It really bugs me when people say “numerous” instead of “many” (e.g., “there are numerous alternatives to . . .”). Just as with “individual” used instead of “person,” or “utilize” used instead of “use,” “numerous” makes writing clunkier, more bureaucratese, and less accessible.
Words like this have what I’ve heard called the MEGO effect — My Eyes Glaze Over. There may be a few situations where the simple alternatives aren’t adequate synonyms, but 90% of the time switching to the simple word is much better. (Better yet would be to switch to something more concrete, such as “five” or “dozens” instead of “many”; but even the vague “many” is better than the vague and ponderous “numerous.”) I’m not saying the long words are “wrong,” only that they are less effective.
As Churchill supposedly said, in words of one syllable:
Short words are best, and the old words when short are the best of all.
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