.
Photo by Octavian Rosca (via Unsplash)
Inflating language
Definition: A distortion where reasonable behavior is presented as problematic.
Example: In a meeting, Ming points out that a proposed deadline won’t work because it has left out some time-intensive steps. After the meeting, her boss pulls her aside and says, “You need to stop with these aggressive and unseemly outbursts. You’re just so difficult to work with.”
Look out for: Words like aggressive, entitled, unprofessional, difficult, abrasive, unlikeable, rude, disruptive, and scary.
Common results: Useful contributions ignored (which can lead to project failures); inaccurate feedback on workplace behaviors; inappropriately negative performance reviews; inappropriately slowed down career velocity; high performers quit.
Softening language
Definition: A distortion where words or behavior that should be considered inappropriate, unacceptable, and possibly even criminal are presented as appropriate and acceptable.
Example: Tim, who uses a wheelchair, goes to HR to report intrusive and rude questions from his teammates. They ask things like, “So what happened to you?” and “How do you put on your pants if you’re in a wheelchair?” and “Can you even have sex?” The HR rep tells him to be more understanding and says, “They’re just curious. You’re the only person here who is wheelchair-bound, and they just want to know more.”
Look out for: The word just to minimize actions. Phrases like “Boys will be boys,” “They don’t know any better,” and “You should be the bigger person.”
Common results: Toxic behavior is ignored and hurts productivity, destroys team dynamics, and drives good employees away. Softening language to dismiss behavior also lays the groundwork for discrimination and harassment lawsuits, as it shows an organization was informed of problematic behavior and did nothing about it.
Masking language
Definition: A distortion that masks a social reality, usually by pretending that one group’s experience or perspective is the experience or perspective for everybody.
Example: An HR professional fills out the office calendar with holidays like Diwali, Rosh Hashanah, and Ramadan. This will guide people to avoid scheduling important events like a sales-kickoff during holidays. She gets pushback from some employees who say they are “uncomfortable with her candor” and “want more neutrality in the workplace.” The reality being masked is that the US office calendar is not neutral but based on Christianity, with Sundays, Christmas, and Easter automatically off.
Look out for: Words like normal, neutral, natural and professional.
Common results: Irritation and resentment; premature departure for a more welcoming organization.
Glorifying language
Definition: A distortion where a person’s performance is presented as more impressive and substantial than it actually is.
Example: A 2016 Associated Press report from the Rio Olympics had a large headline: “Phelps ties for silver in 100 fly.” Below it, in a much smaller font, a subhead said, “Ledecky sets world record in women’s 800 freestyle.”
Look out for: Who is named and who is not named; who is presented first and who is presented later; exaggerated and overstated descriptions.
Common results: The wrong person is rewarded or promoted; high performers quit.
Diminishing language
Definition: A distortion where a person’s performance is described as less impressive and substantial than it actually is.
Example: Teammates retroactively downgrade an impressive and technically difficult performance. They say things like, “Well, she also worked with [Very Smart Person], so [Very Smart Person] is probably the one responsible.” And “Our company is already good at [technical thing]. All he really did was just glue stuff together.” This diminishing language and distorted evaluation is so common that software engineer Mekka Okereke once put out a 43-tweet thread on why this happens and how to use a “Difficulty Anchor” to bypass it.
Look out for: Language that reassigns credit, words like just, simply, not that complicated.
Common results: Employees waste their time and energy doing extra work to prove they performed well (inappropriate burden of proof); inappropriately slowed down career velocity, with high performers not promoted; high performers quit.
Fake factual language
Definition: Language that presents a subjective opinion as if it is an objective fact. Usually encodes one of these hidden messages: (1) I don’t like it, so it isn’t good; (2) I don’t like it, so it’s gross or offensive; (3) I don’t understand it, so it isn’t meaningful or important. Often prompted by a limited knowledge base, skill set, or set of experiences.
Example: A manager rejects a new hire’s analysis, saying “this isn’t the right way to do this.” In fact, the manager simply isn’t familiar with this technique, which is newer but still widely accepted.
Look out for: Words like unappealing, nobody cares, not the right way, poorly done, mediocre, and no talent.
Common results: Inappropriate rejection of new and useful ways of doing things; frustrated employees; loss of trust in management and leadership; high performers quit.
Hijacking authority
Definition: A distortion that implies that the speaker has authority that they, in fact, do not have.
Example: A colleague on the same level as you says things like, “Why are you speaking so quietly?” and “You need to do it this way,” and “You should run this by me before sending it to the client.”
Look out for: Phrases like “we’ve decided,” “you need to,” and “you should.”
Common results: Breakdown of working relationships and fractured team dynamics; credit given to the wrong people; high performers quit.
These distortions aren’t just found in the workplace. You’ll also see them in journalism, entertainment reviews and reporting, schools and universities, political discourse, dating, family interactions, and conversations with friends.
Distorted language is an obstacle to civil and functional workplaces, and to a civil and functional society as a whole.
So when you can identify it, call it out, and shut it down, you’re making a real contribution.
Copyright 2026 © Worthwhile Research & Consulting
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