Your mouth is moving but I can't understand you.

That's the current situation when it comes to new and emerging words in conversations with anyone under 34 these days. Yet, are these new words even necessary? They don't prove you have an exceptional vocabulary. Instead, they prove you are trying to sound like you are aware of the latest trends. It's better to use words people will actually understand.

1. Adulting

Growing up is hard to do. Making new words for the process? That's much easier. I won't bash the age group too much for making up this word, but it's a throwaway. When anyone decides to make a verb out of a noun, it just leads to a lot of (ahem) confusing.

2. Gaslighting

This one came up quite a bit when I asked Facebook friends about words they've heard but don't understand. It means to use coercion and scare tactics to make people stressed or drive them crazy. Yes, it came into prominence during the last election cycle. It's a skip.

3. Bigly

I've heard Millennials (and Donald Trump!) use this word, and it's older than the hills. It came into use in 1300, first in Scotland. That's the first red flag. It means basically the same thing as big in the same way you could say "large" or "largely" interchangeably. The second red flag? The word makes you sound like you're in a gang.

4. Scrub

Words often originate in one social group and filter out to everyone else. A scrub was originally a term used by gamers to describe a newbie--someone who was not up to the challenge. With many Millennials, it means anyone who is bad at what they do. I've also heard the word can mean someone who is also too cool for their own good.

5. Savage

This word has nothing to do with someone who is a little too much like Tarzan in the jungle. It means someone is daring and willing to take a risk. My problem with the word? It's one thing to invent a new word, but when you add a new meaning to a known word it's just confusing. I mean, at least invent a new word to confuse us.