MomSkoop
We’ve all been stuck in conversations that go nowhere fast.
You know the feeling—someone talks and talks, but nothing meaningful comes out.
Certain phrases pop up again and again, acting like verbal placeholders when people run out of real things to say.
Recognizing these empty expressions can help you understand when a conversation has hit a dead end.
1. I mean… it is what it is.
People throw this phrase around when they’ve completely given up on adding depth to a discussion.
Rather than sharing a real opinion or offering insight, they shrug off the topic with verbal laziness.
The phrase acts like a conversational escape hatch that requires zero thought or effort.
When someone defaults to this expression, they’re basically admitting they have nothing valuable to contribute.
It’s the ultimate non-answer that pretends to be wisdom.
Next time you hear it, notice how the conversation immediately stalls out and goes nowhere meaningful.
2. Not gonna lie.
This phrase suggests that honesty is somehow unusual or unexpected in the speaker’s communication.
Why would you need to announce you’re about to tell the truth unless lying is your normal mode?
It’s become a filler that people use before stating the most obvious observations imaginable.
The irony is that nothing groundbreaking ever follows these three words.
Usually, it precedes a completely unremarkable statement that nobody would question anyway.
It’s verbal throat-clearing that wastes everyone’s time while pretending to build suspense or credibility where none is needed.
3. At the end of the day.
Corporate speak has invaded everyday conversation, and this phrase leads the charge.
People use it to sound profound while summarizing points that needed no summarizing.
It’s the verbal equivalent of clearing your throat before saying something you think sounds important.
What makes it particularly annoying is how it pretends to cut through complexity when really it just restates the obvious.
The phrase has become so overused in meetings and casual chats that it’s lost any meaning it once had.
When you hear it, prepare yourself for a conclusion that could have been reached three sentences earlier.
4. To be honest with you.
Similar to its cousin phrase, this one raises immediate red flags about the speaker’s general honesty.
Why do you need to specifically announce your honesty unless dishonesty is your baseline?
It’s a qualifier that undermines trust rather than building it.
People sprinkle this phrase into conversations when they’re stalling for time or trying to make mundane observations sound more significant.
The statement that follows is rarely honest in any special way—it’s usually just another opinion dressed up as revelation.
Smart listeners recognize this as a sign that nothing interesting is about to emerge from the speaker’s mouth.
5. That’s crazy.
Nothing kills a story faster than this two-word response that pretends to be engaged.
It’s the universal reply when someone isn’t really listening but needs to acknowledge that words were spoken.
The phrase requires zero mental processing and shows zero genuine reaction.
What’s truly crazy is how frequently people deploy this empty response instead of offering real thoughts.
Whether you’re describing a minor inconvenience or a life-changing event, you’ll get the same robotic “that’s crazy” in return.
It’s conversational autopilot that signals the other person checked out long before you finished talking.
6. Low-key though.
Social media slang has crept into spoken language, bringing with it this meaningless modifier.
People tack it onto statements when they want to sound casual or relatable but have nothing substantial to add.
It’s verbal filler that tries desperately to sound current and cool.
The phrase rarely adds any actual meaning to whatever follows it.
Instead, it serves as a hedge that lets speakers avoid committing fully to their own statements.
When someone says this, they’re usually about to share an opinion so bland that it needs this trendy packaging to seem remotely interesting or worth saying aloud.
7. I don’t know, you can’t really say.
Here’s the ultimate non-commitment phrase that people use when they want to participate in conversation without actually participating.
It’s a verbal shoulder shrug that avoids taking any position whatsoever.
The speaker gets to seem thoughtful while contributing absolutely nothing to the discussion.
This phrase is particularly frustrating because it shuts down conversation rather than advancing it.
Instead of engaging with ideas or sharing perspectives, the person retreats into vague uncertainty.
It’s the conversational equivalent of showing up to a potluck empty-handed but still expecting to eat everyone else’s food.
8. Same difference.
This phrase makes no logical sense, which perfectly matches the empty thinking behind it.
People say it when they’re too lazy to acknowledge actual distinctions or nuances in a conversation.
It dismisses details and differences as if precision and accuracy don’t matter.
What makes this particularly revealing is that it shows the speaker isn’t interested in understanding complexity.
They’d rather flatten everything into sameness than engage their brain for another moment.
When you hear someone say this, you’re witnessing intellectual laziness in its purest form—someone who’s checked out mentally but is still moving their mouth.
9. It’s giving… something.
Born from social media culture, this phrase has become the go-to response when people can’t articulate actual thoughts.
They trail off after “giving” because they genuinely have no specific observation to share.
It’s verbal vapor that sounds trendy but means absolutely nothing.
The vagueness is the entire point—it lets people seem engaged and current without requiring any real analysis or opinion.
You’ll hear it most often from people who consume too much content online and have forgotten how to form complete, meaningful thoughts.
It’s the linguistic equivalent of empty calories: filling space without providing any nutritional value whatsoever.
10. I feel like people don’t talk about this enough.
This phrase has become the battle cry of people who mistake repetition for insight.
They use it before stating something that’s been discussed exhaustively everywhere.
It’s a way to make ordinary observations sound revolutionary when they’re actually just recycled talking points.
The irony is that whatever follows this statement is usually something people won’t shut up about.
The speaker wants credit for bringing attention to topics that already dominate social media and casual conversation.
It’s performative awareness that signals the person is more interested in appearing thoughtful than actually being thoughtful or original.
11. You know what I mean?
When people constantly ask this question, they’re usually aware their explanation made no sense.
It’s a desperate plea for agreement that reveals the speaker’s own confusion about their point.
Rather than clarifying their thoughts, they’re hoping you’ll just nod along and pretend understanding happened.
This phrase appears most frequently when someone is rambling without direction or purpose.
They’re checking to see if you’re still paying attention while simultaneously admitting they’ve lost the thread themselves.
It’s an invitation for you to do the mental work they couldn’t manage—making sense of their scattered, uninteresting observations.
12. Just my personal opinion.
Of course it’s your personal opinion—you’re the one saying it!
This redundant phrase gets tacked onto statements when people want to soften their words or avoid any pushback.
It’s a pre-emptive defense mechanism that weakens whatever point they’re trying to make.
The phrase signals that the speaker lacks confidence in their own thoughts and wants an escape route if challenged.
Instead of standing behind their ideas, they’re already backing away from them before anyone responds.
When you hear this qualifier, you’re witnessing someone who knows their contribution is unremarkable and is hoping you’ll grant them immunity from critical thinking.