"Utilize" vs. "Use"
Press releases heavily use the word "utilize," and rarely utilize the word "use" -- even though to most people the words are interchangeable.
Just checking some recent releases on Google News:
Aladdin's Enterprise Security solutions enable organizations to secure their information technology assets by controlling ... what content their users can utilize...
To finance the transaction, PrimeWest will utilize its existing credit lines plus a supplementary credit line of C$250 million.
Cactus Commerce End-to-End Supply Chain Solutions Utilize Upcoming BizTalk Server 2006 R2
Clearly, many corporate folks think big words sound more impressive than small words. It just sounds better to "utilize" state-of-the-art technology than to "use" it, doesn't it?
No question, execs often have big-word-itis, and it is our job as communication professionals to counter that urge with simplicity and clarity. So does that mean we should always lobby for the one-syllable, three-letter "use" over the three-syllable, seven-letter "utilize"?
Not necessarily -- because contrary to popular opinion, the words aren't quite synonymous.
As explained at Answers.com:
A number of critics have remarked that "utilize" is an unnecessary substitute for "use."
It is true that many occurrences of "utilize" could be replaced by "use" with no loss to anything but pretentiousness, for example, in sentences such as "They utilized questionable methods in their analysis" or "We hope that many commuters will continue to utilize mass transit after the bridge has reopened."
But utilize can mean "to find a profitable or practical use for." Thus the sentence "The teachers were unable to use the new computers" might mean only that the teachers were unable to operate the computers, whereas "The teachers were unable to utilize the new computers" suggests that the teachers could not find ways to employ the computers in instruction.
Got it? So utilize "utilize," but use it sparingly.
posted by Scott Baradell at
12:24 PM
8 Comments:
Actually, you probably should never use "utilize" - an old client lectured me on that.
Utilize fully means to use something in a way not meant. I utilized the book as a doorstop.
But, most people have to say "today" in the first graf of a news release ... when the dateline somewhat notes the date.
By
Jeremy, at 6/25/2006
I think we're using different dictionaries...
By
SB, at 6/26/2006
OK, here's what Merriam-Webster has to say:
Main Entry: uti·lize
Pronunciation: 'yü-t&l-"Iz
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form(s): -lized; -liz·ing
Etymology: French utiliser, from utile
: to make use of : turn to practical use or account: I'm a great person for utilizing waste power -- Robert Frost
So the distinction is, utilize suggests making productive use of something rather than to simply use it. This is rarely a necessary distinction, but in some cases -- to be able to "use" vs. "utilize" a computer, for example -- it can provide important nuance.
By
SB, at 6/26/2006
"Utilize"-abusers are also more likely to say "orientate" instead of "orient."
By
Ike, at 6/26/2006
I no longer say "orient." Now I say "asia."
By
SB, at 6/26/2006
This morning, my boss said "notate," when he clearly meant "note." I also -- no joke -- heard him refer to himself as "the decider" of our department. Sadly, it was not even a post-ironic Dubya reference.
By
Anonymous, at 6/26/2006
I, personally, have always found "utilize" to be more impactful than "use."
By
catsav, at 6/26/2006
"Use" can still be used to achieve the same meaning as th "utilize" sentence in the example, and a better sentence results: "The teachers found no use for the computers." Same meaning, yet the new sentence has an active verb and a simpler, more muscular style.
The problem with "utilize" is not that it is functionally interchangeable with "use". The problem is that it always sounds like pretentious claptrap, and there is always a better way.
By
Anonymous, at 3/01/2008
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