Ploymint

To some millennials, the word itself is the “M-Word”, as in they cringe into defense mode when they’re called one. A recent two-part article from Forbes (part 1, part 2) discusses the origins of the word millennial, and then whether or not millennial is a dirty word.

As a holder of a B.S. in English, I could probably write a 10-page paper on the denotative and connotative definitions of millennial, but I’ll spare you and give the Cliff Notes version.

Denotative Vs Connotative

The denotative definition of a word is rigid. It’s what you find when you look up a word in the dictionary. The denotative definition of the word millennial would basically be the name of the generation of people born between 1982 and 1997.

There’s no way you can get offended by the denotative definition of millennial. If you were born in that time frame, then you’re a millennial. Only way to change that is build a time machine and alter the timeline enough to get you born outside that window. Good luck.

The Connotative definition of a word is what people think and feel when they hear a word. In other words, what a specific word means to them. Think of the word genius. Then look at these two phrases:

” You can tell he has a genius IQ by how he remembers everything he reads”

“ Great. Now we’re lost thanks to your genius shortcut.”

In the first phrase, the connotative definition matches the denotative definition of the word. In the second phrase, the connotative definition of genius is actually stupid. So basically, when you’re being sarcastic, you’re using connotative definitions.

The word millennial is a loaded word, as it has several different connotative definitions. Millennials are seen as self-centered by some, yet they are seen as one of the most selfless generations by others. Millennials seem like slackers who aren’t career-focused enough for some companies, yet others think of millennials as a gold mine of talent and innovative ideas.

Is Millennial a Dirty Word?

The second part of the Forbes article focuses on this concept. The article poses two questions:

Is Millennial a dirty word?

If not, why do some people think it is?

Here’s my answer. No, it’s not a “dirty word”. There’s no such thing. The connotative definitions of words are themselves generational in nature. The word “Gay” for example used to mean happy, then it was used as a name for homosexuals, and now young pre-teens tend to use it as a synonym for “lame” without even realizing how that’s extremely offensive to a group of people.

This may sound harsh, but if you get defensive when you’re called a millennial, there’s a deeper issue brewing. In my opinion, it all comes down to self-esteem. I don’t believe in getting offended by being called anything. There’s a reason “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” was ingrained in us during childhood.

My advice is own your membership to the Millennial Club. We’re the generation of change, whether it be social change or changing the landscape of business, and most importantly, we’re in our prime. The world is just experiencing the beginning of what millennials will do to this planet. Imagine when we see the first all-millennial congress? the first all-millennial Supreme Court? The first millennial president?

Like it or not, millennials are here to make their mark, and you can follow us on our quest to impact the world, or you can get out of the way.