I have already posted about banning words like upset and incredibly in a literary essay. If I had my way they'd be made illegal in everyday life! That's because they are so ubiquitous and bland that they remove all the process of thinking how to write or talk sense. AI constantly says something is incredible when it wants you to believe it. Nonsense! We don't use AI to help us write though, do we?
What else can be used instead of the adjective upset? If I turn to Roget's Thesaurus I find plenty of other expressions, some of which I have formed from the verbs given. (Not alternatives because that means one of two). Here are some of them:
troubled, embarrassed, discomfited, worried, afflicted, distressed, traumatised, harrowed, shocked, appalled, frightened, distraught, horrified, pained, wounded, nettled, embittered, offended, tormented, vexed, depressed.
If you feel confident about their meaning, tone and register (whether formal or slang for example), go ahead and use one of them, storing it in your memory. If you are uncertain, wait until you have encountered the term a few times in your general reading. There are also dictionaries of synonyms and antonyms that can help to widen your working vocabulary range. You want your essays to stand out from the crowd and a more precise use of words will do it.
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